Future Imperfect chapter 11

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The Galaxy of Future Imperfect

Your game must take place somewhere. In many cases, the Master may have his own setting in mind before planning a campaign. Alternatively, the default setting can be used. This default is based almost entirely on the original source material. In this case, we have kept the errors present in the source, such as the distances between star systems and names (NGC vs NCG, for example).

The following star map is an excerpt from a larger map, which will be placed later. The majority of the Star Sectors in the game are present in this chunk of space. The galaxy is, however, quite vast. There are many unused sectors, as well as blank sectors even in this 4000x5000x4000 light year cube of space (the size of the complete map).

Star Sector 1: The Terran Union
Star Sector 2: The Mercantile League
Star Sector 3: The Azuriach Imperium
Star Sector 4: The Galactic People's Republic
Star Sector 5: The United Ranan Worlds
Star Sector 6: The Spica Sector
Star Sector 7: The Pleiades Sector
Star Sector 8: The Rigellian Hegemony
Star Sector 9: The Blarad StarKingdom
Star Sector 10: Betelgeuse
Star Sector 11: The Confederate Systems Alliance
Star Sector 12: The Korellian Empire

Each square in the given map is 200x200 light years in 2 dimensions, and is located on the z axis as shown (for example, Deneb is +1000 light years on the z axis). Star Sectors 11 and 12 are approximately 700 light years past Deneb, in an almost straight line (on this 2 dimensional surface, of course) extending from Terra, and 1200-2600 light years "up" the z axis toward the reader.

Careers

Every Hero started somewhere. Before he became a galaxy-hopping debutante, he had a job. Given the nature of heroism, there are many careers that often live in the backgrounds of may a Hero. We will discuss a selection of those here.

The Star Forces

The StarForces are the elite units of the StarFleet, Space Marines, and Special Services Commandos who guard the spacelanes from enemy attack, and who carry death and destruction to the enemy’s home planets.

Star Forces

The StarFleet is the Space Navy. The Space Marine Corps is the elite assault force of the StarFleet. Every Starship carries a compliment of Marines for landing and boarding actions, as well as for major planetary raids and invasions. The StarForce Commandos are an elite force within the Space Marines organization which trains for deep penetration raids and prolonged operations behind enemy lines. Commandos are also dropped onto enemy-occupied planets to assist BRINT agents to mobilize resistance groups. All three of these services encompass the Star Force.

Each service enlists more than just pilots and soldiers. Many support operations, such as technical, legal and administration exist within each branch. StarForce personnel divide into a number of branches. In general, only Astronauts will be able to succeed to Starship command rank (C) as only they can actually navigate Starships. The other divisions include Science Officers (S), Engineering Officers (E), Technicians (T), Medical Officers (M), Space Marines (SM), and Commandos (SC). Command, Science, and Engineering ranks are placed side by side, as Science and Engineering Officers can acquire astronauts skills and might therefore succeed to command. The StarForce Command column to the right of these three branches indicates the size of vessel that would normally be commanded by an officer of a given command rank. Similarly, Space Marine and Commando ranks are placed side by side, with the Assault Command column indicating the size of force that would normally be commanded by an Officer of a given rank. Starship officers can also command ground troops, but they would likely be less effective because their training is suited to space warfare, not planetary combat.

Below are some tables of ranks and sample pay and commands typical of those ranks.

B.O.S.S. Bureau of State Service

BOSS is a paramilitary organization which combines the duties of such services as MI5, the FBI, the KGB, and similar security institutions. All applicants must show both strong physical and mental aptitudes. The Bureau of State Security is a powerful arm of the government, for it is charged with conducting counter-espionage and anti-sabotage investigations, suppressing revolutionary and terrorist organizations, and maintaining the security of the state in general. Thus BOSS agents may be found in any government or civilian service, or in private business and industry. The Bureau is under the direct control of the Head of State. In democratic regimes, BOSS has its activities modified by due process and by the requirement that it respect citizens’ rights, although it can be given sweeping powers in times of emergency. In totalitarian regimes it is a veritable Thought Police unchecked by regular laws and government channels of authority.

BRINT

BRINT is the intelligence-gathering agency of the StarForce. Ranks and pay are as for Executive Officers in the StarForce, regardless of specialization, but only Astronauts can actually command BRINT Starships. BRINT operatives can expect to operate in enemy territory as ‘spies’ and saboteurs, and may be required to organize and train resistance groups on planets Occupied by the enemy. BRINT agents also keep a close watch on the Bureau of State Security, whose agents are not part of the Military Establishment and evidence overzealous Police State mentalities which the military authorities resent and deeply suspect—especially in democratic societies. In totalitarian regimes, BRINT is the implacable foe of BOSS and delights in confounding the incursions of BOSS into military affairs. It should be noted that StarForce Commandos, Space Marines, and StarForce personnel can obtain a transfer to BRINT.

