Ramset Imperial Refugee Fleet (FT Factbook)

[Ramsetia]

(I've had these ideas crawling in and out of my head like some kind of non-ME2 referencing analogy for a while now, without any way to really express them until this flu set in, and I had the time and motivation to make this thread. This is what I imagine will become of Ramsetia by the time of FT. It likely will not be as detailed as my Alltech/MT factbook, likely due to the fact that, well, the nation's now a group of starships instead of a proper nation, and that takes a bit more effort to write. If anyone has any ideas on how to improve this, or my other factbook (The link is in my signature) Feel free to Telegramme me. Now, on with the thread.)

Incoming Transmission - Source - Ramset Capitol Ship 'Helena'

In an effort to open relations, and to limit any confusion or fear our presence may cause in this sector, the refugee fleet has decided to expend exactly 32.3 TQ of data storage capacity in order to open, maintain, and expand this factbook. Our intent is to open a diplomatic path for our fleet, in the hopes of finding, and founding a new home planet.

We were ejected, perhaps fairly, from earth several generations ago. Our local biosphere had become...alien to the rest of the world, and several Xenophobic groups were eager to access the mineral wealth under our nation's sands. This resulted in the 'survive' project, a genetic and biological engineering event on an unprecedented scale.

Two vessels were created by the time our ejection was finalised. The Ramset Defence force was all but obliterated in a valiant last stand to give myself, and the 'Rosa' time to launch. Since that time, several more vessels have been born, and from only three million Ramset, our population has increased to a level that we may once more call ourselves a nation.

However, we are a nation without a home. Forced to live our lives on starships, drifting from system to system in hopes of building ourselves a home once again. Our human ancestry all but lost to our current genetic buildup, accellerated evolution and interbreeding between species, enabled by our former national animal, the Disco Dice.

I digress. Our fleet intends no harm, but will defend itself should we be attacked. We may no longer be human, but we have records of earthen history and religions. We posses no natural resources, though our biotech and medecine are all but unrivalled, should we need to pay our way.

I look forwards to a peaceful interaction.
-Helena

[Ramsetia]

Government and Administration

Administration of the Fleet is a form of Oligarchy, the Imperial Assembly having become the captains of the assorted vessels, each a 'state' unto themselves. Larger ships like the Helena and Rosa will be split along the spine and form multiple seats instead of simply having an overwhelming number of citizens under their wing. Aside from this, population matters little, each ship captain's opinion is equally valid. The Captains answer only to the Capitol Ships, Helena, and Rosa.

Top-Tier
Helena and Rosa, the capitol ships. The largest and oldest ships in the fleet, bearing scars and rents in the chitin from centuries of asteroids and micrometeors, and the defensive, or offensive actions of the occupants of the system that they have travelled through. They are the most powerful warships, and grown as true generational ships. They are also the original two 'factory' ships, posessing the required organs to give birth to new Ramset Bio-Vessels.

Between these two vessels, they have performed the birthing of roughly two-thirds of the Fleet, and their consciousness and longetivity are key tools in deciding the fleet's course of action.

They cast the deciding votes, but they must agree on the action. This is wired into their personalities on an instinctual level. They are also forced by instinct to listen to the captains of the fleet.

Mid-tier
Admirals do not take a direct influence in the day-to-day activity of the fleet. Their duty is to maintain order and, should a part of the fleet become seperated, govern that splinter-fleet until it can be returned to the main body. There are never more than 5 admirals.

Bottom-tier
Captains of each ship, and/or ship segment, directly govern that ship, and maintain it's usefulness to the fleet as a whole. Due to the limited space and resources of the fleet, each ship is vital, and the captains have a great deal of responsibility laid upon their shoulders, and should one disgrace the position, they are to become an unperson. They provide an enforced advisory position to the Rosa and the Helena, and are inderectly responsible for every action the fleet takes.

Economy

The Refugee fleet's economy is stable, but weak. They lack the necessary resources and traditional manufacturing capabilities to be the powerhouse they once were as a terrestrial nation. That being said, they are a large provider of weaponised plasma and acids, biotech, and medical equipment.

Galaxy-level
The fleet trades externally, mostly in the interests of obtaining foodstuffs that cannot be grown on-ship, purified water, antibiotics for human-sized biologicals, genetic code of local wildlife, and anything else a captain may find useful, including luxury goods. In exchange, manual labour, training, or even the services of a whole ship and it's crew, may be traded.

