Administration
Operator: Imperialisium
Operator: Insaeldor
Task Force: THESEUS is a military science fiction role play taking place in the first half of the 24th Century. Centered around the Sol Systems stellar neighborhood it will tell the story of the crew, pilots, and operators of the TNV Valkyrie (OCV-07). The role play will allow you to assume various roles, ranks, and options that will affect the story both in the micro-level in terms of basic character interactions; while, simultaneously effecting the overall progression of the story. As such the loose plot of the story, centered around a series of operations, will directly and indirectly influence each other. In addition the role play will try to be as grounded and realistic as possible. Retaining a high degree of grittiness and practical aesthetics. As such, given the realism, player character death may occur depending on the decisions you make. So if you've read the OP, and decide that entering a hail of gunfire a la Somme style, don't bitch about it occurring. The role play will also stick to science and logic whenever possible. Obviously given that it is science fiction there are some work around, pseudo-science, and overall fantasy to allow for a fluid story that is easily comprehended by the reader. Techno-babble will try and be as lowkey, thoroughly explained, and at least reasonable at all times. The primary goal is to facilitate a believable, fluid, and fun story telling/reading experience.
The structure of the role play will follow a series of operations that the Valkyrie will go on. Anything from boarding, ground, space, asteroid, and space station operations could occur. Allowing for a great variety of environments to take place. As such given the various environments and the nature of the role play. Your characters are not gods among mankind. They probably will be put under extensive stress, psychological issues, and develop as the storyline progresses depending on their experiences. Seeing your friend of several years turn to red paste for stepping on a land mine isn't something you just shrug off like losing a game of minesweeper.
Operations
Operation FIRST STRIKE
Discord
During the 2020's Man reached Mars, fueled by the investments of private corporations and entrepreneurs alike, Mankind began to slowly (but exponentially growing) colonize the solar system. Establishing a permanent settlement on the Moon and later Mars during the 2030's. Followed by mining operations that by the late 2040's began to effect Earth markets due to the influx of raw materials. All the while the fast growing population of Earth threatened to choke the nascent Human race before it even launched from its cradle. In 2054 automated mining facilities began to be established on the Moons of Jupiter and the asteroids belts. While benign bacterial releasing and hydroponics on Mars began to slowly form an atmosphere as Humanity put more and more efforts in terraforming the red planet. The terraforming of Mars cost trillions in currency but ultimately paid off as resources wars wracked the Earth in addition to religious, ethnic, and ideological strife. In 2061 NATO and the EU along with the Commonwealth States formed the United Nations Armed Forces (UNAF) and quickly took control of Human space exploration and operations. Using these resources the UNAF fought back across the Earth, slowly countries joined this union, then in 2075 a Parliament was set up to Confederate the UN as an emerging global government. By then colonists on Mars, The Moon, and now the Moons of Jupiter formed the Colonial Army in 2099 to secure these colonies. Allowing the UNAF to concentrate it's efforts in uniting Earth with the Armed Forces transforming into the Earth Space Force (ESF) by 2100. All of this progress being limited to the sublight drives of human exploration and colonization craft.
In 2125 Swiss and German engineers discovered a primitive method of FTL that could make short calculated jumps within 3 Parsecs. This caused an explosion in colonization as The Alpha Centauri system was colonized, Luhman 16 (known simply as Luhman) and Bernards Star were colonized immediately after, and the Leonis system by the 2140's had several outposts established. Pluto became a mining colony in 2141 as hundreds of thousands and then millions left Earth for new lives on these Colonies. But all was not peaceful for as the Colonies became farther from Earth their management became more difficult and strenuous. Independence movements popped up on the Moon's of Jupiter and the Moon by the late 2140's. Martian Nationalists emerged in 2155 under the banner of the Red Front.
In 2156 the Moons of Jupiter and Mars rose in revolt as the dozen colonies there declared their own secessionist states. Followed by the new Colonies in the Sirius and recently settled Lalande systems in 2157 under the Sirian and Lalande Independence Front (SLIF). The Colonial Army became divided with entire formations joining the rebels whole sale; while, the rest fought a brutal civil war as Earth debated on what to do. This indecisiveness caused massive political dissent. In addition to the strict economic policies placed on interstellar commerce between Earth and the Colonies.
