Posthuman Spiral - Revision history

Exhack at 15:26, 29 March 2011

2011-03-29T15:26:02Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:26, 29 March 2011
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			= Systems =

			[[Posthuman Spiral Rules]]<br>
			[[Posthuman Spiral Chargen]]<br>
			[[Posthuman Spiral Skill List]]<br>
			[[Posthuman Spiral Talent List]]<br>

	= Premise =		= Premise =

Exhack at 15:09, 23 March 2011

2011-03-23T15:09:14Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:09, 23 March 2011
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	The Shaka are network-based posthumans who distinguish themselves from transhuman infomorphs and AI constructs by the manner that they interpret data. While others simply interact with the netsphere, the Shaka ''are'' self-contained pieces of the netsphere who function as server administrators and data surveyors. Their consciousnesses stretch across whole networks and hundreds of terminals, affording them a sort of immortality that few enjoy, while giving them a greater degree of resilience to mindstate hacking due to the distributed awareness on which they operate.		The Shaka are network-based posthumans who distinguish themselves from transhuman infomorphs and AI constructs by the manner that they interpret data. While others simply interact with the netsphere, the Shaka ''are'' self-contained pieces of the netsphere who function as server administrators and data surveyors. Their consciousnesses stretch across whole networks and hundreds of terminals, affording them a sort of immortality that few enjoy, while giving them a greater degree of resilience to mindstate hacking due to the distributed awareness on which they operate.

	Most Shaka have never been biologicals, most transhumans outside of the Kepler Network are loath to upgrade to this particular clade. Hackers in the frontier are generally more willing to undergo the extensive psychosurgery and mental fragmentation more frequently due to the benefits to their abilities, even if it drives them away from baselines. Although primarily seen in civilian life, the Shaka are an integral part of the Network's military, where they use their talents in hacking, programming and memetics to provide crucial cyberwarfare capacity.		Most Shaka have never been biologicals, largely because most transhumans outside of the Kepler Network are loath to upgrade to this particular clade. Hackers in the frontier are generally more willing to undergo the extensive psychosurgery and mental fragmentation more frequently due to the benefits to their abilities, even if it drives them away from baselines. Although primarily seen in civilian life, the Shaka are an integral part of the Network's military, where they use their talents in hacking, programming and memetics to provide crucial cyberwarfare capacity.

	Unlike Neurodes, the Shaka are not actually hiveminds or groups of synchronized mindstates acting in unison, but rather similar to a network-based superorganism. They treat the various networks they dwell in as extensions of a massive digital body, their consciousness potentially spread over vast lightyears. A Shaka hacker would be aware of an attempt at hacking their sovereign territory in the same fashion that a biological might realize someone is trying to strike their limbs with a club.		Unlike Neurodes, the Shaka are not actually hiveminds or groups of synchronized mindstates acting in unison, but rather similar to a network-based superorganism. They treat the various networks they dwell in as extensions of a massive digital body, their consciousness potentially spread over vast lightyears. A Shaka hacker would be aware of an attempt at hacking their sovereign territory in the same fashion that a biological might realize someone is trying to strike their limbs with a club.

Exhack at 13:32, 23 March 2011

2011-03-23T13:32:25Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:32, 23 March 2011
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	==== Egan ====		==== Egan ====

	Also nicknamed uploads, originals and spacecases, the Egan are the posthuman clade that is closest to baseline humanity ~~in mindset~~ while ~~physically~~ being the most ~~distant~~. The Egan are humans and AI patterned after human minds that have been installed into large machines such spacecraft or certain kinds of aircraft, acting as the core operating protocol for the vehicle's wider functions. While there is always a certain bias against those who abandon their flesh, being an Egan is considered a noble profession in the Spiral, and they are widely considered one of the better examples of ~~Posthumanity~~.		Also nicknamed uploads, originals and (pejoratively as) spacecases, the Egan are the posthuman clade that is closest to baseline humanity psychologically, while being one of the most separated physiologically. The Egan are humans and AI patterned after human minds that have been installed into large machines such spacecraft or certain kinds of aircraft, acting as the core operating protocol for the vehicle's wider functions. While there is always a certain bias against those who abandon their flesh, being an Egan is considered a noble profession in the Spiral, and they are widely considered one of the better examples of posthumanity.

