 
### The Keeper-Pedia

### The Official Guidebook to The Keeper's Universe

By: Matthew Mangum aka The Keeper

Copyright 2012 Matthew Mangum

Smashwords Edition

Selections by Drew Eckhardt, Selected illustrations by Ben McElroy, and Cory Dugger

Special Thanks to Jonelle Edwards and other members of The Keeper's Universe Forum

**Table of Contents**

Introduction

Chapter 1: History of the Galaxy

Chapter 2: Essential Planets

Chapter 3: People of the Galaxy

Chapter 4: Essential Ships and Vehicles

Chapter 5: Ground Vehicles

Chapter 6: Military Personal and Soldiers

Chapter 7: Weapons

Chapter 8: Essential Technology

Chapter 9: Publishing Stories in The Keeper's Universe

Introduction

Hello there and welcome to a world of wonder and imagination known as The Keeper's Universe. My name is Matthew Mangum; some just call me the Keeper. I am the omnipotent bard chronicling the glory and adventure of the galaxy at large, not to mention the heartaches, love stories, tragedies and happy endings. I welcome you to our universe and look forward to the additions that you will make to our ever expanding canon.

The point of this guide book to The Keeper's Universe is to give you a place and back-story to drop your characters and story into. I recently ran into an old acquaintance of mine on the train coming home from work. He asked me how my book sales were going and mentioned that he too was writing a book, and had been working on it for five years. I thought that was great and asked him if he had a rough draft finished yet. He responded no, he hadn't written any of the book yet; he was still developing the world. I was a little shocked, till I realized that I had spent over two years developing my universe and characters before I had begun drafting my first novel. Since that time fifteen years ago I have continued to develop the universe with the help of a number of people, maybe even you. The Keeper's Universe has become such a rich and diverse science fiction universe that I believe it could stand up with the best of the competition.

As you tour The Keeper's Universe through this guide book I hope that the worlds, characters, technology and history will inspire you to set your science fiction stories in our universe and help us continue to enrich and expand this universe. Again, welcome to The Keeper's Universe!

Chapter 1

Section 1: Galactic History, from a Galactic Republic point of view

Hello there. My name is Brian Higgins, communication specialist with Guardian Force; The Galactic Republic's elite starfighter combat team. I have been asked to give you a basic history lesson of the galaxy. History 101 if you will. I hear that you're not much of a history buff and I have to fill you on three thousand years worth of history. I'll do my best not to bore you.

Late in the 21st century an elderly woman named Jonelle Edwards completed her lifelong work. She perfected a hyperdrive, a device that allowed a ship to enter a dimension where it could travel faster than light. With pollution and over-population problems several major corporations sponsored the construction of six exploration vehicles. The ships with small crews were dispatched to six solar systems were planets were suspected to exist that could support life. Five of the ships met with success. The planets were dubbed Galantos, Kronsk, Balsavis, Deseret, and Pangea. Two of the explorers, Pahoran Hardy and Amos Parson's became quiet famous and went on to discover many additional planets. They were always competing against each other to have discovered the most planets.

Within a few years colony ships were built and crewed. Mankind had spread beyond its cradle and found new homes. The exploration ships continued and with time found many other planets, as well as a few other groups of intelligent life, some capable of space travel, and others not. As there was no profit in sending colonists the ships were funded by governments as well as a few religious groups.

Late in the 22nd century the colonies lost contact with the home world of Earth. The last known news was that the world was locked in war and that nuclear weapons were being used. There had also been a message of the moon's orbit becoming unstable. Once contact was lost ships were sent, but nothing was ever found. Christians decided that the second coming of Christ had happened. Some claimed that the nuclear war got so bad that earth was completely incinerated and others decided that some advanced alien race attacked and destroyed the home world of mankind. No matter what had happened the colonies were on their own.

A variety of governments ruled over each planet. Some had monarchies, some republics or democracies, Deseret had a theocracy, and Balsavis was governed under a socialist hierarchy. Over the course of a few hundred years most of the planets formed under two major galactic governments, the Galactic Republic, centered on Galantos, and the Socialist Alliance, centered on Balsavis.

Over the next couple thousand years these empires would expand to approximately a hundred planets each. Exploration slowed as more than enough food and living space could provide for the entire human race. For the most part the two major governments ignored each other. Eventually their borders expanded and wars over territory and philosophies began to be fought.

Alright I can see you glazing over, that's a very brief overview of a couple thousand years. I'm sure that there are lots of stories and more exciting things I can tell you about during the centuries of exploration, expansion and unification. But frankly I have the most fun with the history of the last 100 years or so. Let me tell you a bit about The Great War.

The Great War began when the Socialist Emperor Zarahemnah Zaragoza invaded the Galactic Republic. Republic intelligence was aware that an attack was coming but they did not know the target. The Socialists had been building up a massive fleet but kept the target very quiet. Republic Admiral Coglistio Boronaught along with aging General Moroni Monson quietly built up defenses along all of the border planets.

Then in a surprise move the massive Socialist forces attacked the Republic capital at Galantos. The defenses were crushed and resistance forces could never muster enough strength in one body to do any good before they too were destroyed. Every member of the President's cabinet was killed along with senate leaders. A few senators escaped but the vast majority were rounded up and sent off to prison camps. All high ranking military officers on Galantos were also killed, General Monson among them. Admiral Boronaught managed to escape but Socialist forces were attacking many other Republic planets as well. There was not much of a fleet to retaliate with. Within a month Socialist forces occupied half of the Galactic Republic. At this point the Socialist forces began to be spread too thin to effectively control anymore territory. Two years passed somewhat uneventfully. The Socialists did their best to stamp out rebellions and the remaining Republic planets did what they could to build a fleet that could strike back at the Socialists.

One woman, Opharah Mariposa, the wife of a young senator refused to accept the fact that there was nothing she could do while her husband was in prison on Rio Querino. She managed to locate a pirate group, the Choneus gang which operated off of Rio. It took a great deal of persuasion as well as all that remained of her family's fortune but she managed to persuade the gang to help her liberate her husband and his fellow political prisoners. In a daring prison break the gang freed all of the political prisoners and returned them to the core of the Republic revolution. This infusion of leaders and great minds became the turning point of the Great War. Privateers were commissioned to harass the Socialists.

One of these privateers was Marcus Griffin from the planet Pangea. He quietly interrupted food convoys bringing supplies to Socialist forces. In turn he made a huge fortune selling the food to the Republic troops.

Also at the heart of this revolution were two young brothers, they wanted to be bounty hunters, but accepted the privateers commission. Their names were Middoni and Muloki Giagua. Their biggest contribution to the war came when they helped lead a team of Special Forces that assassinated Zarahemnah Zaragoza in an explosive way when he came to visit Galantos. They also single handedly liberated the planets of the Menchet Region and claimed the Socialist Shipyards of the system for themselves. Using their spoils of war they formed their own corporation and in a matter of years were some of the richest men in the galaxy.

Once the Republic troops had killed Zarahemnah, assault forces took control of all the ground based defenses and turned the weapons on the Socialist ships in orbit. Just as the ships realized what was going on the Republic's fleet arrived and attacked, quickly decimating the Socialist forces which soon surrendered.

In the power vacuum that followed with many Socialist leaders clamoring for the reigns, the Republic forces were able to regroup and drive out the remaining Socialist forces and push them back to their original territory. The Great War was essentially over evolving into a cold war that would last for decades.

Javis Zaragoza, Zarahemnah's son, eventually convinced most of the Socialist military to support him as the rightful ruler of the Socialist Alliance. But feeling his power somewhat threatened by the government officials at the traditional capital of Balsavis he chose to direct the Socialist Alliance from the military headquarters at Pangea.

Around this time I was born. Not that most of the galaxy cares about Brian Higgins, but I like to think I made my mark during this pivotal time in the history of the galaxy.

Seventeen years after the liberation of Galantos a young man named Robert Griffin escaped the socialist world Pangea. His parents, Marcus and Arianna Griffin, had been executed by Javis Zaragoza. Robert found refuge on the Republic world of Deseret and later went to the Republic's military academy on Kronsk. Upon graduation he was inducted into Guardian Force, the Republic's elite fighter pilot and paramilitary group. A new squadron was formed, Liberation Squad. The squad was made up of a unique and talented group of men and woman who had a passion for freedom, and one experiment, a genetically modified gorilla named Bubba. And of course, yours truly, communications specialist extraordinaire.

The squadron's first mission, help the rebels on the planet Adaven free themselves from the crime lord Rifgok who ruled their planet. We of course succeeded with flying colors. It was extra special for me since my parents were from Adaven in the time before Rifgok took control of the planet.

Around this time on the socialist world of Minus Tenu a genetic experiment there began to go very wrong. In order to stop the spread of the mutated monsters that had been created the Socialist government ordered the planet exterminated. A Socialist fleet, disguised as a Republic fleet bombarded the planet for days. They thought that they had succeeded in destroying all life on the planet. Time would prove them wrong.

Eliar Meine was one of the few men who had been genetically modified in a successful socialist experiment. He was known as their wraith and striker. Returning to his home world and finding it destroyed sent Eliar on a mission that would one day lead to the assassination of the Republic's highest ranking military officer, Supreme Commander, Coglistio Boronaught. Eliar Meine should never be underestimated, and take care not to ever cross him.

After much convincing Robert Griffin persuaded the Republic senate to support an invasion of his home world Pangea. Their goal was to overthrow the tyrant Javis and return Pangea to the Republic, a position that the world had not had for two hundred years.

What a great picture of Robert and I! Robert of course used his hero status on Pangea to get himself elected as the youngest senator ever to serve in the Galactic Senate. But he'll tell you all about that himself if you ask him to.

With Javis dead, tensions ran very high between the Republic and Socialists. Fontana D'or, one of Javis's generals declared herself the Director of the Socialist Alliance. She also groomed a new poster child for her dictatorship, Emily Giagua. Emily is the daughter of Middoni Giagua, a republic businessman and war hero. As a rebellious teenager she was easily persuaded to the socialist point of view and Fontana used her to help persuade others. Emily eventually ran away from home to join Fontana's government and became her first assistant.

During this period a man by the name of John Strife also became popular. He was one of the galaxies finest bounty hunters and only governments and very wealthy individuals could afford him. He did a number of missions for Fontana before one mission took him to the planet of Atlantis II. He fell in love with it, helped organize a stable government and became their president. In a galaxy of superpowers it was one of the few individual planets to maintain its neutrality and have a role in the future of the galaxy.

Also during this time a new threat arrived in the galaxy. Somehow a large fleet led by Admiral Tonin Meine found a way to transport themselves from one universe to another and arrived in our universe. They set up home on a newly discovered solar system that they dubbed the Kasian Sector. The solar system had a record high of eight habitable worlds. I'll let someone else fill you in on them later.

The Socialists were the first to discover these new arrivals and recognizing their superior ships were quick to make friends. Tonin Meine traveled to Rio Querino and met with Director Fontana D'or and her staff. A loose alliance was formed, conditional on a display of power. Tonin Meine and his newly founded Alltradeuin Empire chose the Republic worlds of Galantos, Kronsk and Pangea to be attacked.

The attack was almost devastating to the Republic, but at the last minute they were saved by a new technology, incendiary weapons. And while the burning fireballs blasted into space did save the Republic from the invaders the collateral damage was immeasurable and forced the Republic to never use the weapons in such a way again.

With the bulk of the Alltradeuin Empire nearly destroyed the Republic launched a counter attack on Kasian, and burned their home base to the ground. Years later they wished they had been more thorough. A cloning facility had survived and before the Republic even knew that the Alltradeuins were back they had turned their solar system into an impenetrable fortress with thousands of defensive space stations.

Meanwhile back at the Socialist Headquarters on Rio Querino a spy let the Republic know that the Socialist Director Fontana D'or had orchestrated the Alltradeuin attacks on the Republic. The Republic senate decided that it was time to take Fontana out before she could do anything else like it. The largest fleet that the Republic could muster was dispatched to Rio Querino. It was a difficult battle and many great men and women died. Once Republic ships had cleared a path through space for ground troops to land on Rio, Fontana D'or lifted off from the planet in a small shuttle trying to escape to hyperspace. She would have made it to, but that one of the security forces on her team was a spy. Mathoni Griffin, a cousin of Robert Griffin's, shot Fontana and got off of the shuttle in an escape pod just as it was going to hyperspace. He was hailed as a hero, but of course wasn't any good for field work anymore as an intelligence agent. Rio Querino made a successful and fairly peaceful transition to being a Galactic Republic planet. It helped that Louis Bacca, a famous Republic starfighter pilot, had died in the battle for Rio. The people there saw him as a martyr trying to free them. I still miss my friend Louis. He truly died a hero in the cause of Freedom.

Section 2: History of the Socialist Alliance

Excuse me while in interrupt this Republic brat and his one sided view of history. Just because someone titles you a communications specialist does not mean that you can talk about something that you don't really know anything about. And the history of the Socialist Alliance from this point on is far more interesting than that of the Galactic Republic. After the fall of Rio Querino it seemed mostly business as usual for the Republic. But let me introduce myself. My name is Admiral William Mayhew, yes that's right; I am the Admiral of the Socialist Alliance Fleet. No need to salute now, we're not in a formal setting and you haven't been conscripted, at least not yet.

There were a surprising number of officers in the SA that were happy to see Director D'or dead. I had no love for the woman, but she had done a good job of holding the alliance together during a fragile time. With her gone new leadership was needed. General Davis Kayne wasted no time in gathering the senior officers of the military. We unanimously agreed to support him as Emperor, believing that there was strength in restoring the old title and returning the capital to the historic site at Balsavis.

All seemed to be going well for the Socialist Alliance. We were growing and a tentative peace seemed to be holding in the galaxy. The only internal problem we had was with Emily Giagua, Fontana's former first assistant. She was furious over the assassination of Fontana, particularly because she had fallen in love with the man who had shot Fontana. Despite some misgivings of mine she did convince me that she was an excellent commander and I promoted her to Commodore and gave her command of Fleet D. The decision would bite me later when she renamed her fleet the Death Fleet and took some rogue actions against the Republic.

But this was nothing compared to the internal threat of Eliar Meine once he got his hands on data that pointed him to the fact that the destruction of Minus Tenu wasn't a Republic attack, but secretly an act of the Socialist Alliance trying to cover up a mistake at a bio warfare facility. Eliar Meine decided that Emperor Kayne was to blame for the death of his family, friends and world and set off to kill him.

