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Author Topic: Backstory and other info on the Shadowyards Reconstruction Authority  (Read 6990 times)

MShadowy

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Well, trying to write more lore and making only very slow progress; we'll begin with the planets of the Anar system.

Anar:
Anar is a sub-giant G class star in the early-mid stage of it's life; surface temperature is in the upper range expected for this type of star, with a mean average of ~5,800 K.  Some spectral peculiarities are present, which often lends a surreal cast to the surfaces of the planets orbiting the star.  Due it's size, the habitable band around Anar has pushed out from the center of the system, when compared to Sol.

Lambence:
A mostly uninteresting ball of dust and silica, Lambence is tidally locked with Anar. Home of a mostly automated power generation facility, this tiny world is both the start and end point of a stable, but very low profit margin, trade route centered on the exchange of high capacity energy storage.
                  
Lambence has only a single settlement of any note, Depl, itself simply the pronounced form of an abbreviated thought common among the locals--DEPLL:
           "Dear Euripides,
                        
           Power.
                        
           Love, Lambence"



Wallow:
Wallow is a midsized terrestrial world with a toxic atmosphere primarily composed of carbon dioxide; surface temperature and pressure prohibits effective exploitation. The SRA has made proposals for permanent aerostat colonies, which would be able to extract valuable gasses from the planets atmosphere, but resource limitations resulting from the numerous small scale conflicts across the Persean Sector has prevented these proposals from moving beyond a very preliminary stage.

Euripides:
When first colonized by the Domain, Euripides was almost entirely desert.  It's magnetic field is strong enough to prevent loss of water to solar wind, and the current theory is that much of the planets  surface water was lost due to repeated major asteroid impacts between 60 and 15 million BCE. Scientific assessment suggests these impacts to be related to the dust ring encircling the planet and its proto-moon Aeschylus, which is believed to have been struck--and effectively obliterated--by a rogue planetoid approximately 60 million BCE.

The relative abundance of water now is the result of what the Domain would doubtlessly consider a very crude method of terraforming--harvesting cometary ice water and landing it on planet through various means.  The indigenous flora and fauna, evolved to survive in a near absence of water and in very sandy soil, has exploded across the northern hemisphere which has accumulated the bulk of the additional water.

These efforts at rendering the world more habitable began shortly after the then Shadowyards Heavy Industries selected the world as their headquarters following being pushed out of Merid, initially as a means of, essentially, bribing the colonists into ignoring the outlaw organization; as Domain assistance failed to materialize and the world was continually ignored, the colonists moved from grudging tolerance to actively aiding Shadowyards in their efforts and widespread popular support.  Much of the water now present on Euripides surface was delivered in the time surrounding the collapse.  Euripides is still barren and dry in its southernmost reaches, and the SRA has not been able to significantly advance their terraforming efforts for the past 140 cycles or so.

Euripides is peppered with well developed cities and towns, particularly around the it's shallow northern Ocean, the Azural Sea, and throughout the Great Basin area.  Its capital, and the capital of the SRA, is the city Marion (pop. 128,545,000).

Theramin:
A stormy terrestrial moon, Theramin is protected from intense gamma radiation from the gas giant Calleach due to Domain era radiation absorbers which the SRA has not been able to replicate. As such, despite the otherwise desirable status of the moon, colonization has been limited to a few areas under the protective veil of these massive, arcane devices.
                  
Beyond the monolithic Absorbers, Theramin requires the aid of a pair of large solar arrays redirecting Anarlight to her surface while the world is in Calleachs shadow, and as a result the moon is temperate, if rainy, at nearly all times of the year.
                  
The moons unusual features, in particular the radiation absorbtion towers, has led to it being the location of several major research facilities, founded to study the interplay of the absorbers and Calleachs tremendous output of deadly cosmic radiation.  As well, it is also one of the largest collections of special forces units in the Sector, as the necessity of the Domains arcane and irreplaceable technology has led to a commensurate security presence--unsurprisingly, Theramin is also a major training facility for SRA ground forces.
                  
