The Peacekeepers (Scifi) (Interest Check)

[GloomCookie]

The Galactic Empire, stretching across nearly a quarter of the galaxy, is grand in all things. It's colonies near Neo Terra glisten in beauty recognized beyond her borders. Her people, educated and prosperous. Her legal system, beyond reproach. Things inside the Empire are truly spectacular, and everyone is happy to be a citizen.

Except, beyond those glistening inner colonies lies the frontier. Here, the grip of the Empire is tenuous at best, with some people going their entire lives never knowing they were citizens of the Empire. It is here, on a tiny planet known as 8276 Epsilon, that our story takes place.

Originally colonized 48 years ago, the colony was originally going to just be a fuel depot for long range freighters flying to and from the larger colony of Prosperity. However, the dusty desert world had more to offer than just a convenient place to refuel. Roaming its surface were large lizards, resembling Old Earth dinosaurs. These massive beasts were soon a tourist attraction, which led to the discovery of rare mineral deposits below the surface. The planet was soon a booming mining colony that catered to tourists coming for the exotic meats and fights to the death, while miners came to try and stake a fortune in the wind swept deserts.

Sector Governor Maxillius Kane knew he had an issue. With so many people traveling to this remote world, the chaos and lawlessness would cause problems. To combat this, he turned to drafting inmates of non violent crimes and offering a deal: 5 years of service as a Peacekeeper on the frontier, and their criminal records would be expunged. Not many were thrilled about traveling to such a remote location, but those that took the offer found themselves the only law on a planet that had none beyond a tiny constable office barely able to keep the peace inside the spaceport.

And so the adventure begins here. This interest check is to determine who wants to play, what system you'd prefer if any, and what kind of character would you play? Would you play someone quick with the gun? Or are you more likely to try and talk people down? Will you be a knight in shining armor? Or as crooked as a pretzel? There's no wrong answer, and I look forward to seeing responses.

Character Template

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[float=left][img height=500 padding=10]URL[/img][/float]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Planet of Origin:[/b]
[b]Date of Birth:[/b] (Day/Month only)
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]General Description:[/b]
[b]Distinguishing Features:[/b]

[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Likes:[/b] (Not sexual likes)
[b]Dislikes:[/b] (Not sexual dislikes)
[b]Pet Peeves:[/b]
[b]Greatest Accomplishment:[/b]
[b]Greatest Failure:[/b]
[b]Role Model:[/b]
[b]Most Painful Experience:[/b]
[b]Short Term Goal:[/b] (within 5 years)
[b]Long Term Goal:[/b] (beyond 5 years)
[b]Family & Status:[/b]
[b]Brief Biography:[/b]

[b]Planet of Arrest:[/b]
[b]Crimes Convicted Of:[/b] (Non-Violent crimes only)
[b]Original Sentence:[/b]
[b]Term of Service in Peacekeepers:[/b]
[b]Additional Information:[/b]

[Sanai]

More details on the setting? Is it high science fiction (like star wars/star trek) or more rustic, wild west science fiction (like firefly or BSG).

[mj2002]

If this is freeform, I am very interested!

[GloomCookie]

More details on the setting? Is it high science fiction (like star wars/star trek) or more rustic, wild west science fiction (like firefly or BSG).

A mix of both.  Picture Firefly, only the universe is bigger.  Basically, technology is around and works well, but they're so far on the frontier that they have basic essentials, but nothing fancy like the inner colonies.  Some colonies have uniformed police, elaborate parks and plazas, holographics and high-speed transport.  Here, people make do with what they have, and they're happy with something shiny every now and then.  Weapons are mostly of the kinetic variety, so people are likely to carry what is essentially a futuristic gun, since lasers are expensive enough that it'd be cheaper to buy a large farm vehicle instead.

If this is freeform, I am very interested!

That's a vote for freeform then :)

[doodasaurus]

I'm definitely interested and I vote freeform, since there is apparently voting.  ;D

[RedEve]

Very much in favor of freeform.

In terms of technology and technology level, what are you thinking?

Reading your description, I think Whedonverse sci-fi (Firefly) would fit very well, but it's obviously up to you.

[GloomCookie]

Very much in favor of freeform.

In terms of technology and technology level, what are you thinking?

Reading your description, I think Whedonverse sci-fi (Firefly) would fit very well, but it's obviously up to you.

