Faction Ard-Con

Dwarf-Lord Pangolin · Oct 12, 2015

Full Faction Name:
Confederation of the Seven United Provinces of Ardentrall

Faction Aliases:
Ardentralli Confederation, Ard-Con, "ardies," "confeds"

Historical Notes:
A few months before the completion of the first Tannhauser Catapult, a Chinese-built colony ship -- the Qin Shi Huang -- was launched. The ship itself was a giant, ramshackle amalgamation of various elements from scrapped ore haulers and deuterium tankers left over from the Second Space Race. These vessels had been reduced to their storage sections, which had then been made habitable and fitted with cryo pods to contain as many colonists in as small a space as possible. What made the Qin Shi Huang stand out, however, was its propulsion: the first prototype of a theoretical drive system that its inventors, Drs. Tanji Sumiko and Frederik Koning, claimed would revolutionize space travel. So certain were they of its success, having dedicated much of their lives to developing the theory, that they themselves were part of the crew. In order to gain the necessary funding, expertise, and personnel to crew the vessel, China had been forced to ask for -- and accept -- aid from a number of different governments, corporations, and individuals, lending the ship and its crew a more multinational character than had originally been anticipated.

The departure of the Qin Shi Huang did not secure its builders the place in the history books that they had desired. Upon activation, one third of the drive section promptly exploded, and the rest of the vessel disappeared without a trace. Attempts to claim that its disappearance constituted a form of success were met with scorn and reproach, and the attempt was swiftly forgotten with the unveiling of the Tannhauser whose glory the Qin Shi Huang had been meant to steal.

While the Qin Shi Huang did arrive at its destination of Gamma Andromedae intact, the ship had suffered catastrophic damage; many of the colonists were killed in the initial explosion, and more would die in terrible ways over the next month due to the infantile nature of the technology. To further complicate matters, a terrorist organization, Nord-Stjärniga, had managed to infiltrate the mission and chose this time to make their move. Killing or kidnapping anyone who attempted to stop them, they commandeered a number of landing craft, and disappeared into the inner portion of the system. The remainder of the colonists fractured along ideological lines, and divided the remaining landers between themselves. The bulk of the colonists settled on the only garden world in the system, Ardentrall.

Comprised of seven former colonies, the Ardentralli Confederation was founded in 2096 after a long period of alternating tension and raprochement between the various colonies on the planet and nearby asteroid field. The survival of the colonists was unknown to the rest of humanity -- who believed the colony ship to have been lost with all hands -- until 2123, when an exploratory vessel from the Confederation carrying a refined T-K drive happened to enter a system connected to the Tannhauser network, reuniting them with the rest of humanity.

Since then, Ardentrall has largely kept to the sidelines of the interstellar community. As a significant portion of its original population consisted of political exiles and similar "undesireables" from China, the inhabitants tend to value their independence highly. Its position makes it a convenient trading nexus between a number of the powers in its region of space, and the Confederation's citizens -- and, to a lesser extent, the other unaffiliated minor colonies within the system -- have profited significantly from this. Technologically, Ardentrall has suffered somewhat from its period of isolation, but has been making a concerted effort to catch up with the galactic norm. Its economy has been helpful in this respect, allowing it acquire by commerce much of what it has yet to develop itself.

In 2183, Ardentrall was brought somewhat uncomfortably into the spotlight by virtue of being one of the powers present at Styx, with the JPF moving into a heightened state of alert. In the aftermath of Canon-Rei, the individual provincial fleets have begun to redeploy their vessels to different positions within the system, including the unprecedented decision to station a battleship group next to the system's Urenbeck gate.

Controlled Territory:
Planet of Ardentrall | Population: ~25.5 million
Moon of Minato | Population: ~5 million
Moon of Inlé | Population: 0
Henriksen Belt | Population: ~5 million

Owned Installations:
5 skyhooks (orbital stations connected to surface by space elevator)
Lunar & orbital shipyards
Almach Station (jointly held with other minor polities in Gamma Andromedae)

Available Assets

Sub-Faction Divisions:
Han Province
Kansai Province
Lotharingia Province
Minato Province
Darkhan Province
Takhar Province
Rostov Province
Joint Provincial Fleet

Named Characters:
Stadthouder Chen Lauw
The leading representative from Han, the Confederation's largest province, within the States-General. A vocal advocate for funding for Han's provincial fleet to protect against in-system threats, he has lately also begun urging additional spending for the JPF.