Theramin's name is a result of the distinctive humming noise produced by the radiation absorbers while the devices are under stress; the moon's capital is the city Warble, located around the base of the lynchpin absorbtion device near the moons southern pole.
                  
Theramin is essentially the center of the SRA's military forces.

Calleach and her other Moons:
Calleach is avoided aside from automated gas mining platforms. These cheap aerostats can produce significant quantities of valuable volatiles before inevitably being torn apart by the Giants violently churning atmosphere; retrieving the gasses acquired from this process is a risky affair, and generally the domain of the desperate or foolhardy, and nearly a third of all craft that make the attempt never surface.  No attempts at inhabitation have been made.

Cinderbox is in a state of constant volcanic eruption due to her proximity to Calleach; immense tidal forces render the planet an uninhabitable hothouse.  This tiny moon is of little mineral worth and has seen no significant effort at exploitation.

Melancholia is a small moon primarily composed of various cryonic materials; it has a thin atmosphere of methane and argon; while a valuable source of cryogenics the planet has seen no serious effort at colonization and most habitats are of a temporary variety, save for a single mostly permanent settlement, Shanty, which is nestled around a supercooled ground-space rail terminus, and which exists mostly to serve the ever shifting amount of small mining concerns on the moon.

------------------- END OF LINE --------------------

Hopefully I'll get the other stuff finished at some point.

Edited 12/16/17 because the information about Wallow was just totally wrong and the aerostat thing never happened.
« Last Edit: December 16, 2017, 09:54:43 AM by MShadowy »
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MShadowy

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Re: Backstory and other info on Shadowyards Reconstruction Authority
« Reply #1 on: June 18, 2014, 12:15:57 PM »

(not so sure about the quality of these notes but eh)

Spoiler
A Very Rough Shadowyards Timeline; Pre-Collapse Era-


An unknown amount of time before the collapse:
Domain automated probes reach the Persean Sector and, eventually, a Domain gate ship; the primary gate is constructed, opening the region up to the greater Domain.
In what is believed to be a program error the Anar system goes unvisited by either probes or gate constructors. It is not until this oversight is realized at a much later date that a manned scoutship is dispatched to survey the system.
Around this time, the neighboring sectors become sufficiently settled that the Domain begins seriously cracking down on nativists, independence movements, renegades and other criminal or outlaw organizations; despite an extensive dragnet by Domain security forces, many of these organizations, while damaged, are able to relocate to the Persean Sector.  Among these organizations is the precursor organization to the SRA, itself one of a long line of rebel movements with a strong focus on construction and industry.
An anti-Domain coalition is formed by some of these groups, and they begin a guerilla campaign to seize the Persean Sector for themselves.

~c-80 (+/- 10):
The man known as Arkadiy Innokenti escapes into the Sector.
Early successes lead to the anti-Domain coalition becoming increasingly bold; over several years they strike and seize several systems, emboldened by the inability of the Domains Sector Governor to contain them.
Halfhearted crackdowns by the overstretched Domain security forces, at this point consisting mainly of elements of Battlegroup IV, drive the SRA's precursor out of Corvus.
Late in this period Innokenti is briefly detained for spreading anti-Domain rhetoric on a backwater mining colony, before being approached by the Shadowyards precursor group; his powerful rhetoric and domineering personality swiftly leads him to the upper echelons of the small organization.
The first colonists, predominantly members of a Buddhist splinter sect (Ministry of Denominations reporting name "Binhu"), colonise Euripides.

~c-60 (+/- 5):
The bulk of the anti-Domain movement is decisively crushed by Battlegroup VI dispatched from the Domains core sectors; the detached elements of Battlegroup IV return to their main fleet. Battlegroup VI is partly stationed in the sector.
Under unusual circumstances most of the senior personnel of the SRA's precursor are captured or killed by Domain security in a series of raids; Innokenti, being the most senior surviving member of the group assumes direct control.  At this time he rebrands the group as "Shadowyards Heavy Industries."
SHI begins distributing "sufficiency kits" primarily consisting of comparatively primitive industrial equipment.

