One of the most important units within the Pact is the Navy, but the Army has also played a significant role in the history of Mankind, from suppressing rebellions and occupying alien worlds to garrisons and border control. Although the Pact Navy has enjoyed substantial support from the populace, the Pact Army has recently been running short of manpower, just when it needed to expand. There was never a time when the inhabitants of the Pact did not outnumber all their alien enemies put together, but more and more Pact citizens were being excluded from military service. Senators were barred from Army posts because they were needed for civilian government; members of the urban aristocracies, because they were needed for local administration. Bureaucrats(and tax collectors) felt that the masses could not be spared from agriculture and industrial pursuits, and the city workers were useless for military purposes. The Frontier Clusters still supplied troops, but since those troops were used almost entirely as border guards, they could not be used as mobile armies to ward off sudden attacks.
To overcome this lack of officers and men, the Pact had began recently to draw recruits from alien peoples within the Pact itself. The alien soldiers acted as shock troops for the Pact, and for the first time in the long history of the Pact, armies composed of aliens were valued more highly than armies composed of human soldiers. But except for a better organized top command structure, these alien troops were very like the armies of the enemies they were opposing. Consequently in a battle between armies of equal size it was by no means certain that the alienized Pact army would prevail, as it had consistently done through out its lengthy history. The process that had created this dangerous situation was irreversible, for by the 10th millennium it was too late to rebuild the Army with human soldiers. There were no mass levies of inhabitants of the Pact and no spontaneous organization of defense. If the alien armies could not defend the Pact, then there was no one left to defend it…..
Controlling an empire is a vast undertaking, with each planet having differing political status. The following Political Status applies within the Pact of Mankind: For, Neutral, Against, or Very Against. In the year following the death of the High Secretary, a violent Civil War has broken out among the worlds of the Pact of Mankind between the Pact’s top military and political officials. In this campaign, each Player commands a fleet of naval vessels and has a number of inhabited planets in his Cluster. The goal of each Player is to defeat the other Players, and perhaps conquering Terra in the process. Each inhabited planet and/or system has a Political Status: For, Neutral, Against, or Very Against. Political states can be altered by varying factors, but only planets within five warp points of an event are affected by said event. Political states may be altered by the following:
*Winning a Major Battle: Plus one shift in favor of the victorious Player. A Major Battle is considered any battle in which five or more capital vessels are on both sides,
*Nuking a Planet: If more than fifty nuclear weapons are used against an inhabited planet the Player loses a shift to every planet within five warp points, unless this attack can be justified(Space Master’s option),
*Losing an Important Planet/Battle: Shift varies according to Space Master. A planet has the ability to produce revenue(GPV) based on it's population size, tech level, and its environment. If a planet is Against or the controlling Player, the Player must maintain fleet units(or bases) in orbit of the planet to collect revenue. For example, if the planet against the Player is Very Large, ten DD must be maintained in orbit(one DD ship or larger for every 500MC of the planet). If the full amount is not maintained, the Admiral may not collect any resources from that planet until he does so. If a planet's Political Status shifts to Very Against, that planet automatically rebels against the controlling Player. If this happens, all revenue is automatically shut off, all ships being built on the planet are seized, and any ships in orbital dock/repairs is overrun if the planet controls the station it is being serviced at. The rebelling planet will open fire on any ships in orbit with it's Skywatch and it will begin raising PCFs, building PDCs, and Bases at the warp points. A planet that is Very Against a player must be physically occupied by troops to regain control and gain GPV.
It’s a big universe out there, but Mankind has only found a few other large space faring races in it’s expansion outwards: the Dionii Hive, Holot Empire, Mqdrekkor Republic, and the Luren Federation. The vast and ancient Laowon Tyranny is rumored to be located somewhere far beyond the Pact’s borders; a ultra-powerful interstellar state that rabidly assimilates alien cultures. While the Pact has fought several ‘wars’ with all of these alien races, the Pact is currently in a state of Non-Intercourse with these alien nations.
There are other uncommitted naval units through out the Pact that have been unswayed as yet. If a Player gains a Major Victory, all uncommitted naval units within five warp points will hear about it and must roll 1d10 to see if they go over to the victorious Player(they do so on a one thru four on a d10).