Commodore Lécuyer
The overall JPF commander at Styx. Ever since Styx, Lécuyer has been exerting what influence he has in an attempt to modernize JPF warships, concerned that external threats cannot be dealt with by Ardentrall's current technology.

Captain Yvette Zhou
As the daughter of a decorated admiral, Captain Zhou is expected to live up to her mother's example. However, her own command style has been on the reserved side, and she has been seeking lower-intensity assignments ever since the Battle of Styx. Served as Captain of JPFV Expeditious at Styx.

Captain Hideyoshi Bern
Not given to much speech, Bern's quiet competence suited Captain Zhou well while he served as her Executive Officer. He was promoted in the wake of the Battle of Styx, and is currently serving in his first command aboard JPFV Valiant. Served as XO of JPFV Expeditious at Styx.

Captain Valeria Yakimura
Formerly a Commander within the Kansai Provincial Fleet, Yakimura was also promoted to the rank of Captain following Styx. She applied for and received a transfer to the Joint Provincial Fleet after deciding that Ardentrall's greatest dangers likely came from extrasolar threats. Served as XO of KPFV Intrepid at Styx, and commanded Vanguard at Canon-Rei.

Unique Technology:
Tanji-Koning Drive
A holdover from early colonial times, the T-K drive is a form of translation drive. The steady march of progress has not been overly kind to it: it is bulky, power-intensive, and distorts nearby tachyon communications to the point of uselessness. Furthermore, over ranges of 5 lightyears its utility compared with more conventional drives wanes swiftly as it requires a substantial time to recharge. However, it remains useful for short-range jumps, and is popular both with the provincial fleets and merchants whose trade routes are principally between adjacent systems, or off the beaten track.

Neural Emulation Lattice
Ardentrall is one group that has developed true artificial intelligence. Placing a software "kernel" into a network of synthetic neural material allows a distinct intelligence and personality to form around that kernel.
These intelligences are not considered to be commercially viable for export; apart from the humanitarian concerns of trafficking in what are frequently recognized as persons, the neural network itself requires a sufficient volume of space for the AI to attain sentience; apart from large structures or stations, the only Ardentralli vessels large enough to support the volume of lattice needed are cruiser-sized and up. They are, however, extremely useful in administrative functions.

Dwarf-Lord Pangolin · Oct 9, 2015

Codex

Events
First Colonial War: 2089

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The First Colonial War was a conflict fought between the PRC Han Development Region on one side, and Kansai and Minato Colonies on the other. Roughly ten years after the colonization of Ardentrall, the predominately Japanese colonists that comprised Kansai and Minato began to grow concerned at the increasingly bellicose rherotic coming from Han, the posting of two mechanized infantry brigades with supporting elements on the border between Han and Kansai, and the nearly finished construction of the Shàngdì.
In an effort to preempt what they saw as Han's inevitable attack, Minato and Kansai struck first, with Minato neutralizing Han's space-to-surface assets, and preventing crews from boarding the Shàngdì. Minato was unwilling to destroy the vessel outright, and attempts at boarding were repulsed by the work teams that remained inside. Apart from seizing the opportunity to harvest sizeable quantities of raw materials from the Qin Shi Huang and providing aerial intervention late in the war, Minato's further involvement in the conflict was minimal.
On the surface, Kansai troops made some initial gains against Han forces, but were eventually outmaneuvered, with the bulk of their forces occupied by one brigade while the other pushed east into the Kansai interior. Their progress was slowed to a halt by partisans and sorties from Minato aerospace wings, while the Kansai forces in the west took refuge in heavily forested terrain.
The First Colonial War ended in a draw after two and a half months, when the CPC leadership of Han was ousted in a popular uprising, being replaced by a representational government which negotiated a peace treaty with the other belligerents. Claims that the uprising -- and perhaps the entire war -- was engineered by Lotharingian intelligence agents remain hotly debated to this day. As Lotharingia's own records of intelligence activities during that period were destroyed in a fire four years after the war, the question is likely to remain unanswered.