Technology would probably be closer to Firefly with a blend of Chronicles of Man.  Basically, you can go faster than light, but it still takes time to get where you're going, and communications still takes a long, long time.  Most systems rely on the Imperial Courier Service to travel between planets, stopping long enough to upload messages bound for a planet and then download new ones before shipping off.  On some worlds, they need a small fleet just to keep pace, while on the frontier, it may take weeks to transport a message to the next courier hub.

There aren't any hovering vehicles though.  Still reliant on wheels or feet.  In Far Reach Outpost, the central hub of the planet, there's a small shuttle service that runs along the streets, but gets shut down at dusk.  There's street lamps and whatnot, paved roads, but it's like a small town in America in a few ways.  Buildings are put together with bricks made from local components, cement roads are paved from a facility on-planet, water is pumped from an underground aquifer.  The style of clothing is very much similar to that of Firefly, with people dressing more to fight the heat of the planet than what's fashionable (and considering what IS fashionable on some inner colonies, it's probably a good thing they're not exactly up on the latest trends).

Beyond Far Reach, many ranchers and miners live in small villages that are basically pre-fabricated housing units with a central building put together to serve as a company office and mess hall.  These outlying settlements get water and other materials brought by weekly hopper service, basically freighters with large cargo pods slung underneath that drop off the cargo and pick up empty containers.  Most of these places keep someone on shift at all times, because of the dangerous critters running about.  Ranchers especially, since their herds require a constant vigilance.

The local creatures are mostly lizard, though a few differences exist.  For one, they're smaller than the big lizards we picture when we think dinosaurs.  Also, they have more arms and legs, and typically are omnivores.  There's so little food, most take what they can get.  There are a few exceptions to this rule, and those mostly revolve around the Dragons.  Named mostly because of their appearance, these creatures are large, carnivorous, and have been known to eat everything in a settlement, including parts of buildings.  When a report of a dragon comes in, every gun available is called out, and it usually takes a massive hunt to bring one down.  Of course, killing such a thing becomes the talk of the planet for months afterwards, and the meat is enough to have celebratory cookouts for a long while.  No one knows where the dragons hide when they're not terrorizing the place, but they're so large that it's reckoned they are hibernating between meals.  No one knows for sure.

As far as people go, there are two big groups: The humans, and the non-humans.  Humans are fairly common inside the Empire, naturally, but on the frontier they typically share space with aliens who are either seeking work or just trying to find a place to stay.  Most humans are accepting of non-humans, to a degree, but there are groups who are quite vocal about non-humans and how they should be, at best, removed from the planet.  The non-humans are mostly humanoid, though a few exotic species show up every now and again.  There's a secret brothel on 9th street best known to look the other way when someone wants the really exotic partner.  Down the street is the Lucky Lander, a casino that's mostly reputable so long as you don't go shooting anyone and pay your tab.

And of course we'll flesh some of this out as we go along.

[RedEve]

Thanks for the info, consider me interested. :)

[RedEve]

Here's a basic character concept.

[1SAZ]

Very much interested, and am rather undecided on the ruleset, though freeform is of course fine with me.

[GloomCookie]

RedEve,

I'm mostly ok with your idea, just a few things and then I'll leave ye be :)

I'd prefer all characters to be newcomers to the Peacekeepers, and while I don't mind you having a military background, I would prefer you be sent to 8276 Epsilon as part of a deal cut with the courts to keep from going to prison.  I'm not saying you HAVE to do that, just how I sorta envisioned this.  A sort of "work your debt to society off" kinda thing.

Also, and this is just mostly for my sanity, I'm going to post at the end of my original post a template, so please fill it in.  You can of course keep your pictures and backstory, just also provide the other information for me.  Thanks sweetie!

[RedEve]

Okay, would you be fine with her getting a reduced sentence from the military in exchange for her service on 8271 Epsilon?

[GloomCookie]

Okay, would you be fine with her getting a reduced sentence from the military in exchange for her service on 8271 Epsilon?

That would work, sure. Punishment brigade.

