TFF Original Space Adventure Info Thread

[Andrew Joshua Talon]

First off, Seraphim's first destination:

HD70573, or "Sky"/"Sora" as named by it's inhabitants, lies 174 lightyears away in the constellation Hydra. Despite lying a significant distance from the Neelaa homeworld, at least two nearby star systems have been claimed by the Neelaa. However, due to it's "frontier" status with both the Coalition and the Neelaa Union, no conflicts occurred over this area of space during the war. The system has six planets, five visible here.

HD70573a is a rocky terrestrial world not unlike Mercury, called "Daily" due to it's high orbital velocity of only 24 days. It is tidally locked and only useful as a base for solar-powered laser systems.

HD70573b, "Siskel and Ebert", is a double planet system, for simplicity's sake counted as one planet. Siskel is a "Super-Earth", approximately twice the radius of Earth and five times the mass, with a Venus-like surface. Ebert is roughly the size of Mars but twice the mass due to a larger core, and has a similar surface. Neither is a suitable place for human colonization nor for any other species in the Coalition, but might make for a good midrange base due to the abundance of sodium and other useful elements in the atmospheres of both planets.

HD70573c, "Big Sky", is an Earth-like world and the site of the colony. Due to the young age of it's star, the world is in the Cambrian era of it's geological history, with a high oxygen content generated by an abundance of simple planet life. Local animal life is restricted to invertebrates and fish/amphibian analogs. It's most striking feature is the early evolution of a grass-like plant, which has allowed for extensive grazing for cattle and other food animals. It's surface is approximately 54% land, the remainder water.

HD70573d, "Regis", is a high-sodium content gas giant six times bigger than Jupiter, with a massive array of moons, six of which are as large as Big Sky or even bigger. The gas giant lies just outside the Goldilocks zone, rendering many of it's moons icy worlds with large amounts of frozen water and CO2. The largest of these moons, twice the size of Big Sky, is known as "Kathy Lee".

HD70573e, "Junior", (not pictured) is a ammonia gas giant five times as big as Jupiter at the same distance from Neptune to Sol from Sky itself. It has nearly as many moons as Regis, but due to it's smaller size was dubbed "Junior" compared to Regis. It has a ring system akin to Saturn's and has a large number of captured comets among it's many moons.

Big Sky was settled in 2479. It's colonists left Earth in the year 2300 aboard a recently-developed safe bussard ramjet ship. It's colonists came primarily from the state of New York in the United States of America, and the Kanagawa region of Japan as part of a long term colonization effort for people with a lot of time on their hands or a desire to settle a world that was, for all intents and purposes, "Space Montana". The discovery of spacewarp drivers cut the trip down from almost two centuries to around 40 years, so we sent unmanned probes to at least investigate and see that the colony was doing well. It hasn't been until the advent of the Otherspace drive, however, that we were in a position to send a manned starship out to see how it was doing. The Seraphim's first assignment is therefore to assess the colony's status and provide them with an Otherspace transceiver array so they can catch up with the rest of the Coalition. These colonists are, to our knowledge, only familiar with the Aghasti and the Jii'Ka as far as aliens are concerned. There was at least one Jii'Ka aboard the colony ship when it launched, so we are to assess it's status too. AI has come a long way since their day so the crew must be careful about that as well.

Our sensor scans reveal three primary radio sources on the planet's surface:

The signals received from these points ID them as Barleston, Oda, and Bill's Farm. There is an unidentified signal noise coming from one of it's two small moons which will have to be investigated.

Next up, the Seraphim's tech sheet and each crewmember's gear.

 

[Aarik]

Name: Birrin
Homeworld: !Hi'ir! (Delta Pavonis 4)
Status: Coalition Founding Member
History: The Birrin have been in space for only three Earth centuries. Due to fierce competition with a near-sentient species on their homeworld (known as Pseudoraptors to humans), much of their early attempts at civilization building were torn apart by the 'raptors, who were much stronger and faster than the Birrin but only slightly dumber. Nevertheless, the Birrin persevered and were able to reach an industrial revolution by Earth's 20th century AD.