Second Colonial War: 2095-99

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The Second Colonial War pitted the colonies of Han, Kansai, Lotharingia, and Minato against the sparsely settled colonies in the neighboring asteroid belt. In the six years following the First Colonial War, the terrestrial provinces and Minato had made significant strides in improving relations between each other, and had enjoyed a period of impressive industrial and economic growth as a result. However, much of this growth depended on resources gathered by the smaller colonies occupying the Henriksen Belt, a dense, broad band of asteroids occupying the next orbit out from Ardentrall’s sun.
As the pace of planetary development accelerated, so did the demand for increased production from the belter provinces. The belts were largely at the mercy of the planetary provinces, being far smaller in population, and the terrestrial governments grew more imperious in their conduct towards their counterparts. Matters were exacerbated by the employment of private military contractors that prioritized mining output over workers’ rights. Tensions rose over the course of several years, eventually boiling over in the Belter’s Strike.
Darkhan miners, frustrated with constantly rising work hours and reduced safety policies, eventually staged a strike against the corporate group that had monopolized mining within the province. The families of the miners joined in the strike, demonstrating the solidarity of their communities. In attempting to break up the strike, the security forces employed by the corporation used a degree of force that was grossly out of proportion to the threat they faced. When the riot ended, seventeen children and forty-nine adults were dead. No charges were pressed against the security officers.
To the belt population, this was an indication that the other provinces had succeeded in reducing them to a state of near-servitude, and the pent-up anger erupted in an uprising that spread throughout the Henriksen Belt. The response of the other provinces was to label the Belters as terrorists, and to send more PMCs to the belt with the intention of restoring order by any means necessary.
The conflict continued for the next four years with no real conclusion. In October of 2098, a feint by the now-unified Belter forces against Inlé managed to draw significant forces away from Minato’s orbit, allowing a landing on the moon’s surface. The Belter troops performed well in the lunar environment, significantly better than the PMCs provided by the planetary provinces, but were unable to dislodge the Minatoan Colonial Army from their defensive positions and were eventually forced to surrender as supplies and oxygen ran low.
However, the attack on Minato bore unexpected fruit, as it was the largest and longest encounter between professional troops on both sides. The Minatoan commander, Major General Ueda, was both impressed by the courage and professionalism displayed by the Belter forces, and horrified at witnessing firsthand the measures the security forces employed against them. He insisted on a formal investigation of the conduct of the PMCs during the campaign on Minato, and succeeded in early 2099. The investigation and the facts it brought to light opened the eyes of a significant portion of the planetary population, and led to more investigations, ultimately culminating in a ceasefire with the Belter provinces, and the trial and imprisonment of those responsible for the deaths in the Belter’s Strike.
While peace had been made and a loose political union would be achieved within a decade, relations between the two groups remained cautious for the next two decades, until the November Massacre united the Ardentralli population under a common cause.

Organizations
Darkhan Province

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Population: ~2 million
The largest of the three “belter” provinces, Darkhan is a collection of numerous habitats spread throughout a portion of the Henriksen Belt. The province produces the greatest volume of industrial materials gathered from spaceborne sources in Ardentralli space. Darkhan’s economy largely revolves around gathering and processing this material, which is then sent to planetary orbit via mass drivers or cargo ships. While the province does engage in hydroponic agriculture, it is unable to offer the sheer variety available from other sources, and thus imports a great deal of food.
Darkhan’s primary habitat was the site of the infamous Belter’s Strike in 2094. The unintentional deaths of a number of children at the hands of terrestrial security forces were one of the principal causes of the Second Colonial War. While relations between the belters and the terrestrials are vastly better than they were nearly a century ago, Darkhans still stubbornly resist any measures they see as compromising their independence in favor of planetary interests.
To better combat opportunistic raiders in the dense belt, the DPF is largely comprised of corvettes and destroyers. A small number of frigates provide the bulk of the force’s firepower.

Han Province

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Population: ~13 million
The most populous of the Ardentralli Confederation's seven provinces by far, Han also holds the largest portion of Ardentrall's surface area. Among other things, this makes it the planet's largest producer of foodstuffs, much of which are luxury items exported to foreign markets. A popular saying in Han is that the muddier the boots, the nicer the car.
As a province, Han has generally viewed itself as first among equals, and this attitude can translate into apparent condescension towards the inhabitants of other provinces, with those demonstrating it jokingly labelled as suffering from OBS, "Older Brother Syndrome." However, it should be noted that Han has also produced some of the Confederation's best statesmen and military leaders; its officer corps in particular has a reputation for leading by example, and Stadthouder Lauw's heroic actions during the November Massacre are held up as an example to be followed.
The size of Han's population also means that it fields the largest provincial army, and the largest provincial fleet. This does, however, make it more heavily dependent on raw materials from the asteroid belts than the other terrestrial provinces -- a fact that inhabitants of the belts take every opportunity to remind Han residents of.

