by Charles Nall
Combined
Weapon
Systems: 65 Rotary Cannon Turrets
16 Light Mass Drivers
20 Heavy Mass Drivers
6 M/AM Torpedo Tubes
1 Fore Annihilator Beam
Complement: Data Not Available
Additional
Passengers: Data Not Available
Decks: 18
Commissioned: 263 AC
Weapons: Mabus Weapons
Built By: Omega Services
Laid Down: 264 AC
Launched: 266 AC
Build Site: Lilith Shipyards, Babylon Orbit
Nickname: Abby
Current Status: Anchored, Babylon
Command Staff: Data Not Available
INCOMPLETE DATA FOLLOWS
RECEIVED FROM [REDACTED]
Project Apocalypse
Heavy Cruiser
Planet Destroying Capability
Length
(stern to bow): 647 meters
Mass: Estimated 3,235,000 metric tons
FTL: Yes
FTL Drives: 4
Jump System: 4 A-MFTL-7 Hyper-drive
with Advanced Spacial Warping Coil
Assembly
Jump
Point Distance: 765 meters from FTL Drive (standard)
Up to 4,321,137 kilometers (LaGrange
locked after full charge)
Wake Rating: 9 Sagans
Commissioned: 270 AC
Planet
Annihilator: Mabus Weapons HELL Cannon
[Hyper-Energy LaGrange Locked
Cannon]
Apocalypse Build Schedule:
There are four Apocalypse warships.
Codenames Follow: Red, Black, White, Pale
Expedited build schedules for quicker completion. As Red will most likely be completed first, it will be christened “Apocalypse.” Other ships have not been officially named.
Apocalypse (Red)
Lilith Shipyards over Babylon
Laid down on April 10. We estimate the ship to be completed by December 8, 271.
Black
Tigris Shipyards over Euphrates
Construction begins on April 14. We estimate the ship to be completed by December 12, 271.
White
Olympus Shipyards over Urbania
Construction begins on June 7. We estimate the ship to be completed by February 27, 272.
Pale
Columbia Docks over Amur
Construction begins on June 16. We estimate the ship to be completed by March 8, 272.
The Galactic Union
Excerpts from the Urbanian Information NEP node
Article: Galactic Union
Accessed June 27, 271 AC
The Galactic Union was one of the first new nations to form after the crumbling of the Interstellar Federation after the Cataclysm. Many people believed the ISF capital of Earth should have just been moved to Urbania, as it was the second most populated planet in the galaxy. However, of course, other planets wanted that prestigious honor. Many competing factions used the “Interstellar Federation” title, and none had any right to actually use it and eventually they settled into new names of their own.
Urbania was a powerful force and joined forces with other nearby planets. This “union” didn’t formally have a name until 4 AC. Many factions came and went during the Division Wars, but the Galactic Union was mostly whole the entire time. The Galactic Union attempted to defend their lands, not necessarily take any more, making them rather peaceful in comparison with other nations. The only real turmoil in the Galactic Union mostly took place in the current contested state of Sol. The Confederate States of Orion, the United Outer Worlds, and the now-defunct Perseus Spiral Alliance fought over the planets near the Sol system. The Confederate States of Orion has held this territory for the longest time, only recently has the state of Sol been plunged into a contested state of war. The Galactic Union is nestled between every other major superpower of the galaxy. As such, the Union does not fund many exploratory missions to the frontier. There are often jokes that if every other faction became irritated with the Union, they could easily squeeze the Union to death.
The Galactic Union is divided into four main districts, each comprising of smaller “dives.” (The word “dives” is thought to derive from the word “divisions.”) The districts are named after the most populous or important planet in that district. Each district sends representatives to Urbania to serve on the House of Districts. Each district has a smaller government that controls that district.
The Galactic Union is a federal, constitutional, democratic republic ruled by the “Galactic Congress” and divided into three branches. The Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. This form of government was similar to the Interstellar Federation with only minor differences.