However, due to the conditions they evolved in, it was not long before the Birrin began to engage in warfare with eachother, finally culminating in the development and use of nuclear weapons in two world wars. The devastation wrought by these weapons allowed one nation to essentially rule over the planet by the 22nd century, the same one that made nuclear weapons. However, much like humans, the Birrin knew the dangers associated with nuclear warfare, so, in order to try and resolve differences without the threat of extinction, all weapons bigger than a machine gun were placed under joint-government supervision, and international disputes were settled with an organized system of dueling, which was further diversified into sporting events not dissimilar to Earth's Olympics.

First contact with the Birrin was made in 2380-Due to an oddity with the Birrin sun's electromagnetic field, conventional radio communications were not being read properly, so while the presence of life was known in the Delta Pavonis system, intelligent life wasn't known until then. By the same token, the Birrin were aware that Sol had a very good chance of harboring life but had been unable to get any radio communications from us. A cordial relationship developed after FTL communications were discovered, and joint colonization efforts were undertaken on a number of nearby worlds. The Birrin were the first to join the proposed Coalition in 2450, for trade and defense against pirates, and became firmly entrenched in it during the Neelaa War. They were among the races who contributed the most to the Otherspace Drive project and were the first to organize official races using the technology.

Physiology: The Birrin evolved from quadrilaterally symmetrical creatures which resembled polychaete worms. Over the course of evolution they became secondarily bilaterally symmetrical. The upper and lower limbs devolved, and the lateral appendages became strong legs for the move to land. Two of the four eyes took over primary vision, and while the third eye vanished completely, the 4th evolved a long stalk and migrated toward the top of the head to give good all around vision.

Internal organs also adapted, with two of the four stomachs becoming lungs.

Birrin limbs contain many sensory organs, including vibration and taste sensors. The second pair of limbs changed radically and is now held above the body, the vibration sensor adapted for hearing, and the taste sensors elongating and becoming a sensitive antennae used to detect scent, and to communicate via semaphore.

The first set of limbs became arms, carrying delicate hands to handle food, use tools and groom others, while carrying a long curved claw to stab and grip prey or rivals. This claw is present also on the rearmost limbs, and can slash enemies from the rear, while on the foremost pair of walking limbs it became a sensitive vibration detector, and when held to the ground can sense movement through the soil.

The Birrin brain is long and extends a third of the way down the neck, protected by internal bony cages. The neck itself is not as flexible as many earth creatures, and does not need to be as the stalked eyes can move independently.

The long legs and broad foot pads suited the swampy habitat they evolved in, spreading weight to stop them sinking into mud.

The Birrin are oxygen breathing, carbon-based lifeforms like humans and evolved on a planet with a similar climate and gravitational pull, hence the two species regularly engage in joint colonization efforts and officer exchange programs.

Basic Birrin body form.

Close-up of a Birrin head.

An infamous picture of Birrin genocide taken during their last world war.

A Birrin baby and human child are examined by scientists while they play, to study interactions between the two species.

A psuedoraptor-The main Birrin language names it a Brii-ar!! which is also a vulgar profanity.

An early Birrin spaceship.

(Birrin concept and pictures borrowed from Abiogenisis from Deviantart.com.)

 

[Aarik]

Name: "Aghasi"
Homeworld: Gliese 876 e
Status: Coalition Founding Member
History: The "Aghasi" have recorded history going back 5,000 years, and despite the harsh environment of their planet, developed art, literature, mathematics and some very deep philosophical thinking. However, on a world with an average temperature variation between 240 C to 380 C, technology beyond the obsidian stage is virtually impossible. They were humanity's first contact with alien life in 2160, and since then have remained staunch allies and friends. These giant but gentle lifeforms, however, have found it difficult to adapt to life outside their world. While they have successfully made colonies on 55 Cancri and a few other lava worlds, these are the only places they could go without costly and expensive lifesupport systems. During the Neelaa War, the Aghasti contributed what few ships they had, but more importantly a very large number of troops equipped with the latest in life support systems and battlesuits. Indeed, Aghasti served in every planet-based action of war, many a Coalition soldier owing their lives to their huge, infinitely loyal friends.