Interstellar Police Agency

The IPA is a paramilitary organization very similar to the StarForce and BRINT, except that it is charged with maintaining law and order in the volume of space controlled by the StarCulture and concerns itself with criminal activities of an interplanetary and interstellar nature. The IPA maintains naval quality vessels up to Fleet Cruiser displacement and armament in order to combat piracy and to patrol the spacelanes.

Interstellar Survey

The Department of Interstellar Survey is charged with the exploration of deep space, to discover and chart new planets suitable for colonization, resource exploitation, etc. Survey personnel are identical to StarForce personnel, insofar as prerequisites are concerned, with soldiers the equivalent of StarForce Commandos. The Survey Service operates naval class vessels up to BattleCruiser displacement, as deep space beyond the frontiers tends to produce hostile aliens. The ships are heavily modified for scientific research, however.

Survey Scouts

The survey Scouts are highly trained explorers assigned to the vessels of the Survey Service. Scouts are soldiers and Techs who meet StarForce Commando pre-requisites. PCs should ensure that their skills purchases prior to entry into the game are heavy with survival skills. The Scouts are trained to conduct initial landings on planets and make preliminary surveys before the planetary survey teams aboard the Survey Service Starship are landed to conduct detailed analysis of the new world. Survey Scouts have to be prepared for just about every contingency, whether it be harsh surface conditions, dangerous animal life, or hostile natives.

Diplomatic and First Contact Corps

The Contact Service is a highly professional branch of the Diplomatic Corps. All First Contact personnel are Scientists with a strong background in the Social Sciences, Comparative Cultures, Linguistics, Historical Sciences, Xeno-Psychology,or Xeno-Ecology.

The task of the Contact Service is to initiate relations with aboriginal and primitive peoples so that undue dislocation will not occur through contact with the advanced StarCulture that has discovered them. Even totalitarian and imperialistic StarCultures are careful to manage their initial contacts in order to obtain the best possible chance of effective and profitable integration of less advanced races into the Empire. Heavy handed exploitation and unrestrained colonization by civilian merchants, settlers, and prospectors tends to destroy the ‘natural resources’ a less advanced race represents. The Contact Service thus has sweeping powers, and Contact Officers can declare a planet to be a ‘protectorate’ if it contains an indigenous Sentient race. That means that all unauthorized contact, trade, settlement, or other exploitation is strictly forbidden. To this effect, the Service can require full cooperation from the StarForce, IPA, or any other appropriate government agency. Often, a small StarForce base or IPA base will be established on a protected planet to provide the necessary enforcement muscle. When a more advanced race (Tech/4+) is contacted, the Contact Service Officer aboard the Survey ship will take charge of the whole expedition with the intention of establishing diplomatic relation.

Planetary Defense Force

The PDF is the future equivalent of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Each planet with a significant population will have a PDF charged with the defense of the planet against attack, the maintenance of order in a state of emergency, the occupation of enemy planets conquered by invasion, and the second or third wave assault of enemy planets once the Marines and Commandos have secured adequate ‘beachheads’ on the surface to permit the PDF to be landed.

Planetary Police Force

The Planetary Police forces are paramilitary law enforcement agencies charged with maintaining law and order on a particular planet or within a local planetary jurisdiction. Planetary police usually have no authority outside their jurisdiction and must depend upon the Interstellar Police Agency to pursue criminals escaping beyond planetary boundaries or to conduct investigations that are interplanetary or interstellar in nature. However, some highly developed planets may have a number of StarFighters available for high-speed pursuit and for patrol work in the moons, asteroids, and outer planets of the system, which tend to be included in the jurisdiction of a major planet. Thus, while Astronauts are not normally employed by the Police, some systems may have a limited number of positions available.

Independent Explorers

The need for new Colony and resource planets is never satisfied, and while the Survey Service does extensive work in the discovery of new planets for settlement and industrial development, independent exploration companies have also entered the field. Freedom-loving adventurers of all classes have taken on this hazardous profession for pure profit. According to Interstellar Law, the discoverer of a planet uninhabited by sentient races becomes a First Claimant to all land and resources on the planet. If the discoverer undertakes the development of the planet, a very costly enterprise until returns are won from that development, he literally owns the planet. In most cases, the Only organizations capable of such development are governments and the great interstellar corporations. However, a discoverer can also sell his interest in his First Claim, the value of the Claim being dependent on the potential of the planet for colonization or resource development and the difficulties that may be encountered in undertaking such development.

The independent explorers provide their own ship, equipment, supplies, and expertise. Their task is to find and conduct preliminary surveys of new planets. In essence, their work is not too different from that of the Survey Service. Complete, scientifically accurate reports are needed to establish a proper First Claim, and thus a good proportion of an exploration team consists of Scientists. However, Astronauts and Techs are required to navigate and maintain the Starship, usually a well-armed Corvette, while soldiers provide the ‘muscle’ which is often necessary to deal with hostile animal life or ‘claim-jumpers.’ It must be admitted that some unscrupulous operations have laid claims to planets with primitive intelligent life forms and, using the very considerable influence of their large corporate patrons, have circumvented the usual restrictions of the Contact Service against exploitation of local natives.