The UEA (United Earth Army) fought harsh campaigns from the Sahara to the Artic and from the shores of Japan to the beaches of Florida. Terrorism, insurrectionist, and radicalism gripped humanity in fear. The ESF (Earth Space Forces) which had been formed in 2100 with the UEAAF (United Earth Army Aerospace Force), UEA (United Earth Army), ESSF (Earth Space Strike Force) and CA (Colonial Army) as branches was stretched thin and mass mobilizations occurred every year. Conscription was formally introduced on Earth in 2159 and publically acknowledged in 2162. Whenever a new campaign ended another began on a Colony world. Casualties rose into the hundreds of thousands in terms of civilian and military losses. Finally by 2173 Earth had regained control of her wayward Colonies via the ushering of major governmental, military, and economic reforms proclaimed in the Camp Luna Accords.
Starting in 2174 a number of reorganizations took place both politically and militarily throughout Human space. Leading to the Proclamation of a Unitary Terran State and the passing of the Terran Constitution to create a Federal state. The Colonies were given equal representation in the Earth government while the military was rebuilt to reflect that. The Earth Space Force was divided into the Terran Navy and Army. The Colonial Army was lumped into the Army as uniform recruitment and control methods took hold. The Earth Space Strike Forces and United Earth Air Army Forces were combined into the Aerospace Force, the Earth Marine Corps was renamed into the Colonial Marine Corps along with recruitment expanded to the Colonies; Finally, the Army Guard of the Colonies was formed as a form of territorial home guard. These organizations became known under the collective name: Terran Defense Forces with the motto, "For Earth and Her Colonies." Replacing the older UNAF as the military now representing the various Colonies along side Earth. Thus began the period known as The Long Peace.
The Long Peace continued with only minor interruptions until 2313 when the Great Colonial War began with the assassination of the Terran President Julius Cesare on July 4th, 2313 by Martian Communists. The Communist revolt began on Mars and swiftly spread across the planet. Proclaiming the People's Republic of Mars (Martian Republic, Red Republic, and Communist Mars being informal names). The Martians surprised everyone by unveiling a Martian Fleet formed from private resources and turncoat ships of the Navy which had been largely neglected over Earth and Mars. The AGC of Mars was heavily infiltrated and was quickly defeated or scattered in the first weeks of this new war. For the rest of 2313 the Martians were on the defensive, until February 2314 when the new Martian government signed an agreement with the newly formed Sirius Republic due to those Colonies seceding under their own movement known as the Sirian Emancipation. The Colonies in the Bernards Star system quickly joined the Sirius Republic due to similar linguistics, culture, and colonial history. War now was raging in two star systems with dissent growing on Earth from new nationalist movements wishing to secede from the Terran government and re-establish old 21st Century states.
Then in 2315 the nukes fell on Earth. A Martian Fleet had slipped past the Terran Navy's Earth Fleet by exploiting a computer virus that disabled early warning systems and radar. Thirteen Nuclear warheads with a combined payload of 330 Megatons fell on various locations. Detonating over Metropolitan Area's like Los Angeles, London, Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, and else ware. Millions perished from the blasts, radiation poisoning, and nuclear winter that followed in those regions. Hundreds of thousands of new cases of radiation poisoning, mutation, and cancer would occur several years after the war despite those areas being rebuilt and cleaned up. Further the Martian military commenced a ground invasion of Earth that took four months of dogged fighting to eradicate.
This event was followed by a Nuclear bombardment of Mars in repercussion. The Brotherhood of the New Sun, a Neo-Abrahamic religious faction took power in the Lalande system, and inacted genocide against anyone deemed degenerate in their eyes; additionally, fighting the Terran forces continuously till 2317 when the tide turned in favor of Earth. It was not until 2319 when the war ended with the Signing of the Stellar Armistice on September 15th. That date would become known as Stellar Remembrance Day (SRD). To remember the billion lives that were lost, civilian or military, during the 6 years of horrible conflict. The Terrans, Martians, and Sirius Republicans have been at peace since then.