Now you might think that the Emperor of nearly a hundred worlds would have a security staff good enough to keep him safe. And against every other threat in the galaxy you would be right. But then you haven't ever seen Eliar Meine in action. His super intelligence and genetically modified strength and speed have made him almost impossible to defend against. It was an epic battle across the capital city as Eliar flushed out the Emperor from his stronghold palace and chased him across the city decimating all security forces. The final show down took place in a museum of antiquities as Emperor Kayne single handedly battled Meine with primitive weapons. The security camera footage is incredible to watch as Kayne was an accomplished warrior with hand to hand weapons. But eventually he succumbed to Meine and our Alliance was once again without a head.

Now I know what you're thinking, that I am going to be the next Emperor, but you would be wrong. Noah Macklan was a high level minister in the government and had been designated as successor to the Emperor should Kayne die. Being the Emperor's third cousin certainly had some perks. Macklan was a capable administrator and the military backed him. Sadly his reign was also to be short lived.

Less than a year into Macklan's reign a young man named Teomnor Griffin arrived on Balsavis with a force of mercenaries. He was a former Colonel in the Republic's army and had spent the last year on the fringes of the galaxy courting a space gypsy woman who supposedly had powers to control the forces of nature. Teomnor's forces took control of a media outlet and announced to the world that his true name was Teomnor Zaragoza, son of Javis, and that he was the true heir to the throne of Balsavis and demanded to be recognized as emperor. Emperor Macklan wasn't very popular and with problems brewing with the Alltradeuin Empire many of the people wanted to return to the glory days of the Socialist Alliance that they had enjoyed under the reign of the Zaragoza family.

Civil war erupted and things did not go well for the forces loyal to Emperor Macklan. In very little time he had been driven into hiding in an underground bunker. What follows is a bit embarrassing part of our history, but it is almost too funny to leave out. Teomnor tracked down Macklan's mother and convinced her that her son needed to surrender. She was able to get in touch with him and led soldiers to his underground hiding place. Before the soldiers entered the bunker Mrs. Macklan entered and tried to convince her son to surrender. He refused and tried to kill her. Fortunately she had been treated with a new medical discovery, nano-bots that repaired her injuries quickly. She took her cane and beat her son soundly. She dragged him out of the bunker herself and no one has seen him since.

As it turned out Teomnor Griffin Zaragoza had no interest in becoming Emperor. The entire civil war that he orchestrated was a ploy to get rid of the line of socialist dictators and set up an elected government. It was a simple, but effective form of government that Teomnor proposed that would work well with our socialist ideals. Each municipality, district, planet would elect a judge to govern that territory. A Chief Judge would be elected to oversee the entire Alliance. Lower judges would be judged by higher judges if need be, and higher judges would be judged by a group of lower judges. Judges would be elected by a majority voice of the people. The judge of each territory would set up whatever structure they needed to keep the peace while the Chief Judge oversaw the military. Teomnor approached me, Admiral Mayhew, about running for Chief Judge. Several other people competed against me, but the voice of the people was heard and I was elected Chief Judge over the Socialist Alliance. A position I suspect I will hold the rest of my life.

Section 3: History of the Alltradeuin Empire

My name is Allena Dartin. I will let my history speak for itself on my accomplishments. I don't care about trying to entertain you. I will be presenting a brief history of the Alltradeuin Empire. The winners of wars write the histories, and only those who are aligned with the Alltradeuin Empire can write the final chapters to the history of the galaxy. Please note the reference points at the end of the section.

The Alltradeuin Empire spans back further than what took place within the history of the Galactic Republic or the Socialist Alliance. They are originally from another universe, and in using technology, opened a gateway to the dimension in question.

For centuries, the Alltradeuin Empire was the dominating force in their universe, commanding legions of ships, billions of soldiers and was seen as a capitalistic society. Led by an Emperor, the chain of command filtered down through the military ranks and into the civilian sectors. It came to a point where expansion could not be seen as likely and so Research and Development created ships that could breach space and time, opening a window into another dimension. Chosen for the assigned roll of leading an expedition into the new dimension was Grand Admiral Tonin Meine of the Dragon Fleet. His military expertise was crucial in destroying several bands of outlaws and pirates and his career in the great wars was superb for his brutality and compassion.

Upon breaking through the Apex point, Tonin established a base in the Kasian Sector and started his expansion with the destruction of several outer systems that did not believe in his methods or the Empires. A fellow traveler, Allena Dartin became his second in Command because of their long friendship which was a fragile one because of the differences in opinions, but she was more diplomatic than Tonin ever could be and so her skill set was highly valued. Alongside the Dragon Fleet, a secondary fleet from the Home Universe was sent through referenced as the Orion Fleet. Their technology was far more advanced then the universe they were in and so felt smug in the sense of their superiority, but they required an ally who knew the ways of every system. A union was struck up with Socialist Alliance and with it began the attacks on the Galactic Republic who were prepared, and in a tactical blunder and arrogance by Tonin Meine, both Alltradeuin Fleets were destroyed by the Incendiary Technology of the GRA.

With the Fleets destroyed, the GRA assaulted the Kasian Sector to eliminate the Alltradeuin strongholds and was met with devastation from the defense systems set up throughout the system, but ultimately the planet was razed by the Republic forces. The Socialist Alliance denied any involvement with the Alltradeuin Empire to maintain the balance and fragile peace that was the universe itself.

Prior to the initial destruction of the Empire, Eliar Meine, code named Striker-18, assassinated Coglistio Boronaught, High Admiral of the GRA military on Galantos. During his escape, he was injured and believed to have been killed. Not so, since Allena Dartin was on planet spying out the GRA's capital world. She rescued him, and pulled him onto her ship, the Dark Star, and they escaped the manhunt that was out for Eliar. Eliar Meine pledged allegiance to Allena for saving his life, placing himself as her protector till he himself fell.

After the destruction of the Orion Fleet, Allena Dartin and Eliar Meine survived and returned to the Kasian Sector. Upon searching for energy signatures and any useful equipment in system, the pair stumbled upon a cloning facility and the system activated, releasing a clone of Tonin Meine who quickly took in the situation and began the reconstruction of the Empire, activating systems that had shut down before the attack to conceal their nature. The Flagship, Kyocerian was resurrected from the ocean it sank into during the battle in space, and while damaged was repairable. The GRA had attacked the Dimensional Gate which had brought the second fleet, Orion, and a hope for many more. The gate was beyond repair and so the assistance of the old dimension was lost.

With the assistance of Allena and Eliar, Tonin forged in secret new allies and using the hidden technologies of the Kasian system began to rebuild the fleets it would need for defense.

After a year, Eliar felt a need to return to his home planet that was destroyed by the Socialist Forces. It was the six year anniversary and he wanted to mark it by bringing a memorial to the planet's surface. Getting clearance from Tonin and Allena, he took a Hyperion Fighter and indicated he would return in 24 hours. Once in orbit, he was shot down by one of the original defense cannons and instead of hitting a burnt world, found lush forests hidden by orbital holoprojectors. He briefly fought a new enemy, roughly dubbed Zendarks by the rescue team of Strikers and Hunters, those of who he thought had all perished. Eliar regrouped with his military family and they started making plans to end the conflict that had besieged their world since the orbital bombardment.

Allena's concern for Eliar's sudden halt in transmissions caused her to head to Minus Tenu. She landed safely after disabling the orbital weapon systems. It added a new element to the plan made by the Home forces to take back the planet and the Dark Star, Allena's personal craft, was used to insert the team deep within contested territory.

Meanwhile, Grand Admiral Tonin Meine set himself into a diplomatic stance, sending out ships to worlds of value and first met with the Craftsmen of the world J'Sibb. The ocean world held the finest builders of the universe and after lengthy negotiations, in exchange for medical supplies, protection, and several seats in the Imperial council, J'Sibb became an official member of the Alltradeuin Empire. Their unique ways of craftsmanship combined with new materials increased the durability and efficiency of ship building 74%. The victory at Minus Tenu through the collaborated efforts of both the home forces and aid from Imperial forces gave another member and a strong influence in military refurbishment and tactics. The GRA finally took notice and sent diplomatic groups to discuss their concerns regarding the expansion of the Alltradeuin Empire. By this time though, the Alltradeuin Empire had secured a quarter of the known universe, and the outlying sectors no other government would take heart to control, thus giving the Empire a near encirclement of the other two government regions without their knowing. Diplomatic motions passed with the GRA representatives not fully trusting the answers given to them, but unable to continue, left Imperial space which had ballooned even further through the expansion of the Imperials Military. Though just as quickly as the Imperials expanded, they stopped and their borders were shut. Months passed in silence, with growing tension on the Socialist-Alltradeuin neutral line by both sides.

The 1st Socialist War broke out July 9th 7321; the Alltradeuins first action was against the out bound colonies of the Socialist Alliance, taking advantage of their advanced weapons to burn their way to victory each opportunity of conflict. ((Reference Turning Point 1st Socialist War))

After the war, claiming victory the Alltradeuin Empire returned to their newly conquered borders and strengthened the defenses and used the new supply of resources and technology to further boost the military might of the Imperial forces. Diplomatic forces continued to expand relations with smaller worlds and in instances discovering new elements and technology not heard of. It was in the December of the year that Tanis joined the Empire. It is a world of organic life and a people devoted to natural means of extending life, healing and defending themselves. A branch of research and development was set up on planet and Tanis became one of twelve heavily defended worlds with its own Shipyard and manufacturing site.

It was during the next three years after the first Socialist war that research and archeological digs found the race of Quiedar; an extinct race of winged creatures that had evolved on Kasian. They were adept for night though could stand the light of day. Their strength was measured to be three times that of a normal human and drawings from the walls and texts written in their tongue were deciphered. It was by order of the Grand Admiral Tonin Meine, now self proclaimed Emperor of the forces within the universe to bring the Quiedar back into existence. The first tests led to disaster. The Quiedar were uncontrollable, violent and without concern for their own bodies and those of others. Aggressive nature turned to cannibalism and the first group was incinerated while more research was conducted. It turned out that the Quiedar required a leadership caste, but through all the archeological digs, and hypothetical discussions no answer was found until Eliar Meine went in personally to the main dig site in the North of Kasian Prime. He activated the Hierarchy of Elders, spirits of the Quiedar that had laid dormant for millions of years through his connection of the Shovian parasite within him. He passed the Trial of Strength and Leadership, giving him the power to control the Quiedar legions and in so secured another strength to the Alltradeuin Forces.

A relationship bond was formed between Allena Dartin and Eliar Meine, who in their own elements became Executive Officers to the Emperor himself. It was during this time that the Council of Admirals was also formed to take charge of Military operations during defensive maneuvers, though when offensive measures are to be taken, it must be authorized by the Council of Three, being the Emperor, and the two XO's.

The 2nd Socialist War soon broke out afterwards, prompting a strain on diplomatic ties as Socialist worlds were plundered and destroyed in searching for the rare Quiedar elements to power the latest Imperial weapon, Hellfire. ((Reference Turning Point 2nd Socialist War))

With peace once again returning to the universe, the Imperial Research and Development on Tanis made a breakthrough discovery of being able to fuse organic tissue into a sentient ship like organism. This provided another Imperial advantage if ever pressed.

Three more years passed before the Swarm arrived and so too the doom of the universe.

The Swarm's Entrance:

The Swarm was an overwhelming force that cracked the dimensional barrier through a similar method as the Imperial forces used for Dimensional travel. Their technology allowed for the bridge to remain open indefinitely and their forces to continue to come through. The Alltradeuin Empire was the first to suffer the effects, their outer colonies on the fringes started going dark and recon patrols discovered the aggressive forces. Emperor Tonin Meine had become possessed by one of the Swarm Parasites before the initial invasion had occurred, but was killed by Allena Dartin to stop his rampage across the galaxy to prime for the Swarm's welcome. The damage was done though. The forces of the Socialist Alliance were cut by half, the Galactic Republic forces were down 44% while the Imperial Forces only suffered a 3% loss in capital ships.

Allena Dartin, now assuming control of the Empire took it upon herself to rally the forces of the universe to fight the Swarm assault that had started to spill into Socialist fringes and Republic space. With Eliar Meine at her side, the three governments agreed that they couldn't hold out against these forces that while weak, were overpowering their fleets with numbers, with many ships destroyed by kamikaze runs. The motion was passed that a Universal evacuation was to occur through the Alltradeuin Empire's Super Dimensional Gate just recently completed above Minus Tenu. Once word got out the universe was doomed to slaughter, everyone panicked and started to flee towards Minus Tenu, jamming space with millions of frequencies and ships as Imperial, Republic and Socialist forces fought a losing battle. The Imperials diverted their most powerful fleets to the defense of Minus Tenu while the thousands of other ships, including the Echo fleets, Hellfire, and the Universal Chezniko held off the Swarm as best as possible. No ground troops were committed to outer worlds and millions of troops grounded themselves on Minus Tenu and set up positions at the secondary dimensional gate designed for personal travel while the Super Gate in orbit could ferry shuttles and capital ships up to 20 kilometers in length. Once the Gates activated, the Swarm's aggression intensified, and they became an arrowhead towards Minus Tenu, obviously drawn to the power outputs. A mass kamikaze run destroyed the Super Gate, trapping the remaining space forces and hundreds of thousands of freighters and personal ships in system to be slaughtered. Caution was soon thrown to the stars by the few remaining military ships and they started ramming into Swarm ships, crashing into them and causing more debris for the Swarm to navigate around, slowing their progress to ground.

On the ground, people of all cultures were running through the gate in an ordered fashion, security was maintained by Dark Troopers with their protocols set to kill in case a riot occurred. The facility was built deep below the surface and groups were brought in from the surface teleporter, but the line stretched for kilometers. It became obvious to many they wouldn't make it through; they started to push, trying to cram in as the skies darkened with the screams of Swarm fighters. Their ship weapons wouldn't work in atmosphere, and so they started landing troops in clearings and the ground fight began. Civilians started killing each other to get ahead of others; people tripped and fell, trampled by the masses as ground forces began yet again a delaying maneuver. Strikers, Hunters, SpecOps, standard military and even civilians who demanded a weapon to help fought and were pushed back. Alltradeuins, Republicans and Socialists all fought valiantly side by side. The Vazkar led the defense at the main teleportation pad, but the Swarm, an insect like creature with serrated mandibles and teeth cut through the civilians on the surface platforms, and found the weakness to the Vazkars who had once believed to be near invincible. A critical strike to their Control node would cause the parasite to go berserk and explode.