Kansai Province

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Population: ~8 million
Kansai falls between the two other terrestrial provinces in both area and population. Where Han is Ardentrall's breadbasket, and Lotharingia its intellectual center, Kansai provides the bulk of the planet's complex industrial output. While a fair amount of bulk production of simple items is also carried out in Han province, Kansai hosts the majority of Ardentralli advanced factories.
Because many of Ardentrall’s original colonists came from regions struggling with overpopulated cities, urban planning has always been a concern among the provincial governments. This is most evident in the cities of Kansai, where the industrial centers have been carefully sited so as to cause the least disruption of the immaculately laid out urban areas.
Historically, the province has held the closest ties with Minato; the two colonies were allied before the formation of the Confederation. These ties have been strengthened ever since the construction of Kansai's skyhook, Sakata, allowed for greater ease of transport between the two provinces. A full third of Sakata's volume has been set aside for low or zero-gravity precision manufacturing, giving it significant economic clout, and a strategic importance beyond its status as home port for the Kansai Provincial Fleet.

Lotharingia Province

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Population: ~4.5 million
Lotharingia is the smallest of the terrestrial provinces within the Confederation, and currently has a population less than that of Minato. Prior to unification, Lotharingia attempted to offset this imbalance by developing its sciences -- particularly artificial intelligence -- far in advance of those of the rest of the provinces. That effort is still evident today: four-fifths of Ardentrall's top research institutes are located in Lotharingia Province, including both Lotharingian Synthetic Intelligences and Eisenstern Armaments.
Since reentering the broader galactic community, Lotharingia has made a substantial effort to market itself as a good place for software and information companies to do business, with a fair degree of success. Foreign names are a common sight on the office buildings within its cities, and a large portion of the province's skyhook houses offworld businesses. Lotharingia is seen as the trendiest and most business-friendly of the three terrestrial provinces, lacking the sometimes rougher atmosphere of Minato.
It is a telling indicator of Lotharingia's priorities that the province's dreadnought, LPFV Saint Michael, is one of the few dreadnoughts in the galaxy dedicated as much to electronic warfare as to direct combat.

Minato Province

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Population: ~5 million
Of all the Ardentralli provinces, Minato is the most commercially successful, its position in orbit making it an ideal spaceport. The moon's low gravity is strong enough that enhancing it to comfortable levels is relatively inexpensive, and allows for easy handling of vessels and heavy cargo in the docking areas. Goods bound for the surface are transferred to smaller vessels which then dock with one of the planetary skyhooks.
Because of its near-complete economic dependence on trade, Minato Province is one of the strongest proponents of the Confederation's notoriously lenient customs regulations, which serve to make the system as appealing as possible to those seeking to do business. While this has undoubtedly improved Ardentrall's commercial prospects, it has also made it easier for undesirables of one sort or another to enter the system -- and nowhere are there more of them than on Minato. The public areas are perfectly safe, but tourists are advised not to stray too far from the main thoroughfares.
The November Massacre has never fully faded from the public's consciousness, particularly after the Outbreak some thirty years ago. The fear of orbital bombardment is strong among Ardentrallis, and it is strongest of all on Minato. As a result, although it possesses no dreadnought, Minato fields more battleships than any other province, possessing more than Kansai and Lotharingia combined. In the event of invasion, the Minato Provincial Fleet intends to make aggressors pay for every centimeter of space leading down to the moon's surface.