Many Pact planets have Skywatches, which are a system of orbital defenses circling the planet to be protected. Although the number of Bases, Orbital Forts, and Space Stations around these planets is well established(ask SM), the Skywatch of Terra is truly unbelievable.
At the time of the current conflict, the Pact of Mankind is at HT9, but several higher tech systems have already been developed during the last Holot-Mankind War. Additionally, several new systems have been introduced by the Skymarshal, which will be introduced at a later date. At the outbreak of the Civil War the Fleet was in the process of upgrading to the new armor(Ac), thus all the smaller ships (ie DD,FG,ES) only have normal armor(Ai).
KONA TATSU RULES(PART ONE)
The Kona Tatsu, the secret police, the strong arm of the High Secretary, the most feared organ of the Pact’s government, is estimated at some 8 million operatives and was founded some 4,000 years ago under Evan MacLane’s rule. Taking a fundamental look at the KT, one would have to go clear back to the 20th century Soviet Union’s KGB for a comparison of it’s utter ruthlessness and manipulative ability. With absolute power over police and military forces, planetary judges and Governors, even Admirals and Senators, a KT operative has the authority to do anything to maintain the High Secretary’s authority, up to the ability of destroying a city. No one is forced to join the Kona Tatsu. If one doesn’t want to join, you can simply refuse, but once you’ve joined you belong to the organization lock, stock, and barrel. As a KT official, a person becomes a member of the upper class, enjoying colossal privileges compared to the rest of the population, but in reality what draws a person to KT service is that a KT operative within the Pact is God and Tsar, master of all, a very despot. An Admiral or Senator is just a pawn to a KT operative because they belong to that powerful organization, set apart from trillions of others. There is fierce competition in the Kona Tatsu; only the fastest survive. The KT has also destroyed many people, including some very powerful leaders. Secrecy is the rule within the KT, anyone who knows anything keeps his mouth shut, as a result, identifying a KT operative is nearly impossible. The Kona Tatsu system of preserving its secrets and eliminating disloyal people has been well thought out, refined and perfected. A KT operative is a highly trained individual: his self-control, stamina, mental reactions, and loyalty are checked and rechecked, countless times. The teachers expel those who cannot learn five different languages, learn the history of diplomacy and intelligence work, the whole structure, tactics, strategy, armament, and forward planning of the Pact Navy and the navies of the Pact’s opponents. If they fail these tasks, they simply disappear from the Aquarium(on Terra) without warning, never again to be promoted to the top.
Let me tell you about some of these KT operatives. Remember that little rebellion in the Black Forest Cluster thirty years ago? It was all stopped by one man, a man whose name will never be revealed. We will call this man the Fist. You realize that you couldn’t think of a better nickname once you saw him. A huge man-tremendous. He stopped the conflict with one well-placed micronuke. There are many others who have played their part in maintaining the security of the Pact: the Whip, the Vampire, the Smoothing Iron, Nicholas the Third, Negative, Chopin, the Shark, the Otter, and Demon. One agent, known as the Machine, is known for his toughness and resilence, being so thin and agile that he manages to slip out of any trap. All KT agents will be remembered for their sacrifices and most operatives cannot usually be taken alive, injecting themselves with “Blissful Death”, a fast-acting suicide pill.
MORE details on the KT and how they operate in Pact Notes Three.
The super science of high energy particles, combined with functional black holes, is the core technology behind Hyperwave Generators. Invented nearly 300 years ago by Prof. Emeritus Alexsandr Lazarov and his famed Team Achilles, Hyperwave Generators transmit communications instantly throughout the Pact of Mankind. An extremely large engineering system built to contain a modified quantum singularity(ie black hole), the HG housing is made of nearly indestructible metals. A fantastically expensive device, the HG functions in the following manner: high energy tachyons are ‘dropped’ into the housing where they instantly reach the event horizon of the black hole. Interaction with the density of the black hole sends the tachyon ‘message’ streaming through the universe, far above relativistic speeds, enabling instant communication with any other Hyperwave Generator (within 30 WPs). They are always built in orbit since no one in their right mind wants a black hole on their planet. The failure of the New Portland HG and the complete destruction of that world(with its heavy loss of life) mandated the orbital construction techniques used by the Pact today, although it does make the structure a Achilles heel of strategists: it’s orbit above a planet makes it a tempting target. Much too large to mount in anything less than a monitor-sized space station, HG are not able to be built in ships: the drive field interferes with the shielding of the core, which instantly causes a breach in the shield surrounding the black hole <insert video of test dreadnought crumpling in on the black hole>. Ships and planets cannot detect the tachyon ‘message’ of a HG but a receptor within the HG housing can read the message, allowing transmissions between HG.