Intra-Fleet
internally, the Fleet's merchant ships will trade on whatever they have managed to salvage, scrounge, build, or otherwise obtain, in order to make lives on other vessels easier. Usually crewpersons are traded, in order to increase the ability and efficiency of the merchant vessel.

[Ramsetia]

Technological Details

Ramset Technology is entirely biological-based. While they maintain ore and plant matter handling and working skills, the lack of such materials, when biomatter is so plentiful and forms a renewable resource, means that it is often the material of choice for Ramset artisans. Genetic manipulation is taught at a basic level in Ramset schools, as is 'sentience engineering', a method of imparting a mind in a created biomass. Military equipment is insectoid in appearance, while civilian craft and gear will take on a more aquatic or avian appearance.

StarShips
Ramset vessels are organic, 'birthed' by larger 'factory' ships at a punishingly slow rate in order to keep the costs of feeding the fleet down as low as possible. Most vessels will resemble a hybrid of insect and aquatic creature, the Isis, for instance, is a merchant vessel which sports compound eyes, mandibles, and a chitinous exoskeleton, on a body that strongly resembles a manta ray. Most of the time, the weapons of any given craft will be located amongst insectoid features.

Due to the organic nature of the vessels, Ramset mechanics and technicians are more veterinarian than proper mechanics. Repairs will take as long as necessary for the vessel to heal itself, with many less-defended ships sporting 'bandages' months after being damaged. The diet of a wounded ship will also change, and sometimes, the injury will heal itself as a 'mutation', adding new capabilities to the ship in question.

Military Vessels run the Gamut from large, slow barricades of chitin and plasma launchers, to light and quick blastboats which are grown to run circles around opposing vessels. The smaller vessels are the majority, due to the time it takes to fully grow a full-sized combat vessel.

Fighter craft and shuttles resemble dragonflys from earth, and sport organic cockpits which may seem intimidating to people not used to the technology. These smaller vessels often lack a sentience of their own, and may be conscious in the same manner an ant or bee is, in a hive-mind with their parent ship.

Ground vehicles
Organic ground vehicles will generally take the form of light and quick creatures, such as fleas. Speed is considered of the essence to many Ramset ground crews, especially those in the military. Heavier utility vehicles will use a mobility system similar to caterpillars, 'rolling' their body in arcs. These forms of motion are easy to disable, and the crews of these vehicles are wholly aware of that fact, utilising the manoeuvrability, or sheer mass of their vehicles to protect their vulnerable mobility systems

Personal Equipment
Ramset equipment hides the form of the wearer, lending them an insectoid appearance that allows them anonymity amongst strangers. While clothing may still be made from cloth and hide, environmental suits, armour, and tools, are biological. Environmental suits are self-supporting, imparting no added weight and minimal restriction on the wearer, and feature wings to allow for added mobility in adverse terrain. bodysuits in the same vein often boost the leg strength of the wearer, should the wings be unavailable. They also provide nutrition in emergencies, and can filter fluids in order to allow for safe imbibing.

Weapons are, what could best be described, as bullpup, beaks forming the barrel end of each weapon, and wedges of chitin forming sights. All weapons barring scatterguns also come with a 'tentacle sight', which allows for anywhere from a 1.5x Zoom (pistols) to a 10x zoom (sniper rifles, heavy weapons) through eyes on the weapon itself. They are loaded with cells of plasma, fed through the beak. These plasma cells also function as effective grenades, if needed.

Armour is made of protective chitinous exoskeletons which self-heal, and provide protection against kinetic and energy weapons by shattering outwards. an inner layer made of a full-body layer of symbiotic muscle protects against blunt force trauma (should the plates not be available), heat- and cold-based weapons and adverse environments. Sniper and Reconnaissance kits feature the wings one would normally associate with a civilian environment suit.

Medical
Ramset medical equipment may at first look like something from medieval earth (or 2010 nicksyllvania), but on closer inspection, is far more elegant and effective. Defribulations are performed by a bioelectric arc created by an insect-like creature, for example. Leeches have made a kind of comeback, similar creatures are used for filtration, bypassing wounds, or transfusions. Most surgical tools have been replaced by chitinous variants with a self-cleaning layer of a saliva-like substance. Methods have been updated, and transplants no longer need a donor. Surgical modification is common, to the point of symbiotic creatures being implanted during Ordinator-Marine training. Even something as simple as bandages have been replaced with a starfish-like creature.