~c-50 (+/- 5):
Through uncertain means Shadowyards is able to gather the technical know how necessary to design and build a small reactor; this is followed by Shadowyards producing it's very first ships--albeit in very small numbers; these small escorts, while undergunned and underpowered are almost entirely novel in their design.  Most of them are sold to colonies too small to possess defence craft of their own.

c-36 - At the end of this year the first, early Inanna class frigates are produced, and are a marked improvement over preceding designs.

c-35 - SHI's unusual proficiency at industry comes to the attention of the Domains intelligence services after Mayasuran authorities seize a small craft of uncertain manufacture; a two year investigation begins, which concludes that an outside agency is funnelling resources and high value personnel to a renegade organization within the Sector.
          The first drafts of what will eventually become the Morningstar-class destroyer are laid down.

c-34 - The first Seski class corvettes are produced.

c-29 - A mercenary crew piloting a Shadowyards manufactured frigate reveal the identity of the manufacturer after a short interrogation.
          Domain authorities within the Sector begin a prolonged search to discover where SHI is hiding.

c-28 - The first Morningstar-class destroyer is finished at SHI's secret Merid shipyards and undergoes space trials over the middle of this year.
          
c-27 - Domain Security forces in Askonia clash for the first time with vessels bearing the SYS designation; while the Shadowyards vessels are driven from the field, the inconclusive nature of the engagement, and the implication of SHI beginning to field a formalized navy, leads to the unfortunate fleet commander going before a court martial.
          Neriad-type interceptors receive a substantial systems upgrade around this time; additionally the first Skinwalker Heavy Fighters enter service late this year.
          
c-26 - The heavy build up of SHI fighter squadrons leads Domain Intelligence Service to warn of the potential for a carrier of some description likely being constructed.

c-24 - Striking from a hidden base, Shadowyards personnel are able to win their first notable military victory, destroying a mid sized Domain task force patrolling the outskirts of the Corvus system and sinking the Conquest-class battlecruiser DMS Illuminant of Battlegroup VI, 122nd Legion.
          Despite an intensive investigation by the Domain, the identity of the group supporting SHI remains a mystery; reluctantly Domain Intelligence shifts their resources to determining the location of SHI's base of operations.

c-23 - Initial design of the Tartarus class heavy cruiser is drafted.
          It is eventually determined that what were thought to be construction rigs of some kind are in fact a kind of mobile servicing rig for fightercraft after one is successfully captured intact.  Worries of a new carrier craft are abated.
          
c-22 - Produced in secrecy the first Charybdis-class Strike Carrier goes through space trials early this year.
          Raids by Shadowyards forces on Domain shipping become markedly more successful; additionally numerous patrol groups are lost.  By mid-summer DIS concludes that a new Shadowyards warship has entered service after debriefings of surviving personnel.  A resultant beefing up of the Domains security patrols leads to a non-decisive encounter with the new Charybdis-class, allowing the Domain to determine that it is, in fact, a carrier of some description.
          Domain High Command expresses it's extreme displeasure with the state of the Sectors Intelligence to DIS; existing cells are liquidated and replaced.
          
c-21 - Late this year a Domain scout manages to sneak past SYS task forces and discover the location of their secret headquarters and main manufacturing center in the as yet uncolonized Merid system; while the scout vessel is destroyed after an extensive chase, her captain is nonetheless able to transmit the coordinates of SHI's main facilities.
          The rest of Battlegroup VI enters the Sector.
          
c-20 - As the year opens Battlegroup VI and SYS squadrons engage in a series of one-sided running battles; despite a great deal of heroics, the Domain rolls over Shadowyards Security forces without much difficulty.  Unwilling to allow their technology to be captured by the Domain, SHI's command staff scuttles their manufacturing centers and evacuates ahead of TF 223's advance.
          A follow up convoy carrying the bulk of SHI's surviving industrial equipment and the entirety of their production database narrowly eludes detection by BG VI as the Domain force enters Merid; the remaining forces in system manage to tie up the Domain Task Force long enough for both convoys to escape.
          The Domain spends a few months seeking out stragglers without much success; eventually concluding that SHI has been sufficiently neutralized, Domain High Command returns BG VI to its previous arrangement, believing that sufficient to deal with the remaining Shadowyards insurgents.