Terran Army's 25th Heavy Infantry Division landing on Mars in 2318
The results of the War were sweeping. Mars, a world that had a population of over 1 billion had lost half of its population from nuclear bombardment. Millions on Earth perished from the nuclear assault. The colonies of Bernards Star surrendered and were once more part of the Terran fold while the system of Lalande was only pacified after hundreds of thousands had perished. All told the list of the deceased for civilian and military numbered 1,001,271,984 dead and missing.
The Terran Defense Forces (TDF)
The Terran Defense Forces are the evolution of previous Human armed forces over the last three centuries. They are the dominant military force in Human inhabited space and arguably the most advanced when it comes to warfare. The TDF operates in several branches: The Navy also referred to as The Fleet; The Colonial Marine Corps (CMC) which is responsible for non-ship void warfare, ship boarding and defense, ship security, and rapid planetary assaults from orbit with most ships and installations having Marines on board; The Aerospace Force (AF) which is akin to 21st Century Airforces but also operates space capable craft and strike fighters; The Army, responsible for major/prolonged/extended or long term ground operations and planetary garrison; Finally their is the Army Guard of the Colonies (AGC) which operates much like a National Guard on the planetary level for Earth's colonies and funded by the planets that maintain them.
The Terran Navy
Formed from the Earth Space Forces (ESF) in 2174 in the aftermath of the Colonial Insurgency Era (2156-2173) due to its division into the Navy and Army. The Terran Navy took up the area regarding space warfare and transportation. Often regarded as the senior branch for it's crucial role in the TDF.
The Navy in 2338 operates 150 capital ships (additional 30 currently mothballed) and hundreds of other vessels with a couple thousand support ships. The Fleet Base Headquarters in located on Earth in Luxembourg with the largest orbital shipyards being the Norfolk Geostationary Dockyards. The Fleet has roughly 5.3 Million personnel in its ranks as of 2338 and several million reservists.
The Valkyrie
The Colonial Marine Corps
The Aerospace Force
The Army
Army Guard of the Colonies
The Terran Defense Forces Rank System
The image above primarily shows how rank pins worn on collar's of uniforms appear. The rank system for junior officers, senior officers, and flag officers will be those depicted as well. Enlisted and NCO ranks is where true variance among the branches come into play. The Navy's enlisted ranks are: Rating/Sailor, Midshipman (basically a supervisor of a group of crew), Warrant Officers (grades of Petty Officer, Senior Petty Officer, Chief Petty Officer, and Master Chief Petty Officer) that wear green pins and insignia. The Colonial Marines enlisted and NCO ranks are as follows: Private, Corporal, Lance Corporal (commands a fire team or senior platoon corporal) and Sergeant. The Marine rank of Ensign is mostly used for an Officer-in-training and is typically an NCO of the rank of Sergeant in the field. This is the same for the Army who use the same enlisted and NCO system. The Medical and Investigative Corps do not possess enlisted or NCO ranks and instead serve as attached personnel to a unit. As such a medical officer by the rank of Ensign's authority is limited to their specialty or if not equal/superior officer of a differing branch is present. The Aerospace Force uses Naval ranks except their basic enlisted is simply termed Voidsman or Pilot.
The Carrier Aerospace Wing of the Valkyrie is in effect a fully equipped and operable strike and support craft wing. At maximum strength of 220 craft and kept in peak condition by the tireless mechanics and technicians aboard the ship so it can sally forth and engage the Terran Governments foes across known space.
16X
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168x
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7x
Humanity is divided into three large factions with several smaller groups on the fringes of Human space.
The Applications For Enlistment and Service
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Note: If an Officer you can control all the personnel under your command as NPCs. So if a player is the Commander of the Marines aboard the Valkyrie and no one else is a Marine officer said player can control all the Marines as they wish.