	Egan are often considered socially withdrawn and eccentric, although this is generally a consequence of the effects of the cognitive rewiring they receive when transferring from a baseline mental type. Their five senses are for all intents and purposes simplified to those of touch, sound and sight. Enhanced by sensors and skillsofts too sophisticated to run on normal implants, the remaining three senses of an Egan in their main body become feasts of highly nuanced and detailed data that is often overwhelming at times. For many, the simple ability to experience such a wealth of data mitigates the losses they incurred by transferring.		Egan are often considered socially withdrawn and eccentric, although this is generally a consequence of the effects of the cognitive rewiring they receive when transferring from a baseline mental type. Their five senses are for all intents and purposes simplified to those of touch, sound and sight. Enhanced by sensors and skillsofts too sophisticated to run on normal implants, the remaining three senses of an Egan in their main body become feasts of highly nuanced and detailed data that is often overwhelming at times.

			For many, the simple ability to experience such a wealth of data mitigates the losses they incurred by transferring. Those who do not often make use of terminal bodies like the other posthuman clades, although some hardline Egans consider these individuals to be inferior for not relinquishing their flesh completely. For everyone else, it's often simply a relief to have a face of flesh and blood to interact with.

			==== Shaka ====

			The Shaka are network-based posthumans who distinguish themselves from transhuman infomorphs and AI constructs by the manner that they interpret data. While others simply interact with the netsphere, the Shaka ''are'' self-contained pieces of the netsphere who function as server administrators and data surveyors. Their consciousnesses stretch across whole networks and hundreds of terminals, affording them a sort of immortality that few enjoy, while giving them a greater degree of resilience to mindstate hacking due to the distributed awareness on which they operate.

			Most Shaka have never been biologicals, most transhumans outside of the Kepler Network are loath to upgrade to this particular clade. Hackers in the frontier are generally more willing to undergo the extensive psychosurgery and mental fragmentation more frequently due to the benefits to their abilities, even if it drives them away from baselines. Although primarily seen in civilian life, the Shaka are an integral part of the Network's military, where they use their talents in hacking, programming and memetics to provide crucial cyberwarfare capacity.

			Unlike Neurodes, the Shaka are not actually hiveminds or groups of synchronized mindstates acting in unison, but rather similar to a network-based superorganism. They treat the various networks they dwell in as extensions of a massive digital body, their consciousness potentially spread over vast lightyears. A Shaka hacker would be aware of an attempt at hacking their sovereign territory in the same fashion that a biological might realize someone is trying to strike their limbs with a club.

			Like Egans, most Shaka operate terminal bodies to interact with baseline humans, although they generally have less of a problem communicating and acclimating to new bodies. They rarely have hangups about losing or changing bodies, leading some military units, such as the Safeguard to actually incorporate tactical bodyhopping to insert troops behind enemy lines,. Because of their networked identities, many are far more comfortable 'swimming' in the heads of their allies or using regular digital communications.

	== Technology ==		== Technology ==

Exhack at 07:56, 20 March 2011

2011-03-20T07:56:03Z

@@ Line 105: / Line 105: @@
 == Archetypes ==
-Just as it is divided politically, there are also major philosophical lines and groups in the Spiral as the colonists continue to experiment with increasingly exotic and strange expressions of their transhumanity. The major groups are well known, the Egan, Shaka and
+Just as it is divided politically, there are also major philosophical lines and groups in the Spiral as the colonists continue to experiment with increasingly exotic and strange expressions of their transhumanity. The vast majority of the population prefers the original human form, and give it only minor cosmetic or performance enhancement to suit their tastes. Some clear extrapolation of the natural human being is the norm, although there are still plenty of outliers who prefer robotic or otherwise inhuman body styles.
 == Technology ==

Exhack: /* Aphelion */

2011-03-20T06:41:46Z

Aphelion

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:41, 19 March 2011
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	==== Aphelion ====		==== Aphelion ====