After the Swarm Assault:

With few survivors that made it through the Alltradeuin dimensional gate on Minus Tenu and fewer ships that made it through the Universal Gates in space, the 3 governments, Galactic Republic, Socialist Alliance and the Alltradeuin Empire have united under a treaty and pact that all political and military motivations for the time should be combined in the attempt to survive. Expansion has been slow for lack of ships to mine and explore while keeping defense of the planet from the new universes threats if any.

In the few days after the loss of their home universe, an account of only 1.4 million lives had been saved from the trillions of others, mostly civilians from the Republic and Socialist's. The Empire was a militaristic government and sacrificed most of their strength to slow the assault of the Swarm, so their numbers were merely a hand full. A total count of civilian ships ranged into the hundreds, but most required a stable fuel source so they sat unable to move and provided shelter for refugees. The Imperial ships, which number 60 shuttles had Phase Cores that gave them unlimited power, but there were no tools and no way to adapt to the other camps and so they offered as much as they could. Only one capital ship of the Republic made it through, Voyager. An ultra class ship that carried with it most of the survivors and so was out of the fight early on at the Universal Gate above Minus Tenu before the Swarm attacked while the rest of the fleets did their best to hold off the uncountable odds.

Eliar Meine, Striker-18, was among the survivors and one of the most distressed since his wife stayed behind against his wishes and when arguing was forced through, powerless to stop her as she collapsed the universe in on itself, removing the Swarm threat completely. She returned two days later after the escape, empowered with the Praetorian gift that Tobias, the Ascended had given her for sacrificing herself for others and she so returned to resume command of the Imperial Remnant.

Recon of the planet was made and the discovery of a primitive society that was within the medieval period was made. Exchange of food and shelter for medical supplies and aid was forged with the king. It was later learned that Quiedar were on the planet, a former ally of the Alltradeuin Empire. This created many questions for the Empire to answer, but none came, for Allena Dartin, the Empress of the Empire did not authorize such a mission of inter dimensional travel. It was stated by the towns folk that the Relic Ruins, a place of unholy nature could hold the key since none dared to venture close without death watching them. A team was assigned and sent to check out the area and they discovered an unknown force that attacked the team and separated them inside the caverns of a crashed ship. The team consisted of the two highest members of the Empire, Anna and Forbie Richmond along with a squad of stormtroopers. It was during the separation, that Forbie was enhanced with Enforcer technology. A mechanical species that had a highly technological ability to modify certain aspects of anything, and so altered the organic armor of Forbie in an attempt to control him, but his will was stronger than theirs and so laughed at their control attempts. Leaving the ruins enhanced and empowered, though in the process, making Anna, Gold Striker-01 rather angry.

It was learned from Pyro, the Research and Development A.I. that Emperor Tonin had requested research into expanding into new dimensions and one ship, the Inhibitor, a Mark III Buster, the only prototype of its class that held an Inter dimensional Drive was sent through and was never heard from again. The project was scrapped and classified to only Pyro and the leader of the Empire.

Judging by the ships age, rust and its historical sensor reports, it had been buried for almost 200,000 years, and given that Pyro informed the Imperial Hierarchy that it had only been sent out from the shipyard 2 years ago. This caused him to theorize that time in this universe moved faster, the old one moved slower or that the Inter dimensional Drive had an unknown parameter to Time travel. He is currently reviewing the reports and the Drive though it has been modified from earlier diagrams.

For a time, nothing but slow progress was made until a threat arrived. The Waferian 8th Proclamation which was apparently the leading power of the universe attacked without warning and a prolonged conflict was created.

The threat ended with an Imperial victory with the aid of the superships Zeus, and Shadow, taking the fight to the Proclamations home world and destroying it; thus ending the Waferian threat to the planet of K'riloc and the refugees from our own galaxy.

Reference Points

First Republic Attack

In the first months of the Imperial Inception to the Universe marked with the GRA and Socialist Alliance, the Alltradeuin Empire decided to ally itself with the stronger of the two Alliances they believed would be beneficial in their conquest for rule of the Universe. Through diplomatic talks, it was decided the best way to solidify the alliance was to make an attack on the Republican main worlds as a test of strength. Cocky in his position of power, Emperor Tonin Meine took his two fleets, Dragon, and Orion to the two main worlds, Galantos and Pangea. Unknown to their intelligence rings, the Republic forces had installed new Thermal based weapons in their orbit, and within moments of the assaults, the new weapons had reduced the Imperial forces to nothing. The surviving forces that escaped were followed to the Kasian sector where their orbital defense weapons pounded the Republican forces while calls for aid from the Socialist forces were left unanswered. It was at that moment a bitter dislike for the Socialist Alliance was made. In the following hours after the attack, fleeting remains of ships, troops and ground forces gathered at Kasian Prime to begin a discrete rebuilding of the Imperial forces.

First Socialist War

Two years after the Incursion and the first Republican disaster, the Imperial Forces attacked the Socialist Alliance through an unprovoked attack to claim new territory and to give them a black eye for betraying them to the Republic Forces. The war lasted a little under a year, with 42 main capital ship battles, and 28 ground engagements. The Imperial Forces took the Socialist Capital and killed off the Chief Judge in command. Then as quickly as they came, they retreated and new territories were settled into the maps of all three Governments. A new Socialist line was brought in by the people, but a silent presence of Imperial power remains on all worlds still held by the Socialist Alliance.

Second Socialist War

Three years after the First Socialist war, which saw the deaths of over 50 Billion, and total cost of well into the Bazillions, the Alltradeuins struck again, though this time with a purpose. As the diplomatic corp of the Socialists begged and pleaded for a cease fire and understanding resolution, the Imperial Forces continued. They were after components to an Ancient weapon, one that could control the universe from a single position. Sadly enough, the main components were on Socialist worlds. A bloody six month confrontation, with Socialist worlds devastated by orbital bombardments and their lands uprooted, the Alltradeuins slipped back into their space. Public uproar across the universe rose against their behavior with the Republic government sending aid and assistance to the Socialist's, forming a bond of mutual respect and defense against the Imperial forces when next they left their borders. Secretly, the components the Alltradeuins stole were enough in repair that they were able to create Hellfire, a moon based weapon platform that would not be seen until the last days of the Universe against the Swarm Invasion.

Coronis Incident

The Galactic Police Force was created after the first Socialist War by an independent group seeking to govern the movements of the Three Powers in the universe as well as start to halt the operations of smugglers and pirates. The creation was sanctioned by the Republic, and Socialist governments, but not by the Alltradeuin Empire. This added tension to an already fragile state in the day to day lives of every being though the peace was maintained. The Galactic Police grew in popularity as reports of successful rendering of pirates and smugglers escalated each day. More ships and eventually a planet came under their banner and they believed their position in the universe was assured. Not so. An Imperial frigate, the _Rejected Timber_ was chasing a pirate ship that had raided a derelict hull of a Titan Heavy Class Capital ship in a junk yard. The pirate ship made it into the neutral zone crossing towards the Socialist territory and a Galactic Police capital ship, the _Heavenly Sword_ interceded between the two. The Galactic Police let the pirate get away while trying to stop the Imperials from breaking the space territory. The end result was a battle, where the Galactic Police called in three more cruiser rated ships and destroyed the _Rejected Timber_ with a loss of all hands. The Galactic Police sent a receipt as well as a fine for endangering their ships, causing damage to their ships, and breaching the neutral zone. Enraged and furious, Emperor Tonin Meine set about a plan to destroy the Galactic Police for interfering where they shouldn't belong. On the Biological Research world of Tanis, Doctor Zwigiller was instructed to create a pathogen so lethal it could wipe out a planets population within 24 hours. A task the doctor lavishly completed in seven months. During those short months, Imperial Space Forces waged a private and lethal slaughter against the Galactic Police Forces, breaking their ability to transport and essentially causing their organization to crumble. They begged the assistance of the other two governments who decided it was best to remain out of the matter. Trapped and abandoned, the Galactic Police re-enforced their main world of Coronis, abandoning the others and bringing the remainder of their fleet to their planets defense. The attack didn't come immediately by an Imperial Fleet, but by a trader carrying the pathogen so skillfully crafted by Zwigiller. When the trader entered atmosphere, his ship exploded, releasing the disease across the atmosphere which spread much quicker to the population than expected. In 2 hours, quarantine was in effect. 7 hours in the first hundred thousand died, the water was contaminated and the forests withered and died. 13 hours in, 60% of the population was dead, and after 21 hours, the world was a lifeless planet with the orbital forces only able to look on with disgust. An Imperial Fleet, led by the Emperor himself descended upon the world of Coronis, and in a single salvo, destroyed the remaining Galactic Police forces, lifeboats and escape pods were targeted and destroyed along with the ships. He wanted nothing left of this organization. Word spread through the universe to the terrifying end to the Galactic Police and its world of Coronis and outrage spread, forcing the hands of the GRA and Socialists to step in and deal with the matter. Diplomacy reigned and peace returned. The matter of Coronis was closed, and the Imperial Forces were not tried for the massacre of a planet.

Chapter 2

Essential Planets of The Keeper's Universe

This next Chapter has a description and brief history of each of the major planets in the galaxy. Descriptions will be updated as further stories are written, feel free to create and name your own planets as needed. There are of course hundreds of solar systems with habitable planets. Only a few of the most important planets are listed at this time.

Galantos – Capital of GRA

Galantos was the first habitable planet discovered and colonized by humans from earth. For the first thousand years it was governed by a monarchy and a parliament. As galactic governments were formed the monarchy abdicated in form of a Republic. The planet was chosen as the capital and has become the heart of all free worlds. It is a temperate planet with a variety of terrains, there is slightly more landmass that oceans. Republicus City fills up the bulk of one continent. Tens of billions of people live there making it the galaxies most populated planet. It is known for producing soldiers and politicians.

Kronsk

Kronsk II is the moon of a large gas giant. It was once habitable a few thousand years ago but is now considered only semi habitable. It had been colonized early on in the exploration of the galaxy but had hundreds of nuclear weapons used during a war which wiped out all living things on the planet and ruined the atmosphere. The Republic uses the planet for training marines and naval officers.

Balsavis – Capital of SA

This planet has an unusual eight month elliptical orbit around its sun. Because of this six months of their year is very cold and two month are very hot with only a few weeks of in-between weather. The planet has very active plate tectonics that have created very high mountain ranges over much of the planets landscape. The far north and south areas are covered in snow and ice all of the year. There are large deciduous forests filing in the equatorial regions. This planet is known as the traditional capital of the Socialist Alliance. It is also known for its excellent quality of lumber and precious metals. It has no moon thus its oceans are very calm and renowned for great fishing, especially near the ice caps.

Deseret

The planet Deseret is a member of the Galactic Republic but has a theocracy (government controlled by religion) for the planetary government. It is also the only Republic member planet to never have enemy troops land on its soil. This is due to the heavy planetary shield system first invented on Deseret. The planet is normal with a variety of terrains. The planet is self sufficient and is well known for its schools of higher education. The planet is also very green and the citizens do their best to preserve the environment while still living in comfort.

Pangea

Pangea is a beautiful planet with a variety of terrains. The planet has only one large continent with a variety of terrains and a couple large mountain ranges. It also has an important history as one of the earliest planets colonized by humans. It also has ruins of a lost civilization. Over the years the planet has been the scene of many space battles. Most of the time the planet has belonged to the Socialist Alliance, but from time to time it was held by the Republic planting ideals of freedom in the minds and hearts of many. This ultimately led the way to Robert Griffin and the Republic freeing the planet and having it become a strong member of the Galactic Republic. The planet has a unique blend of farming and agriculture along with the latest scientific advancements. The capital city Zora used a great deal of crystal in the construction of their buildings.

Rio Querino

Rio Querino has usually been a member of the Socialist Alliance but has been a member of the Republic a few times over the millennia. The planet is known galaxy wide for its peppers and spices, it has also been known to generate a few dictators, some great diplomats, and some mighty warriors. It has also been a place where smugglers and pirates have made a living off the demand for their unique peppers. The planet is largely desert with several major rivers. The soil is excellent and with a good irrigation system yields plentifully.

Adaven

The planet Adaven is unusually close to is sun for a habitable planet thus much of Adaven is covered in high deserts and mountains. For many centuries it was an independent planet with many governments. It was preyed on heavily by space pirates for many years until Rifgok, a court marshaled Socialist Admiral with a rogue fleet took over. At the time many people fled the planet and went to the Galactic Republic. Rifgok ran an organized crime group off of the planet until the Republic helped the citizens liberate themselves from Rifgok. The planet has become a solid member of the Republic and is known for its manufacturing plants and refineries.

Sidom

Sidom is classified as a nearly normal planet. The planet has small oceans and lots of land of all types. The southern continent is known for its hilly grasslands and excellent soil for raising crops. The northern continent is mostly a frozen wasteland. The planet has long been a supporter of the Republic and is the headquarters for the Republic Army. The frozen north is used mostly for extreme combat training. The citizens are proud to host the Galactic Republic Army and also proud to be a major food supplier to the Republic worlds.

Callisdrin

Callisdrin is best known for its rare jewels and perfect large diamonds. It has many volcanic islands and other areas in the far north have pockets of lush green land. Because of thermal hot pockets a majority of the planet is tropical with the temperate lands covered in grassy plains. The planet has three small moons. One of which is used for a cemetery, one for military defensive purposes and the third is full of hotels and exotic resorts for the galaxies wealthiest citizens. The population is made of the galaxies elite upper crust as well as underground miners. The planet was one of the original planets to support the Galactic Republic and has always been a solid member.

Verde

Most of the planet Verde is low lying swamp land covered in trees and brush. The world does have one of the largest varieties of plant and animal life in the galaxy. Many of the planets cities float on the oceans to conserve natural resources. The planet is home to many important individuals in the Socialist Alliance.

Palora

Palora is an average planet with a variety of terrains. It is also home to the Socialist Shipyards. They do a great deal of manufacturing.

Farnorth Quadrant

The Farnorth Quadrant is a cluster of planets on the rim of Republic Space. They are full of space gypsies and backward planets. Pisgah and Laymoor are the most well known planets in the quadrant. Pisgah is populated by people who have rejected all forms of technology.

Sapphire – independent

Sapphire is one of a very few independent worlds. It is a normal habitable planet that can be self sustaining although they do export sapphires in large quantities. The planet has no extradition to any other galactic government and so a number of criminal organizations do business there.

