![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif)
Anyway, this RP is open to all and sundry, lots of RP experience or none, if you only want to post occasionally or as often as possible, whatever, it doesn't bother me and I'll be happy to have you and find a spot for you to play as you prefer. You can even run multiple characters if you feel up to it. This is my first RP as GM though, so there might be a few bumps along the way, but I'll be doing my best to make the game interesting and enjoyable for all concerned.
One thing I will say (well...two) is that there probably won't be any high-ranking players (ie, generals or admirals) since I'd like to be able to keep the plot mostly on track. And also that this RP is (for now, at least) intended be the Ground-Pounders domain, with much of the action taking place on-planet with any space combat taking place as cutscenes (well, a written version thereof)...if enough people want to crew a ship I'll try to work something out, though.
I will be adding to this as time passes, if it's more than a tweak I'll post to say I've made a update. So, if you're interested, just post below and we'll see what happens.
Special thanks to Sunphoenix for acting as a sounding board, this should be much more interesting because of your suggestions.
![Cool 8-)](./images/smilies/icon_cool.gif)
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Incursion
The revelations and events following what has become known as the Bellarmine Incident brought the Umiak and Loroi to the brink of destruction; badly weakened, the two warring powers settled a lasting if rather uneasy peace. Humanity, as the only more or less neutral power left in the area was gifted the rights to systems within the Burned Steppes in order to patrol and maintain a neutral zone between the two powers as well as restore the battered, once habitable worlds within. In the years since the War ended the Umiak have become highly isolationist with only limited trade occuring in border systems carried out almost exclusively by humans, no one except the Umiak themselves really know what they are up to. The Loroi on the other hand have struggled to heal the physical and psychological scars the War caused. Their Empire has been further stressed by social upheaval and restive client races brought about by cultural contact with humanity.
Three hundred years have passed since the War ended: In that time humanity has advanced, finally catching up to the other races tech levels and have even begun to develop technologies that aren't imitations of already existing techs. A major discovery made about two hundred years ago greatly aided humanity's spread into space: Stellar Reefs, pseudo-biological 'seeds' that turn sunlight and raw materials into massive hollow structures that almost seem alive and are quite simple to render habitable. With this advantage humans have managed to heavily settle systems that would require massive effort by other races, and doing so cheaply. Human space may be limited realative to the Umaik and Loroi realms but it is very densly populated, with most systems exploited to one degree or other. The centuries have not been entirely peaceful for humanity however, political and social unrest in the mid 2300's led to a near civil war as the Colonial Fleet fought itself over whether to interfere or not. Eventually the Colonial Fleet opted not to meddle in politics and the Terran Colonial Authority was disolved, leading to the creation of the Terran Commonwealth. Meanwhile the Fleet quietly dropped 'Colonial' from its name and went about its business.
Despite three centuries of peace, however, the winds of war once again whisper across the Steppes: In the last few weeks a number of Loroi controlled systems beyond the Neutal Zone have gone silent with expected cargo vessels failing to appear and no messages arriving by fast courier. No ships sent into the affected systems have returned and a reconnaissance-in-force sent by the local Loroi fleet headquarters hasn't been heard from since. Fleet patrols into the Neural Zone between the area and the Umiak border are now overdue. Queries sent to the Umiak by both Commonwealth and Empire have gone unanswered and traders returning from the Umiak Border Worlds are reporting increased military activity as well as severe new trade restrictions. The Loroi are massing fleets, preparing to launch a massive counter-attack into the so-called 'Incursion' and punitive raids into other areas of the Umiak border.
In a last-ditch attempt to maintain the peace the Loroi have been convinced to allow a Commonwealth force to enter the Incursion to ascertain the situation.