	Widely believed to be the linchpin of the Spiral's military capacity, Aphelion was the first system settled in the Spiral, and stands on the whisps of the larger spiral arm in a sector of space known as the ''Arrival Cluster''. It is ''the'' strategic point in a protracted war with the Sol Imperium, as the Arrival Cluster is the only region in the Posthuman Spiral with the traits to make it a viable avenue for easy invasion from the core: a density of gravity wells favorable for inter-galactic travel while being with sensors range from a number of major naval ports for accurate flight mapping.		Widely believed to be the linchpin of the Spiral's military capacity, Aphelion was the first system settled in the Spiral, and stands on the whisps of the larger spiral arm in a sector of space known as the ''Arrival Cluster''. It is ''the'' strategic point in a protracted war with the Sol Imperium, as the Arrival Cluster is the only region in the Posthuman Spiral with the traits to make it a viable avenue for easy invasion from the core: a density of gravity wells favorable for inter-galactic travel while being with sensors range from a number of major naval ports in the Milky Way for accurate flight mapping.

	The leading member of the AGU is cosmopolitan and progressive, but also strangely static about opinions of the Imperium and the other breakaways. A vast terraformed moon in the orbit of a Neptune-like gas giant that came to become the home of a vast ecumenopolis. Their culture is effectively the oldest in the Spiral, and despite the apparent vehemence towards the Sol Imperium, is also the closest to that of core human civilization. Colonists on Aphelion came from every world and ethnicity, and somehow managed to assimilate with minimal cultural mosaicism. While ethnic boroughs are still somewhat common, most citizens consider themselves wholly Aphelian.		The leading member of the AGU is cosmopolitan and progressive, but also strangely static about opinions of the Imperium and the other breakaways. A vast terraformed moon in the orbit of a Neptune-like gas giant that came to become the home of a vast ecumenopolis. Their culture is effectively the oldest in the Spiral, and despite the apparent vehemence towards the Sol Imperium, is also the closest to that of core human civilization. Colonists on Aphelion came from every world and ethnicity, and somehow managed to assimilate with minimal cultural mosaicism. While ethnic boroughs are still somewhat common, most citizens consider themselves wholly Aphelian.

Exhack: /* Ispano League United Military [ILUM] */

2011-03-20T06:32:29Z

Ispano League United Military [ILUM]

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:32, 19 March 2011
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	==== Ispano League United Military [ILUM] ====		==== Ispano League United Military [ILUM] ====

	The Ispano League United Military, or ILUM, is the military of the Ispano League, including state militias, border patrol and civil protection agencies under its control. ILUM is a fleet-oriented military that makes extensive usage of heavily armored missile boats and minelayers that are able to deliver overwhelming amounts of firepower. Their drive technology is somewhat unsophisticated by comparison to the Kepler or AGU, although they've successfully managed to develop the capacity for repeated tactical FTL ~~capability~~ (via redundant reactors and FTL drives), allowing ILUM formations to perform critical flanking attacks and suicide strikes on superior opponents.		The Ispano League United Military, or ILUM, is the military of the Ispano League, including state militias, border patrol and civil protection agencies under its control. ILUM is a fleet-oriented military that makes extensive usage of heavily armored missile boats and minelayers that are able to deliver overwhelming amounts of firepower. Their drive technology is somewhat unsophisticated by comparison to the Kepler or AGU, although they've successfully managed to develop the capacity for repeated tactical FTL (via redundant reactors and FTL drives), allowing ILUM formations to perform critical flanking attacks and suicide strikes on superior opponents.

	ILUM's general strategy in a protracted war is based around their strengths. Although less trained and physically enhanced than an AGUN Ranger or Network Safeguard, the ILUM soldier is motivated and outfitted with gear that is reliable and nearly impossible to destroy: stories abound of platoons of Ispano powersuits like the ''Scherazade'' holding the line for days against hordes Network drone pods.		ILUM's general strategy in a protracted war is based around their strengths. Although less trained and physically enhanced than an AGUN Ranger or Network Safeguard, the ILUM soldier is motivated and outfitted with gear that is reliable and nearly impossible to destroy: stories abound of platoons of Ispano powersuits like the ''Scherazade'' holding the line for days against hordes Network drone pods.