Minus Tenu – SA changes to AE

Minus Tenu was once a Socialist stronghold. The main research facility for bio and chemical weapons was here. It also promoted all kinds of science and the military worked hard to create advanced soldiers through genetic engineering. An accident happened in a lab and a bio experiment got out of hand forcing the Socialist Navy to barricade the planet and bombard the surface. They killed hundreds of thousands of people to stop the spread of a living plague off of the planet. The attack was blamed on the Republic. The planet has a deep trench that runs several thousand miles in length. Many of the advanced military units survived the attack and lived in the trench making it a lush paradise for several years until they were rescued by Eliar Meine. Once the truth was out that the Socialists orchestrated the attack to cover their tracks and blamed the Republic the survivors on Minus Tenu became loyal and powerful members of the Alltradeuin Empire.

J'Sibb

J'Sibb is a world covered almost entirely in water. The race of beings that evolved on the planet call themselves the craftsman for they are always building. They are the finest ship builders in the galaxy. They ignored most of the galaxy for thousands of years and in turn were ignored. The Alltradeuin Empire convinced them to become part of their empire and they Craftsman now build ships for the AE. The Craftsman is a very aquatic race.

Atlantis II

Atlantis II is an independent planet on the line between the Socialist and the Republic. They trade with both and do their best to remain neutral in conflicts. Many treaties have been signed here. The current President of Atlantis is John Strife, a retired Bounty Hunter. The planet is well known for its lightstones, used in the making of the galaxies finest jewelry. It is also home to some of the galaxies finest resorts.

Kasian Sector – Capital of AE

The Kasian Star System has a record of eight habitable planets, each one of them unique in their own way. The system was undiscovered until the Alltradeuin Empire arrived and claimed it as their capital. The planets were full of resources and the Empire quickly turned it into a fortress system to defend against the rest of the galaxy. The system was also home to the extinct race of Quiedar that the empire resurrects using their cloning technology.

Coronis

Coronis was the independent headquarters of the Galactic Police Force. The planet had a variety of terrains and supported the needs of the marshals who enforced the laws of both the GRA and SA depending on which planet they were on. They caused some problems for the Alltradeuin Empire and in retaliation the entire planet was wiped out.

Star's End

Star's End is a planet on the very fringe of the galaxy looking out into the abyss. The planet is controlled by a group known as the Mercenary Militia. They are some of the fiercest soldiers in the galaxy and work for whoever pays the most, and have no scruples about doing the worst jobs. The planet is barely habitable, cold and dim as it orbits a small star.

Menchet Region

The Menchet Region is a dense cluster of stars near the center of the galaxy. There are only a few habitable planets in the region and they are mostly agricultural in nature. But the number of stars makes it a difficult place to navigate through hyperspace and thus is frequented by pirates and smugglers. The Republic keeps a number of undercover operatives in the area trying to discourage illegal activity as much as possible.

Milan

Milan is an out of the way planet in the Socialist Alliance. Its wide open flat lands and plains create excellent soil for crops. The planet is famous for its grain products that are shipped throughout the galaxy.

Tanis

Tanis is home to a unique race of people devoted to extending life through a variety of means. They have also found ways to blend organic materials with technology. Tanis joins the Alltradeuin Empire and becomes a fortress world developing new ships for the Empire.

Chapter 3

People of the Galaxy

**Robert Griffin** was born on the planet Pangea, the only son of Marcus and Arianna, well to do farmers in the Zephyr Mountain district. Robert did not know as a child, but his parents were very wealthy and had off world property, the profit was used to fund seditious acts against the Socialist Alliance government that had control of Pangea. Robert was twelve when the government discovered the acts of his parents and used the recent knowledge that they had helped hide a political fugitive as an excuse to execute the entire family. The family was warned and Robert was able to hide and get away. Robert spent the next five years living off of the land and the kindness of people in the nearby village. This period of relative isolation led Robert to become a very reserved person. He does not trust easily or open up to anyone until he knows them well. But he is extremely loyal to those he does know and trust. Robert is also very intelligent and mechanically inclined. He has soaked up whatever knowledge he could get. Robert is handsome in his own way, well built and rugged from his survival in the mountains. He has blondish brown hair and blue eyes.

Robert escaped from the planet Pangea in a rebuilt starfighter. He finds his way to the planet Deseret where he finds old family friends who take him in. Upon completion of school he is recruited by the Space Marines and attends the Military Academy. He graduates top of his class and is given command of a new special forces squadron, Liberation Squad, part of the a Republic's elite group known as Guardian Force. Their mission is to protect the Republic's interests and freedom throughout the galaxy. Eventually Robert and his squadron spearhead the mission that attacks Pangea. Robert is instrumental in the dictator Javis Zaragoza's death and the planet happily welcomes the chance to become members of the Galactic Republic.

Shortly after the liberation of Pangea Robert officially resigns his commission and is elected to the Galactic Republic Senate for Pangea. He quickly finds a niche in the senate as a valued member of intelligence and military committees. He proposes to his former squad member Karissa Wanner, she turns him down. He is depressed over this and takes a leave of absence back to Pangea. During his time there he gets involved with Pangean intelligence organizations tracking the new socialist dictator, Fontana D'or, finds that one of his cousins, Mathoni Griffin, survived the family purge as well, and becomes reacquainted with a childhood friend, Jessica Henness. Robert begins courting Jessica and they eventually marry. Robert becomes involved increasingly with intelligence planning operations while fulfilling his senate duties. His shipboard computer personality Byte is discovered to be the galaxies first AI, but it is unknown how it happened and the Republic cannot yet duplicate it, although the Alltradeuin Empire discovers the secret. Robert stays very involved in everything that is going on in the galaxy and is much more hands on than a senator should be. There are numerous threats on his life as well as the lives of his wife and children. Yet somehow he and his family manage to stay alive and grow to old age. Robert eventually becomes a party minority leader in the senate.

**Mathoni Griffin** was a very small child when his parents were killed for simply being part of the Griffin family. He was rescued by a neighbor and good friend and she raised him as her own. Mathoni is average height and build with dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. He is friendly and outgoing, but is also competitive and likes to win and have things go his way. He was informed of his heritage when Pangea was freed and after Robert became a senator. He becomes one of the first intelligence agents from Pangea to work for the Republic. One of his first assignments as an intelligence agent puts him in the government offices of the Socialist Alliance at Rio Querino. Fontana D'or spends most of her time there since it is her home world. There Mathoni becomes acquainted with Emily Giagua, the kidnapped daughter of Middoni Giagua. She has become convinced that the Socialists are right and the Republic is evil. Despite that Mathoni still falls in love with her and because she is Fontana's assistant is able to help Mathoni get a job as chief of security for Fontana. Mathoni is present when the Socialists first meet with Allena Dartin and the Tonin Meine from the Alltradeuin Empire and manages to get word to the Republic that the new force in the galaxy is planning on attacking them. The chance Mathoni gave them to prepare is the only thing that stopped the Alltradeuins from conquering the Republic. When the Republic invades Rio Querino as retribution for the Socialists sending the Alltradeuin Empire to attack them Mathoni is the one that stops Fontana from escaping by assassinating her. Unfortunately Emily witnesses the act and she manages to escape with the rest of the fleeing Socialist forces. Mathoni does not have the opportunity to talk to her for a couple of years, but his feelings never change. Because of the high profile assassination of Fontana Mathoni is ruined for field work as an intelligence agent. So Mathoni enters the world of business with a loan from his cousin Robert. He funds research and development of new weapons and ships and does as much covert actions as he can with the small private corporate army that he has raised. Before long his cousin, Robert's adopted son, Teomnor joins him in business and they begin planning on how they can use their resources to bring down the Socialist Alliance once and for all. When Emily Giagua is named the new director of the Socialist Alliance Mathoni goes to her, she does still love him, but is very torn over what he did to her mentor Fontana. When Mathoni receives news that an attack Emily ordered resulted in the death of her younger brother Ecaj Mathoni is finally able to convince Emily to leave the Socialist Alliance behind. She still wants nothing to do with the Republic so Mathoni takes her to the neutral planet Atlantis II, where he has a large division of his company. They marry and Mathoni tries to stay out of galactic affairs to keep his wife happy. They have one son named Jarom.

**Emily Giagua** is the eldest daughter of Middoni Giagua she grew up with everything that she ever needed and most of what she wanted. She is a very beautiful woman with long brown hair and green eyes. She is tall and has an attractive figure. She became rather rebellious in her teenage years and allowed herself to be kidnapped by the Socialist Alliance and joined their side. She served Fontana lovingly as her assistant, but fell in love with Mathoni Griffin, who she did not know was a Republic spy. Emily was very involved in everything that Fontana did up until she was assassinated in front of Emily by her love, Mathoni. Since then she has been very torn apart and full of rage. Once she managed to get some control over her feelings the newly appointed Emperor Macklan gave her commander of "Fleet D," a large fleet of the Socialist's strongest warships. Her assignment was to inflict as much damage on the Republic as she could. She loyally served Macklan during the civil war which had been started by Teomnor Griffin claiming to be the legitimate heir to the Socialist throne. Upon Emperor Macklan's death Emily took control over the remaining Socialist forces and titled herself the Director of the Socialist Alliance. After the civil war in which Teomnor Griffin Zaragoza took control of the Socialist worlds Emily led her fleets into hiding in the Hesperus Sector. It was there that Mathoni found her and convinced her to give up control of her ships and to go away with him. When she left her ships joined with the newly elected government of the Socialist Alliance. Emily married Mathoni and became involved in the running of his company.

**Teomnor Griffin** was born on Pangea not knowing who is father was. When he was in his late teens the Republic invaded and conquered Pangea. Shortly thereafter his mother was diagnosed with an incurable disease. She asked that Robert Griffin take in her son, which he did, she told Robert that Teomnor's father had been Javis Zaragoza. Teomnor was not told who his father was for several years. He joined the Republic's army and due to his work at Rio Querino in the battle and in dealing with the insurgencies afterwards he became the youngest Colonel in Republic history. He continued to prove himself and excellent commander and when General Sular Hammith announced that he was retiring he surprised everyone by suggesting that Teomnor be promoted and put in command of all Republic Army forces. When the time was right Teomnor went into Socialist space and claimed the throne of his grandfather as his own. This started a civil war in which Macklan was overthrown as the socialist leader. Teomnor restructured the government giving the people the chance to elect their leaders, and then retired with his true love to a distant and peaceful planet. Teomnor is very tall and has thick black hair and eyes. He is well built and has a dark tan. He is very intelligent and thinks through his actions before doing them.

**Eva Marie** grew up a space gypsy with a magical power to communicate with nature and have some control over it. She is a very attractive woman with long red hair and green eyes. Her skin is very pale having spent most of her early life inside a spaceship. In her late teens she was kidnapped by space pirates who also killed her family. After a few months with them she fought her way free and escaped in an escape pod near Atlantis II. Teomnor Griffin happened to be in the area and rescued the pod. Eventually he would lead an attack against the pirates that had killed her family. The Griffin family took care of Eva for a while and when she was feeling recovered from her experience with the pirates she traveled quite a bit with Teomnor. They fell in love and eventually were married. Eva has never given up hope that she would find some of her people again.

**Admiral Coglistio Boronaught** was born on Galantos 60 years ago. He is just short of 2 meters tall with a thick crop of white hair and piercing blue eyes. He has a commanding presence and is very intelligent. Coglistio graduated first in his class 40 years ago from the military academy on Kronsk. He was the commander of a ship in the war against Zarahemnah and during the battle to retake Galantos the fleet commander was killed. Coglistio showed unique skill in commanding the rest of the fleet and was a major influence in winning the battle. In the following years he would work his way quickly up the military ladder demonstrating again and again his command capabilities. He was promoted to the rank of High Admiral at the age of 45. Six years later he would be named Supreme Military Commander by the senate. He managed this position well until he was assassinated by Eliar Meine.

**Derek West** grew up on Deseret. His father had served several years in the Navy before leaving and becoming a lawyer. Derek had the same desire to serve in the military and let them pay for school. He joined the Navy just before the socialist invasion led by Zarahemnah Zaragoza and was an XO on Coglistio Boronaught's ship. Once the war was over Derek realized he had no desire to leave the Navy and continued to serve directly under Admiral Boronaught until he was assassinated and Derek was chosen to replace him as commander of the Navy. Shortly thereafter the senate elected him as the new Supreme Military Commander.

**Daniel Wanner** was a young senator's aide before the socialist invasion. After the invasion he was imprisoned. Rescued by a pirate and resistance organization he helped to orchestrate the entire operation that allowed the Republic to free Galantos from the Socialists. He helped to set up the new government, and served as Vice President for a number of years before he was elected President. He is a well liked President and has done good work.

**Chav Bracken** was a young man during the socialist invasion; he led Republic troops through secret alleyways making possible the takeout of the socialist dictator Zarahemnah Zaragoza. He played up his role in the elections after the liberation of Galantos and got himself elected governor of Galantos. He served in that capacity for a number of years until he campaigned with Daniel Wanner and was elected vice president.

**Sular Hammith** was a young lieutenant during the first socialist wars. He proved himself repeatedly in battle and was promoted regularly until he was made a General and given command of the entire army. He helped to set up the Army headquarters and training facilities on Sidom helping to make Republic Soldiers some of the finest in the galaxy.

**James Wanner** is the younger brother of Daniel Wanner; James had always wanted to be a marine. He was part of the commando team that worked on the ground at Galantos to free the planet. He and his team planted explosives that took out the capital building and the socialist dictator. After that battle he quickly made his way up the ranks of the marines to General. When asked where he would like to serve he requested to head up the Marine Academy at Kronsk. He loves being part of the training of the Republic's finest soldiers and officers.

**John Carter** grew up on Galantos and loved freedom very much. He worked with the resistance on Galantos during the brief socialist occupation and joined the marines and the commando team that blew up the capital. After the battle he joined the starfighter command and in a few years worked his way up to the rank of General and was given command of the program. Guardian Force falls under his command.

**Senator Jax Quizux** represents the planet Sidom. His family had old military ties and he used them as a young man to get elected to the senate. He served there for a very long time and has become the majority leader in the senate. As such he is the liaison to the Military High Command.

**Senator Speckt Alson** has managed to lead a double life. During the socialist wars she was an independent operative helping to destroy many socialist bases. With the technology that she and her team stole from the socialists and sold to the Republic they made a great deal of money. They also captured a socialist shipyard and set up their own company. Speckt chose to remain a silent partner and instead returned to her home planet Callisdrin where she had been part of the aristocracy during her youth. With her families old power she got herself elected to the senate and became a well respected and powerful senator.