c-18 - Arkadiy Innokenti is located the Domain Intelligence Service; unaware of his real importance, he is captured and swiftly put to death for his association with a notorious rebel movement.
          Around the same time, SHI's survivors set up in Anar, using the systems prolonged neglect by the Domain to negotiate with the locals.
          Shadowyards begins "brute force" terraforming efforts of Euripides, transferring down large amounts of cometary ice water to the surface.
          
c-17 to c +/- 0 -
          SHI lays low during this period, quietly rebuilding it's infrastructure in the Anar system; improvements to local infrastructure and going to considerable lengths to increase the liveability of Euripides and Theramin manage to build up loyalty among the populace.
          The Domain continues building up, confident that it has brought the Sector to heel.
          Battlegroup VI begins process of transferring out of the sector and preparing facilities for Battlegroup XIV.
          The Enlil-class frigate enters service and swiftly becomes nearly ubiquitous; additionally Seski-class corvettes are refitted with phase skimmer devices.
          Shadowyards begins the initial design process for a number of craft which will not enter production until well after the collapse, most notably the Mimir-class Battlecruiser.
          The first Tartarus class is produced, and undergoes space-trials almost immediately prior to the gate system collapse.

------------------- END OF LINE --------------------
[close]

Edited 12/16/17 to make the early history bit make more sense in light of current lore regarding the automated probes and gate constructors.
« Last Edit: December 16, 2017, 09:58:48 AM by MShadowy »
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Josephine98

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Re: Backstory and other info on Shadowyards Heavy Industries
« Reply #2 on: September 06, 2016, 05:28:05 AM »

What is the closest IRL nation counterpart to Shadowyards? I'm working on a fic and I can't figure out what names to give to the SRA characters.
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MShadowy

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Re: Backstory and other info on Shadowyards Heavy Industries
« Reply #3 on: September 10, 2016, 08:39:53 AM »

The closest nation in terms of structure and government type would probably be vaguely kinda like Norway or a similar social democracy, but there's no cultural relation.  In terms of names, people in the SRA tend to have a mix indicating a somewhat polyglot cultural makeup, predominately Hindu and older English names.  There are also a sizeable number who have names common among fringer settlements (the weird ones you see in game like Broxx, Zor, Vulgor or the like).

Hopefully that covers what you need.
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Bastion.Systems

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Re: Backstory and other info on Shadowyards Heavy Industries
« Reply #4 on: September 11, 2016, 03:10:25 AM »

Interesting lore, props for being firmly grounded in SS reality.
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MShadowy

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Re: Backstory and other info on Shadowyards Heavy Industries
« Reply #5 on: September 11, 2016, 12:54:43 PM »

Thank ye; I do kinda need to go over much of the Yardies lore since most of it was written before the lore changes in more recent versions of Starsector.  Also, it'd probably help if I were to sneak this data in to as many of the in game descriptions as possible.
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HELMUT

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Re: Backstory and other info on Shadowyards Heavy Industries
« Reply #6 on: September 12, 2016, 10:23:17 AM »

Interesting lore, props for being firmly grounded in SS reality.

Agree, i like the idea that the Domain was an all mighty organisation, and that the reason they haven't dealt with some faction is because they were too busy elsewhere. In some way, The Domain is the 40K Imperium while Shadowyards are the Tau.

Hope you'll write a bit more about the post-collapse. What puzzles me is how a small organisation like Shadowyard was able to eventually develop monsters like the Mimir or even the Scylla, especially after the collapse when resources rapidly became scarce. Granted, they didn't had to worry about the Domain any more, but they had now the Hegemony, Tri-Tachyons, Luddites and pirates to deal with.

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