[RedEve]

Name: Reyena Vogel
Planet of Origin: Born on a space station in orbit of Flox 14, a gas giant
Date of Birth: the 13 of March
Age: 28
Gender: female
General Description: She has green eyes, dark hair and a toned and trained body. She is rather tall at 5’10.
Distinguishing Features: A bar code tattoo – on her left wrist - from her time in the army, a scar in her abdomen from where she caught a rebel slug during the war. A small birth mark on her left butt cheek.

Personality:  A bit of a loner, even though her years in the military taught her to work as part of a unit. She is still very strongheaded, which is what ultimately cost her any chance at a long-term military career. She shares her father’s quiet and determined personality. Her brothers are more like her mother, open and sociable. Her punishment at the hands of the army hasn’t exactly opened her up more.
Likes: Cool rain, unlimited ammo, people who know when to keep their damn mouths shut, bourbon, swimming, the occasional brawl and roll in the hay
Dislikes: People who don’t have a clue, stupid superior officers, being shot at, spiders (the big ones), not showering for a week whilst in the field and thus being disgusted by her own smell
Pet Peeves:
Greatest Accomplishment: Whilst in the service, Reyena was amongst the top dozen ranked snipers. She even managed to win her battalion a few awards during competitions.
Greatest Failure: The clusterfuck of a mission that cost her everything. Whilst pinned down under enemy fire, she ignored a direct order from her CO. Instead she led a frontal assault on the enemy position, killing all but one of the squad she had under her command. She was immediately relieved of duty, stripped of rank and found herself in the brig for several years before getting the offer to serve out the rest of her “debt” on 8276 Epsilon. After over 24 months in a cell, even a planet on the ass side of the galaxy sounded like an improvement, so she accepted.
Role Model: Rosa Montgomery, first female top marksman in the Imperial Army.
Most Painful Experience: The failed mission that lead to her demotion and imprisonment and the shame it brought to her army family.
Short Term Goal: Work off her debt and regain her freedom, then leave 8276 Epsilon as soon as fucking possible.
Long Term Goal: Somehow find a way to get a second chance in the actual military.
Family & Status: Single and has been like that forever, apart from some flings and one-night stands. Every single man gets on her nerves when spending too much time with him.
Brief Biography: After being born on the space station, her parents moved her around a lot. She was an army brat. Her father was a sergeant turned instructor. Her mother had been a pilot but had retired to a desk job to raise her children. Both of her brothers (older and younger) were also in the military. Caleb, her oldest brother, was in the mobile infantry and had distinguished himself in several campaigns. Her younger, more brainy brother Vance had a career in military intelligence. Both had brought honor and glory to the family name, unlike Reyena.

Planet of Arrest: A hunk of rock called Omega 7854. Apart from a rumored arms dealers base, nothing of interest is there to be found.
Crimes Convicted Of: Disobeying a direct order leading to unneeded loss of life amongst her subordinates.
Original Sentence: 7-10 years in a military prison
Term of Service in Peacekeepers: After five years, she is free of both her service in the Peacekeepers as well as her sentence by the military.
Additional Information: /

[Doomglazer]

also intrested in this

[RedEve]

Are the Peacekeepers housed together?

[GloomCookie]

Are the Peacekeepers housed together?

The Peacekeeper office on 8276 Epsilon are housed in a sort of dormitory block.  Rooms are two to a room, with it being same gender inside the room.  There's a communal shower and restroom, though there's no designation by gender there, mostly because few agents are ever there for a long period of time, and the stalls grant enough privacy for most everyone's comfort.  There's also a self-serve cafeteria, mostly serving prepacked food via an automat, and a small gym with a few treadmills, weight benches, and stationary bikes. 

Don't get too comfy though... most of a Peacekeeper's time is out in the field, handling disturbances, crimes, and the like.  Mostly the dorms are assaigned so you have a bunk when you get back to base, and few are there long enough to really decorate their space.

Oh, and I guess I'd better mention the vehicles:

LRV-28 "Gorilla" Ground Scout


Originally built as an Imperial Army scout vehicle, the LRV-28 has served numerous tours of duty across nearly every major theater of operation for the past 50 years.  Due to their ruggedness and popularity, many worlds, including 8276 Epsilon, have purchased surplus LRV-28's for deployment with Peacekeeper units needing long-range versatility and ruggedness.  Built for a minimum crew of two, the on-board 1-inch Tri-Mount Kinetic Launchers are designed for when Peacekeepers require additional firepower.  The LRV-28 has a standard operational range of 5,000 kilometers, with a top speed of 350 km/hr.