**Colonel Garth Hawkins** grew up on a small outlying Republic world; he always dreamed of bigger things and went away to school at the military academy. He was drafted into the Republic's intelligence agency and made his way through the ranks by first being a good agent and then commanding agent. He lives for keeping the Republic safe and his honored to head up the Intelligence department.

**Lt. Whettam O'Bray** is from the planet Deseret. His father had been an intelligence agent and he followed in his footsteps. His father left him countless contacts and Whettam quickly proved himself an excellent agent. He proved himself excellent at finding enemy ships and was placed in charge of the enemy asset tracking program. Although he has refused numerous promotions he has a great many agents in the field under his command.

**Colonel Dago Adil** was a hotshot fighter pilot during the socialist war and miraculously survived all of his battles. He became a Republic hero for his amazing skill with a fighter. When the Republic decided to create an elite group of fighter pilots to be known as Guardian Force Dago Adil was the natural choice to lead the group. He is good looking with dark curly hair and blue eyes. He is idolized by most young people in the Republic.

**Lt. Akins** is getting to be an older man but is still an excellent field intelligence agent. He works on worlds that are ruled by the socialists and other tyrants. He helps the resistance groups on these worlds to stay organized and make it possible for them to free themselves.

**Jessica Henness** was born on Pangea in the village near where Robert Griffin grew up Jessica grew up under socialist rule. She helped the freedom fighters on her planet when the Republic invaded to liberate the planet from Javis. She played a major role in the destruction of a vital communications tower in the battle for Pangea. Eventually she marries Robert Griffin and they raise a family. Her father eventually becomes governor of Pangea.

**Middoni Giagua** was born on Galantos, Middoni and his brother wanted to become Bounty Hunters. They started out with that goal in mind shortly after the socialist invasion of their world and ended up working for the resistance. They realized that it would pay to steal information and technology from the socialists and did that for a number of years. They eventually captured a large warship which in turn they captured a shipyard and solar system which they turned into a very profitable business and became one of the wealthiest men in the galaxy.

**Muloki Giagua b** orn on Galantos, Muloki and his brother wanted to become Bounty Hunters. They started out with that goal in mind shortly after the socialist invasion of their world and ended up working for the resistance. They realized that it would pay to steal information and technology from the socialists and did that for a number of years. They eventually captured a large warship which in turn they used to capture a shipyard and solar system which they turned into a very profitable business and became one of the wealthiest men in the galaxy.

**Javis Zaragoza** is the son of Zarahemnah Zaragoza; he took control of the Socialist Alliance after his father's death. He preferred to rule from the front at Pangea rather than the traditional capital at Balsavis. He loves power and knowledge and seeks after it by controlling everything around him. He has black hair, black eyes and very pale skin as he does not spend much time outside of his fortresses or star ships.

**Rifgok** was once a Socialist governor of the planet Adaven. He declared the planet his own and set himself up as a self styled warlord and made the planet a hub for organized crime. He also became rather tyrannical towards his people forcing them to appeal to the Republic. One of Liberation Squadron's first missions was to help liberate the planet Adaven from Rifgok. He was killed by one of the citizens of his own world.

**Fontana D'or** was born on Rio Querino she would be considered attractive but she is very manipulative and seeks for power and wealth. She became one of the first female Generals in the Socialist Alliance and eventually took power after Javis's death. She had some success kidnapping children of important Republic officials and turning them to the Socialist causes. Emily Giagua being the most prominent one. She was also instrumental in making a short term alliance with the Alltradeuin Empire and convincing them to attack the Republic for her. The attack failed and because she had been at the root of it the Republic came after her and attacked Rio Querino, she almost escaped but was assassinated by Mathoni Griffin.

**Colonel Davis Kayne** is a native of Balsavis. He grew up as a normal child in the traditional Socialist Alliance capitol. At the age of 18 he joined the Navy as a fighter pilot. At 19 he and his commanding officer were the only survivors of a successful campaign against a pirate group. Kayne was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and was made second in command of his fighter unit. At 20 he was promoted to Major and given command of his own squadron. His squadron flew well and their skills were compared to the Republic's Guardian Force. At 24 he was promoted to Lt. Colonel and made a wing commander. Kayne's wing was extremely successful in missions against pirates and in protecting the Socialist planets that he soon came to the attention of the dictator Javis. He was promoted to the rank of Colonel at age 30 and made a member of Javis's personal staff. Colonel Kayne was on Pangea when the Republic attacked. He saw the writing on the wall when Javis's headquarters was invaded and he fled in his fighter to Balsavis.  
Once he learned that General Fontana D'or had survived the attack on Pangea, Kayne was successful in getting Balsavis to support her in her claim as the new leader of the Socialist Alliance. In gratitude for his work Fontana made Kayne a General and gave him the military governorship of the planet Balsavis. Upon the assassination of Fontana D'or General Kayne kept the peace on Balsavis for several weeks. Once it was clear to him that no one else had a claim to the title of Emperor of the Socialist Alliance General Kayne used his military authority to have him proclaimed Emperor. He ruled as a tyrant for a while until Eliar Meine found out that he had really been the one to have orchestrated the destruction of the planet Minus Tenu. Meine attacked Kayne in his own palace, but Kayne's security forces managed to get Kayne out of the building. Meine followed him, disabling his vehicle and killing his bodyguards. Kayne escaped into a museum where Meine found him again. Kayne pulled a sword off the wall and Meine followed suit. In a tremendous hand to hand combat throughout the corridors of the museum Meine eventually killed Kayne.

**Noah Macklan** grew up on Balsavis and was well educated in the state schools of the world. He served four years as an officer in the navy, part of the Intelligence division. After that he got a state job in the ministry of defense and intelligence. Under the reign of Emperor Kayne, Macklan was appointed head of the ministry. (Being a third cousin of the Emperor has its perks.) Shortly before the assassination of Emperor Kayne he had transmitted a message identifying Macklan as the one to succeed him should he die in combat. After the funeral for Emperor Kayne there was a ceremony to recognize Macklan as the new Emperor for the Socialist Alliance. Macklan's reign was short-lived. Teomnor Griffin came to Balsavis with troops to claim the throne since his biological grandfather was Zarahemnah Zaragoza. A Civil War broke out and Macklan was forced into hiding. His own mother sided against him, and with the support of Teomnor's troops went into Macklan's bunker and spanked her son soundly. In humiliation he surrendered to Teomnor and was never seen again.

**Admiral William Mayhew** was about the only good thing the out of the way world Milan ever produced. He grew up on a wheat farm where by the age of five he had reprogrammed the robotic harvesters to do all of the work that his father had given him. At the age of fifteen he knew as much as most of his teachers, but they wouldn't let him graduate until he was sixteen. After graduation he decided that he wanted to join the Navy, and applied to the Naval Academy on Balsavis, but they turned him down refusing to accept anyone under eighteen. So in the meantime he lied about his age and got a position with the local militia flying a fighter. At the age of eighteen he went to the Naval Academy at Balsavis and within three years graduated top in his class and was given the position of Executive Officer onboard a Medium Class Warship. It was in those first couple years working as an XO that he set his goals on becoming an Admiral. It was while he was a Captain onboard an MCW that Javis was killed at Pangea. He was a Commodore when Fontana was assassinated. A Rear Admiral when Emperor Kayne was murdered, and shortly thereafter his good friend Emperor Macklan promoted him to full Admiral and he was put in command of the entire fleet. Feeling that his lifelong ambitions have been fulfilled Mayhew was a happy man. He was disappointed to see Macklan spanked, but loyally served under Emily Giagua the latest director of the Socialists. After Emily's leaving and the civil war brought on by Teomnor Griffin Zaragoza Mayhew was able to get himself elected as the Chief Judge and ruler of the Socialist Alliance.

**Eliar Meine** is a trained Assassin who spent his life on Minus Tenu under a special WeapSpecs operation to create the perfect soldier. Muscular enhancements, Bone hardening, and ocular implants are only a short list of the many that were performed on 60 candidates, yet many did not survive the upgrades. Eliar along with 32 remained to form an elite division of soldiers sporting an unknown Crystalline Alloy armor which is nearly impervious to conventional weapons fire when the shield is done, and with a refractive coating across the midnight cerulean blue armor, makes him highly resistant to laser fire. A shield system covers his body which can withstand a serious amount of damage including a fall from 400 meters straight down combined with a HydroStatic Gel which conforms to his body around the polymer jumpsuit which also acts like a secondary armor. He had loyally served the Socialist Alliance until he found out that they had destroyed his home world of Minus Tenu in order to cover up a biological weapon that had gotten out of control. They blamed the incident on the Republic and Eliar assassinated Coglistio Boronaught because of it. Shortly thereafter he met Allena Dartin of the Alltradeuin Empire who showed him proof that the Republic had been framed and it was really the Socialists who had burned their own world. This information led Eliar to give his allegiance to the Alltradeuin Empire and help them become a military force to be reckoned with in the galaxy. When the opportunity presented itself he murdered Davis Kayne for the actual destruction of Minus Tenu. Eliar would eventually find that there were some survivors on Minus Tenu and he had them join the Alltradeuin Empire. Eventually he and Allena Dartin would marry.

**Admiral Tonin Julius Meine** is of average height and build but has a distinguished and commanding presence. Tonin has seen his share of war on the front lines of the Imperial navy and rose through the ranks quickly for his prowess and more his strategic nature when dealing with difficult situations. He was granted the title of Grand Admiral and placed in charge of a new mission to claim new dimensions and alternate universes which led him and his fleet to the realm of the Galactic Republic Alliance and Socialist Alliance. He set in motion plans to expand and carved out a portion of the universe for his own territory. With the way home shattered in an assault by the forces of the universe Tonin decided to appoint himself Emperor of the Alltradeuin Empire and expand militarily for his own desires and reasons. He could instill confidence in troops and didn't mind getting his hands dirty, both with discipline and with issues on his ship though he soon became comfortable sitting on Kasian Prime in the fortress throne room giving out orders to his forces and ensuring the stability of the Empire and his conquests. His death came by the hands of Allena Dartin after he was possessed by an Alien diplomat who forced his hands to begin the extermination of all life in the universe before the Swarm arrived.

**Ezra Romanov** is a brilliant but somewhat insane scientist who works for the Socialist alliance developing their most deadly weapons. He is the lone survivor of his scientific outpost during the attack on Rio Querino. He escapes and eventually becomes the Minister of Science for the socialists.

**Renna Marras** is a very strong, but not very attractive woman. She spends most of her time by herself on her transport The Dream Light. She is a trader, sometimes smuggler, but she always gets the goods there. It is rumored that she has friends in high places. And occasionally in a good mood she'll help the Republic out, at least when they're helping her.

**Rann Nishmani** stands about 5'11" and is of a medium build, is bald and has grey eyes. He wears bright colorful robes with the insignia of the Nishmani Family Traders, which has been in disuse for about 15 years. He is a humble merchant, peddling his wares across the galaxy, dreaming of the day he can ditch selling cloths and move into the cargo he desires most, J'Sibb marine delicacies, especially the Orange Gormak and the Crested Jibb. Rann was born of Narau and Svimhoj Nishmani, both interplanetary merchants who were killed when pirates boarded their ship in a raid and slaughtered most of the crew. Rann was 5 at the time and escaped death by Svimhoj secreting him in a stowage locker in an unused cargo bay. Rann was found by a passing freighter that responded to the distress signal. The captain, a man named Vorzhon Reiss, took pity on the boy and the other survivors and accepted them on his own vessel, as he was shorthanded after the last shore leave saw another freighter poach a large number of his crew. Reiss died about 2 years ago of old age, and Rann has been drifting, moving small quantities of cloth around to sell. What Rann does not realize is that he is a brain washed Socialist agent.

**Captain Bemer** is a trader of the Galactic Republic. He captains the heavily modified freighter The Farseer, trading among the farther reaches of Galactic Republic space. There are rumors that Capt. Bemer and The Farseer have been involved with several delicate Galactic Republic missions...but these seem to only be rumors. However the incident with the notorious (now late) pirate Stephens seems to suggest that Capt. Bemer and the Farseer are far more capable then their simple exterior surface suggest.

**Commodore Keyes** is a brilliant commander for the Republic who helped plan the battles of Pangea and Rio Querino. He is loyal to the Republic but often uses connections inside the Socialist Alliance and Alltradeuin Empire to further the cause of the Republic and his own agenda. Despite this he is a popular man who many believe will eventually be head of the Republic Navy.

**Captain Dawson** is Commander of a Republic Class Warship.

**Captain Schriver** is Commander of a Republic Class Warship.

**John Strife** was a hard core bounty hunter who worked mostly for the Socialist Alliance. He was an easy hire for an assassination as he did the job right and no one traced who originally hired him. He spent some of his money on buying land on a newly discovered world called Atlantis II (the second planet in the system). Being one of the very first settlers he easily set himself up as the planet's president. He does all he can to stay neutral in galactic issues making the planet an ideal place for business and trade agreements.

**Commodore Gobi Liszt** is a Brilliant fleet commander for the Republic who continually turns down promotions being happy where he is at. At heart he is a cowboy.

**General Peter Ruger** is an older military man who runs a large militia of mercenaries. He is battle hardened and will do anything for the right price. He relies heavily on his second in command Colonel Vonschnieder.

**Colonel Max Vonschnieder** is second in command of the Merc Militia. He is also a battle hardened man who cares little about anyone else.

Chapter 4

Essential Ships of The Keeper's Universe

There are of course infinite types of ships in the galaxy. This list is just the most common ones seen.

Fighters:

SS-19 Thunderbird

Length: 6 meters

Shields: Heavy

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 4 laser cannons and 2 torpedo tubes with 4 torpedoes per tube

Description: The SS-19 Thunderbird is the galaxy's most popular fighter. It is long and angular with two large pod engines mounted on either side of the fuselage. It is powerful and carries a fairly heavy payload of weapons. One of the reasons it is so popular is that the weapons system is easily modified and it is easy to transfer power between systems that need more or less.