Computers
Computers have fallen by the wayside, though organic comms terminals exist with connection to the 'net. Effectively brains attached to input and output devices, programmable and non-sentient. Data is stored in an organic model of solid-state memory.

Munitions
Ramset weapons generally utilise a corrosive plasma stored under pressure. When fired, the weapon will effectively 'vomit' a ball of viscous, mucous-like fluid filled with highly-compressed plasma. This ball has a relatively stable flight path, though due to it's malleable nature, becomes erratic underwater and in thicker atmospheres. On impact, what remains of the mucous will break, sliming the target. The compressed plasma will expand violently, and should the temperature be low enough, liquefy and cling to the target to enable corrosion. Plasma weapons are available as most different types, from sidearms to recoilless anti-tank weaponry, and research is going into developing a melee-based variant.

For situations where more subtlety is needed, or in denser ambient environment, 'needler' weapons will be used. Firing a thorn-like flechette with compressed air, capable of being laced with poison from specially-grown weapons, These weapons are ill-suited to attacks against armoured infantry, and better used against unarmoured ship crew, or for stealth and assasination duties. They are often carried, with a tranquilizer dosage, by shipboard security detatchments. Needler weapons are commonly pistol, sub-machine gun, or sniper rifle equivalents.

Enamel weapons are the closest the Ramset fleet has to traditional slugthrowers, using a plasma charge to propel a slug of dense enamel designed to shatter on impact with flesh to impart maximum stopping power, the shards of the slug would then bury themselves deep into the target, their bone-like nature making them difficult to detect, and leaving lasting wounds on par with fragmenting rounds of precious eras. They are housed in casings of similar enamel to the composition of the round, to hide their organic nature for export. They are the only Ramset weapons with a limited operational span, requiring return to the fleet for feeding and re-casing every 5 years. They are available in all slug-type weapons, from sidearms through to ballistae and artillery.

[Ramsetia]

Culture

Culture in the Refugee Fleet is coloured by the scarcity of resources, personal space, and the history of being forcibly ejected from our homeworld. There is a strong sense of resentment towards the nations who conspired to this ejection, though Helena and Rosa have vetoed any attempts to take our ancestral home back by force. Respect is considered the most important currency amongst the people, and standards of education are as high as ever.

Religion
The Loremaster Corps. survived the evacuation, and hold an archive on both the Helena and the Rosa, accessible from any ship in the fleet. They have maintained their combat arm, though less of them are willing to enter fights now, preferring instead to gather information on alien religions and cultures. The badge of office has remained a shawl with the five major religious colours.

Citizenry
The citizens of the Ramset Fleet have kept the three-name conventions alive, though many far more alien names have made their way into circulation. They remain hard-working and creative, and many cases of depression can be directly linked to a lack of raw materials to work with. Musicians are held in great regard, and many of the larger ships have dedicated areas for concerts and recitals.

A lack of personal space has left Ramset with little understanding of the term, and they are very tactile, much of their body language involving touches. The few times a Ramset has found themselves alone, they are often afraid and begin to panic. In attempts to combat this, coming of age ceremonies have been instituted, where Ramset will be ejected from the fleet for a standard earth year, in order to overcome this fear.

Clothing and Grooming
Due to the fur-covered nature of Ramset, grooming has become more meticulous and careful, it has also stopped the popularity of beards, though some males wear fur extensions on the chin as a fashion statement. Hair is generally worn long to differentiate it from fur elsewhere, and dye is common.

Clothing is limited, in part to Ramsetia's history of legal nudity, but mostly because such things generally aren't needed in a living ship, due to it's constant body-temperature climate. Shipboard uniforms will be worn when meeting with delegates from other spacefaring groups, or when setting footpaw on foreign, occupied planets. These usually consist of pants and a form-fitted shirt baring the Ramset's rank (if any) on the ship.

Timekeeping
The Ramset clock is arranged around a metric system. 100 'units' is a single earth day, 24 hours. each unit is made up of 10 deci-units. And each deci-unit is made up of 10 milli-units. There are smaller and larger divisions, though these are the most commonly used. The 'week' is 10 days long, with 3 days with no official shipboard duties at all, and no set weekend.