Rostov Province

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Population: ~1.25 million
Occupying a mere handful of habitats scattered along the outer edge of the Henriksen Belt, Rostov is the smallest province in the Confederation. The edge of the belt is a dense thicket of smaller asteroids and sensor jamming dust, and has fewer large, rich deposits than the center, necessitating a different approach to mining and a correspondingly different mode of habitation. Roughly three-fifths of the province’s population permanently reside in the habitats, while the remainder spend the majority of their time in large refining ships that scour the verges of the belt, processing whatever ore they find and returning to the habitats whenever the holds are full enough, or supplies are low.
The mode of living in Rostov has been compared to that of whaling towns, and does share some similarities, with the obvious exception that the province’s livelihood does not attempt to evade them. Rumors of titanic alien organisms living within the dense clouds of dust and ice have existed since the province’s settlement; no tangible evidence has ever been produced to demonstrate their existence, although the number of unexplained ship losses in the region is unusually high.
Rostov’s military is proportional to the province’s size, consisting of a number of corvettes, which serve as search and rescue craft as frequently as anything else, and a quartet of aging destroyers.

Takhar Province

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Population: ~1.75 million
Takhar tends to surprise visitors. Expecting the gritty, industrial atmosphere of Darkhan or Rostov, they are instead greeted by brightly lit habitats, full of plant life and open water, and an enthusiastic and involved citizenry. While mining operations make up part of the economy, hydroponic farming accounts for an unusually large portion of the province’s income; Tarkhan supplies the belter provinces with a large portion of their food, in addition to being the best provider of education short of planetary institutes.
The reason for the incongruity is revealed by the colony’s origins. Initially founded by refugees fleeing sectarian conflict in the Middle East, the original settlers were faced with a number of serious divisions within their population. The first decade was punctuated by a number of terrorist attacks, as old groups attempted to pick up where they’d left off. The last major attack nearly destroyed the province’s primary habitat, threatening the lives of everyone -- including the families of the terrorists. The habitat only survived thanks to a joint effort from all the factions aboard. In the aftermath, the necessity of cooperation in a hostile, spaceborne environment was clear to all, and those calling for the formation of a joint government finally managed to carry the day.
The writers of its Articles of Founding went to great efforts to ensure that the public forum would remain a neutral territory, free from control by any one party -- but they also enshrined strong protections for the various cultures and philosophies that their populace adhered to, guaranteeing that no one could abuse that neutrality with the intent of crowding any one group out of the public sphere. The document was so successful that much of it was lifted verbatim and included in the Ardentrall Articles of Confederation.

Persons of Note
Stadthouder Chen Lauw

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The leading representative from Han, the Confederation's largest province, within the States-General, Chen Lauw is a survivor of the November Massacre, the attack on Minato by Nord-Stjärniga. Lauw was responsible for saving the lives of nearly thirty thousand people during the attack, suffering permanent nerve damage in doing so.
While Lauw is a popular politician in part due to his past, he does not actively seek the favor of the populace; his success has come largely from his determination and businesslike, no-nonsense attitude, which has helped him in overcoming opposition to measures he favors. He is a man who gets results, and is respected for that. A vocal advocate for funding for Han's provincial fleet to protect against in-system threats, he has lately also begun urging additional spending for the JPF in response to the discovery of far greater external threats.

Stadthouder Willow Akiyama

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Of the Minatoan Stadthouders, Akiyama is the best known to those outside Gamma Andromedae, due to her involvement in interstellar relations. An energetic, effervescent woman, Akiyama has worked constantly to strengthen the ties between Ardentrall and its neighbors ever since being elected to her position, with measures ranging from more equitable trade agreements to joint military training exercises. Prior to that election, she had already built up a reputation for attempting to improve inter-provincial relations, and for better, more integrated customs control to reduce instances of human trafficking. She has lately been speaking in support of Stadthouder Lauw’s efforts to strengthen the JPF, arguing that Ardentrall cannot do its part to protect the international community without the necessary strength.

Captain Valeria Yakimura

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Formerly a Commander within the Kansai Provincial Fleet, Yakimura was promoted to the rank of Captain following Styx. She applied for and received a transfer to the Joint Provincial Fleet after deciding that Ardentrall's greatest dangers likely came from extrasolar threats. She commanded JPFV Vanguard while at Canon-Rei.
Yakimura’s idiosyncratic style of command tends to either perplex or irritate others, but her competence has never been in question. The fact that she has managed to achieve her current station without being reprimanded for impropriety has led to some speculation as to just what sort of connections she has.