The current Aghasi government is essentially a republic of tribes and villages, with a matriarch and a patriarch chosen by representatives of all the communities across their planet. Slow, careful deliberation is the order of the day, with new technologies from the outside being considered for mass distribution, and then, if approved, given out. Knowledge does not have the same restriction though, and every Aghasi village has at least one connection to the Coalition Otherspace Network.

Physiology: Standing an average 4 to 5 meters tall, the Aghasi are flourocarbon based bipeds. Despite the high gravity of their world, they grew to such heights thanks to the carbon-fiber nature of their physiology. Circulatory, skeletal, respiratory and other biological systems are entwined by the same fibers, giving the Aghasi a knotted, coiled, wiry appearance. Their heads contain their brains, eyes and thermal imaging senses, which are even better than an Earth snake's. Their tentacles, the number of which varies from individual to individual, contain sensory organs dealing with "smell" and "taste" as well as touch, and, much like an elephant's trunk, help with respiration along with nostrils contained on the shoulders. At least two tentacles serve as part of their reproduction, so it's little wonder the Aghasi value them so much. They do have arms and hands but these are best used to hold and grasp things, while the tentacles are reserved for delicate work.

As flourocarbon lifeforms, they breathe both carbon monoxide and methane for respiration, though thanks to the flourocarbon "plants" on their world they also get some oxygen. Like humans, for the most part they are what they eat and omnivorous, though they need a proportionately higher amount of phosphorus, sulphur and iron in their meals. Needless to say, humans would die if they ate any Aghasi cuisine, making cultural exchange on that end difficult.

They have two genders, females carrying the young in a sack on her back for ten months. The young develop in eggs which remain attached to the mother for the duration-Upon birth they break out, to be caught by their mother. Average lifespan is up to two Earth centuries, with females living longer than males.

Evolving from herd animals similar in conception to Earth elephants, the Aghasi are in general a peaceful, cautious race who, due to the limits of their technology, focused on development of the mind. Their language is extremely complex, using sight, sound, temperature variation and body language and chemistry all in various amounts appropriate to dialect and context. They have adopted "Aghasi" (Hindi for "Fire Elephant") as their name to be used among other species, as their real name is far too complex for anyone to translate into something like English.

On lower gravity worlds, Aghasi are much stronger and a fair bit faster than most other sentients, serving as able battering rams in spacesuits that may as well be battlearmor.

An Aghasi lounging in a sulphur bath on the homeworld.

An Aghasi city.

 

[Aarik]

Name: Neelaa
Homeworld: Neelaan Cwi (HIP 56948)
Status: Coalition Enemy, Orion Arm Superpower
History: With a written history going back almost ten thousand Earth years, and a space presence for nearly a thousand, the Neelaa are one of the most advanced species in known space. For most of their history they were a passionate people with a wide variety of cultures, languages and religions, not dissimilar from Earth. They spread out among the stars and as of 2543 control over sixty solar systems.

However, approximately four hundred Earth year ago, the Neetanii Order of Emotional Purity, a religious order, took over the government after their seventeenth world war. Enforcing a strict philosophy of emotional control and suppression, they became popular at first because Neelaa emotions had led more than once to global conflicts, as a result of their physiology. Medical efforts were problematic at best, and had bad side effects. However, the Neetaanii had devised meditation and mental manipulation techniques that allowed for almost total control and suppression of emotion, and the philosophy spread.