The Executive branch is controlled by the President and Vice President. The current President is Rhett Trachis, who earned his position after the death of Kael Eridanys. The current Vice President is Lyra Newfield. The President and Vice President both generally are found on their flagships, the Ajax and Judgment. The President is the High Admiral of the Galactic Fleet.
The Legislative branch is divided into the House of the Districts and the Galactic Senate. There are two main parties in the Galactic Union: the Republican Party and the Federalist Party. The House is currently controlled by the Republicans, and the Senate by the Federalists. Trachis and Newfield are Republicans. There are 32 seats in the House of Districts, 8 from each district. There are 221 seats in the Galactic Senate, based on population.
The Judicial branch is controlled by the Galactic Tribunal, which upholds the Union’s constitution. The Chief Adjudicator is Chief Zeke Clinton.
The Galactic Fleet has four fleet admirals, one for each District of the Galactic Union. There are many admirals under these fleet admirals. Admirals command battle groups consisting of various warships. The fleet admirals and the High Admiral make up what is known as the “Galactic Command” or simply “Command.”
The district of Urbania is the smallest district in terms of size, but the largest in terms of population. There are three notable worlds in this district: Urbania, Expanse IV, and Artemis, the moon of Diana. There have been unsubstantiated rumors of a possible illegal military installation on the small world of Cortes. This district borders the Commonwealth of Perseus and the Confederate States of Orion. The bustling Grauer space station is a notable space station in this district. Grauer is located in the Expanse system. The Urbanian system is an important star system. It contains rich centaurite mines and a planet called Aquas that harbors plentiful reserves of fresh water. The district of Urbania is served by Fleet Admiral Joe Straczynski and Governor Adrian Reticuli.
The district of Badiya contains the worlds of Badiya and Oasis III. (And the former home of Khamsin Prime.) Badiya is the largest district, although most of the district is empty space. It borders the Confederate States of Orion, Blood Dynasty, and a small section of the Star Republic. The majority of the Blood and Vampire Wars took place in this district, as the vampires marched upon the Galactic Union on their way to Urbania. The district of Badiya was formerly much larger, but some portions of the district fell into the quarantine zone during the vampire disease outbreak. Badiya is under the care of Governor Aaron Amari and Fleet Admiral Mohammad Nahas.
The district of Haven, although rather large, only has two notable small worlds in it, Haven and Cook. Haven was one of the few terraforming successes after the Blood Wars. Haven, a barren world before, is now a green planet with vast farmlands. Cook is known for its vast lakes of liquid hydrocarbons. Haven borders the Star Republic. Governor Noah Urson and Fleet Admiral Melissa Windborn watch over Haven.
The district of Starcross contains the vast majority of mining activity in the Galactic Union. Every metal, including centaurite, can be found on the worlds in this district. Starcross Prime, Watan III, and Watan II are the notable planets of this district. Starcross
borders the Star Republic and United Outer Worlds. Fleet Admiral John Simmons commands the ships of Starcross and Quill Volanti is the governor of Starcross.
The Motto of the Galactic Union is “We Will Stand.”
The flag of the Galactic Union has a blue background with four white stars that are placed in the center, very close together. A white cross is between the stars and extends to the edges of the flag. A gray diamond is around the stars and passes under the white cross.
The anthem of the Galactic Union is as follows:
Into the Light by Catherine Chu
“We look to the stars in the sky
That glimmer and shine, oh so bright
Through nebula and clouds on high
O’er the fields of darkest night
To our new home we shall arrive
Out of the darkness, into the light”
Table of Contents
Prologue: Sacrifice
Chapter 1: Crash Landing
Chapter 2: Warriors of the Dawn
Chapter 3: Under the Dome
Chapter 4: Seeds of Destruction
Chapter 5: Ashes of Cataclysm
Chapter 6: Dreams...
Chapter 7: ... and Nightmares
Chapter 8: Fallen Angel
Chapter 9: Legion
Chapter 10: Abort the Apocalypse
Chapter 11: Revolutions and Revelations
Chapter 12: The Head of the Snake
Chapter 13: To the Stars
From the Author
Appendix: Starship Technical Database Download
Appendix: The Galactic Union