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The Jovian Coup

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Galactophage Galactophage's picture
The Jovian Coup
During the Fall, some habitats around the Jovian system were seized by everyone's favorite banana republic in space. Before they became the bioconservative dictators of the Sol System, I think a fun idea might be going into the specifics of the takeover and what came before as well. -Before the Fall: Before the Fall, let's assume the Americans (or Pan Americans) have mostly developed this system. It's a nice strategic location, with reactor-grade helium and hydrogen in Jupiter. Stations (automated and manned) similar to Venusian aerostats may occupy the atmosphere, with some used for research and others for gathering the gases of value. The radiation of the planet is a big concern, so shielding is intensive. Europa's got some interesting research material, and the life under the icy crust might be a recent find. Researchers are moving in to special communities in Europa and in Jovian orbit, eager to get a sample of non-Earth organic samples. Perhaps a few asteroids and moonlets have been harvested and turned into habitats, automated factories, and shipyards. A few habitats may have larger than normal security forces, and maybe the Pan Americans have a few strategic outposts here to safeguard their investments. -During the Fall: A few battered remnants of the Pan American forces fall back to the Jovian system after being ejected from Earth. Maybe dragging some refugees with them, they manage to arrive and set to work holding the lines. They seize every habitat they can, assimilating and drafting militias, hackers, and others to battle the TITAN menace (and perhaps crush unrest, rebellion, and the like as well). They coordinate with remaining Pan American (or perhaps any Earth bloc) vessels willing to join them. They purge "infected" structures and shipyards without a second thought, strong-arming their way into the Junta we all know and love/hate/loathe. A few ideas for campaigns spring to mind: --The PCs meet here during the Fall after fleeing Earth or elsewhere, and get conscripted by the Junta. Some of them are synthmorphs, and aren't appreciated. --Someone is attacking Jovian aerostat stations and transports within the atmosphere. They are seizing supplies and killing all witnesses, often leaving no bodies and deleting sensor footage. Are these some sky pirates of Jupiter, guerrillas and rebels against the regime, or something more sinister? --There's neutrino scans reveling strange artifacts (10 AF) under the atmosphere of Jupiter. Something is down there that was not before, deeper in than a regular structure should be. Is it a malfunctioning hab, shipwreck, or some horrific TITAN construct waiting in there?
"Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est."
InsidiousAlgorythm InsidiousAlgorythm's picture
Re: The Jovian Coup
Sounds great. Would make an awesome campaign. Some things I've been thinking about: The Jovian Junta is comprised of the remaining US and Pan-American military forces. One thing our governments and militarism in general are known for is using every available resource to an advantage, this would include the bioconservative movement as a whole. The Junta preaches bioconservationism and enforces it as law using it as a method to keep its people from gaining enough resources to impose a threat. There is nothing saying that it's agents, forces and leaders don't use regular backups. Even forking would be allowed in certain circumstances, like black ops teams and when the leadership would be in a position to be assassinated.
Galactophage Galactophage's picture
Re: The Jovian Coup
The operatives and leaders use a lot of the technologies the average sap doesn't, since it's a good method of staying in power. They may justify it as a method to 'ensure the purity of humanity' or some other rhetoric (perhaps even believe it themselves), but anyone with unauthorized use of goodies is in hot water (at the very least). Now, as far as Jovians themselves go, they're baseline humans with a chip on their shoulder and (perceived) backs to the wall. They've got arsenals of nasty surprises to even the odds with transhumanity, should it ever come to it (so goes the justification for the arms buildup). Like historical banana republics and juntas, I imagine perhaps there's some facade of democracy and paternalistic memes towards supporting the state. The military gets all the cool toys, so anyone who likes tech is probably going to be drawn there (if not treated with suspicion). I imagine they watch their own science teams for any transhumanist sympathies... However, this isn't to say a few Junta officers might not be made more sympathetic characters. Maybe you could have a group of former military personnel from one of the Earth nations, covertly disgusted with what they've created, covertly plotting a coup or subversion attempt for years to bring a comparatively nicer regime to power. However, imagine how the Planetary Consortium and autonomists would react to the sudden civil war/disruption within the Junta. The PC would want to capitalize on the chaos, and the Titanians may be extremely wary towards the former regime, if not wary of a pretext for more inner system intervention in their backyard. The fellow who starts it off may have honorable (or not) intentions and methods, but certainly knows the risks and are willing to accept them...
"Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est."
Extrasolar Angel Extrasolar Angel's picture
Re: The Jovian Coup
One of my ideas for JR background was this Operation Icarus-a secret filtering project by intelligence agencies of several conservative nations aligned with Pan-American alliance(these included nations from other continents or elements of those nation's military or intelligence that have links to PA, ) that selected the best researchers, military personal, key security operatives for evacuation from Earth at first possibility. Resulted in Jovian Republic having significant science and intelligence personnel, even if most of them are non-modified. This also meant that they sabotaged a global evacuation initiative by giving some of their assets covers so that they would be evacuated first. In some cases these people were actually left behind as intelligence operatives.
[I]Raise your hands to the sky and break the chains. With transhumanism we can smash the matriarchy together.[/i]
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