However, it was not until the discovery of the space warp drive that the Neetaanii Order's philosophies spread to the outer colonies. At first it was peaceful, but the majority of them rejected the philosophy. This led to the Order demonstrating why it was logical by using their emotions against the colonists. Acts the Coalition would call crimes against sentients and terrorism were allowed to be used against populations without emotional control, the idea being to show their people the futility of fighting without total emotional control. This strategy worked well, but resulted in thousands of refugees departing for other parts of space.

The first refugees reached Coalition Space in the 2510s, giving the Coalition their first ideas of what they might be facing with the Neelaa. However, nothing could have prepared them for their first contact. The Neelaa had already met other species in the past, and had offered them the chance to embrace the Order's philosophy. Some had, others hadn't. Those others were conquered, with their native cultures edited and altered to better fit with the philosophy. After initial assessment, the Neelaa would offer membership to the species they met. If refused, they would immediately declare war, as they maintained a technological and numerical superiority over all other species they had met.

The Coalition, however, was a surprise. Their initial predictions were that the war would last a mere six months. The Coalition managed to drag it out three years, but only began to put up a real fight with the discovery of the Otherspace drive. The Neelaa, however, were determined to crush the Coalition, as their continued success and victories against them were seen only as delaying the inevitable logic of their vistory. They had to break off overt hostilities with the entry of the Tur-Han into the war, and agreed to a treaty, placing them in a state of cold war with the Coalition. However, the Neelaa are patient, and continue their efforts to one day undermine and conquer the Coalition, even as numerous defectors and refugees swarm to escape their "perfect" society.

They kept three Coalition worlds following the war, one a human colony that willingly joined, a Birrin colony that the Neelaa would not let go of, and a Jii'ka world where the inhabitants committed mass suicide rather than allow themselves to be held captive by the Neelaa.

Physiology: The Neelaa are among the most human-like of any lifeform the Coalition has encountered, a significant reason for their interest in the Coalition. Their blood is composed of methemoglobin, a variety of hemoglobin that is the reason for their skin color of blue. It is also responsible for mood swings and light-headedness in humanoid-like beings, an explanation for their attempts to control their emotions so strictly.

The Neelaa evolved from arboreal ancestors and enjoy a considerable strength, speed, and agility advantage over humans, aided by their long, prehensile tails and large ears which help them with balance. They have very good eyesight in twilight conditions but only slightly better than humans at night or day. They have a fondness for insects and fruits above most other foods but are fairly adaptable in their diet. Their lifespans, thanks to their more advanced medicines, are in the range of 400 years, though there are reports of 500 year old members of the species still living.

Non-Order Neelaa practice a variety of body art traditions, either in the form of tattoos or skin carvings. Order Neelaa have no such tradition, which is a good way to tell the two apart.

Captain Constance Giiresbee, a Neelaa native-born on Earth and serving in the USNS.

A typical Neelaa starship in deep space.

 

[Aarik]

Name: Jii'Ka
Homeworld: Tau Ceti b
Status: Coalition Founding Member
History: Sentient silicone-based lifeforms, the Jii'Ka evolved rather like living computers. They "speak" through the whole of the electromagnetic spectrum, though radio is their primary system, their thoughts are conducted via electronic interactions, and every part of their crystalline body combines small amounts of iron to form living circuitry.

There's just one problem: The Jii'Ka cannot move. The price paid for their abilities to manipulate the electromagnetic spectrum and the achievement of sentience was immobility. They were surrounded by smaller, less-intelligent but more flexible silicone-based lifeforms that went about their business, able to move at will.

However, like the Jii'ka, their brains were also composed of iron-silicone constructs, and with a little experimentation, the Jii'Ka learned how to use their mastery of visible and invisible light to turn these creatures into their personal armies of workers and soldiers to do their bidding. They have farmed these creatures and manipulated their development for over fifty thousand years, creating lifeforms for everything from digging, to rudimentary space exploration.

