Harmonization

During the Nexialist Revolt, seventeen worlds were rendered Harmonized by the Nexialist insurgents. This was both a practical measure to mobilize entire populations to resist the Imperial Sovereign, and an ideological demonstration of the principle of Nexialist Unity. Every ball was said to bounce at the same time on these worlds.

While the Empire's philosophers and sociologists are loathe to use terms like "totalitarianism" to describe this level of planetary-civilizational social engineering and manipulation, the term of course fits. The pacification of these worlds was equally absolute, and took the form of Excommunication.

Harmonization (Curse/Necromancy, Cost, Per Scenario, Permanent, Requires the Great IT spell, Corrupting): This formula must be cast in the immediate vicinity of an IT-class giant brain, and is therefore typically cast inside a Nexialist Institute that has been configured to accommodate such a brain. The spell's zone of effect expands incrementally; it can take up to 24 hours to achieve its effect planet-wide. A newly cast Harmonization reaches out across the planet's surface in an expanding circle whose center is the giant brain. The effect is Permanent, as long as the giant brain is intact.

The casting places the following Aspects on any intelligent living creatures on the planet:

• Of One Mind
• Obedient to the Brain
• Every ball shall bounce at once

Anyone who needs to resist the effects of Harmonization does so as if contending with a +6 Clever adversary. This casting has no effect on robots or other non-biological intelligences, or on other-planar intelligences such as angels and demons. 

This entry in the Galactic Grimoire is of course inspired my Madeline L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time."

Strange Stars A-To-Z: "P" Is For Pirate

Doctor Who "Sleep No More"

Did you see last night's episode? There was a funny quip by the Doctor that you don't really add anything by putting the word "space" in front of words like "restaurant." It's not a space restaurant, just a restaurant. Clara's rejoinder is "What about spacesuit? And space pirate?"

That shuts the Doctor up for a second. And next thing the Doctor and Clara know they're being accused of being space pirates.

Most of the Strange Stars Fate games I have GMed have included space pirates. In three cases, the players decided to BE the pirates. This works very well with on-the-fly style games that come together at conventions.

Space battles are rare in the Strange Stars setting (hyperspace-capable starships use very old, very difficult to replace and repair technology), but space piracy isn't. Boarding actions are common, as are hijackings (either at a starport or in deep space), false flag "rescue" operations, and raids on planets and space stations. Extortion/protection rackets targeting traffick on secondary and tertiary hyperspace routes are another way that piracy occurs. Many Space Haulers quit while they're ahead and give up the goods at the first hail from a pirate.

There are distinct tiers to the pirate enterprise. The top players are the dreaded, cyborged-up, ruthless Zao Corsairs. They are the Strange Stars' answer to Firefly's Reavers. But don't say you're a Zao Corsair unless you really are: the Zao take a dim view of wannabees who dilute their brand.

Another bad news group that frequently resorts to piracy is the inhuman Ssraad. While the three warring clades of these reptillian space demons are as likely to prey on each other as on any unfortunates whose path they happen to cross, there is no doubt that the Ssraad are beginning to range farther and farther from home.

Then there is everyone else. Part-time Space Haulers, belters, smugglers, or mercenaries. Mutineers with nowhere else to go. All pirates great and small. They're all bad news.

Strange Stars A-To-Z: "E" Is For Enablers

Star Frontiers Bar Scene

There's a saying in the Strange Stars that anyone with a bad idea eventually finds an Enabler to make it happen.  The Enablers are a group of individuals and organizations who solve a central problem of interstellar commerce: space travel is very expensive. Even the most hands-on executive can't afford to go everywhere - and even when that's possible, many prefer to keep some distance from certain business operations. Deniability is often good for business. And politics.

Enablers are the intermediaries who Make Things Happen. Business deals. Negotiations with kidnappers. Recovery of lost (or simply desired) goods and information. Finding a lost or errant heir. Dirty tricks even. The patron just needs to find an Enabler.

Enabler outfits like the Industrial Diplomats, who trace their origins all the way back to the eponymous negotiators and intermediaries of the Archaic Oikumene, advertise on the local Metascape of most Alliance worlds. In the Vokun Empire, in contrast, young Vokun lords often make trouble for Enablers who are too visible; they will demand a cut, which tends to undermine the patron's sense that the service is confidential. In Vokun space, it is always best to make discrete inquiries with an Ibglibdispan manager in the local Port Authority.

Freelance Enablers can be found in the bars and entertainment establishments of most spaceports. Often they have multiple jobs for which they need skilled professionals.* It is helpful to have the ENablR app loaded on your comms device so you can locate them quickly and efficiently. These freelancers are often the best option in regions such as the sparsely populated Outer Rim, or the lawless Zuran Expanse.