STATS: Coded Hd, 30 hull spaces, 3,000Mc each, 80,000 to develop.
The Senate is one of the most important, if not thee most important, government organs within the Pact of Humankind. The Senate is composed of 420 Senators, only half of which represent a Cluster of worlds, each averaging forty inhabited planets. Each Senator is elected by popular vote from within a Cluster, although dynastic(and corrupt) families have crept into the system in the last 1,000 years. While a Senator spends much of his/her time in their Cluster, governing, they are required by law to attend the Grand Parliament on Terra every five years, to ratify the High Secretary’s decisions, appointments, and budget. The High Secretary is usually chosen from within the Senate, although it has mostly become a hereditary position. The Senate is not merely a rubber stamp organization, for if 3/5ths of the Senate orders the High Secretary to step down, he must do so(this has only happened three times in the Pact’s 6,000-year history). The latest High Secretary, Lord Devin MacDonald, was killed during the last Grand Parliament, which began last month, by unknown assassins. Terra Cluster is not run by the High Secretary, but by Senator Chandler and his family. Senators theoretically have virtually unlimited power within their own Clusters, but cannot violate Pact custom or the Constitution, without raising the ire of neighboring Senators, and ultimately, the High Secretary. The High Secretary can recall a Senator(this has happened 181 times in the Pact’s history), but said Senator has the right of appeal to the Senate. A fifty-one percent majority in the Senate can retain or remove a Senator. Since no Senator may raise armies or fleets, the Pact Navy(under the High Secretary’s command) and the Kona Tatsu(the High Secretary’s secret police) are the ultimate balance of power within the Pact.
The Warlord Fleet is a unique organization within the Pact Navy. Under the direct and personal command of a Warlord who has been personally appointed by the High Secretary, the Warlord Fleet ensures the loyalty of Clusters, Senators, and regular Navy units. The Warlord Fleet is always comprised of heavy units which utilize the most advanced technology and their commanders have proven their loyalty in combat. They are testing grounds for new weapons, engineering systems, and tactics, and they are especially heavy with superdreadnoughts. Warlord’s are not allowed to choose there personnel, they are appointed by BuPers, a process that is supervised by the KT. As one of the most powerful military officials in the Pact, Warlord’s are always surrounded by high level KT operatives, and their families held on Terra for “educational purposes”. There are currently only sixteen Warlord Fleets operational within the Pact, most are defending the borders or engaging Dionii Hive forces in the designated Combat Regions. The Warlord Fleet’s warship crews are among the best in the Pact, and serving in a Warlord Fleet is a goal for all naval officers.
One of the Pact’s most celebrated Warlord’s, Admiral Frank Cavalier is a native of Old Earth herself, being born in the ancient nation of Italy. The renowed author of “Zen Tactics and Modern Warfare”, which is required reading at Naval Academies across the Pact, his fleet-wide adoption of tactics against the Dionii Hive have been highly successful. Having fought in the Heinlein and Nemo Combat Regions against the Dionii, Admiral Cavalier also directly commanded the Horseye Combat Region, until last year, dealing the Dionii hordes a destructive blow during his tenure. After fighting in the brilliant Resolution Campaign against the Dionii, he recently received a large superdreadnought command, including several new prototypes to test. In August of 10,943, faulty intelligence caused Admiral Cavalier and nearly 120 warships to be trapped in a Dionii-occupied system. In the following Battle of Hamimoto, Admiral Cavalier fought off overwhelming odds(ten to one), crushing every fleet and task force the mindless Dionii hordes threw at him. Every capital ship was heavily damaged upon finally reaching a secure warp point but thanks to Admiral Cavalier’s tactical brilliance, every capital ship under his command survived. His superdreadnought, PNS Relentless, was hit hard, and Admiral Cavalier wounded, and for his actions he received the Warlordship.