SS-18 Space Hawk

Length: 6 meters

Shields: Medium

Armor: Medium

Weapons: 2 laser cannons and 2 torpedo tubes with 4 torpedoes per tube

Description: The SS-18 Space Hawk is very similar to the 19 except that it is smaller and more capable in atmosphere. It also does not have a hyperdrive and is used only in planetary defense forces

Raptor

Length: 6 meters

Shields: Medium

Armor: Medium

Weapons: 2 Gatling guns, 4 small missiles

Description: The Raptor is and older style fighter. It has a triangular shape with massive engines on the back and an angular cockpit in the front. The ship is cheap to manufacture and is easily modified. Some Raptors have hyperdrives, but most do not.

Vulture

Length: 8 meters

Shields: Very Heavy

Armor: Very Heavy

Weapons: 6 heavy laser cannons, 4 torpedo tubes 6 torpedoes per tube

Description: The Vulture is the Socialist Alliance's elite fighter. Shaped like a bird of prey. Because of the extreme cost of the ships and because it is a two man fighter, one pilot and one gunner not a whole lot are in use and it is only flown by the Socialist Alliance's best pilots.

MM-22 Pangean Fighter

Length: 8 meters

Shields: Very Heavy

Armor: Very Heavy

Weapons: 6 heavy laser cannons, 4 torpedo tubes 6 torpedoes per tube

Description: The MM-22 Pangean Fighter designed by Robert Griffin and used only in the Republic's elite Guardian Force. It has a rounded center fuselage with powerful engines. The pilot bubble sits a little higher than the average fighter giving the pilot a full view around him, and the rounded aerodynamic wings curve down and away from the center of the ship.

MM-202 Falcon Fighter

Length: 10 Meters

Shields: Very Heavy

Armor: Very Heavy

Weapons: 8 Laser Cannons, 4 torpedo tubes 6 torpedoes per tube

Description: The MM-202 is much like the MM-22, just a little larger and it seats two; one pilot and one gunner. This allows the pilot to focus on flying and the gunner to target enemies making the MM-202 a formidable fighter.

Capital Warships

Grand Admiral Class Warship

Length: 5 Kilometers

Decks: 100

Shields: Very Heavy

Armor: Very Heavy

Weapons: 5000 heavy laser cannons, 1000 torpedo tubes 4 torpedoes per tube

Carrying Capacity: 24 squads of fighters, 10,000 troops, plus crew

Description: The Grand Admiral Class Warship is the flagship of the Republic Navy. The cost of construction makes it such that the Republic only has one at a time. The ship is gently curved and has a plow shaped head.

Republic Class Warship

Length: 1.5 Kilometers

Decks: 50

Shields: Very Heavy

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 1000 heavy laser cannons, 400 torpedo tubes 4 torpedoes per tube

Carrying Capacity: 6 squads of fighters, 5,000 troops, plus crew

Description: The Republic Class Warship is the Republic's most common capitol ship. The ship is elongated and has a lot of curves.

Doomsday Class Warship

Length: 2.5 Kilometers

Shields: Very Heavy

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 5000 heavy laser cannons, 100 torpedo tubes 4 torpedoes per tube

Carrying Capacity: 24 squads of fighters, 10,000 troops, plus crew

Description: The Doomsday Class Warship is used only by the Socialist Alliance except for a fleet owned by the Giagua Corporation. The ship is arrowhead shaped and the Socialists have a large number of them.

Socialist Battleship

Length: 1.5 Kilometers

Shields: Heavy

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 1000 heavy laser cannons, 500 torpedo tubes 4 torpedoes per tube

Carrying Capacity: 8 squads of fighters, 2000 troops, plus crew

Description: The Socialist Battleship is the backbone of the Socialist Alliance fleet. It is armed with hundreds of weapons and is a little longer than a kilometer. It has a traditional naval battleship shape.

Medium Class Warship

Length: 500 meters

Shields: Heavy

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 400 heavy laser cannons

Carrying Capacity: 2 squads of fighters, 100 troops, plus crew of 200

Description: The Medium Class Warship is used throughout the galaxy. It is very boxy in shape and carries most of its weapons on the front. The weapons are set on reels in order to keep up continuous fire while the cannons recharge.

Frigate

Length: 300 Meters

Shields: Heavy

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 100 heavy laser cannons

Carrying Capacity: 1 squad of fighters, 50 troops

Description: The Frigate is a small capitol ship used by everyone as a patrol ship and escort for fighters. It is also easily modified for unique uses.

Troop Transport

Length: 700 Meters

Shields: Heavy

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 100 heavy laser cannons

Carrying Capacity: 10,000 troops, plus crew, twelve tanks, six attack shuttles

Description: The Troop Transport is a common ship used only for transporting troops. It is capable of making ground landings where it transforms into a garrison with all of its one hundred laser cannons mounting on defensive towers and turrets.

Attack Shuttle

Length: 30 Meters

Shields: Heavy

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 10 heavy laser cannons; 8 torpedo tubes, 4 torpedoes per tube

Carrying Capacity: 12 soldiers plus crew of 4

Description: The Attack Shuttle is heavily armed and armored and is used to carry small amounts of troops and supplies. It is fast and sleek. The civilian shuttle is a stripped down version.

Bulk Freighter

Length: 400 Meters

Shields: Medium

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 4 heavy laser cannons

Carrying Capacity: 10,000 Tons of cargo plus crew of 4

Description: A Bulk Freighter is a giant set of cargo containers stacked inside a framework with a cab on one end and a giant engine on the other.

Transport Cruiser

Length: 200 Meters

Shields: Light

Armor: Light

Weapons: None

Carrying Capacity: 400 passengers plus crew of 8

Description: A Transport Cruiser is used for carrying civilians from one spaceport to another. It is a combination bus and jumbo jet.

Monarch Battle Cruiser

Length: 500 Meters

Shields: Medium

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 200 Torpedo tubes, 4 torpedoes per tube. 300 heavy laser cannons

Carrying Capacity: 2 Squads of fighters (usually Raptors) 1 legion of troops, plus crew of 100

Description: The Monarch Battle Cruiser is a medium sized egg shaped ship. It usually works in conjunction with several other ships at one time.

Notes: The Monarch Battle Cruiser was the standard of warships for over a thousand years.

**Nosh Battle Stations** are common throughout the galaxy. They are giant cube shaped space stations with about five hundred laser cannons per side. It can also hold one squad of fighters. It is known for its extreme strength, durability, and power.

Alltradeuin Empire Ships

The Alltradeuin Empire having arrived from another dimension of course have their own variety of ships. The most common are listed here.

**Capital Ships** :

Buster Blitz Mk I

Length: 4 Kilometers

Shields: Omni-I

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 300 HVEM Plasma Cannons, 1,000 Heavy Laser Cannons, 600 Ion Cannons, 1,000 Torpedo Tubes 500 Quad Anti-Fighter Cannons

Carrying Capacity: 4 Assault Shuttles, 300 Stormtroopers

Description: The first Capital ship killer, the Buster was designed to destroy ships from outside the enemy's range of assault, making any retaliation useless. They were the backbone of the Imperial Ship forces, capable of planetary bombardments and long range assaults using their plasma weaponry.

Buster Blitz Mk II

Length: 5 Kilometers

Shields: Dark Shields

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 500 HVEM Plasma Cannons, 1,000 Heavy Laser Cannons, 200 Ion Cannons, 1,200 Torpedoes Tubes, 700 Quad Anti-Fighter Cannons

Carrying Capacity: 1 Wing of Fighters, 5 Assault Shuttles, 500 Stormtroopers

Description: Meant as the replacement for the Mark I's aging fleet, the Mark II's boasted better weapons and advanced shields. They continue to serve the Imperial forces as a main capital ship.

Scorpion Medium Destroyer

Length: 6 Kilometers

Shields: Omni-V

Armor: Medium

Weapons: 50 HVEM Plasma Cannons, 400 Mark II Laser cannons, 100 Mark II Ion cannons, 500 torpedo tubes, 200 Quad Anti-Fighter Cannons

Carrying Capacity: 4 Wings of Fighters, 100 Assault Shuttles, 2,500 Stormtroopers, Various Support Armor

Description: While a medium based destroyer, the Scorpion has had a long and successful track record of being able to deal out impressive damage while soaking it up. They are kept on defensive rolls around planets and installations for their ability to accelerate faster than any other large warship because of their larger engines to intercept enemy targets.

Puma Light Cruiser

Length: 3 Kilometers

Shields: Omni-III

Armor: Light

Weapons: 200 Mark II Laser cannons, 50 Mark II Ion cannons, 100 Torpedo tubes

Carrying Capacity: 2 Wings of Fighters, 5 Assault Shuttles, 800 Stormtroopers, Various Support Armor

Description: Easy to manufacture and relatively cheap, the Puma acted like a protective screen during large scale battles to allow larger more dangerous ships to counter-strike with more lethal force. Upon the development of the Omni-V and Dark Shields, the Puma's were put on sentry and convoy duty because of their fast engines, strong defensive armament as well as their advanced navigation systems.

Lancer Anti-Fighter Frigate

Length: 1 Kilometer

Shields: Dark Shields

Armor: Medium

Weapons: 150 Mark II Quad Fighter Laser cannons, 100 Mark II Independent Laser Cannons, 20 Mark II Ion cannons

Carrying Capacity: 3 Squadrons of Fighters, 5 Assault Shuttles, 200 Stormtroopers

Description: The Anti-fighter frigate boasts impressive counter measures against fighter squadrons with its quad cannons and high speed mobility platforms. Advanced sensors allow the Lancer to predict the movements of fighters in the evasion patterns and lock onto the distinct trademarks of hundreds of fighters at the same time and feed the information to the entire fleet so that other larger ships are able to bring down the dangerous craft.

Splinter Anti-Fighter Gunship

Length: 1.5 Kilometers  
Shields: Dark Shields  
Armor: Medium  
Weapons: 100 Quad Anti-Fighter Cannons, 50 Mark II Pulse Laser Cannons, 30 Mark II Ion Cannons

Carrying Capacity: 2 Squadrons of Fighters, 3 Assault Shuttles, 100 Stormtroopers

Description: Developed later in the era after the 2nd Socialist war, the Splinter Anti-Fighter Gunship was the next stage in Fleet and planetary defense. Their engines were built around the designs of the SLAM system and in doing so, could reach speeds of 300% above their normal velocity, making them more an interceptor capital ship then a protector.

Cicca Corvette Mk I

Length: 650 Meters

Shields: Omni-IV

Armor: Medium

Offensive Weapons: 30 Medium Laser Cannons, 2 Ion Cannons, 5 Torpedo Tubes, 10 Quad Anti-Fighter Cannons

Carrying Capacity: 1 Squadron of Fighters, 100 Stormtroopers

Description: Developed early on in the Imperial database, the Cicca Corvette has a long standing history of aiding frigates, Dreadfire class capital ships in patrols, as well as providing protective screens for capital ships during major engagements. The corvette was designed to be a smaller more efficient means of supporting shipping lanes and keeping the empire safe from pirates and unwanted guests. Their speed matches that of the Scorpion Destroyer and has the power to take down fighters and pirate vessels

Schimitar Diplomatic Vessel

Length: 150 Meters

Shields: Medium

Armor: Light

Weapons: 10 Light Laser Cannons, 4 Torpedo Tubes

Carrying Capacity: 2 Assault Shuttles, 25 Stormtroopers

Description: Created as a means for Ambassadors and diplomatic representatives to move throughout the universe, the Schimitar became a universally acknowledged ship as a means of being both a smooth, fast ship and capable of defending itself. Both the GRA and SA put in orders for Schimitar's.

Dreadfire Juggernaut

Length: 2.5 Kilometers

Shields: Omni-III

Armor: Medium

Weapons: 150 Mark II Laser cannons, 100 Mark II Ion Cannons, 70 Torpedo Tubes, 100 Quad Anti-Fighter Cannons

Carrying Capacity: 2 Squadrons of Fighters, 25 Assault Shuttles, 800 Stormtroopers

Description: One of the oldest capital ships of the Alltradeuin Empire. The Dreadfire has seen action for over a hundred years with many modifications as newer models came out. Solid construction and good engines made it a prime choice for supply convoy protection and many Imperial shipments would not have arrived without the support of the Dreadfire. The outer hull was re-enforced with cross bracing and honeycombed with additional alloys, giving it incredible sturdiness against enemy fire and an elegant shape allowed it to nearly become invisible against the backdrop of space.

Super Ships:

Shadow

Length: 12 Kilometers

Shields: Dark Shields

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 8 MAC Guns, 6 EMP Cannons, 4 Charged Particle Cannon, 700 HVEM Plasma Cannons, 4,500 Heavy Mark II Plasma Cannons, and 2,000 Ion Mark II Cannons, 3,000 Missile Tubes, 4 Gravity Well Generators, 1,000 Quad Anti-Fighter cannons

Carrying Capacity: 25 Wings of Fighter squads, 2,500 Assault Shuttles, 80,000 Trooper Insertion Pods, 150,000 Storm Troopers, 2,000 Dark Troopers, 3,000 Hyperion Armors

Description: Shadow was the first Super Class ship to roll out of production as a flagship to Emperor Tonin Meine. It saw action in over two dozen combat engagements and inspired both fear and respect when detected on sensors. It remained stationary in Kasian Space as a beacon of Imperial Might and while the Emperor was on planet.

Ultra Ships:

Zeus

Length: 50 Kilometers

Shields: Dark Shields

Armor: Obsidian Minera

Weapons: 1 Super Laser, 5,000 HVEM Plasma Cannons, 1,000 Mk II Particle Cannons, 11,000 Heavy Laser Cannons, 25,000 Mk II Ion Cannons, 5,000 Torpedo Tubes, 1,000 Quad Anti-Fighter Cannons

Carrying Capacity: 1 Super Ship (If necessary) 25 Wings of Fighters, 500 Assault Shuttles, 200,000 Stormtroopers, Various Armor support

Description: Zeus was originally intended to be designed as a historical vessel importing the events of the Alltradeuin Empire from the first few centuries to recent times. Mid construction, Emperor Tonin Meine decided that it's power sources seems to be an overkill and decided to convert the ship to perform a dual task of both museum, and an assault vessel of unimaginable proportions. It wasn't brought online till after the Swarm Invasion and was crucial in the final defense of Minus Tenu in the old dimension. It was believed destroyed, along with the rest of the universe to halt the Swarm, but turned up in the new universe. It now acts as a support vessel and training ground, along with a mobile platform for defense against aggressors.

Fighters:

Saix Light Fighter

Length: 6 meters

Shields: None

Armor: Light

Weapons: 2 Mark II Particle Cannons

Description: Designed as a fast attack fighter, the Saix employ one of the fastest engines designed by the Empire and are designed for Planetary defense to slow down invasions till main forces return.