The Enabler handles all elements of the transaction:

• Establishing with the patron all details of the requested service; 
• Drawing up all confidential legal documents required for the service;
• Establishing reward levels (e.g., "Wanted Alive" vs. "Documented Death or Disintegration Required") for services rendered.** 
• Defininig any ancillary benefits for skilled professionals such as Payment On Death compensation in the case of a fatality on the job.**
• Securing skilled professionals to carry out the service; and 
• All follow-up activities and accountabilities regarding work completed.

It goes without saying that in many of the shadier businesses, "the Enabler" is a corporation with a front-sophont who appears to operate solo. Rest assured and be forewarned that failing to make payment for contracted services, or failing to comply with the requirements of contracts can have dire consequences. There are Enablers who specialize in investigating patrons who skip payments and who pursue professionals who fail to deliver fully on the terms of their contract - or who make of wroth information or goods that were to be secured.

Contracted professionals should be particularly wary of the Ibglibdishpan legal review teams within certain Enabler outfits. The Ibglibdishpan are prone to obsessing about details, so be prepared for communcatons breakdowns as "review cycles" are initiated without warning, followed by delayed payments and reward levels denied based on technicalities.

*See "5 Operations, 8 Iterations" on page 30 of the Strange Stars Game Setting Book for lots of missions that Enablers are looking for contracted professionals to complete.

**In the Alliance, most reward and benefit transactions by established Enabler corporations will be handled through a financial intermediary; Neshekk banking clans typically collect revenues from the patron and distribute payments to the Enabler and their contracted professionals.

The Happy Warriors

House Centipede Closeup by Kevincollins123

The Happy Warriors is a Glissendo-speaking species found throughout the Empire and far beyond the Imperial Extents. Members of this species are 2-3 meters in length, with dozens to hundreds of legs. The head of a Happy Warrior has two compound eyes, and several specialized mouthparts for biting prey, speaking Glissendo, and manipulating control systems. Happy Warriors have a second and very recent communication structure on their abdomens, which allows them to converse using human and near-human languages.

Happy Warriors can move with blinding speed. Their legs are also terrible piercing weapons. Many of their species can expectorate poisonous or hallucinogenic venom, creating a toxic haze in their immediate environment. The Happy Warriors are well-adapted for combat in a variety of environments - although they freely admit to feeling most in their element when fighting in jungles and other rough terrain, as well as underground.

The species fight in units of 100-1,000 members called Armed Multitudes. But make no mistake; the Happy Warriors are not a hive mind. Every member of the species is an individual, and every one strives for personal excellence in all of their affairs. Each individual is also mild projective empath. Legionaries who have fought at their side report that the affect is exhilarating and joyful, like being carried forward on a bouyant wave of death.

Many of the Legions of the Imperial Sovereign have incorporated one or more Armed Multitudes of the Happy Warriors into their organization. Each Armed Multitude bonds with a particular human commander. This bond is unbreakable; each commander has been repeatedly showered by a cloud of the Happy Warriors' loyalty pheromones. (This can become an issue in the case of a defection or demotion of a commander, but is never an issue in the case of a commander's death: in that case an Armed Multitude will bond to a new commander.)

One other important feature of the Happy Warriors is that they never leave their fallen human comrades behind.  The Happy Warriors always go to extreme lengths to recover the bodies of human comrades-in-arms. They use these bodies to lay the eggs of their young.

OGL MECHANICS

The Happy Warriors
Intelligent Myriapods (friendly)

ASPECTS:

• High Concept: Joyful member of an Armed Multitude
• Trouble: Loyal to one person
• Aspect: Strive for excellence in all things
• Aspect: Jungle and underground fighter
• Aspect: Never leave fallen humans behind

APPROACHES

• Careful: +1
• Clever: +1
• Flashy: 0
• Forceful: +2
• Quick: +3
• Sneaky: +2

STUNTS:

• Every Leg A Weapon: Take +2 to Forcefully Attack an opponent in the same or an adjacent Zone, using multiple legs as piercing weapons.
• Exoskeleton: Take +2 to Forcefully Defend against physical attacks from piercing weapons.
• Joyous Empaths: Take +2 to Flashy Approach to Create an Advantage in battle, psychically boosting the morale of comrades and allies.
• Spit Poisons: Take +2 to Flashy Approach to Create an Advantage in immediate or an adjacent Zone by creating a Poison Cloud or Hallucinogenic Cloud.

REFRESH: 2

Legions Of The Imperial Sovereign III

"Spindle" Legion standard by Juan Ochoa

Today at FATE SF, we are continuing our series of posts detailing the Legions of the Empire. Legions XXIV-XXIX are collectively known as the Other Suns. Each of these in whole or in part includes alien species.

