Battlegroup: Blue-White Star G209

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The Setting

One point three light years from Broad Peak Blink Station is a A-Type Main Sequence Star (Blue-White). Seven planets orbit it. One of them is Diasporasan colony of Intena, contacted about two hundred years ago. Democratic, populated, one of thousands of worlds on the periphery of the Third Committee of the Union, but not directly controlled of the Union itself. Development and integration would, under ThirdComm's hands off policies, come with time and connections.

Except that sixteen years ago, its government was overthrown in a fascist military coup.

As the depravities of Colonel Veronica Braze's new regime and violation of the three pillars became known outside the system, the Union moved into action. Slowly, of course, but with the inevitable power of continental drift.

Political condemnations were issued and ignored. Economic sanctions imposed. But the government had close ties with several pirate gangs, and turned to them to seek resources not available in the system. A final warning was issued from the Union administrator. Like before, it was ignored. Colonel Braze seemed to believe that her new government could stand up to the Union.

After that, the DoJ/HR Liberator teams went in, dropping onto the planet under the cover of darkness. Teams of special agents and Lancers began operating underground. Contacting resistance groups and liberating political prisoners. Forming and organizing a rebellion built on the Three Pillars.

The teams on the ground have sent word that the political situation is primed for revolution, for liberation. But as long as Colonel Braze's fleet controls the orbitals, no military action can hope to succeed.

Admiral Hackett has pulled together several battle-groups and auxiliary forces at Broad Peak, in preparation for the Nearlight voyage to G209. You are commanders among the forces being gathered, chosen for your skill and experience at naval warfare. You will lead capital ships into battle, engage the fleet that Colonel Braze has constructed and provide the support needed to remove her government; and hold its members accountable for the atrocities they've committed.

A planet cries for aid. Union will answer.

Characters

The current cast and their battlefleets

Notable NPCs

Key figures that the PCs have met.

Union Navy

• Admiral A. Hackett: A Cosmopolitan through and through, Admiral Hackett has been with SecComm since the founding, spending over five hundred years in service, the bulk of that in cyrostasis and travelling between systems at nearlight. A firm believer in the Three Pillars and what the Union Stands for, Admiral Hackett was refused promotion to Ring admiral twice, since the position would prevent him taking active part in missions away from the blinkgates. He is currently arranging the campaign to liberate Intena and G209.

Intena

Colonel Veronica Braze: The architect of the misfortune currently facing Intena, Colonel Veronica Braze only has a limited profile by Union Intelligence.

What is known is that she was a native of Intena, and joined the educational exchange program forty years ago. However, the ship she was travelling on, the ISS Harland, was lost with all hands following a pirate attack in deep space.

Thirty-four years ago and she resurfaced in Long Rim mercenary organizations, leading her own mech squad with ties to the Boryokudan criminal organization (see profile B for more details on Boryokudan activities). She took part in many of the bloody battles that occurred in this desolate region of space, gaining a reputation of tactical cunning and raw brutality.

She rapidly rose through the ranks and took control her mercenary company (The Red Eagles) within six years following several untimely deaths among her fellow officers and backers of the company. Union Intelligence has since confirmed that this was the result of a well orchestrated assassination campaign.

Twenty years ago, she returned to the planet Intena on a courier ship. The Red Eagles followed, quietly setting up in the outer system while she returned home and joined Intena's military. She played her offworld military experience into rank in the military (using a heavily falsified CV of her work); promising the ability to update. At the same time, she was talking to William Méabh, of the opposition. The Renátas had held power for seventy years at this point by popular mandate, and certain members of the Méabh family were upset that they weren't 'getting their turn'. She promised to put them into power, and they pulled strings with their limited influence to get her the rank.

She quickly began putting her Red Eagle allies into place in the military, and cultivating a cadre of loyalists within the various branches of the military; bringing them around with personal charisma, and promises of wealth and power. As per her usual modus operandi, she quietly disposed of those she couldn't control. By the time the government realized what was going on, it was too late. Her loyalists launched decapitation strikes on the highest level of government.

The Méabhs didn't realize her full plan, however. Particularly the part when she blamed them for the attacks, and then took power as a 'temporary stabilizing measure until the crisis has been resolved'.

For the last sixteen years, she's overseen all government activity on G209, eliminating all democratic elements and building up the military to an unprecedented level. Loyalists are rewarded with power, luxuries and influence, while the citizens are deprived all but the bare minimum. Loyalty to the state and the Colonel Braze as the head of the state is considered to be the highest virtue. People who stray from that in any way, including refusing to give their all to the state, are punished severely. Summary executions and slavery are standard punishments.