First contact was made in 2190, and the Jii'Ka eagerly ate up the initial data provided by Earth and other worlds and offered their services as living computers in order to continue learning. Knowledge is power to the Jii'Ka, and going to the stars offered a virtually inexhaustible amount. To further facilitate their learning, they created silicone-based constructs of the various species they interacted with, including humans. They offered them as workers and ambassadors to gain further knowledge, with the understanding that they would be recognized as sentient creatures in their own right. However, as the Jii'Ka do not keep any of these constructs on their homeworld and only ask for periodic updates, there is little opposition to this practice save only by the most extreme of rights activists. The majority of these synthetic beings are actually based on fictional characters in the popular cultures of their species. A wide variety of human constructs are based on anime characters as the first human starship to make contact with the Jii'Ka had a large archive of anime onboard.

The Jii'Ka may seem like cold, computer-like creatures, but because of this they also have long memories. The Neelaa's destruction of one of their small colonies alongside a human one during the war has permanently soured their relationship with them. Weighed against the long centuries of protection, information exchange and cooperation with the Coalition, and the Jii'Ka find it only logical to remain with them. A logic the Neelaa have some difficulty grasping.

Physiology: Having developed on a world with only one-eight Earth's gravity, the Jii'Ka have been able to grow to incredible heights. Among the largest Jii'Ka, JTC98556784 Gamma, has reached almost two thousand feet in the air. However, the majority of Jii'Ka keep their heights to that of terrestrial trees for efficiency sake. They can prune and trim off their "branches" with their armies of drone creatures, cutting them off without a second thought.

The Jii'Ka are extremely long lived, lifespans on the order of one thousand years or more, and can live on through others by transmitting their memories to each other. They reproduce entirely by asexual means, breaking off parts of their bodies to plant elsewhere. They do, however, have concepts of family, as every forest began with an individual Jii'Ka and every subsequent Jii'Ka has absorbed different wavelengths of light from the sun and from other Jii'Ka-This is their concept of individuality.

To compensate for the explosion in their sizes due to First Contact's deluge of information, they've accepted invitations to colonize low-gravity worlds throughout the Coalition to preserve their knowledge and prevent it from being lost in the event of planetary catastrophe.

A Jii'Ka transmitting in a variety of wavelengths.

A Jii'Ka drone, conducting a survey around some of the smaller members of a local "forest".

 

[Andrew Joshua Talon]

STANDARD GEAR ON BOARD SHIP

(Or, HOW TO ADVENTURE IN SPACE)

Welcome to the United Sol Nations Space Navy! Before we begin, remember that the following items are to be kept on your person at all times. They are there to help keep you alive, so keep them to keep you alive, clear? Good!

The first item all Spacers carry are the iconic GOGGLES. With a comfortable adjustable kevlar strap and polyceramic rims, standard issue goggles are designed to last for upwards of two years. Their special transparent aluminum lenses are coated with a variety of layers of materials that polarize in reaction to light levels and harmful radiation. They serve to protect your eyes and alert you when the area is filled with harmful radiation. They will do the latter function by changing tint at the edges-Yellow indicates a radiation level the human body can withstand only for an hour at most without protective covering. Orange, radiation levels are high enough to warrant seeking protection within twenty minutes. Red, you are in a lethal area of radiation and must seek immediate medical assistance.

Every pair of goggles can also interface with various onboard and personal computers, providing a Heads Up Display, or HUD, that can display a wide variety of data, from sensor input from a hand-held scanner, to personal home movies. They are the Spacer's trademark, a badge of pride and honor, but do remember to keep them clean!

The second item no Spacer is without are EAR PLUGS. Simple polymer plugs, you insert them into your ears when a hull breach occurs to avoid damaging your ear drums. These same ear plugs also have microphone transceivers within them, allowing you to follow instructions transmitted over the ship's internal communications system and know where to go to retrieve space suits.

The third item no Spacer is without is the venerable REBREATHER. Not too different from the original versions, save for being more compact, the rebreather is fitted over the mouth and nose and allows you to breath in an airless environment for up to twenty minutes. Combined with your goggles, ear plugs, uniform, and extensive training, and you have the maximum best chances for surviving a hull breach or a venting action to put out a fire on ship and living to fight another day.

