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Escape Velocity Nova Bureau Preamble (Additional supplementary background stories)
Part III: The Federation[]
Section Alpha[]
THE PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERATION OF UNITED PLANETS[]
As accepted by the thirty-six delegates to the ‘Convention to address the Rights of Government’ held on Earth in the year 935 NC.
We, the citizens of the Federation of United Planets, hold that our freedoms and rights have more value than any possible form of wealth.
We hold as sacred the belief that all humanity is created equal and that we are all free to be both proud of our nation and of our heritage. We have the right to realize ourselves as individuals, and are free to act upon any of our hopes and ideals.
Our democratic and representative system of government exists under law to protect our rights and our dignity, which may never be infringed by prejudice nor invoked against any achievement.
We hold that our borders, which we extend to beyond the furthest system of those Planets that have entered our Union, are sovereign and shall be inviolate. We will spare no effort in enforcing our independence from any invading forces and reserve the right to strike against those who would expand into those areas of space that we have claimed as ours.
We are a nation built out of many cultures, and we recognize both their validity and their right to continue, and we greatly welcome the enrichment that they bring. In spite of our varied backgrounds, we have all recognized both our common ancestry and destiny. We believe that the future of humanity lies among the stars, and that we can best achieve that future by embracing the unified vision placed before us.
We, the citizens of the Federation of United Planets, commit ourselves to this our constitution.
Section Gamma[]
Charlie deftly twisted the flight yoke, his hands a blur of motion over the various switches and buttons that make up the cockpit of a Federation Anaconda. Three Auroran Firebirds disappeared in a hail of fire and explosions, and Charlie pulled a tight victory roll, exulting in the thrill of combat.
From the port side another gaggle of Firebirds jumped out of Hyperspace. Charlie glanced down, and wondered how he was going to survive with only two missiles left. The Aurorans closed in, and with a savage turn, Charlie swung his fighter onto the tail of an element of Aurorans. He opened fire, and one of the Aurorans dropped away, his fighter flaming and disintegrating, effectively out of the fight. The second fighter broke right, and as Charlie maneuverered to follow, white hot chain cannon rounds whizzed past the canopy. His shields glowed blue as they absorbed the blows, but the HUD showed that there was only 20% shield power left. The temperature rose as Charlie banked, snapping off a missile at the Auroran breaking off before him. The missile streaked towards the Fighter, only to turn away as the Firebird's jammers confused it. Cursing, Charlie dodged and wove, as his shields hit 10% power. Radar showed that he was outnumbered 15 to one, and that the hope of a Federation reinforcement fleet jumping in to save his bacon was next to zero.
Things were looking grim, and Charlie was fighting for his life. Another element drifted across Charlie's nose. A quick burst of blaster fire sent one of them to a fiery death, and Charlie swung onto the other's "six". Rapid fire reduced it to smoking debris, but the odds were starting to tell. Chaingun rounds scored along the Anaconda's hull, and the radar shorted out in a shower of sparks. Craning around in his seat, Charlie saw five Firebirds closing in for the kill and he knew that all too soon, things were going to be coming to an end. In a desperate move he savagely swung the fighter around 180 degrees, letting its forward momentum carry it in a straight line. It meant that there was no more dodging, but it also meant that the fighter had all of its weapons firing in defense of what was the tail. One of the firebirds exploded, but the combined fire of the other four quickly had rounds punching into the Anaconda's nose. Flames burst through the main systems, and the ship exploded. For Charlie, there was a brief moment of shock, a flash of bright white light, as the words "GAME OVER" slid across the screen.
He had reached to level eighteen, which was five more than any of his friends could reach. He was the champion of his class, but when you're only in grade three, it isn't hard to get excited about such things. Charlie loved to play "Firebirds of Fury", and he hoped one day to join the Federation Navy. Most of his friends wanted to join up too. It was far off dream for a nine year old, but hopefully he could convince his parents to sign the early release form, so he could join up at age fifteen rather than sixteen. It seemed so far away.
Last week some ~real~ Anaconda pilots came to visit Charlie's class. It was too cool for words to express. One of them was already an ace, with five kills. Charlie could easily score more than that on "Firebirds of Fury", but the real thing was said to be much harder. Once the pilots heard about how good Charlie was: they were very impressed. One of them even said, "VR is one thing kid, but one day you might put me out of a job." They had all laughed, but Charlie was going to make sure that it happened. Only six years to go...
Section Beta[]
Minutes from the Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Bureau of Internal Investigation on 1 January 1177 NC[]
Meeting brought to order at 1515
All present. No apologies.
Reading of the minutes of the last meeting.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and accepted as being both correct and accurate by unanimous vote.
Business carried forward from last meeting
Military Department Director’s report on arrangements of Auroran provocation
(This document is appended to these minutes as Appendix A)
Arrangements for provoking the Auroran forces into a confrontation with the military organization known as ‘Raczak’s Roughnecks’ (thereby allowing a counter invasion into Auroran space) are proceeding apace.