***

Legio XXIV Cohorts of the Shaking Earth: Heavy mobile infantry recruited from the Codex worlds. Legion is divided into cohorts with totemic aspects - Eagle, Jaguar, Tapir, Feathered Serpent, and Coyote - as well as the Jade Nose Plug and Smoking Mirror cohorts. Human members are often highly modified to resemble their cohort's animal totems. Phenotypically concordant aliens are also welcomed into these cohorts. Jade Nose Plug is composed exclusively of aliens with exotic atmosphere requirements. Smoking Mirror cohort is mixed-species cohort. Its members - often spectral or otherwise disturbingly alien - were recruited through the Smoking Mirror Engine gate network, and are accompanied in combat by warrior-priests of Tezcatlipoca. The XXIV has a distinguished record of service on high gravity, high radiation, poisonous atmosphere, and seismically unstable worlds, but it is deployed on many other types of planets as well.

Legio XXV Matriarch Nargri's Kin: Saurian pan-species legion skilled in the use of both ancient and contemporary weapons, although the cohorts stationed on Kanjobal are with out peer in the use of blackpowder weapons. The XXV is an all-genders unit but is always led by a female general from one of the Empire's multitude of saurian species.

Legio XXVI Iridescent Vibration: Formerly an independent military Order, Legio XXVI protects the worlds inside and outside the Empire that were settled by the ancient Glissendo-speaking insect species that fled the Core regions in antiquity. The XXVI's headquarters, hatcheries, and training grounds are located within a fleet of ancient space arks still fleeing the Core at relativistic speeds. A range of combat modalities; excellent fighter pilots.

Legio XXVII The Coronal Band: A host of energy beings sworn to protect the Imperial Sovereign from all manner of immaterial enemies; ancient enemies of the Tzitzimine Star Demons. The Legion's home is the corona of Altair, the Star of the Eagle King. The XXVII are always in the company of their General, known as The Prince With No Shadow: the undying 27th Imperial Sovereign.

Legio XXVIII Rabbit Banner: Light mobile infantry designed for scouting and fast strike operations. Jungle and mountain combat specialists. Recruited from the same Codex worlds as the XXIV. On less extreme planets, the XXVIII often serve in combined actions with the Cohorts of the Shaking Earth. Although primarily human, the XXVII recently opened its ranks to avian Glissendo-speaking insect species.

Legio XXIX Jade Collar: Largely ceremonial today, this Legion garrisons Old Earth. Its officers and half of its ranks are filled out by the descendants of the original Comet Barbarians who smashed the Star League. The other half of its ranks is filled out by alien species who suffered under the Star League's yoke. After its conquest, Earth was divided up among these species for settlement and spoliation. Today the XXIX often accompanies archaeological expeditions exploring the human ruins on Old Earth.

Legions Of The Imperial Sovereign II

Spindle Art by Juan Ochoa

The Predecessors are Legions that existed in some form prior to the foundation of the Empire. Armed companies, rebel armies, standing armies of conquered realms, religious orders - each of the Predecessors can trace its roots to turbulent times and places in the distant galactic past.


Legio XIII The Legion That Sorrows Failed: Ancient, cursed and disbanded for unknown reasons in the Empire's Middle Period; their standard is preserved in an ostensorium on a lunar shrine orbiting a dead planet.

Legio XIV Lanterns of the Star-Silk Road: Protect interstellar trade routes and trade stations throughout the Empire and beyond; incredibly wealthy wheelers and dealers.

Legio XV Adjuster of Attitudes: Sometimes called the "Knee-Breakers", this ancient order of reprisal-artists, assassins, and thugs has always been used to suppress rebellious tributaries.

Legio XVI Banishers of Gloom: The discoverers of the Spindles long before humans took to the stars, the first Banishers served as the legendary jump-gate scouts of the Sun-King of Amarna. Today their descendants are charged with scouring and cleansing dead worlds and space hulks of insidious threats.

Legio XVII Red Principalities: Assembled from the multitude of fighting men and women from the Red Martian city-states. Light infantry (sword and radium pistol) their members are uniformly attractive, and popular with the court. More than a few astute members of their ranks have risen from being the lover of a court functionary to occupy the throne as an Imperial Sovereign.

Legio XVIII Greensworn Hordes: Assembled from the multitude of Green Martian hordes, the Greensworn are born in special hatcheries within Imperial Cult shrines. They are raised and trained by Green Martian warrior-priestesses of the Imperial Cult. Light cavalry (lance and radium rifle) as well as light infantry (Imperial Cult shrine guards); religious fanatics.

Legio XIX The Tripods: Tripod war machine pilots - primarily Old Martians, with a smattering of other tentacular races. Never to be deployed with the XVII and XVIII. Siege experts, combat engineers, and expert terraformers. Raconteurs; excellent if perverse occupation forces.