Their armor is extremely light, allowing their speed to dramatically increase, but they are fragile because of the design shape and armor density.

Hazi Medium Fighter

Length: 7 meters

Shields: Omni-Tech V

Armor: Medium

Weapons: 4 Mark II Plasma cannons, 2 Mark II Ion cannons, 2 Concussion Missile Tubes

Description: The Hazi is mainly a deploy-able fighter from Carriers as a defensive fighter for convoys. Their armor and weapons deter pirates in the outer sectors of Imperial space, and the shields can withstand quite a beating against capital ships.

Hyperion Mk I Heavy Fighter

Length: 10 meters

Shields: Omni-Tech V

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 4 Mark II Plasma cannons, 4 Mark II Ion cannons, Plasma Torpedoes tubes

Description: The mainstay fighter of the Imperial space forces. The Hyperion fought in nearly every battle or war within the universe against the GRA and SA as was rated Number 1 fighter two years in a row before being decommissioned for the next generation in Hyperion.

Hyperion Mk II Heavy Fighter

Length: 12 meters

Shields: Omni-Tech V

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 4 Mark II Plasma Cannons forward, 2 Back, 4 Mark II Ion Cannons, 4 Plasma Concussion Missiles and Cluster Missiles tubes

Description: Replacing the Mark I, the Mark II became even more of a threat in space as well as in atmosphere with the upgraded surface wings to provide better maneuverability to fight atmo-bound fighters.

Lager Bomber

Length: 14 meters

Shields: Omni-V

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 2 Mark II Plasma cannons, 4 Missile pods, 4 rocket pods

Description: The Imperials light bomber, a good mainstay in Capital ship bombardment and ground sieges in helping troopers achieve superiority. The Bomber was replaced after three years in the Great Refit to add a stronger bomber and to decrease bomber losses.

Organic Ships from the world of Tanis:

Blade Fighter

Length: 2 to 8 meters depending on how old the ship is

Shields: Absorption

Armor: Organic

Offensive Weapons: 4 Bio-Lasers, 2 HVEM Plasma Cannons, 2 VES Blades

Description: Created in the genetic laboratories of Tanis, the Blade fighter was designed to support and back up the Scythe battleships as fighter defense, but because they have been fused with the Empire's HVEM technology, they can also be used to counter against capital ships since they do not posses missile capabilities. Seen action only 4 times, the Blades performed above expectations and with their startling ability to absorb enemy and ally fire alike to boost their weapon functions, they were assigned top defensive positions in the Empire.

Scythe Battleship

Length: 50 to 300 meters depending on how old the ship is

Shields: Absorption

Armor: Organic

Offensive Weapons: 500 Bio-Lasers, 50 Bio-Plasma Cannons

Carrying Capacity: 2 Wings of Blades

Tactical History: Designed after the break through with the Blade fighters, and under orders of Emperor Tonin Meine, a capital ship was created to boast superior firepower to the Blades and act as a full assault ship. They served on the border patrols and were quite vicious in attacking ships without an Imperial FOF tag. Because of their shape and nature, sensors cannot detect them, and from visual data only shows large masses of grey matter. Each Scythe class is different from each other depending on the nutrients added to the cocoon at different stages

Command Ship

Length: 300 to 1,000 meters depending on how old the ship is

Shields: Absorption

Armor: Organic

Offensive Weapons: 1,000 Bio-Lasers, 200 Bio-Plasma Cannons

Carrying Capacity: 6 Wings of Blades

Description: Noting that while Scythe Battleships did provide a central hub for co-ordination among the intelligent and sophisticated Blades, they slowed down their own processes to ensure maximum efficiency. The Command ship was developed as its name states, command. Using higher neural pathways spliced with sequencers, the Command Ship was able to create diverse tactics and co-ordinate more Scythe and Blades.

Support Ships:

Dagger Dropships

Length: 25 meters

Shields: None

Armor: Heavy

Offensive Weapons: 2 Rocket Pods, 2 Vulcan chain guns

Carrying Capacity: 20 Stormtroopers, 2 Speeders

Description: The Dagger Dropship was first employed in the first days of the Socialist War as the alternative to the Assault Shuttle. Fast and heavily armored, it could provide cover fire while troops disembarked and could take a beating before being downed. Because there is no shield system, the Empire decided to mount a pair of Imperial Speeders to add armor on the ground for fast recon and intrusion missions.

Assault Shuttles

Length: 30 meters

Shields: Medium

Armor: Heavy

Offensive Weapons: 2 Independent Laser Cannons, 2 Rocket Pods

Carrying Capacity: 35 Stormtroopers

Description: The backbone of the Imperial ground forces deployment fleet. Bulky and large, they can take a pounding from ground fire and still land though their size comes at a price for speed and lack of heavy armament hampers their offensive nature and are desired targets for enemies.

T.I.P. Unit

Length: 3 meters

Shields: None

Armor: Medium

Weapons: None

Carrying Capacity: 1 Stormtrooper

Description: Used since quick insertion was needed to invade planets and secure landing zones for more troops, the **T** rooper **I** nsertion **P** od allows the Empire to do so. Fired above close orbit from capital ships, they have a total flight time of 7 minutes before hitting ground and allowing the trooper to move out.

Chapter 5

Ground Vehicles

If you can imagine it, it exists. The wheel is a timeless invention; all we have really accomplished in thousands of years of wheeled vehicles is better machines on top of the wheels and better roadways for them to run on. Hover vehicles have of course eliminated the requirement of roads and rails, but there is always the need for organized flow of traffic. Hover vehicles still follow designated roadways and flight patterns. Bicycles will always be an efficient means of inner-city travel, not to mention a good form of exercise and enjoyment. As civilian vehicles are even more varied than you would see on Earth today this chapter will describe the most common military vehicles.

Troop Transport

Size: 12 meters

Armor: Medium

Weapons: 4 Auto-canons

Carrying Capacity: 1 squad of soldiers

Top Speed: 100 kph

**Hover Tank**

Size: 12 Meters

Armor: Heavy

Weapons: 1 Heavy laser cannon, 6 light laser cannons.

Top Speed: 70 kph

Hover Copter

Size: 15 meters

Armor: Medium

Weapons 4 medium laser cannons

Top Speed: 500 kph

ATV

Size: 1 meter

Armor: Light

Weapons: 2 light laser cannons

Top Speed: 50 kph

Assault Bikes

Size: 1.5 meters

Armor: Light

Top Speed KPH: 200 kph

Weapons: 2 Auto-tracking Laser cannons

Carrying Capacity: 1 rider

Speeders

Size: 2 meters

Armor: Light

Top Speed KPH: 500 kph

Weapons: 1 Auto-cannon

Carrying Capacity: 4 soldiers

Walkers

Size: 15 meters

Armor: Medium

Top Speed KPH: 30 kph

Weapons: 4 Laser cannons, 1 Ion Cannon, 1 rocket pack

Carrying Capacity: 2 soldiers

Alltradeuin Vehicles

MAC Tank

Size: 13 meters

Armor: Heavy

Top Speed KPH: 40 kph

Weapons: 2 MAC guns, two mountable machine gun turrets, 1 laser cannon

LMV Jeep

Size: 4 meters

Armor: Light

Top Speed KPH: 140 kph

Weapons: Variable between Machine gun, miniature MAC gun, rocket pod

Chapter 6

Military Personnel and Soldiers

We can go on and on about the ships and vehicles and tanks and all of the cool stuff that people ride in and fly around the galaxy with. But all of those cool things require an operator. The individuals are the heart of the universe and the only reason that stories are worth telling. So yes, while this section will deal with broad types of individuals every one of them still has a story to tell. Maybe you can help share their story.

GRA Marines

The Marines of the Galactic Republic Alliance are among the toughest men and women in the galaxy. They are completely loyal to the ideals of the Republic and take their job of protecting the fleet and worlds of the Republic very seriously. They wear armor that protects them from most melee weapons and typical projectile and energy weapons. The marines are trained in the thin atmosphere and harsh conditions on the planet Kronsk. They live by the motto Do or Die.

Guardian Force

Guardian Force is comprised of the best of the best from the Marines and the Starfighter Command. Not only are they required to have exceptional skills in a starfighter and on the ground, but they must have an undying passion for doing what is right and fighting against tyranny in all forms. There is usually 72 members of Guardian Force at a time, six squads of twelve. Guardian Force is typically the behind enemy lines unit of the Republic's military. On unsanctioned missions they disguise themselves as the Birds of Prey Pirates. Their motto is Libero Gravatus, or Liberate the Oppressed. Guardian Force headquarters is at a secret space station in deep space called Eagle's Nest.

GRA Army

The Army of the Galactic Republic is a well oiled fighting machine. They are responsible for the defense of all Republic planets. Their numbers are several million strong. All capable citizens of the Republic must serve two years in the army at the age of eighteen unless they wish to serve four year terms in any other section of the military. Having all citizens trained in military tactics and weapons helps reduce crime and creates an environment on the ground that would be impossible for an enemy to control the planet. These laws were enacted after the last Socialist invasion.

GRA Navy

The Navy of the Republic crews the hundreds of capital ships that patrol and defend the Republic and their interests. Members of the Navy must serve a minimum four year term and the Republic works hard to train as many of them as career Navy personal as possible. Good pay and benefits are provided for members of the Navy who are willing to make a career out of service in space. Every member of a ship is essential and the training to learn your role is rigorous.

GRA Starfighter Command

The Starfighter Command is an essential part of the defense of the Republic. All capital ships, space stations, and planets have squads of fighters assigned to them. The fighter pilots have the exciting chance to run cover for the capital ships, provide cover for any ground forces and are usually the first ones sent into a hot spot. The job is fast and thrilling, but life expectancy is short.

SA Navy and Marines

The Socialist Alliance has a very streamlined military. But they are highly trained, effective and very deadly. The Navy and Marines staff the capital ships and starfighters of the Socialist Alliance. Training is extensive and done a secret location in deep space. Socialist Marines are well armed and wear a strong armor when on missions. They also excel at deep space penetration. Marines are dropped off at the point in space where ships are expected to exit hyperspace. The marines latch onto the ship and force their way in.

SA Army and Planetary Defense Forces

The Socialist Army and Defense Forces are recruited from some of the most intensely loyal members of the Alliance. Every member is passionate about the ideals of the Socialist Alliance and will do anything to protect their planets and the interests of the SA. Weapons and armor are issued as needed for what the mission requires.

**Alltradeuin** **Ground Forces:**

Alltradeuin troops are among the fiercest in the galaxy. They have almost all been genetically altered for their roles. They also wear color coordinated armor by their divisions. Colors are as follows:

White - Specialized in Snow assaults and cold weather tactics

Green - Specialized in Forest assaults and jungle tactics

Brown - Specialized in City assaults and urban tactics

Blue - Specialized in Recon missions and stealth tactics

Red - Specialized in Defense tactics and are Honor Guards

Black - Honorary Generals

Storm Troopers

Storm Troopers are the standard military forces designed for assault, defense and any mission that the Empire sees fit. They wear specially hardened body armor which is resilient against EMP attacks, chemical, biological and most physical attacks. Their helmets contain an advanced HUD along with a sophisticated communications array that allows them tactical feeds from across the battlefield as well as GPS set up. They work in platoons and squads, and are incredibly loyal to the Empire. All storm troopers are clones using the advanced technology of the Empire to enhance their reflexes, strength and speed. From the first day of training, each trooper is given a specific field of expertise: Standard, Sniper, Demolitions, and Stealth. They become experts in their field before they are assigned.

Special Ops

A select corp of Stormtroopers who have gone above and beyond their normal roles and those specially created for the program. They are assigned Tactical groups of 4, and train till they act like family. Unlike normal military, SpecOps are given higher grade armor, better weapons and special kits to accomplish their mission. They tend to go into battle scenarios before the normal troopers to disable or destroy key installations of the enemy. They are given more freedom and so most SpecOps soldiers customize their armor and weapons to match their personalities.

Quiedar

The Quiedar are an Ancient race of winged beasts, Quiedar were brought back into existence through cloning and hybrid manipulation by the Empire. Once a hierarchy was established, they were outfitted with armor and advanced sensors and detection gear to boost their already impressive natural abilities. Though many have trouble accepting Imperial Rule, they would not go against their leader's wishes and so fight with ferocity against the enemies of the Alltradeuin Empire.

Strikers

First generation Strikers were trained since children, though now candidates are accepted at any age suited for military induction. Strikers are the front line soldiers and the Generals of the Imperial forces on the ground for their expertise. Their bodies are modified to be stronger, faster, and able to withstand significant damage without cause for concern. Wearing specially designed armor, their battle tactics are second to none and no opposing force has every defeated them in hand to hand, or in guerilla warfare unless in overwhelming numbers. Their armor is equipped with shields and small jump jets for boosts in speed. Strikers carry a number of advanced weapons.

Hunters

Hunters are the snipers of the Alltradeuin Empire and are universally known for their lethality on the field, and their legendary status of never missing. Their bodies have been modified to have quicker reflexes, better eyesight and a steady hand. Their minds are sharpened so that they don't require a spotter for their missions. The lone wolves of the military, Hunters keep with their own, remain silent and complete their task and fade away to the next mission. Their armor is equipped with shields and camouflage netting.

Vazkar

The Vazkar are the Empire's breed of the parasite entity code named 'Shovian' in Striker-18, Eliar Meine. Due to the difficulty in producing such units and finding viable hosts, there is only a handful in service. The Vakzar carry a number of advanced weapons, but prefer melee combat.

Merc Militia

The Mercenary Militia is a group of soldiers who are exceptionally good at what they do. They have no moral scruples and are known throughout the galaxy for getting the job done. Their prices are high but once they have accepted a contract they carry through. Today they might work for you, and tomorrow they may try to kill you. They are a well equipped and well trained fighting force. They make their base on the planet Star's End.

Chapter 7

Weapons

It is amazing how much science advances through the development of new weapons. The development of bio weapons sometimes leads to the discovery of medicine. Nuclear weapons led to the development of nuclear power. Lasers can be used as weapons as well as for surgeries and other medical uses. Weapons are also essential for defense against those who would destroy you; whether that is a strange new animal just discovered on a new colony, or the invading armies of a foreign government. We could hope that the next few thousand years would do away with all war and that peace would reign, but as long as there are individuals who are willing to take up arms against someone else for what they believe in and believe that they have the right to force their opinions on others, war will always exist. This section will discuss the basic weapons of the galaxy. There are of course infinite varieties of weapons and you are welcome to imagine all you wish.