The fourth item all Spacers carry is the PERCOMD, or Personal Computer and Communications Device. Not that dissimilar in concept to the iPhones of the 21st through 24th centuries, the PERCOMD stores personal data, allows for browsing on the ShipNet for cached files off the Coalition Otherspace Network, recording and live-streaming of video from the device to other devices in range, and many other functions to help the Spacer go about his duties or simply to enjoy him/herself. It is fully compatible with your goggles and the two work best together.

The fifth item all Spacers possess is a good, old fashioned WATCH. The chronometer is still imminently useful even today for timing a variety of actions and will work, thanks to it's special battery system and simple design, for at least a century barring serious damage. Your watch also features a simple flashlight and laser pointer while operating in the dark, all easily maintained as well.

Finally, usually recommended as standard gear but usually up to the discretion of every Spacer or officer, is your SIDEARM. The three varieties carried by USNSN starships are as follows:

TYPE A (NAVAL OFFICER, LASER), FN LP "ERASER":

Manufacturer: Fabrique Nationale de Herstal, and subsidiaries

Dimensions:
*Weight 0.68 pounds (308.5 g) empty, 0.82 pounds (372 g) loaded
*Length 8.2 inches (208 mm)
*Barrel length 4.8 inches (122 mm)
*Width 1.4 inches (36 mm)
*Height 5.7 inches (145 mm)

Ammunition Capacity: Positronium; 30 Stun Rounds/15 Kill rounds/5 Full-power Rounds.

TYPE B (SECURITY STANDARD ISSUE, ELECTROLASER), M2458A2 "SPACE JOCKEY"

Manufacturer: Colt's Manufacturing Company

Dimensions:
Weight 1,105 grams empty, 1,200 grams loaded
Length 8.25 in (210 mm)
Barrel length 5.03 in (127 mm)
Other specifications similar to Type A pistol

TYPE C (CREW STANDARD ISSUE), FN LP-45 "GREMLIN"

Manufacturer: Fabrique Nationale de Herstal, and subsidiaries

Dimensions:
*Weight 0.70 pounds (317.5 g) empty, 0.86 pounds (390 g) loaded
*Length 8.2 inches (208 mm)
*Barrel length 4.8 inches (122 mm)
*Width 1.4 inches (36 mm)
*Height 5.7 inches (145 mm)

Ammunition Capacity: Positronium; 30 Stun Rounds/15 Kill rounds/5 Full-power Rounds.

(Different from officer's version only in weight, standardized grip, site and casing.)

Got all that? Good!

 

[zerohour]

Since I'm still holding on to a bit of hope that this didn't die, I figured I'd contribute a bit of information.

Planet Name: Tekopia


Database Entry: Much like people wanting to get back to nature, there have been people who wanted to "get back to technology." While most of these people found that on starships, where technology is the only thing keeping you alive, there were some who longed for a more permanent place to call their own. They found it in Tekopia.

Tekopia falls somewhere between a small planet and large moon in size, and is located at a Legrangian Point between two stars, giving it a day/twilight/day/twilight cycle. Due to the lack of atmosphere, most of the citizens dwell within Tekopia's crust, leaving the surface as a platform for massive solar power plants.

Tekopia hosts the largest population of cyborgs, hackers, and all around technophiles in the Coalition. There are very few restrictions on modifications to one's body. While the population if primarily human, the appearance of an individual can range from a brain in a jar to a massive battle frame, while thousands of alternate options in between. So great is this diversity that there are portions of the population that live within the planet's mantle and on its vacuous surface.


The closest thing to nature available on Tekopia is genetically engineered algae, which is supplied with artificial sunlight. The Algae serves to produce oxygen and as a base for their tasteless food. However, most citizens require far less (if any) of both, as they have exchanged their organic bodies for more tech-friendly versions.