Exhack at 06:28, 20 March 2011

2011-03-20T06:28:22Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:28, 19 March 2011
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	Their government is functionally a direct democracy based on digital distribution, with member systems (those that operate a netsphere server) appointing a administrator who mediates for his or her electorate and presents their concerns to the council. Appropriately, the majority of the citizenry in the Network actually do not have permanent bodies and interact mostly though the netsphere, where they have a vast and functional digital democracy that manages to string together a population one eighth the size of the League into a functional government.		Their government is functionally a direct democracy based on digital distribution, with member systems (those that operate a netsphere server) appointing a administrator who mediates for his or her electorate and presents their concerns to the council. Appropriately, the majority of the citizenry in the Network actually do not have permanent bodies and interact mostly though the netsphere, where they have a vast and functional digital democracy that manages to string together a population one eighth the size of the League into a functional government.

	The only group with the military and political power to complete check the AGU's influence, the Network is staunchly independant of any any corporate or national interest other than its own. They maintain their own standing military, known as the Safeguard, and the elite anti-cyberterror organization Ghost Line. Although their fleet is somewhat weaker than the Union's, their ability to hijack rival networks and insert agents directly into the heart of enemy facilities makes them a dangerous opponent in direct and ~~assymetrical~~ warfare.		The only group with the military and political power to complete check the AGU's influence, the Network is staunchly independant of any any corporate or national interest other than its own. They maintain their own standing military, known as the Safeguard, and the elite anti-cyberterror organization Ghost Line. Although their fleet is somewhat weaker than the Union's, their ability to hijack rival networks and insert agents directly into the heart of enemy facilities makes them a dangerous opponent in direct and asymmetrical warfare.

	==== Apogee ====		==== Apogee ====
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	=== Ispano League ===		=== Ispano League ===

	The Spiral's largest democracy and often considered the heart of its political and cultural scene, Ispano is a multiparty representative democracy consisting of a ~~several hundred worlds~~. The majority of these states operate as digital democracies on the planetary level~~, although it does very little to alleviate~~ the ~~political tensions between the various signatory states in~~ the League~~. The League is heavily centralized economically and politically, with most of its resources going into construction efforts in the main systems~~ of ~~Sol Dios, Asturia and Milesia~~.		The Spiral's largest democracy and often considered the heart of its political and cultural scene, Ispano is a multiparty representative democracy consisting hundreds of worlds in a region sandwiched between the primary Network and AGU territorial branches near the core of the galaxy. The majority of these states operate as digital or representative democracies on the planetary level and convene on the federal level at the League capital of Iberis.

	The ~~unfortunate political situation could be considered a consequence of 90%~~ of the ~~Ispano's population dwelling in a handful~~ of ~~systems~~, ~~despite holding hundreds~~. ~~Outlying states and new colonies suffer extensive a sort of ''tyranny~~ of ~~the masses'' as the electoral power of their representatives is measured by population and seniority in membership. Some systems have considered breaking away~~, ~~while some rising stars have pulled themselves from the lowly ''minority houses'' and have closed the gap~~ with ~~extensive cloning~~ and ~~bioroids~~, often ~~using randomized versions~~ of ~~extremely standard or cookie cutter personality templates. As a consequence, the society that prides itself on culture has a disturbing trend towards uniformity towards its fringes~~.		The League is heavily centralized economically and politically, with most of its resources going into construction efforts in the main systems of Sol Dios, Asturia and Milesia. Because of this, tensions tend to run a little hot with outlying and newly-joined colonies, that often do not begin to reap the benefits of membership until decades after joining.

	~~Despite the apparent failure~~ of ~~their democracy,~~ the Ispano ~~are the premier megastructure engineers~~ of ~~the Spiral~~. ~~Using the funds collected, they succeeded in constructing~~ a ~~number~~ of ''~~globus cassus~~'' ~~structures, essentially vast hollow worlds with ten times~~ the ~~landmass~~ of ~~an Earthlike planet~~, ~~which house dozens of billions. They~~'~~re also responsible for~~ the ~~initial completion~~ of ~~Apogee's netsphere hub~~, ~~and~~ the ~~subsequent creation~~ of ~~the galactic netsphere system~~.		The unfortunate political situation could be considered a consequence of 90% of the Ispano's population dwelling in a handful of systems, despite holding hundreds. Outlying states and new colonies suffer extensive a sort of ''tyranny of the masses'' as the electoral power of their representatives is measured by population and seniority in membership. Some systems have considered breaking away, while some rising stars have pulled themselves from the lowly ''minority houses'' and have closed the gap with extensive cloning and bioroids, often using randomized versions of extremely standard or cookie cutter personality templates. As a consequence, the society that prides itself on culture has a disturbing trend of uniformity towards its fringes.