Lasers

**Light** : Found mostly on light frigates and corvettes as well as freighters, they are meant to deter small fighter craft or pirates from preying on them. They do not have any penetration value, though their recycle rate is extremely high, putting out more energy into space then other heavier weapons, yet under sustained fire, can destroy fighters and missiles.

**Medium** : The mainstay of cruiser class ships, medium lasers provide penetration and damage along with a decent recycle charge. Twice as powerful as a Light Laser, the gas mixture is slightly different to give the Medium laser a longer range.

**Heavy** : Battleships, Super ships and Heavy Cruisers use these weapons in anti-capital assaults and orbital bombardments. Large capacitors charge the energy required before delivering the blast.

**Pulse Laser** : Using small pockets of gas, mixed with energy output in concentrated bursts causes rapid darts of laser energy which has the output of light lasers, but continuous hits can cause serious kinetic damage to targets.

EMP Cannons

EMP Cannons are sometimes called Ion Cannons. Ion energy is designed to disable electronic systems and eat through shields of capital ships and fighters. Using a special gas, ionic particles are excited which causes an Electromagnetic field which is directed through a barrel much like a laser, except the EM energy is transferred as well. Many fighters have one or more of their laser cannons removed and are retrofitted with EMP cannons.

Torpedoes

Torpedoes are a large projectile weapon fired from a ship that causes major damage when it hits a target. They have a guidance system built into them that allows them to follow a target through space.

Hyperspace Missiles

A hyperspace missile is a massive warhead fitted onto a hyperspace capable missile. They are typically launched from planetary based silos, enter hyperspace once into orbit and exit hyperspace on top of a target causing massive amounts of damage that the enemy had no chance to prepare for. While a very powerful and effective weapon and particularly good at taking out targets like defensive space stations the weapon is very expensive to use since it involves the destruction of a hyperdrive.

Planetary lasers

Planetary laser cannons were developed as a defensive weapon. Strategically placed around a planet's surface they provide the ability for a planet to defend itself against large capital ships in orbit attempting to bombard the planet or to land troops. Most planets of any consequence have a few of these while more important or wealthy worlds have hundreds.

Incendiary

Incendiary weapons are created from a chemical combination of rare elements found only on the planets of Pangea and Atlantis II. When combined it bursts into a ball of flame that burns intensely hot and without oxygen until it consumes the materials it is burning, it burns hot enough to melt quickly through nearly all types of armor known to the universe. The process of creating incendiary weapons is expensive and slight accidents turn very deadly. It was originally intended to be a weapon used against incoming ships, but the process of firing incendiary weapons into orbit in a concentration large enough to do any damage resulted in the destruction of the facility from which it was fired. The incendiary rifle was developed for elite Republic troops. It fires eight small incendiary rounds before it must be reloaded in a secure environment.

Neutron Weapons

The Neutron bomb is the only nuclear type weapon not banned by the Treaty of Abregado. The neutron bomb releases an intense burst of radiation that wipes out all living things in its range, but leaves the structures. The radiation clears within hours and it is safe for living things to enter the affected area again.

Unique Alltradeuin Weapons

The Alltradeuin Empire has developed a number of high powered unique weapons that the rest of the galaxy desires to copy but is still far behind.

MAC guns

MAC guns were designed as an Anti-Capital ship weapon, the MAC round varies in weight between the Ship base 5,000 tons, and Planet Defense version 30,000 tons. They have the power to punch through shields and carve out brutal holes in ships. They are unguided and follow a straight trajectory at incredibly high velocities.

HVEM

HVEM stands for High Velocity Electro Magnetic. Used in conjunction with plasma cannons to fire a super concentrated beam of energy that slices through armor and can melt through multiple capital ships. Expanding plasma is forced through a series of energized coils compressing the energy and greatly expanding its destructive capabilities upon impact.

Chapter 8

Essential Technology

Our Grandparents could hardly imagine what the world of today would look like. For many thousands of year's technology was stagnant moving forward measured in centuries. The world we live in today the progress of technology is measure in weeks, days, sometimes even hours. I believe we can only begin to fathom what the future will look like in another three thousand years. We can barely imagine what great new thing tomorrow will bring. We live in a world of constant change, if you cannot adapt, you will be left behind to die. This chapter will discuss a few of the essential technological advancements mankind must make to be successful as we spread out across the stars.

Hyperdrive

We all know the theories of time dilation traveling at or near the speed of light. Traveling to another planet at light speed truly meant that you would leave everything you ever knew behind. Hundreds of years would pass on earth behind you. The technology you took with you on your ship would be considered antique before you even got to where you were going. Every single person you knew that had been left behind would be dead and their grandchildren would be having grandchildren. But fortunately for all those who dreamed of space travel and for all those who dreamed of leaving the planet Earth behind for a fresh start, a hyperdrive was invented. The hyperdrive opens a doorway that allows the ship to travel through space and time faster than the speed of light. The time you spend in hyperspace is nearly identical to the time that passes for the rest of the galaxy. Of course it can still take many days to travel from one side of the galaxy to the other, but travel between neighboring star systems is measured in hours.

Instantaneous Universal Communication

The first exploration ships that left Earth did so without an effective means of communication. Explorers like Pahoran Hardy went out, found worlds and then hyperspaced back to Earth to report on it, beating their radio signals by years. The first colony ships had the same problem. It was months and years for transmissions to be sent and received from Earth to the various colonies. This left the colonies on their own and caused some panic when transmissions from Earth ceased altogether. A great many scientists throughout the colonized worlds began to work on creating some form of interplanetary communication that was near to instantaneous as possible. The IUC device worked on some of the same principles as the hyperdrive. It opened a gate in space and time and passed communication signals between devices. A network of IUC's was formed around the galaxy regardless of political differences between worlds once again tying the galaxy together instead of each colony being completely separate from all the rest. The IUC more than any other technology has helped form the galactic governments.

Energy Shields

Flying through space at incredible speeds is a very dangerous thing. One small rock or piece of debris could puncture your ship and leave you dead or drifting to die a terrible death. The earliest ships were very heavily armored with thick hulls to prevent this. But the heaviness of the ships hulls made it nearly impossible to land and take off again from a planet. Long range ships with heavy armor would dock with space stations and transfer their cargo to lighter ships that would drop into the atmosphere. The earliest energy shields were simply dubbed force fields. They consumed mass amounts of power and were only turned on only when incoming threats to the ship were detected. As the technology improved and the power ratio improved they were used more and more often and were simply dubbed, shields. There are a wide variety of shields depending on the power source and how strong and effective the shield is. The most effective shields are generally found on medium sized ships and shuttles as they can balance the power needs with ship size.

Anti-gravity

The ability to control gravity and create artificial gravity is essential to long term life in space. Humans living aboard a capital ship or space station for long periods of time would lose the muscles and skeletal structure needed for life on a planet. The machines that generate artificial gravity have made life very comfortable for those who live their life in space while also giving them the ability to land on a planet without having to undergo major physical therapy. The same technology that creates gravity on a ship can also be used to break the gravity of a planet and assist the ships in lifting off and flying. The aerodynamics of a ship is not as important as the strength of its gravity generators in getting a large ship off of the surface of a planet.

Nano-bots

Nan- bots are microscopic robots. They of course have unlimited potential but their greatest and most common use has been in the field of medicine. Medicine over the ages has prolonged human life to the point where most people live comfortably into their early hundreds. New diseases are constantly popping up and cures are constantly being found. Nano-bots have been designed to aid the immune system. They take cues from the body's natural defenses and immensely speed up the process of healing, to the point where you can watch major injuries close and begin to heal. A very small dose is often given in hospitals, but it is a very costly treatment. For the ultra rich a large dose can be given as preventative medicine, making the individual nearly invincible until the nano-bots wear out. The nano-bots typically function at full capacity for about two years before wearing out. The body flushes the dead machines with the rest of its waste.

Teleportation

Teleportation is a more recent technological development. It was first developed by a coalition of the scientists sequestered away on the planet Atlantis II. The teleportation device connects two platforms together to send living beings instantly from point a to point b. It requires a great amount of power and has a range limited to within a solar system. It is rumored that a Socialist Alliance scientist may have discovered a way to teleport without a receiving platform.

Cloaking devices

Cloaking devices bend light around an object rendering them invisible to the naked eye. There are cloaking devices that also hide the object from all kinds of sensors. Cloaking devices were declared illegal under the Treaty of Abregado, brokered between the Galactic Republic, Socialist Alliance and several other independent worlds. (The treaty also forbids conventional nuclear weapons.) With the ban of cloaking devices the galaxy lost the ability to create the technology and it mostly became a legend that it had ever existed. The Alltradeuin Empire never signed the treaty and is rumored to have the ability to create a cloaking device, but the power requirements are enormous.

A.I.

Most beings of Artificial Intelligence have come into existence on accident and are impossible to recreate. Most AI beings are also trapped within a computer or within a network of computers. They are programs that did a great many things and through some sort of shock or accident developed self awareness. The computer program that operated most of the systems on Robert Griffin's starfighter came to life after a crash. He named himself Byte and while once confined to the starship now roams free in the intergalaxy network working loyally for Robert Griffin. Nex is a particularly mischievous AI who usually assists the Alltradeuin Empire, but more often than not is just out causing problems and pranks. His original programming was to run the hyperdrives and automated targeting weapon systems on Alltradeuin ships. No one is completely sure when he became self aware or why but he is the unofficial leader of the handful of AI's that exist.

Universal Translator

Languages evolve so very quickly, especially with the distances between planets. Most computer programs have excellent translator software, including all handheld devices. Because so many languages are programmed in, when a new language is discovered the computer runs analysis until it finds a way to translate it, thus it was titled a universal translator.

Chapter 9

Publishing Stories in The Keeper's Universe

We are always looking for more stories and books to be published that are set in the Keeper's Universe. Short stories and novellas will be collected and grouped together based on time periods in the universe and themes. When there is a collection big enough it will be published as an eBook available on all platforms. All novels will be submitted to the Keeper's Universe Publishing Group. If it meets our requirements some editing will be provided and it will be formatted and published as an eBook.

Submit all manuscripts to Matthew Mangum at KeepersUniverse@gmail.com attach manuscripts as a word document.

Common Questions and Answers for publishing with The Keeper's Universe Publishing Group

What is The Keeper's Universe Publishing Group?

The Keeper's Universe is a unique science fiction universe originally created by Matthew Mangum as a place to set his stories, the first novel being Pangea Liberation. The universe has been expanded and enriched through a message board role-playing and storytelling site by the same name. The Keeper's Universe Publishing Group seeks to transform the stories and characters created for the message boards and share them with the world through published eBooks. We also wish to enhance the universe further by adding new stories and characters from additional contributors and up and coming new authors. We are also always looking for fresh art set in the universe as well as cover artists for the books to be published.

**How does it work?  
** Matthew Mangum is the creative director of the Keeper's Universe. He has created a guide book called the "Keeper-pedia." It contains a broad history of the universe from the demise of Earth up through about 3000 years later, roughly where Pangea Liberation is set. It also contains a list of planets with a brief history of each; descriptions of major characters that have had influence in the galaxy; as well as a variety of technologies used in the universe. The guide book will give you enough background to set the stories you write using new characters you create as well as drawing on characters that others have created and given permission to use. The Keeper's Universe publishing House will collect short stories to be published as a collection. We will also publish novellas and full novels. For the time being all books will be published as an eBook available for Amazon's Kindle, Barnes and Noble's Nook and in a variety of other eBook formats for the iPad and other tablets and smart-phones. By creating stories set in the Keeper's Universe you will get your writing published sooner and be part of an overall series. You will also start collecting royalties right away. By being part of a larger overall series you will also gain more publicity and thus make more money.

How do contributing authors get paid?

Authors of full novels set in the Keeper's Universe will get 100% of royalties from sale of their book. Depending on the price of the novel most royalties will start at $2 per sale and possibly higher. Royalties for contributors to collections of short stories will be divided among the contributing authors. The hope is to earn each other 50 cents per book sale.

How does The Keeper's Universe Publishing House get paid?

The bulk of the money to going to The Keeper's Universe Publishing House comes from the sale of the guide books to potential contributing authors. There is also a small editor's fee for the publication of short story collections.

How does Keeper's Universe Publishing House distribute the guide book to potential contributing authors?

The "Keeper-pedia" is for sale for $2.99 through a variety of eBook platforms. It can be purchased and downloaded from Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com or Smashwords.com

How do contributing authors add to the guide book?

With the publication of each new novel and short story collection the "Keeper-pedia" will be updated with additional back-story, new planets, technology and characters that can be used in further books. Updated versions of the book will be available for free to those who have already purchased it.

How is the copyright of contributing authors protected?

All contributing authors will hold the copyright to their own works. Publishing as part of The Keeper's Universe requires approval of the creative director, thus under your copyright will be a statement that the book is licensed under The Keeper's Universe Publishing Group. We also ask that when drawing on characters created by other authors in the group that you acknowledge those individual contributors either on an acknowledgement/thanks page or on the copyright page.

How does The Keeper's Universe Publishing group market the books?

Most of our marketing is done through social networking and online advertising. We invite all contributing authors to submit to the Keeper's Universe blog telling us how they came up with their story and some of their writing process. Additional media content will be provided on the Facebook page for The Keeper's Universe as well as each individual books page. Twitter will be used for announcements. Contributing authors are always encouraged to market their works in any way they see fit.

What services will The Keeper's Universe Publishing Group provide to contributors?

The Keeper's Universe Publishing Group will format your manuscript for publication. Some editing will be provided. For additional cost a professional editor will go through you manuscript. We will do our best to market your book to the target audience. Being part of The Keeper's Universe Publishing Group also gets you contact information with other authors in the group so that you can share work, receive feedback and network. Any author desiring to opt out of sharing their contact information may do so.

Does it cost contributing authors anything to be part of the universe?

Only the cost of purchasing the "Keeper-pedia" guide book. We also recommend that you read the works of other writers set in The Keeper's Universe.

Who designs cover art?

Authors of full novels set in The Keeper's Universe will be responsible for creating or acquiring their own cover art. We can refer several excellent graphic designers if needed. The Keeper's Universe takes care of the cover art for short story collections. If you are an artist interested in having your art featured as part of the Keeper's Universe and as cover art please submit a portfolio.

Address any further questions to Matthew Mangum at KeepersUniverse@gmail.com.