Planets and Locations
Ardentrall

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A garden world located approximately 350 lightyears from Earth in the Gamma Andromedae system, Ardentrall lies within the habitable band of the system's K-sequence orange giant. While the system's three other stars are bright enough to be visible even during the day, they are sufficiently distant that they do not substantially interfere with daily life -- though communications equipment throughout the system does need special protection due to the amount of solar radiation. Ardentrall has two moons, Minato and Inlé, both larger than Luna.
Ardentrall's gravity is 1.2 times that of Earth, a result of the planet's larger radius. The bulk of the planet's landmass is bound up in one super-continent, Thule, though there are a substantial number of island archipelagos as well. Ardentrall is estimated to be older than Earth by approximately 500 million years, and its strong gravity caused Ardentrall to acquire a thick atmosphere relatively earlier than Earth. Between these two factors and the increased rate of erosion caused by heavier rainfall and the moons' strong tides, Ardentrall has lost much of its harsher geography. In spite of this, the tectonic activity that created the super-continent also raised a series of mountain chains recently (in geological terms). Erosion has yet to make significant inroads on these.
Native plants have adopted two principle strategies to cope with the increased gravity, tending either to short, thick, and broad, to prevent competition from taking root, or to tall and very fine, only branching out at the extreme top. The forest floor tends to be open, as very little sunlight penetrates it. Botanist Kendra Neil once compared the experience to walking through a cave. Much of the planet's land is covered with plains, populated by a variety of grasses.
Fauna tend to be somewhat shorter and stockier than terran norms. There are few large truly arboreal species, as the tall trees are generally too far apart to allow travel between them, and the short ones are insufficiently far off the ground to grant much advantage. Many species are analogous to terran ones, though Ardentrall's geography favors animals adapted to flat rather than rugged terrain. Large oceanic fauna are predominately invertebrates, though cetaceans introduced from Earth have adapted very well to the ecosystem without significantly disrupting it. The importation of sperm whales is strictly forbidden however, due to fears of the effect on larger invertebrates.
Through a combination of careful selection of the original colonists, some delicate genetic tweaking, and simple adaptation, the human population has dealt well to the environment, though the inhabitants do suffer from a higher than average rate of heart problems and exercise-related injuries.
Due to the Nord-Stjärniga terrorist attack in 2124, Ardentrall has a very faint but visible ring system, consisting of dust, rocks, and artificial debris.

Gamma Andromedae

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When viewed from Earth, Gamma Andromedae appears to be a single star, the third brightest in the constellation of Andromeda. In truth, it is a quadruple star system, possessing an intricate system of orbital patterns.
Gamma Andromedae Ba and Bb, both blue type-B main sequence stars, orbit each other tightly. This pair of stars in turn orbit the barycenter between themselves and a blue-white type-A main sequence star, Gamma Andromedae C. In turn, this triple system orbits the barycenter formed between itself and Gamma Andromedae A, an orange, type-K main sequence star.
Due to the number of stars present in the system, it also possesses a wide range of planets, in addition to a number of asteroid belts, and a sparse ice disk that orbits the system proper.

Inlé

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The smaller of Ardentrall's two moons, Inlé (also known as "The Weeping Moon") is slightly larger than Earth's moon, with correspondingly higher gravity. Inlé was the site of a massacre on November 27th, 2124. The Nord-Stjärniga terrorist organization seized control of a number of the moon's industrial mass drivers, and bombarded the colony of over five hundred thousand over the course of two hours. Almost all of the colonists were killed.
Evacuated after the attack, Inlé has not been inhabited since, though fringe rumors persist to this day of a hidden military base buried deep beneath the moon's surface.

Minato

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Ardentrall's larger moon, Minato forms the majority of the territory of Minato Province, with the grave moon of Inlé making up the rest. The moon's gravity is 3/10 that of Earth, greatly easing both commerce and construction while remaining strong enough to prevent discomfort. Habitats are usually fitted with artificial gravity.
Minato is home to the largest spaceport in the Gamma Andromedae system; over the course of an average year, nearly 20,000 ships pass through it. The port acts largely as a transshipment center, but also sees a reasonable amount of imports and exports. In addition to cargo, the port also accommodates some tourist vessels, though the majority of these dock at one of the planetary skyhooks instead. Ardentrall Aerospace Manufacturing maintains both its headquarters and its principle shipyard on Minato.