	~~Rumors abound~~ that the Ispano ~~are building~~ a ~~Dyson sphere-like weapon designed to fire quasars into distant solar systems~~, but ~~such rumors~~ are ~~largely unfounded~~. ~~No society~~, ~~let along~~ the League, ~~has~~ the ~~industrial~~ capacity to ~~build~~ a ~~weapon~~ that ~~can harness suns~~ in ~~such~~ a ~~manner~~.		The Ispano nonetheless have numerous achievements, particularly in the fields of megastructure building and shipbuilding. Because most of their colonies are in non-viable systems with 'old stars' and few planets in the ''Goldilocks zone'' that would allow for easy terraforming, they've resorting to building their own environments. So common are space habitats in League space that the Bishop Ring is the primary component of the Ispano flag, as well as that of several component states.

			If any faction were to openly challenge the authority of the AGU and sovereignity of the Kepler Network, the Ispano would have the best chance. Their industrial capacity and materials science is easily greater than both, although they lag significantly in nearly all other fields related to warfare. In a war of sheer attritional warfare, however, the Ispano would secure a clear but costly victory over its rivals. This may soon become of import, as several of the stars in its core systems are nearing the phase where they might enter supernova. The League as it is now has a measured lifespan, and it may need to colonize or conquer the regions surrounding its territories to keep the banner of true democracy flying.

			==== Ispano League United Military [ILUM] ====

			The Ispano League United Military, or ILUM, is the military of the Ispano League, including state militias, border patrol and civil protection agencies under its control. ILUM is a fleet-oriented military that makes extensive usage of heavily armored missile boats and minelayers that are able to deliver overwhelming amounts of firepower. Their drive technology is somewhat unsophisticated by comparison to the Kepler or AGU, although they've successfully managed to develop the capacity for repeated tactical FTL capability (via redundant reactors and FTL drives), allowing ILUM formations to perform critical flanking attacks and suicide strikes on superior opponents.

			ILUM's general strategy in a protracted war is based around their strengths. Although less trained and physically enhanced than an AGUN Ranger or Network Safeguard, the ILUM soldier is motivated and outfitted with gear that is reliable and nearly impossible to destroy: stories abound of platoons of Ispano powersuits like the ''Scherazade'' holding the line for days against hordes Network drone pods.

			While likely just another piece of propaganda, there is likely an element of truth in it. Having long considered the prospect of a protracted and bloody war against its larger neighbors, nearly every aspect of their military technology has been designed with eventual defensive warfare in mind. Were the war to go as ILUM expects (rather than how it intends), very inch of territory taken from them will be soaked in blood.

	== Archetypes ==		== Archetypes ==

Exhack at 04:57, 20 March 2011

2011-03-20T04:57:12Z

Show changes

Exhack: /* Kepler Enclaves */

2011-03-16T01:23:26Z

Kepler Enclaves

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:23, 15 March 2011
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	Most Enclave members are adherents to Techno-Messianism, a religion that seems to combine the syncretic post-Anglican doctrines of some Sol Imperium worlds with a belief in an afterlife created through the netsphere. Most citizens of the Enclave alternate between cyberspace and realspace existences, switching back and forth every one or two generations in order to retain fresh perspectives.		Most Enclave members are adherents to Techno-Messianism, a religion that seems to combine the syncretic post-Anglican doctrines of some Sol Imperium worlds with a belief in an afterlife created through the netsphere. Most citizens of the Enclave alternate between cyberspace and realspace existences, switching back and forth every one or two generations in order to retain fresh perspectives.