Colonel Braze's psychological profile is woefully incomplete, but intelligence believes this: Veronica Braze is driven to rise to the top of any system she finds herself being part of. She regard anyone holding power over her as a threat, and a threat must be neutralized. As a mercenary, she quietly killed her superiors and backers to gain control. In Intena, she killed her government to take control. Now she controls an entire star system. And can see the Union.

Note: The title of Colonel is a personal honorific that she's held onto from her time as a mercenary.

Locations

Star name: G209
Star type: A-Type Main Sequence (Blue-White)
Age: 446 million years old
Mass: 5 Solar masses
Radius: 4 x Sun's radius

The closest Blinkgate is Broad Peak Station on the Karakoram Line, 1.2 lightyears away.

G209's Habitable Zone
(The area where planets are neither too hot or too cold for liquid water to be present on the surface)
Inner Edge: 2.29 AU
Outer Edge: 8.61 AU
Width: 6.32 AU

Total Planets: 7

Proto Planets: 15 ~ Significant Asteroids: 4 ~ Significant Comets: 3

KP456-Z - (1.64 AU): Hot Jupiter Class. KP456-Z has a very low average temperature compared to similar planets. Orbital solar arrays present, and supporting several anti-matter production facilities.
Serer - (1.94 AU): Desert Class. Serer has a tidally locked moon. Failed remnant of terraforming project present along with leftover population from attempted colonization. Surface uninhabitable, but numerous domed colonies present. Estimated Population: 42 million. Orbital fleet present, maintaining martial law on surface.
Kesti - (2.49 AU): Toxic Planet (atmosphere lethal to humans). Kesti has a very fast rotational speed. Native life present in vast Jungle on surface. Research labs present, but no colony. Minimal military presence.
KR 95459 - (5.62 AU): Super Cradle Class. KR 95459 takes longer to rotate than orbit. Minimal atmosphere. Numerous mining operations. Shipyards located on surface and in orbit, connected by a space elevator. Main training grounds for Intena's fleet.
Intena - (6.43 AU) Cradle Like Planet, varied. Population 3.2 billion spread across three major continents. Primarily a temperate environment. Heavily industrialized with significant orbital infrastructure. Current planetary capitol building located in a heavily armoured and armed space statio with heavy fleet presence.
Asteroid Belt (10.42 AU) Numerous mining operations. Extensive military and pirate presence. Mining operation fuels shipyard present in the belt with moderate security force.
Ov'e - (12.76 AU) Failed Star. Ov'e has a complex ring system. No known enemy presence.
Gre'am - (34.98 AU) Icy Earth-like Planet. Gre'am is a rogue planet captured by G209. A Boryokudan pirate base orbits this planet, and a pirate fleet is present at almost all times.
MAGNUM OPUS SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR NOTE: Very unusual gravity patterns detected from initial survey. Possible location of paracasual event.

History of Intena​
Star G209 was colonized during the SecComm era almost 1200 years prior. It was relatively unnotable for most of that period, serving primarily as an industrial colony servicing the construction work of a nearby Blinkgate. The primary colony was on the Intena, with secondary colonies, mines, research sites, etc. on the other planets in system. Contact was lost during the fall of SecComm, and only just reestablished two hundred years ago during a survey of the stars close to the Karakoram Line.

Politically, the system is a parliamentary democracy, though power has only shifted back between two major families (the Méabhs and the Renátas); descendants of the two initial leaders of the colony, since it was founded. During the fall of SecComm, both parties were removed from power by a Union commander, but once he was recalled to the core worlds, they quickly reestablished their government.

During the period following the fall of SecComm, Intena was isolated from the galaxy at large. They had no nearlight vessels of their own, and lacked the technology to build them. There was no blinkgate in the system, and the omninode had been destroyed in the chaos following SecComm's withdrawal. But they didn't let that stop them. Education, knowledge, learning more about the universe... it's always been a cornerstone of Intena's culture. And while they may have been denied the galaxy at large, they still sent ships to every corner of their own solar system, establishing research bases, colonies, mines and even a failed terraforming attempt.

Once contact was reestablished, Intena was approached by the Union for membership, but the government at the time was uninterested, citing concerns regarding their history with SecComm. Union diplomats understood their concerns, and took a soft approaching, setting up new trade routes, an exchange of ambassadors and a few joint research programs. Bring them around slowly, just like ThirdComm likes to do things.

Intena's most notable project following the reestablishment of contact was sending several hundred students out on exchange programs to other worlds in the Union, with the intent of learning from foreign universities and schools; and bringing new theories of knowledge by to Intena. With one notable exception, this program was highly successfully and created a highly diverse learning environment in Intena's own educational system.

Since the takeover, the production and research facilities on the planet have been focused heavily on military developments, resulting in a planet that can punch above its weight class... at the heavy cost of the population.