Commerce Department Director’s report on support measures for Military Department
(This document is appended to these minutes as Appendix B)
The report stated that the Commerce Department has been identifying and approaching likely free merchants and their organizations regards shipping of military goods. Hopefully these people will continue to be sympathetic to aiding the military in their efforts against the ‘increased Auroran harassment’ of our border stations. This should confuse any Auroran military intelligence, and should keep their knowledge of our operation to a minimum.
Media Department Director’s report containing all likely scenarios for invasion
(This document is appended to these minutes as Appendix C)
Most likely scenarios agreed upon:
- Initial tabloid-type reports
- ‘Have They Gone Too Far?’
- ‘Auroran Savages Go Too Far’
- Intellectual reporting on the actions of Auroran warriors
- ‘Diplomacy Fails, Millions Die’
- Factual reporting of Auroran Invasion
- ‘Aurorans: Are They Too Destructive?’
- Editorial about Auroran warrior class
- ‘Empires: A Throwback?’
- Expert debate about the nature of Imperial ambitions
Secretary/Chairwoman’s Report
Confirmation of dates for the next meeting
The date of the next meeting is confirmed as 15 January 1177 NC. Attendance is compulsory.
Remarks on the three submitted reports
All three reports show that plans for the upcoming operation are proceeding smoothly, but members are reminded that there is still much to be done and that failure is not an acceptable option. The Chairwoman would like to point out that the completion of the Auroran operation does not equate to a completion of our set goal of unifying all Known Space under the banner of the Federation. Even if the Auroran operation succeeds, there is still the ‘Guild of Free Traders’ (read: pirates) to our North, the shattered remains of what was Vell-os space to our West and the Polaris to be dealt with. The Chairwoman directs the Military and Commerce Department Heads to report back to the next meeting on the status of the Auroran operation.
Treasurer’s Report
(This document is appended to these minutes as Appendix D)
Report on current Finances of the Bureau
The economic slump of last year has been weathered and the treasury of the bureau was 1.2 billion credits in surplus last quarter, and projections for the next four quarters indicate further growth. These projections include the increased costs of using civilians in addition to our normal supply and logistics costs for the Auroran operation.
Suggestion on possible avenues of further economic expansion
Possible future Income Earners, with their projected value to the Bureau:
- Donations to support the war effort (22 billion)
- 0.5% increase in basic tax to support Federation population expansion (155 billion)
- Interest on Terraforming Costs, paid by settlers (20 billion per world)
- This will also encourage exploration
- Adding Auroran population to our tax base (800 trillion)
New Business
Coordinating timings for the Auroran operation
The timings for the Auroran Operation depend upon the supply state of the military, and the best estimate of when we will be capable of initiating the operation is somewhere in the order of 15 months. The Commerce Department is directed to spare no effort in assisting the military in its buildup of war stocks.
Discussion of possible future allocation of resources gained from Auroran operation
It is generally agreed that all Auroran resources will be allocated according to departments as if they were all Federation in origin, as they will be after the Auroran operation. Any doubtful cases will be brought before the board and decided upon.
Chairwoman’s concerns about Polaris intelligence
It has come to the attention of the Chairwoman that one of the Polaris castes is trained to infiltrate other civilizations and act as spies. At least one of these ‘Mu’hari’ has been detected, but efforts to capture the individual have failed thus far. It is quite likely that there are a great number of these Mu’hari working amongst us, and they may have even infiltrated the Bureau. All department heads, as well as watching those areas that fall under their purview, are directed to keep close tabs on their own personnel and to cooperate without exception with the investigations of the Department of Internal Security. The Director of Internal Security will report back to the next meeting concerning the arrangements of his department concerning the Mu’hari threat.
Chairwoman’s concerns on Auroran integration
The Chairwoman is of the opinion that the integration of Auroran society seamlessly into the fabric of the Federation is an impossible dream. However, she does wish that all departments of the bureau influence those it is their duty to watch over by any means necessary to make the transition of Auroran rule as smooth as possible. The sooner we have absolute control of Auroran space, the sooner we can look to any future ventures. All department heads are to submit reports in six months time concerning what arrangements can be made to make the Auroran takeover easier.
Non-Agenda Items
None brought forward
Meeting declared finished at 1645.
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| Sub-factions: Bureau • Roughnecks • Wild Geese Federation Ships: Viper (v) (i) 100k, Anaconda (v) (i) 150k, Scout Ship (v) (i) 400k, Patrol Boat (v) (i) 500k, Destroyer (v) (i) 2M, RAGE Gunboat (v) (i) 2.5M, Carrier (v) (i) 12M Bureau Storyline (Preamble • Intro Missions • Merrol Filler • Main Story • Final Missions) Federation Outfits • Federation Weapons • Federation Licenses Federation fauna: Knup-Knup • Monkdillo
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