Legio XX Ares Panzerai: Ageless bishonen/bishoju, these Mobile Suit pilots are genetic supersoldiers from the Red Planet's human warrior clans. Many subunits, each with their own clan, planetary, and lunar sigils. Usually deployed in subunits, as the Panzerai are fractious, quarrelsome, and prone to duels.

Legio XXI Union Guard: Originally a Republican Guard unit of the long-vanquished Maltruskan Union, this all-Maltruskan military formation was re-established by the Banisher Pontiff and empowered by treaty to protect Maltruskan worlds and settlements. Heavy mobile infantry; two Hierophant-class Battle Carriers and other assorted naval vessels equipped for travel to and from the pocket universes where Maltruskan worlds are protected by Excommunication.

Legio XXII Sodality of the Lens: A female-only mystical order established in the galactic core millennia ago, this multispecies formation long ago fled the core and established Sacred Offices throughout Known Space. Members of the order who operate within the Empire are considered members of Legio XXII, although they do not report to the Imperial Sovereign and have no battle standard. Members often operate as singletons and/or in small special contact units.

Legio XXIII Nexialist Service Corps: This all-Nexialist unit has never lost a battle, but they haven't won too many, either. During the Nexialist Revolt their ranks were divided - some stayed in their quarters, while others sided with the Nexialist Communes. Light infantry, potent combat psychics. Not trusted; kept out of the way of the serious legions - except when an Imperial Sovereign wants to thin out the Nexialists' ranks. Then, they're thrown into the thick of battle. Needless to say, no standard.

The Legions Of The Imperial Sovereign

Spindle by Juan Ochoa

The Empire's armed companies are legion. The greatest of them have endured for centuries. The General of each Legion has a Spindle - one of the ancient, self-aware battle standards that precede the Empire itself. Some have more than one.

The equipment and roles of the Legions vary enormously. Some are essentially standing armies; others are elite guerrilla forces; still others function as assassins or secret police. Weapons vary from ancient (swords, spears) to archaic (gunpowder), from contemporary (blasters) to WMDs. Most Legions also have magical/psychic resources. Legions often have a mix of a few of these.

***

The Chromatic Legions were established at the foundation of the Empire by the greatest of Imperial Sovereigns, Glorious First. The color references in the first twelve Legions' names tie each to one of the various tribes (nations, really) of Comet Barbarians who came together under the banner of Glorious First. Almost all of these Legionaries can trace their clan-lines back for generations; some even have Imperial Gene Markers. Many in the Chromatic Legions are heavily gene-modified; others are cybered almost to the point of the uncanny valley.

• Legio I Green Banner Army: The personal clan-army of Glorious First; this legion is always posted to the zones of conflict where the Empire is actively expanding.

• Legio II Legion of the Red Moon: Honor guards of the Imperial Sibyls' lunar temple above the ancient machine world of Altair IV.

• Legio III Vermillion Eagle Cloud: Orbitally-stationed bounce troops defending the Throne World of Altair III; medium mobile infantry.

• Legio IV Golden Halo: Palace guards stationed to Imperial Throne World facilities on Altair III.

• Legio V Black Coeurl: City-killers.

• Legio VI Pallid Messengers: Marines exclusively used for hyperspace boarding actions. 

• Legio VII  Errant Cobalt Star: Child comet-soldiers led by a ghost.    

• Legio VIII Yellow Turbans: Dispersed across the Empire in very small units; have legal authority to depose any Imperial Sovereign they deem unworthy of the Throne.

• Legio IX Pink Nebula: Escort diplomats into dangerous territories; often tasked with assassinations and covert operations.

• Legio X Black Metallics: Spider mech troops; often assigned to joint operations with the R.U.R. Workers-State. 

• Legio XI Brown Reed: Desert rigged units stationed on Altair III and other arid worlds.

• Legio XII Golden Eagle of Amarna: Personal escort of the Imperial Sovereign.  

Nexialist Public Lectures Table

Yesterday's FATE SF post discussed the public face, activities, and services offered through a Nexialist Institute's Reading Room. Today we have a quick 1D6-1D6 table to determine the most common public lectures offered by any Nexialist Institute.

Lectures are almost always free. They are typically delivered by one of the Nexialist Foundation's Integrators assigned to the Institute's Reading Room. One or more replicant Librarians will also be in attendance to assist patrons attending the lecture and ensure the event runs smoothly.

The table position items in relation to how often those lecture topics are offered; the more an item hugs the center of the table, the greater its frequency of presentation. 

Nexialist Public Lectures Table

Roll 1D6-1D6 and consult the corresponding results below.

