A
Ascendant Aegis
Guest
Original poster
" Welcome to the Land of the Living! "
" Although they look and act like men, they are wolves in sheep's wool. All humanity has left their souls. All that is left is desperation and anger-
-we call them the mort vivant, the Living Dead. "
[Action | Military | Science-Fiction]
[Seeking Advanced Writers; Limited Space]
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Mercenary
MerΒ·ceΒ·nary
plural: Mercenaries
: one that serves merely for wages.
Overview
Mercenaries have been employed since the beginning of armed conflict. Who would think that the future would be different? During 2152, humanity began it's first steps into the Great Unknown; mercenaries were integral in keeping law and order within lawless colonies and frontier settlements. Mercenaries were hired by the bushel during the Reunification Wars; in which the two superpowers of humanity, the Martian Colonial Confederacy and the United Nations Colonial Administration, clashed in an end-all-be-all conflict. And, when the dust settled and piracy became common in the power vacuum left behind, mercenaries yet again were employed as everything from death squads to colonial police. Even today, present time 2172, mercenaries remain the primary force of change and order; dogs of war clawing and biting to stay alive in the merciless void.
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The Beginning - " Although they look and act like men, they are wolves in sheep's wool. All humanity has left their souls. All that is left is desperation and anger-
-we call them the mort vivant, the Living Dead. "
[Action | Military | Science-Fiction]
[Seeking Advanced Writers; Limited Space]
----
Mercenary
MerΒ·ceΒ·nary
plural: Mercenaries
: one that serves merely for wages.
Overview
Mercenaries have been employed since the beginning of armed conflict. Who would think that the future would be different? During 2152, humanity began it's first steps into the Great Unknown; mercenaries were integral in keeping law and order within lawless colonies and frontier settlements. Mercenaries were hired by the bushel during the Reunification Wars; in which the two superpowers of humanity, the Martian Colonial Confederacy and the United Nations Colonial Administration, clashed in an end-all-be-all conflict. And, when the dust settled and piracy became common in the power vacuum left behind, mercenaries yet again were employed as everything from death squads to colonial police. Even today, present time 2172, mercenaries remain the primary force of change and order; dogs of war clawing and biting to stay alive in the merciless void.
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Humanity's first steps into space weren't necessarily violent. They weren't peaceful, either. The United Nations created the Strategic Operational Landmass Advanced Relocation (SOLAR) Initiative in order to answer questions of overpopulation and rapidly depleting resources. Millions of settlers were volunteered for service within the newly formed United Nations Colonial Administration by their respective countries and forced, often at gunpoint, to board untested vessels for transport to unexplored space. The primary demographic for these initial colonists were undesirables - political prisoners, unwanted indigenous peoples, social outcasts, death-row convicts; known as Stage I's. By 2153-2154, preparations for the first stages of the SOLAR Initiative were initiated, and the very first Advanced Resettlement Vessels (ARVs) were launched; all on pre-set trajectories to Mars. Chosen for it's distance, it was considered an acceptable place to send the Stage I's; primarily in order to fully test and iron out any flaws within colonization plans. Thousands died initially upon landing planet-side on the Big Red, and hundreds more would slowly die from faulty equipment, inadequate supplies, or accidents. This mistreatment of Stage I's would sow the seeds of spite against the UNCA, and would mark the roots of later unrest on Mars.
The Martians believed that the UNCA was intentionally allowing the corporations to rule over them as to oppress them further. The corporations believed that the UNCA was crippling sales with regulations and embargoes on the massively profitable Martian market. The UNCA believed that everything was fine. It had yet come time again for humanity to learn the basic truth of the world:
" The gun is the great equalizer, and the greatest solution. "
At first, there was only a protests against UNCA rule and corporate control. Behind the scenes, a coalition of paramilitary groups, activists, and organized crime groups had formed an alliance, with only one goal: Drive the hated oppressor from Martian soil. The first attacks were vicious, savage. The token UNCA garrison did not expect or prepare for resistance to the scale of which the Separatists threw at them. Heated, brutal close-quarters fighting exploded all across the surface of Mars as cells of Separatists took up arms and took the fight to the Earthers. By morning, Separatists fighters had scaled the UNCA Central Administration Building in Mar's capitol, Olympus, and had cast the UN's flag off the roof. The remaining UNCA forces held out for as long as they could, but eventually surrendered unit by unit; until the surface of Mars belonged to the rebel forces. Of course, the newly formed Martian Colonial Confederation had no official government to speak of, nor a standing army, or any sort of legislature or constitution. The only reason why the UN chose to not send their great fleets to crush the Martian insurgency was because it would be more costly to retake the colony than to simply allow it to exist. The MCC and UNCA continued to clash in space for a few more years, until in 2172, the two sides signed the Marionova-Kaskin Ceasefire Agreement.