Frank Cavalier is a human who has spent his entire adult life in the Pact Navy, rising to the rank of Admiral on his own merits and is famed for his brilliant tactics. He values his career, family, and the Pact, in that order, and has great fondness for books(he is widely read) and music(always has it playing in quarters). A talkative fellow, Admiral Cavalier is versed in many different subjects, including military history and tactics, astronomy, philosophy, religion, ethics, and government structures. He has held his command aboard the superdreadnought Relentless for nearly three years, whipping it’s crew into a smoothly functioning weapon. Admiral Cavalier speaks Standard with a heavy Italian accent, has a notorious temper, and despises French-speakers.
GENETIC ENGENEERING
Genetic engineering, the super science of biomanipulation, is a powerful tool utilized by the Pact throughout it’s territory. Initially begun for improving colonization of heavy gravity and atmospherically dense worlds, geneering of humans has grown into a much broader field, including heightened intelligence(to the genius level) and the construction of “supersoldiers”. First developed nearly 300 years ago by the megacorp Maximus Hydrocomo, these humans have become lethal weapons, used by the Pact during it’s ‘conflicts’ along it’s border. These humans “weapons” have an incredible response system, boosting a soldiers ability to fight in hand-to-hand combat and in small spacecraft(ie fighters). One of the most radical manipulations has been the heavy gravity worlders(who make excellent Marines) and the elite “Fighter Jock”. The Pact’s Fighter Jocks are known as the best in the galaxy, which is due to genetic manipulation that has increased reaction time and speed threefold. The development of these supersoldiers begins in a standard government crèche, in a artificial womb monitored by technicians. They are raised to fight, beginning early training and studies at age five. Fighter Jocks are considered national assets, and are not citizens although there is some resentment over that fact. While Fighter Jocks get minimal training as planet-based defenders only, they have consistently fought well above normal human standards and in a head-to-head fight against three ‘standard’ humans, a geneered Fighter Jock will consistently win. Other famous engineered socities include the combat proven Hellers, Athosians, Arratans, and Springworlders.
One of the most amazing things about Trantor is not just it’s immense population, but the difference in that population. You can find nearly anything on Trantor, and all types of people live on the planet’s massive megalevel city, which covers the entire surface of that world. Most people who visit Trantor, are stunned at the spectacular difference in peoples that live on the planet, from militant one-sexer cults to affluent aliens, all can be found on Trantor. Any religion, any culture, any creed; examples can be seen on Trantor and that is the amazing thing about the planet, it’s bizarre diversity and the live-and-let-live attitude of the populace have survived the test of time, surely an example to the rest of the Pact.
Angela Hall, former High Secretary of the Pact, said of Trantor in 10,401 “It’s not possible to pretend that this is just another big player. This is the biggest player in the history of man.”
Describing Trantor, famed poet Kal Tremon wrote:
Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself.
(I am large. I contain multitudes).
The economic structure of Trantor is the most unique in the galaxy, producing a phenomenal amount of taxable income in one location. According to most financial statisticians, Trantor produces nearly the same gross domestic production as an entire Cluster! This is one of the fundamental reasons why the Governorship has been limited to this single planet. If Trantors’ economy was merged with an entire Cluster, then it would realistically be the largest power within the Pact, easily overtaking Terra Cluster’s economy.
The Depot system was created by Admiral Nagoya Kumagaya in 9,330AD after catastrophic losses in the Leyte Combat Region allowed Dionii Hive forces entry into core worlds of the Pact. Faced with hundreds of billions of civilians at the mercy of the ravening Dionii hordes, Admiral Kumagaya ordered construction of Navy Bases and Depot’s within each Cluster. The Navy Base would construct warships throughout the Pact, and not at highly localized and vulnerable yards in centralized locations. And the warships would be placed directly into mothball in a Depot system when not at war. Depot’s became the hidden reserve, serving the Navy well when the Holot Empire attacked 200 years ago. The strategic dispersal of the Depot system allowed the Pact Navy to hide it’s true numbers and after several months of demothballing these units, the Pact Navy cornered and annihilated the Holot Grand Fleet in the Battle of Goodhunting. Location of Depot’s are highly classified secrets, known only to the Cluster Senator, KT General of that Cluster, and Fleet Admiral of that Cluster. Each Deopt comes with ten active mobile shipyards(Flower-class), ready to begin reactivation of warships at a moments notice.