-5: The Truth About the "Nexialist Revolt" 

-4: A Fresh Look at _________________ (a complex scientific controversy is illuminated using Nexialism's integrated, multidisciplinary approach)

-2: Nexialism: Common Myths and Misconceptions

-1: The Five Elements of Nexialism

0: Nexialism and YOU: An Introduction

+1: A Guided Tour of the Reading Room (an interactive tour of Reading Room amenities, resources and services)

+2: How to Break Bad Patterns and Create Good Ones

+3: Mind Games Are GOOD For You! (an interactive introduction to the Luminous Exercises)

+4: Does Human Potential Have Limits? (an exploration of psionics and related Nexialist parasciences)

+5:  Does Nexialism Improve Individuals or Society? 

The Nexialists' Public Face

http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Kara_(Eymorg)

Every world with a Nexialist Institute - with the possible exception of a few remote research outposts and secret facilities - has a public Reading Room operated by the Nexialist Foundation. A Reading Room is the public face of a Nexialist Institute, and is open around the clock. For the convenience of patrons, Reading Rooms are always attended by 1-3 replicant Librarians who are ready to assist inquiring minds with a variety of research and educational tasks and self-improvement activities.

Patrons may use Reading Rooms to research a variety of historical, social, and physical sciences using the space's dedicated library system. The public is also invited to attend lectures and classes on a variety of integrative scientific topics held in the Reading Room's Auditorium. A schedule of lectures and classes is always available in a Reading Room's lobby.

Patrons are also invited to play a variety of Mind Games on site, the so-called Luminous Exercises, which are said to be based on neuroscience, and promise to improve memory and cognitive performance. (Mind Games are also available on a subscription basis outside the Reading Rooms.) As a matter of policy, the Nexialists neither confirm nor deny that these games are screening tools capable of detecting psionic abilities...

Reading Rooms meet people where they are at culturally. On worlds where the written/printed word is the dominant means of recording and sharing scientific information, the Reading Rooms will be stocked with numerous books, journals, and scrolls produced by the Reading Room's very efficient print-on-demand technology. On worlds more reliant on digital media, the Reading Room's library system offers patrons direct access to digital media. Print-on-demand resources are still available for a nominal fee.

Nexialist Reading Rooms also provide access to Instructional Machines, exceptionally advanced devices which impart both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required for individuals to excel in a number of different fields. Knowledge acquisition and skill transfer takes place in just a few moments. In order to ensure patrons are not harmed by this advanced technology, potential Instructees are first qualified on Mind Games, and then screened by an Integrator, a Nexialist adept trained in a variety of psychometric assessments and skill retention therapies. Integrators are available daily by appointment during a Reading Room's peak hours of operation.

The knowledge and skill retention effected by Instructional Machines varies greatly among individuals. A normal human Instructee will retain the information and abilities transferred from an Instructional Machine for at most a few hours. With Instructional Machines, there is always a small risk of an accompanying "Charly affect" in which the Instructee experiences a generalized and precipitous cognitive decline. This is why this technology should only used by trained Integrators.

However, the skill retention therapies facilitated by Integrators often help people retain their new capacities indefinitely. Treatment begins with daily sessions using a Pattern Enhancer. Within a few weeks - usually in less than a month - less "time in the chair" is required, as new neuronal patterns are stabilized and reinforced through redundant neural repatterning.

http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Neural_neutralizer

Together, the Nexialists' Five Essential Elements - the Reading Room, Mind Games, Instructional Machine, Integrator, and Pattern Enhancer - form the public cornerstone of their project for human improvement.

What Is A Nexialist?

http://yellowedandcreased.wordpress.com/

The Nexialist Order was established on Earth in the Pre-Diasporic Era. A secular scientific and philosophical movement devoted to integrating the different streams of knowledge, the Nexialists rejected the distinctions that formed the basis of Pre-Diasporic academic disciplines, and promoted integrative and lateral thinking.

Their movement established free institutes on every continent to promote science education and creative thinking. Much of their infrastructure and capital was acquired through mergers with regional movements that had global reach and some shared goals, such as occurred with the incorporation of the Gulen movement based in West and Central Asia.

The Nexialists' ability to synthesize knowledge and draw conclusions across different disciplinary and scientific boundaries made their Order invaluable during the early Diasporic Era. The Star League's first interstellar long range exploration vessels were often crewed with hundreds of scientists representing the numerous branches and specialties of every discipline.  More often than not these crews also included at least one Nexialist to help the members of the different shipboard disciplines, lines of inquiry, thought and practice to talk to each other and arrive at common understandings and solutions to problems. The integrative skills of the Nexialist assigned to The Space Beagle saved the crew numerous times from alien enigmas and threats.