Lawson 505A "Star Hopper" Remote Transport


Built by Lawson Aeronautical, the Star Hopper is ideal as a long-range deployment vehicle originally built for transporting VIPs to and from orbital facilities.  The 505 model was first deployed by Lawson to allow quick transit without having to wait on public transports, but the 505A model was designed with more versatility in mind.  While it lacks the room for prisoners, the relative comfort of the craft allows longer-range flights with less discomfort, meaning it is typically used to transport Peacekeepers to remote locations for investigative purposes.  It's total range is 10,000 kilometers with a top speed of 600 km/hr.

ADS-38 "Warhawk" Utility Craft


Another military surplus vehicle, the ADS-38 is a heavy duty craft originally intended for landing ground troops by the Imperial Marines, with the Imperial Navy making use of them to transport goods and soldiers to and from more remote bases.  The Warhawk carries two large 10-inch guns, but is not itself an air-superiority vehicle (for that, see the Dagger-Class Corvette).  The large weapons, however, allow for heavy firepower during landings in hostile locations.  The available capacity is up to 20 personnel or 10,000 pounds with a top speed of 400 mph and a range of 6,000 miles.

Lawson HDS-47 "Starmaster" Heavy Transport


This massive beast of a vehicle is the civilian version of the Imperial Navy's HDS-47, though what it lacks in weaponry, it makes up for in additional lifting capability.  The Starmaster was originally built to move tons of materials between a planet's surface and a ship quickly and efficiently, hence why many remote planets keep one or two of these behemoths available for when a freighter arrives and orbital facilities are unavailable.  Their onboard capacity is rated at 270,000 pounds, and can travel up to 5,000 miles at 580 miles per hour.

[mj2002]

Wow, why would anyone want to go 350 km/h in such a vehicle, heh.

[doodasaurus]

Wow, why would anyone want to go 350 km/h in such a vehicle, heh.

Because it's awesome!

[ElCapitan]

Seems like a really interesting idea.  Count me as curious, with a character idea coming soon.

[yesiroleplay]

This is simply a brilliant setting idea for roleplay!  Love it and am definitely interested.  I'm good with freeform for the most part - but I do think there should be some mechanism for either GM fiat or a RNG to determine the success of certain actions.  If the sniper makes a head shot on the dragon from a mile away, there should be a chance she just pisses the thing off rather than insta-killing it!

A few questions:
What are the criteria Kane (or more likely his staff) uses to pick Peacekeepers?   Not all non-violent felons would make for good law enforcement, and quite a few violent felons would make *effective* if not *good* Peacekeepers.  Are they looking for a certain mindset?  Are the reviewing criminal records and non-criminal resumes for certain skill sets needed out in the wild-n-wooly frontier?

The world is mostly desert - just how scarce is water?  I'm sure the first criteria for settlement locations is a reliable water source. 

What sort of local government will the Peacekeepers be dealing with?  Is all government on the planet (except for the Peacekeepers) local?  If a town has a local sheriff, do the Peacekeepers "trump" his jurisdiction within his own town?

I see the potential for three major factions: 
Those dependent on the tourist industry - guides/hotels/entertainment/etc - this faction would be strongest near the spaceport - or whatever passes for a spaceport on the frontier.
Ranchers - the industry of collecting and delivering tasty, succulent dinosaur meat to the galactic luxury food markets.  Everyone from the guys that kill the animals to the meat packers to the transport drivers to the speculators that sell 'futures' on the next shipment off planet.
Miners - They have a product, and just like the ranchers they want to exploit a resource on the planet - only they think of the dinos as a nuisance rather than a resource.  They so have all the same concerns as the ranchers about gathering their wealth and then getting it off-planet.  Preferably without paying any Imperial taxes.

Some minor factions might be:
The "natives"  - those that came to the planet before the booms, or that were born there.
The "ecologists"  - those that don't want everyone else spoiling the desert just because exploitation is wrong
The scientists - perhaps more than one group - each focused on one unique aspect of the planet.  The want to study this aspect, preferably before it's contaminated or destroyed.

Many factions might have similar if not identical goals - and might make alliances.  Or maybe their slight differences make them bitter enemies.