Hert(innovative)
Sennerat(awesome fighter pilots)
Nigelians(excellent pilots)
Flouwen(genius tacticians)
2000 Hull Spaces TL9
[0] S0x352Acx600ZHH(BbS)LhLhLhQx15(SY)x5{DcRcMg}x20{(SY)PcDcFc}x5?Xr
[Vx24]? Qsx9{Pc(SY)DcFc}x5[Vx18]MgDcDcDc?QsFc [0/0]
2000 hs
RCP; 42 FCP Trg:1 Def -3 PV=1264
Cost= 21704/314.1
1114 HTK S0x352 Acx600 Dcx33 Pcx10 Fcx11 Rcx20 Vx42 Mgx21 (SY)x15
*Three of these SS/SY are located in each Cluster and are at the disposal of the Cluster government.
PACT ASTEROID BASE(1000 HULL) (S0x100)(Acx300)Z(BbS)H(CHS2)[DzRcQRcMgDzDcQ]x12(MS9)M9EcM9(MS9)[H
(SY9)LhTix5]PcLh(Mi9)NHNHXrVx36MgQ(Mi9)(Qx1)Lh(Hd)?PcPc
TRG: 27 ATK +1 DEF:-3 PV 1027 639 HTK COST/MAINT 20538/2053.8
S0x 100 Acx300 Rcx24 Mgx13 Dz x24 Dcx12 Vx36 Nx2 Pcx2 Ecx2 SY9x5 MSx2 CHS2x2 Tix5 Hdx1 XOx200
Designer Notes
Take a look at this... flaws known:
· 1) I lost literally half the available space to required systems...so it is a bit more fragile than I'd personally prefer
· 2) it is realistically intended to datalink to either a supporting PDC or a couple of other bases...those bases would either be escort bases (lotsa armor and or lotsa Dz) or a Rc equipped PDC. Primary weapon is the Rc - it keeps others at a healthy range.
· 3) ammo is almost exclusively AM equipped SBMs so this naturally has CRAM. whoever owns this gets to figure out their magazine loadout.
· 4) the energy weapons are there to provide close in capability as well as annoy the hell out of an attacker. (esp the Xr, N and Ti...)..other than that I have NO clue as to what the Pacts standard requirements are.
· 5) it has 6 full strikegroups
· 6) I coded the Hyperwave (Hd)
· 7) I did NOT include ?2...makes no sense as anyone that can survive long enough to close to range 4 can obviously take out the AF.
*One of these units are located in a Cluster, and is commanded by the Pact military.
A nuclear atomic demolition munition(ADM) was detonated yesterday at Garsten Yard’s Orbital Complex. Trantor officials report that the superdreadnought TNS Renown was undergoing repairs at the Trantor shipyard and was wholly destroyed by the dial-a-yield weapon. Three other ADMs were discovered at the yard by prompt security officials and deactivated safely. The Kona Tatsu was thought responsible.
The leading Senator of Urbanos Cluster, Adlai Candiotti declared three weeks ago the complete independence of Urbanos and it’s surrounding environs. The Declaration was made at Government House on the omega world Urbanos, the entire Cluster has apparently followed Senator Candiotti into rebellion, with serious fighting reported at the Fleet Base in the Justinian System.
The Holot Ambassador was poisoned on Terra shortly before fighting broke out after the assassination of the High Secretary. Relations have been strained recently between the Pact of Mankind and the Holot Empire over border disputes, and the death of their ambassador will surely enflame the situation.
The Terran Governor Sir Ryan Chandler declared marshal law after serious fighting broke out across Terra following the assassination of the High Secretary. Led by the rebellious Admiral Nemasov, Pact Navy forces were fired on by Terra’s Skywatch, and annihilated. The Governor has assumed emergency powers over the entire planet.
A new “warlord” has arisen in Somerset Cluster. The so-called Warlord Lucian Cox has moved to take over the entire Cluster, adding several worlds to his domain. Currently confronted by the “Independence Movement”, led by the planet Middle Finger, Warlord Cox appears to have his hands full.