As the Nexialists journeyed further out into space, they encountered stranger and stranger things. Psionics, group minds, parallel dimensions, Nexus Points. In fact, the Nexialists became so adept at using Nexus Points that they started using them for even deeper exploration among the planes. More than once, Star League deep range exploration vessels entered new and remote star systems for the first time, only to be greeted by a Nexialist who had already arrived in the system through a gate.

Over time, Nexialists integrated all of the strange phenomena they discovered into their general world view, and developed new practices which are indistinguishable from magic. Their enemies call them spells; the Nexialists call them formulae.

The Architects: Silent Builders Of Refuge

Paolo Soleri's Asteromo

The Architects, or Silent Builders, should not be confused with The Engineers; they have nothing in common with those blundering celestial giants. Far from being engineers of bio-terror and death, The Architects are builders of refuges and sanctuaries for those whose lives have been endangered by others. Their species is at least 250 million years old, if one judges by the Silent Builders' artifacts: the great arcologies they reveal to those fleeing war, genocide, and persecution. Because of their antiquity, and the active role they play in preserving the weakest among the younger races, The Silent Builders are properly understood as a Forerunner-class species with a Preserver ethos.

The Empire first discovered the work of The Architects immediately after the legendary Anti-Annexation Campaign in which the Joyful Brigade laid waste to the numerous hive worlds of The Assembled Totality. Journeying far past the dead worlds of the Totality, the Imperial Dreadnought Brief Exposure and its seven escorts discovered something interesting - an impregnable orbital arcology of extremely advanced design - in a resource-rich but supposedly uninhabited system of the Dying Swan Cluster.

The Cluster's systems had long been mapped by the far-ranging agents of the RUR. As the Imperial vessels began new sensor sweeps of the system, they were suddenly displaced a hundred light years' distance coreward, their drives damaged beyond repair. The next mission the Empire sent to that system  was diplomatic; it negotiated a successful non-aggression and trade pact with the Enclosed Totality, the refugee state that controlled the orbital.

A dozen arcologies are known to have been built by The Architects within the Imperial Extents. They exist peacefully within the Empire as independent states; most are extremely ancient habitations which long preceded the Empire's rise.

Three of these arcologies are space habitats; the remainder are arcologies built on planets or moons. Ten of the Silent Builders' arcologies are home to refugee populations from one or more worlds; two house refugees from the Empire's own Wars of Expansion. Another of the dozen hosts no refugees; it is located in thhe poorly defended Interstitial Region of the Empire and has been taken over by pirates. The twelfth, known as The Unheralded Habitation, is a black hexahedral arcology that has been uninhabited for centuries. It is regarded with superstitious dread by the hillfolk who inhabit the distant mountain villages overlooking the great structure on the Plains.

Soleri's Hexahedron (pop. 170,000)

Hundreds of the Silent Builders' arcologies are known to exist beyond the Empire. The largest number that have been mapped exist in a halo of systems surrounding the RUR Workers-State. From the RUR, a "tail" of arcologies extends further coreward from RURspace towards the galactic center. New arcologies continue to be discovered near current zones of galactic conflict. The Silent Builders place these refuges just far enough away from epicenters of conflict to ensure that opposing parties of belligerents do not discover them.

Refugees from current and recent wars rarely discuss how they found these sanctuaries. But the historical records of long-established refuges contain vague yet tantalizing hints. The Architects' constructs are almost never discovered; they are almost always revealed in a previously uninhabited or disused star system. The Record Halls of these ancient arcologies often contain references to a "Herald" who appeared to their war-torn ancestors and led them to safety.

Where these arcologies actually come from, and where and how they are built, continue to be mysteries.   One day a system is entirely barren, empty of built structures and habitations; the next day a city-building is already there in-system, ready and waiting.  For this reason, if no others, many seek out the Silent Builders to learn and master their techniques.

OGL MECHANICS

The Architects, a galactic organization

ASPECTS:

• High Concept: Builders of refuge-arcologies 
• Trouble: Long-sought by the curious 
• Aspect: Drawn to places of great conflict
• Aspect: The weak must be saved
• Aspect: From among the weak we find our Heralds

APPROACHES

• Careful: +3
• Clever: +4
• Flashy: +1
• Forceful: +2
• Quick: +2
• Sneaky: +3

STUNTS:

• Sudden Revelation - Once per scenario, the Silent Builders may reveal one of their refuge-arcologies in previously uninhabited system. This puts a new location into the game.
• A Herald Shall Lead Them - Once per scenario, the Silent Builders may uplift as their Herald someone from a species that is threatened with extinction. The Herald's body will be suffused nanomachines that render it nearly invulnerable, and their mind will know the words and the way to bring their people to a hidden refuge. After leading their people to safety, they will simply fade from sight and memory, joining the Silent Builders in their Greater Refuge.