Technology
Dreadnought

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Ardentralli dreadnoughts are the largest and most powerful military vessels within the Ard-Con's order of battle. Built nearly a century ago with supplies salvaged from the Qin Shi Huang during the tense post-colonial period prior to the founding of the Confederation, the vessels are regularly refitted in an attempt to keep them competitive with current technology. Due to the earliness of their construction, they are somewhat smaller than most contemporary vessels bearing the same classification. To make up for the disparity in size, Ardentrall has invested a large portion of its not inconsiderable wealth in giving the ships every edge it can.
Each dreadnought is unique, with significant differences between the three. Each of the dreadnoughts possesses an AI; unlike modern Ardentralli AIs, these bear the names of their ships as their own personal names. It was unknown at the time of their installation that doing so tended to cause the AI to identify with its ship to a sometimes dangerous degree, and it is too late to do anything about it now.

HPFV Shàngdì

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HPFV Shàngdì, the Han dreadnought, is the most massive, most heavily armed, and most well-armored of the three, and is considered to be the closest in capabilities to modern dreadnoughts. As with nearly all large Ardentralli capital ships, the Shàngdì is intended to engage the enemy at extreme range with its main battery; as with battleships, however, it is also quite capable of defending itself should aggressors come to within close range.
The term "The Dragon of Han" may be used equally to refer either to the ship, or to its commander, Admiral Zhou, who is said to take some pleasure from the sobriquet.

LPFV Saint Michael

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The Saint Michael is Lotharingia Province's dreadnought. While it is the weakest of the Ardentralli dreadnoughts in conventional terms, in some respects it is the most feared, as the bulk of its EWAR capabilities are unknown; some of the technology on it has yet to be shared with any of the other provinces, and the ship's AI is largely unresponsive when queried.
What is little is known comes predominately from its actions during the Siege of Arya. While the dreadnought itself made only slightly more kills on enemy vessels than each of its battleship escorts did, nearly one-tenth of the Nord-Stjärniga ships sent to attack the Lotharingian formation began firing indiscriminately upon their fellows, before eventually self-destructing.

Dwarf-Lord Pangolin · Oct 22, 2015

Available Assets
Vessels
Warhammer Guided Missile / Reconnaissance Frigate Mk. I

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Mission Role: Escort / Long-Range Interception / Recon

Weapons Loadout:
-4 guided missile launch cells
-3 forward LRM launchers
-14 gatling turrets

Stored Munitions:
Onryu Anti-Ship Missiles [x40]
Loki EWAR Pods [x8]
Comm Drones [x4]

Defensive Capabilities:
-30 CIWS mini-turrets

Special Equipment:
Neural Emulation Lattice
Tachyon sensor/Communications System

Additional Notes:
One of only a very small number of designs created exclusively for the Joint Provincial Fleet, the development of the Warhammer class has been shrouded in the utmost secrecy since its conception. A crash program begun immediately after the Battle of Styx determined that a new class of vessel would be required to combat the Sheshir. This vessel would need to be fast yet heavily armed, would need to possess advanced data-analysis capabilities, and would need better communications and sensors than usual.
Instead of relying on a main gun, the Warhammer can launch multiple anti-ship missiles (ASMs); these are better able to track their targets than the heavy rounds used at Styx, yet are still capable of penetrating cruiser-grade armoring, though their damage is less than that of solid tungsten slugs.
Because of its role as a long-range reconnaissance vessel, the Warhammer does not feature the usual Tanji-Koning drive system, but instead a conventional warp drive. This allows it to employ both tachyon sensors and communications, and furthermore can communicate reliably with allies using the same comms systems. The disadvantage is that it is unable to translate from one place to another instantaneously; however, it is also not subject to the extended recharging times imposed by the T-K drive, and thus can reach distant destinations faster than a vessel with a T-K drive could.
To aid in the task of intelligence analysis, the Warhammer is the first Ardentralli frigate to be outfitted with a Neural Emulation Lattice, the network of synthetic neural pathways used by their type of AI. The struggle of optimizing the NEL to allow an AI to function on a ship as small as a Warhammer was difficult, but eventually overcome by Lotharingian Synthetic Intelligences. As a recon frigate, the AI of a Warhammer class is particularly adept at electronic warfare and SIGINT; however, AIs that specialize in this manner are less adept at tactical and strategic analysis.