Species

Ramset biology is a mish-mash of species from earth, and other planets where attempts at colonisation were made. The majority of their biological makeup can be traced to Marsupial, and Lapine elements. They are remarkably androgenous and effeminate in build and figure.

Appearance
Male Ramset are around 5-6.5 feet tall, sport four ears and powerful legs that take up most of their height. Female Ramset are around 5.5-8 feet tall, also sport four ears, and similarly powerful legs, and have four mammary glands. All ramset sport brightly-coloured fur. Often primary colours, though mixes and patterns are also common.

A Ramset's ears are as expressive as a feline's, capable of rotating, tilting, and slight back-and-forth motion. They are likened in shape to a butterfly's wings, though bear more resemblance to a rabbit's ears for the top pair, and a particularly thick pair of feline ears, with the tips pointing downwards, for the bottom pair. They are capable of temporarily switching places, used as an instinctive show of confusion or disbelief.

Ramset eyes are relatively normal, recognisably human, though a little too large and angular. Their colours vary more widely than standard humans, and heterochromia in radial and arc variants is common enough to be the norm. They are forward-set, like a predator's, and are more capable in darkness than in light, though practically blind during twilight, or in rapidly-changing lighting conditions.

Ramset sport a short muzzle with a flat, furless nose, a triangular shape with black skin. Their mouth is human, and has human teeth within, though with more pronounced incisors. A ramset tail is similar to a kangaroo's, a long, thick, rigid item that is heavily-weighted and used for balance when moving quickly, not grasping, or other utility. On females, the fur at the tailbase is softer and warmer than one would expect, and used in incubating eggs.

Arms are thin by human standards, and end in hands that sport two thumbs and two fingers. Pads are at the fingertips and palm to allow for gripping unhindered by fur. No claws or fingernails. Their legs on the other hand, are overly long compared to a human's, with thick, short thighs that seem constantly tensed and ready to unfurl, a short lower leg, and long, thick, digitgrade feet with broad toes. They seem well-suited to walking through loose sand thanks to these thick footpaws.

Reproduction
Ramset are Monotremes, egg-laying mammals. They have no pouches, and instead warm their young by proximity to their body, curled up in a female's tail, against their belly. Gestation of the egg is rapid, taking only two weeks. Incubation then lasts for up to six months. The resulting child is effectively genderless until puberty, where it will develop into a femenine or male form.

Visual Aids

A Ramset Female, and a Ramset male.

Warning
Ramset are exceedingly malleable on a genetic scale, easily capable of adapting to any genetic material and using it to create offspring. This is one of the largest traits left over from their earthbound ancestors, and the 'Disco Dice' creatures that were part of an abortive attempt at biological warfare by an unknown group in the Ramset territories. They are well aware of this trait, and have decided to place this warning so other species may be aware of the risks.

[Ramsetia]

Defence Forces

The Ramset Fleet's Self-Defence force is built around larger, more solidly-arranged ships at strategic points through the fleet, protecting factory and living ships is their primary objective. Smaller, faster vessels are employed in point-defence and interception, while fighters and interceptors are used to engage opposing bombers and torpedo craft.

For sub-orbital engagements, many smaller Ramset craft are more than capable of atmospheric operation, and carry on the proud tradition of Ramset vehicles being able to out-fly the opposition, though presenting a large sensor signature that leaves them vulnerable to missile locks. Ground combat is performed rarely, the Ramset Marines preferring ship-to-ship combat, though their effectiveness is not hampered by gravity. A defensive posture is preferred, even when on the attack.

Shields are still used and equipped, though they now function as a more traditional weapon, with a lobster claw-like arrangement. They are also integrated with the gauntlet of the soldier's off-side.

Infantry Forces
The Ramset Imperial Marines are heavy infantry in the vein of the ordinators, to the point where they have, unofficially, kept the same designation. Officially, they also kept a similar organisational policy, weapon arrangement, and rank structure. They are armed with rapid-fire Plasma emitters and a similar sidearm, and will also pack scatterguns and the occasional grenade launcher. Unlike Ordinators, they have squad-integrated Designated Marksmen, and Heavy Weapons Operators.