--- and finally - a very rough character concept
I have the idea for a con-woman that made a lot of money from suckers investors in the worlds near the Sector Capital, and almost escaped  into the inner worlds when she "felt the heat" before getting caught.  I'm not sure how such a person would get selected for this mission though.  Sounds like they would mostly be looking for rough-n-tumble types to keep the peace.

[GloomCookie]

Yesiroleplay, I think you just made my day :)

Yes, I like those factions, and I'd given thought to them before, just never much detail until now what I will say is that I like it, and will keep some of these ideas in mind as we role play.

As far as the selection criteria for Peacekeepers, you can expect that they'll be people with no prior history of conviction, not wanted for any other crimes, and understanding that the cybernetics given to them are there to just for them, but for the government. The idea is that cybernetics by this time are common enough to be sorta like cellphones, and if someone doesn't have something to help them access the GlobeNet, then they get it as a requirement. The software lets the government track their movements, monitor their behavior, and just generally get Orwellian on their asses.

That's not to say those rigs aren't useful. Tying in with the optical nerves, if an agent can see it, the on board AI can process it. For example, walking down the street, your eyes take in the face of a wanted criminal. The computer runs facial recognition and flags them. It will also show anyone it can detect should the agent call for it, making it useful for firefights to identify hidden shooters and possibly where rounds are coming from, depending on the information available. And it also ties into GlobeNet via the overhead satellites to check things like permits, registrations, etc.

Since I haven't mentioned how the firearms work just yet, let me go ahead. You will not see a laser pistol or rifle. The smallest lasers are mounted on cruisers, and those big bastards aren't coming around just for your fireworks. Missiles rarely get seen out of special mounts on military craft, so when it comes to shooting people, you'll be using kinetic rounds. They're basically bullets without shells, propelled to variable velocities based on what the computer inside the gun figures is optimal. This means you can dial the round to be whatever you need without switching ammunition, like it will fire slower, less penetrating rounds on a ship. But can go high velocity if you need penetration.

The planet is mostly desert, but there is a buried lake near the Far Reach settlement that serves as an aquifer, the sand filtering the water really well. For more remote settlements, they use vaporators, basically refrigerators that freeze moisture in the air, then defrost and collect the water. Personal units can pull about a gallon an hour, while more industrial units can provide hundreds of gallons an hour. They're the size of trucks, but that's to be expected.

Most of the government on 8276 Epsilon is located in Far Reach, with the Peacekeepers working out of there. The government on the planet is barely adequate, with several people having to do multiple jobs. The Peacekeepers are the local law, though a company of Imperial Marines serves on the planet under the control of the planet's governor, Matthew Oliver. They go hunting Peacekeepers if an agent goes rogue.

There are more factions I'm going to add: The Humanity League, a group of xenophobics who want to kill all the aliens, the Stellar Brotherhood, a bunch of religious zealots with churches across Imperial space, The Association, an alien run mafia inside the Empire, the Mining Fellowship, a union for the miners on the planet, and numerous others, like the Alien Libertarians, the Free Republica Movement, and many more.

[doodasaurus]

Before I fill out a character sheet, I wanted to float a character concept by.

The character is among the most wanted men in known space, he's a really dangerous character and he's changed his appearance several times.  The character would be based, in the interests of completeness, on Riddick, sort of a spooky and dangerous guy who is far worse than he seems, who mostly just wanted to be left alone but situations conspire against him, both physically and socially.  He is not only in the wrong place at the wrong time, he has a lot of trouble seeing oppression happen without "doing something" which usually puts him on the wrong side of power structures.

Now, he's generally not the kind of guy who would ever be sent to the Peacekeepers.  He's violent with a record of escape from even very high security installations.

But he has managed to escape, switching places, records, so forth and so on, with another criminal - one with the kind of profile ideal for the Peacekeepers.  So my character has taken this other person's place, initially thinking to complete his escape when he's out in the field.

The character will stay in the game because he is driven by egalitarian principles.  He really does want to make people's lives better and he finds himself in a situation to do that.  Though it might, in the end, once again pit him against established power structures.

[GloomCookie]

Ok guys, just a heads up. I'm going to be out of town until at least Saturday, maybe Sunday. When I get back, I'll be launching the game. I will have partial Internet access during this time, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

[doodasaurus]

Linna, I just need to know if my character idea is okay or should I pursue another!  :D