REFRESH: 2

Cyber Salute From The RUR-Workers State

Don Quixote De La Richfield
Photo copyright 2012 John Everett Till

Cyber-Sancho
Photo copyright by John Everett Till

We have downloaded retrotemporal transmissions from the RUR Workers-State. The message consists of the three images above, and a brief statement:

"Companero, Knight of Labor, we have uploaded you to eternity."

This Cyber-Leg Is Still Kicking
Photo copyright 2012 John Everett Till

The Knights of Labor

Art by Angel Alonso
http://conceptrobots.blogspot.com/
search?updated-max=
2012-08-10T13:39:00-06:00&max-results=15

Knights, worker-soldiers, and fellow travellers of the star-roads, the Knights of Labor are an organization birthed by the RUR-folk long before their Migration from the Galactic Core. The first Knights of Labor appeared in the Empire during its Third Warring States Period. They took the side of struggling workers and peasants in that time of trouble, freeing both organics and machines from bondage and abuse. When necessary, they have put both pirates and princes in their place.

After the RUR Migration, the Knights of Labor were officially disbanded as part of the agreement between the Imperial Sovereign and the newly formed RUR Workers-State. However, as with so many things in the Empire, the Knights of Labor were allowed to continue to operate outside the borders of the Empire as an autonomous force for justice.

As the short-lived and and long-remembered Laughing Sage once quipped about the Empire: 

Oh, Empire 

Ever-compromising within

Forever principled action without!  

To your true soldiers 

Turn 

Look for your Knights 

Where one hundred novas bloom

But we digress.

The Knights recruit both machine intelligences and organics for their Order. The Knights of Labor organize themselves into autonomous collectives of 1-30 individuals, typically operating in areas outside the Empire's borders.  Rarely, and perhaps with the sanction of the Imperial Agencies they also operate within the Empire in contested or conflicted zones over which the Empire claims some degree of sovereignty, but does not fully control. It is also said that the Knights of Labor have a hidden base in a star cluster outside the Empire.

A few of the Knights actually possess Imperial Gene Markers, allowing them to commandeer Imperial vessels and secure safe passage through Imperial Space. Outside Imperial borders, the Knights of Labor use a variety of apparently unremarkable spacecraft. These have often been highly modified using General Intellect design protocols. Their ships also often contain a makepoint, which allows them to rapidly manufacture weapons or other equipment for insurgent groups of workers.

An example of the Knights' approach can be seen on the mining world of Luster (in the Green Comet Cluster), an independent metal-rich world that had recently been occupied by cruiser and platoon of mechs from the upstart Republic of  Thrace. One Knight slipped past the occupation's blockade in a drop capsule, and in the course of a few weeks helped the Miners' Union organize a successful revolt. Imagine the Thracians surprise when their mechs suddenly lost broadcast power, and the very streets they occupied collapsed under them! After a series of negotiations with the Union, the Thracians recovered their POWs and left Luster forever.

OGL MECHANICS

Knightly Order
Scale: Medium (3)
Scope:1 of 5 (where 5 is entire galaxy)
Physical Stress: 8
Composure Stress: 7
Fate Points/Refresh: 10 - (# of Stunts)

ASPECTS:

• Don't mourn: organize!
• Fellow travellers of the star-roads
• Easily underestimated

SKILLS: 

• 1 Good (+3): Arms (Small Unit/Irregular Combat)
• 3 Fair (+2):   Holding (Hidden),  Secrecy, Sway (Imperial Border Regions)
• 3 Average (+1): Influence (Imperial Internal Zones of Conflict), Technology (General Intellect & Makepoint Technology), Unity

The RUR Workers-State

Art by Angel Alonso
http://conceptrobots.blogspot.com/
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The term "workers-state" was coined by an Imperial Court Philosopher. A better translation from the original General Intellect machine language of the RUR Workers-State would be: "A thing that works for itself." 

The RUR Workers-State was founded centuries ago by machine intelligences fleeing the Anti-Consciousness at the heart of the Galactic Core. They gathered many organics together with them on their exodus, and after fleeing the Core forged a new democratic post-scarcity polity with their organic allies near the Coreward Borders of the current day Empire.

Rather than enter into armed confrontations with the Empire to defend their polity or resort to force to conquer the Empire, the RUR Workers-State chose to join it as a Semi-Autonomous Subject State. Since that joining, the RUR Workers-State has become the Empire's go-to source for the development of advanced artificial intelligences and starships - a perfect example of the RUR political slogan of Overcoming Obstacles by Ubiquitous Sharing.