Seperate sniper teams are still in use, and still equip a long-range tank interdiction weapon of their own. They are often used prior to a ship-boarding operation, should the plan of attack involve entrance through the docking bay of a ship. for ground-based operations, they come into their own.

Spaceborne Combat
In orbital or super-orbital combat, Ramset will never strike first. They prefer to be on the defensive, as this lets them arrange their shielding vessels to suit the attack. It also allows them to identify the source of enemy fire, and return fire in kind.

Plasma projectors are the majority weapon, the ammunition is created as a waste product of the ship, and is therefore plentiful. The projectors and plasma cells are often directly beneath chitin plates.

For heavier firepower, to bypass shipboard armour more effectively, or in order to wear down energy shields faster, there exist several different types of missile, nominally launched by bomber craft or blastboats, though Rosa sports many such weapons along her tail, facing rearwards.

Clandestine Operations
The Clandestine Operations board is headed by one of the Admirals of the fleet, and replaces RAID and RISE in the military and political structure of Ramsetia. For spying operations, local species are generally paid, or blackmailed into serving the interests of the fleet for their stay in the system. For combat black ops, or green ops requiring more subtlety than the Imperial Marines can bring to the table, the Clandestine Operations Board maintains a roster of people from each and every ship in the fleet.

They are equipped with needler weapons, as plasma tends to create an easily identifiable source of light. Needler weapons can be poisoned, and offer greater range than the viscous plasma, which tends to dissapate. They lack integrated heavy weapons, though have full fire support from their dropships.

Shipboard Security
Shipboard security is handled by the captain of the vessel in question, and may be something like a traditional police force, to a marine detatchment in order to maintain peace and order on the ship in times of need. Generally, shipboard security will not be needed, mutiny against the Fleet results in death, and often the death of many others.

[Ramsetia]

Inter-governmental Relations

The Imperial Refugee fleet has few contacts on earth, and, while has passing contact with many other governments, few lasting interactions have taken place.

An embassy was recently founded in the capitol city of Lemonius, with a direct link to the captain's board. This is the first embassy opened since our evacuation from earth, and we are appropriately proud of our ambassador. With regret, we were unable to house a return embassy on our fleet, but have a dedicated communications channel for diplomatic comms with The Matriachy.

An embassy has been founded with the Shee Species, and discussions have been opened regarding trade and free passage rights through their space. A direct channel to the captain's board has been installed in the embassy itself, should the Shee require it.

[Ramsetia]

Major Events Involving the Fleet

There have been no Major events

Conflicts

Agreements

Other Events

[Ramsetia]

OOC Information

Information in this area of the factbook is considered unknown until characters in RPs find out, for risk of meta-gaming.

Imperial Marine Armour
The basic suit of Imperial Armour is alive. And conscious. It can experience pain and recognise it's normal wearer. It bleeds when shot, and will cry out of it's own accord. Not all chirps from Imperial Marines are battlefield communications. If a non-ramset attempts to touch the armour without it's wearer's permission, it will grow agitated, and attempt to react to the touch with hostility. It is not truly powered, but is self-supporting, and can stand by itself, or be worn without weighing down it's user.

Attn; Force-users
All members of the Ramset species are Force-Null, much like a Ysalimir. This doesn't affect more mundane methods of empathy and telepathy, but any attempt to direct the force towards a ramset, for good or ill, will be blocked by this trait. 'Ambient' abilities, like Force Sight and other sensing aides will not be able to penetrate the force-null bubble, causing a 'hole' in the force-user's perception of the world which would likely render any attempts at stealth a moot point. It doesn't do anything to lightsabers, as they are mechanisms, and not tied inextricably to the force.

Biomass
'Biomass' is a term the Ramset use to refer to flesh, bone, cartilage, organs, nerves, and any other organic non-plant material which may be utilised to develop tools and equipment. While they are perfectly capable of altering flesh in real-time, the pain involved for the organism means that Ramset will not attempt this on sentient and aware creatures. Their major preference is towards developing a 'hive mother' item, which will then produce the item needed, be it organic biosuits through to marine armour.

[Ramsetia]

(bump for pictures!)

Question and Answer
If you have any questions or comments on the contents of this factbook, the Ramset fleet as a whole, or would like to mock my soft-Scifi, please feel free to post your comments after this message. Thankyou.