An Uneasy Peace-
The MCC would form a provisional government and quickly stock-pile armaments in preparation for another great war. The UNCA, dealing with political strife and unrest, chose to ignore the looming Martian threat in order to deal with domestic issues. In this vacuum of power, independent forces such as pirates and mercenaries have thrived. In order to deal with the rising tide of crime and scum present in the power vacuum left behind by the UNCA, many colonies and private clients have taken to hiring private military companies and mercenary groups to protect assets, police lawless territories, and to hunt down and eliminate targets. Operating without any oversight, under an informal code of honor; these hired gunmen often represent the last vestige of order or law in the Frontier, delivering swift justice through hails of gunfire.
It is a harsh, uncaring world out in space.
God can't hear you scream out here.
It's up to you to save yourself.
Welcome to your new life.
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Premise-----
You will be playing as a newly formed group of around 3-4 mercenaries. You do not know who the others are. You probably do not trust them. As Dogs of War, you have been hired on contract by a mysterious client. What exactly their motives may be are completely unknown to you. This contract will take you throughout Mars and beyond as you investigate the death of a Doctor Aniya and the loss of an asset known as LAPLACE'S BOX.
You will be a mercenary, yourself. Unlawed android, self-owned vatgrown, mutt, or human; it doesn't really matter. You won't be starting off with the most fantastic of gear, but don't worry; you'll probably pick up better kit once the ball gets rolling. Mercenaries are considered professionals when they turn 18-up, so keep it restricted to there. Otherwise, get creative with the backstories and characters!
This will obviously be a combat-oriented roleplay series, with elements of exploration, adventure, and even some mystery or horror thrown in here or there. It will most likely feature mature content; not of a lewd variety, but more of mature subjects that should be viewed and treated as such. The tone of this roleplay is a weird blend of dark, serious, and casual. The humor doesn't really come from the circumstances or the story as it does from the interactions of the characters. Combat itself will be treated realistically, but won't take itself seriously, either. Bullets can and will kill; but at the same time, it would be no fun if the PC's immediately died. I won't be DMing hits or anything, so it's up to the players to react realistically. I hope to keep combat dynamic, tense, and interesting; not just static shooting galleries. Posting schedule is to be decided.
Some basic rules:
1). Please don't ghost. It's somewhat of a bummer to have a good storyline going and to have it all come to a stop. If you have to leave or pause, please let us know.
2). Please be active in OOC and IC. I'm not asking for dozens of posts a day, just enough to keep it going and to keep that momentum. Also, OOC is fun and is a good way for me to gauge how it's going.
3). High-quality posts and characters. Again, I'm not asking for essays upon essays. I would like, however, a good amount of effort put into them. Being literate is required, in this case.
4). Grounded Characters. I can't say do realistic characters, because a band of eccentric mercs isn't necessarily realistic, nor is the setting. But, I will say to keep it grounded. No child soldiers, no superhuman school-girls, ect.
5). Please feel free to discuss plot or characters. The fun in this is interacting and collaborating with people to make a story, so I'd appreciate some communication. Do you like the story or no, and why? Do you need help with your characters or opinions on them? Ect.
6). As cliche as it is, have fun! Be sure to communicate what you want in this. It's no use if you're not having a good time or want to move on, speak up. If you have suggestions for the plot moving forward, please give them! It's all about teamwork and collaboration.
Please feel free to ask any question below, about the RP or lore, below. Thanks for taking a read!