Appalachian Guided Missile Destroyer Mk. II (JPFV Valiant & JPFV Vrijheid)

Spoiler
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Mission Role: Escort / Long-Range Interception

Weapons Loadout:
-3 guided missile launch cells
-4 forward LRM launchers
-4 turreted SRM launchers
-8 gatling turrets

Stored Munitions:
Onryu Anti-Ship Missiles [x15]
Loki EWAR Pods [x3]

Defensive Capabilities:
-20 CIWS mini-turrets

Special Equipment:
Tanji-Koning Drive

Additional Notes:
The Appalachian-class destroyer is one of the workhorses of the Ardentralli fleets. Although somewhat slower than most such destroyers, it still boasts respectable acceleration and maneuvering. The Appalachian's design has undergone a substantial upgrade recently, in large part at the insistence of Commodore Lécuyer, who noted that the destroyers at Styx were largely incapable of influencing the outcome of the battle due to their lack of stand-off weaponry above standard LRMs. Although too small to mount a conventional railgun, the destroyers are capable of fitting multiple launch cells for larger anti-ship missiles. While these missiles do less damage than a round from a cruiser or a frigate, they are a significant improvement upon the destroyers' firepower, with a single missile being capable of inflicting serious damage. Furthermore, they possess much better tracking abilities than are afforded by the limited maneuvering thrusters fitted to main gun rounds, and are capable of meaningfully engaging more agile targets. The Appalachian has also received a set of dedicated point defense turrets calibrated specifically for anti-missile duty; while the Confederation lacks shield technology, these are the next best thing.

Skeiron Personal Yacht (ACDV Matterhorn)

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Mission Role: VIP Transport

Weapons Loadout:
Not Applicable

Stored Munitions:
Not Applicable

Defensive Capabilities:
No external security systems; interior on some models features Samson Panels.

Special Equipment:
Tanji-Koning Drive

Additional Notes:
The Skeiron is derived from the Caracal gunship/FAC, and retains much of its predecessor's formidable speed and maneuverability -- as well as its appalling deceleration. However, the Skeiron is not a military craft, but a luxury yacht, and is sold by AAM to corporations and individuals who can afford the hefty price tag. Its speed and understated elegance have made it popular with the Ard-Con's government officials and diplomatic service. It is most famous in the popular mind for two high-profile events; its victory at the 2179 Archernar Grand Prix, and the collision that killed popular musician N4v4l Phüzz.

Weapons
Eisenstern Armaments Talon Defense Pistol

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The Talon Defense is a high-powered sidearm, principally intended for use by bodyguards and other security forces that anticipate a minimal number of potential aggressors, threatening targets of extraordinary value. The pistol is chambered for Eisenstern's variant of the .416 Barrett, and features an integral magnetic accelerator to offset the comparatively short barrel. The size of the rounds means the pistol can only hold a single shot at a time; reloading involves opening the pistol's breach, automatically ejecting the spent cartridge, and manually inserting a new one. Experienced users can accomplish this in approximately two seconds, if spare rounds are immediately accessible. Due to the magnetic accelerator, the pistol can only be fired five times before its battery (located in the grip) has to be replaced, regardless of available ammunition. Due to its power, operating the weapon in the Confederation requires special licensing and background requirements.

Calaban · Oct 16, 2015

Sheng Ji Yang.... now why does that (near miss) of the name of the generation ship send chills down my spine?

aah, yes that is why:

Spoiler: brace yourself
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What do I care for your suffering? Pain, even agony, is no
more than information before the senses, data fed to the
computer of the mind. The lesson is simple: you have received
the information, now act on it. Take control of the input and
you shall become master of the output.

-- Chairman Sheng-ji Yang,
"Essays on Mind and Matter"

Spoiler: oh- there is more
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My gift to industry is the genetically engineered worker, or
Genejack. Specially designed for labor, the Genejack's muscles and
nerves are ideal for his task, and the cerebral cortex has been
atrophied so that he can desire nothing except to perform his
duties. Tyranny, you say? How can you tyrannize someone who cannot
feel pain?

-- Chairman Sheng-ji Yang,
"Essays on Mind and Matter"

Spoiler: it starts to make sense- THAT is its horror
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Learn to overcome the crass demands of flesh and bone, for they
warp the matrix through which we perceive the world. Extend your
awareness outward, beyond the self of body, to embrace the self
of group and the self of humanity. The goals of the group and the
greater race are transcendent, and to embrace them is to achieve
enlightenment.

-- Chairman Sheng-ji Yang,
"Essays on Mind and Matter"

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Meier's_Alpha_Centauri)

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