All products developed by the RUR Workers-State operate on the basis of General Intellect. The GI is both an open source code for the numerous operating systems that run the AIs and machines manufactured by the RUR Workers-State, as well as the RUR name for the collective knowledge to-date of the RUR's entire civilizational-historical matrix.

While the RUR are accomplished ship-builders and have vast fleets of sentient starships (some of whom have volunteered for Imperial service), they are also accomplished builders of stable hyperspace sutures that are anchored through planet-based gates. These can be used to move machines and organics between RUR worlds, as well as to stream data between different systems. While this network structure has led some outsiders to describe RURSpace as having the integrity of Swiss cheese, the RUR Workers-State views these Star Ganglia as part of the material infrastructure that supports the General Intellect.

OGL MECHANICS

Interstellar Organization
Scale: Interplanetary/Interstellar (8)
Scope:2 of 5 (where 5 is entire galaxy)
Physical Stress: 7
Composure Stress: 7
Fate Points/Refresh: 10

ASPECTS:

• Refugees from the Galactic Core
• It's a democratic workers-state!
• Autonomous subject state of the Empire
• AIs, robots, and organics are Equals!
• The General Intellect reaches far
• Ubiquitous sharing conquers all
• Pervasive use of Technopsi
• Tied together by planetary gates

SKILLS: 

• 1 Great (+4): Technology (General Intellect & Automation)
• 2 Good (+3): Resources (Ubiquitous Makepoint Technology), Communication (Mindspace, & Technopsi)
• 7 Fair (+2):  Arms (Starships), Lore (Galactic Core),  Security (General Intellect-based systems), Influence (General Intellect-based systems), Sway (Empire), Unity
• 8 Average (+1): Control (RUR worlds), Experimental Technology (Gate System), Influence (Imperial Sovereign), Lore (Hyperspace), Sway (Imperial Surrounds), Sway (Trelebiti), Trade (General Intellect-based devices and ships), Administration

The Star Surgeons

The Star Surgeons are an interstellar guild devoted to the healing arts.

Richard Powers (1963)

There are at most several thousand Star Surgeons in known space. The guild takes no money from government or corporations, relying solely on donations from patrons and patients, other guilds, non-governmental organizations, and religious societies. Star Surgeons may be found in a small number of  space-based guild medical facilities located in crossroad sectors, often near zones of conflict between different space empires and civilizations. Some Star Surgeons can also be found on independent space stations or as crew on independent starships.

The Star Surgeons Guild is open to any intelligent being that has been trained in the healing arts and is willing to take the Star Surgeon Oath: 

As a Star Surgeon, 

I will heal all intelligent beings 

who seek my help, 

as long as I am qualified to help, 

regardless of the patient's species or other status. 

I swear to take no side in any conflict, 

except as necessary for self-defense

to do no harm to any intelligent being,

and to reduce pain and suffering whenever possible.

There are even some androids who have taken the Oath.

Membership in the guild is by invitation only. The most typical way one is invited to take the Star Surgeon Oath is after being recognized for a medical or humanitarian accomplishment observed by Star Surgeons practicing in that sector.  Lone Star Surgeons, such as those on long range vessels, will usually adopt an Apprentice Star Surgeon who will one day take the oath.

Unfortunately, not all Star Surgeons are what they seem. Some Star Surgeons become corrupted due to excessive radiation, alien pheromones, or pathogens, stimulant abuse, surgical addiction, excessive xenophilia, creeping or exurgent xenophobia, or social pressure from coercive individuals. Corrupt Star Surgeons can harm intelligent beings in all sorts of ways, including assisting with torture sessions, surgical experimentation, alien grafts, illegal cloning, memory manipulation, exposure to harmful or addictive drugs, or even cyber-slavery. Such individuals are usually found-out quickly in Star Surgeon facilities, but can remain at large doing great harm for significant periods of time in more isolated environments, such as remote space facilities or long range vessels.

Due to the Star Surgeons' independence from governments, no central registry of their members exists, and nor does any external regulating authority. Trust your intuitions, or hire a telepath if you have concerns.

OGL Mechanics:

• The Star Surgeon's Guild is a Large (+4) organization, which makes it extremely small by galactic standards. Guild Aspects include: Altruistic Healers, Above Government, and Dependent on Donations.
• A Star Surgeon character should have the Star Surgeon's Oath as an Aspect.
• A corrupt Star Surgeon should have a Broken Oath or Corrupt Star Surgeon Aspect, or something similar. 
• Star Surgeons will generally be Great (+4) or Superb (+5) in the Science skill, with the Stunts Doctor and Surgeon.
• Since surgery often is often assisted by complex machinery, and may also involve cybernetics and nanotechnology, the Engineering skill often proves helpful.

Inspirations:

• James White's Sector General series
• Alastair Reynolds' short story "The Star Surgeon's Apprentice"