	The Enclaves maintain their own standing military, known as the Safeguard, and the anti-cyberterror organization Ghost Line. Both are widely regarded as competent and efficient paramilitary ~~forces~~ on the level of national special forces. While some nations are reticent about allowing Kepler task forces in their territory, the majority acquiesce largely out of good will to the Enclaves and also as a means of avoiding censure. Who would, after all, want to appear as an enemy of free information?		The Enclaves maintain their own standing military, known as the Safeguard, and the anti-cyberterror organization Ghost Line. Both are widely regarded as competent and efficient paramilitary agencies on the level of national special forces. While some nations are reticent about allowing Kepler task forces in their territory, the majority acquiesce largely out of good will to the Enclaves and also as a means of avoiding censure. Who would, after all, want to appear as an enemy of free information?

	==== Safeguard ====		==== Safeguard ====

Exhack at 01:14, 16 March 2011

2011-03-16T01:14:19Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:14, 15 March 2011
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	Founded by dissidents of over a hundred worlds and cultures, the Spiral is politically and socially fractious to its core, with numerous styles of government. While most societies would fall under the loose umbrella of cyberdemocratic or liberal democratic governments, oligarchic enclaves and anarchist communes are a large and visible majority of the Spiral's body politic.		Founded by dissidents of over a hundred worlds and cultures, the Spiral is politically and socially fractious to its core, with numerous styles of government. While most societies would fall under the loose umbrella of cyberdemocratic or liberal democratic governments, oligarchic enclaves and anarchist communes are a large and visible majority of the Spiral's body politic.

	=== ~~Aphelion and the~~ Apsis Free City-States ===		=== Apsis Free City-States ===

	Widely believed to be the linchpin of the Spiral's military capacity, Aphelion was the first system settled in the Spiral, and stands on the whisps of the larger spiral arm in a sector of space known as the ''Arrival Cluster''. It is ''the'' strategic point in a protracted war with the Sol Imperium, as the Arrival Cluster is the only region in the Posthuman Spiral with the traits to make it a viable avenue for easy invasion from the core: a density of gravity wells favorable for inter-galactic travel while being with sensors range from a number of major naval ports for accurate flight mapping.		Widely believed to be the linchpin of the Spiral's military capacity, Aphelion was the first system settled in the Spiral, and stands on the whisps of the larger spiral arm in a sector of space known as the ''Arrival Cluster''. It is ''the'' strategic point in a protracted war with the Sol Imperium, as the Arrival Cluster is the only region in the Posthuman Spiral with the traits to make it a viable avenue for easy invasion from the core: a density of gravity wells favorable for inter-galactic travel while being with sensors range from a number of major naval ports for accurate flight mapping.
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	==== Aphelion ====		==== Aphelion ====

	The leading city-state is cosmopolitan and progressive, but also strangely static about opinions of the Imperium and the other breakaways. Colonists on Aphelion came from every world and ethnicity, and somehow managed to assimilate with minimal cultural mosaicism. While ethnic boroughs are still somewhat common, most citizens consider themselves wholly Aphelian.		The leading city-state of the AFCS is cosmopolitan and progressive, but also strangely static about opinions of the Imperium and the other breakaways. A vast terraformed moon in the orbit of a Neptune-like gas giant that came to become the home of a vast ecumenopolis. Their culture is effectively the oldest in the Spiral, and despite the apparent vehemence towards the Sol Imperium, is also the closest to that of core human civilization. Colonists on Aphelion came from every world and ethnicity, and somehow managed to assimilate with minimal cultural mosaicism. While ethnic boroughs are still somewhat common, most citizens consider themselves wholly Aphelian.

	Politically, Aphelion is something of a strange collision of a direct democracy with jingoism and militaristic patriotism. The streets and terraces of an otherwise classical and mature ecumenopolis are littered with patriotic bunting, iconic banners and propaganda posters. Nearly every citizen has a full military skillsoft set implanted in their teens and qualifies as a reservist. Exhumanism in service to the state and Spiral are seen as virtuous, and the Aphelion keeps the largest population of military Egans in the entire Spiral.		Politically, Aphelion is something of a strange collision of a direct democracy with jingoism and militaristic patriotism. The streets and terraces of an otherwise classical and mature ecumenopolis are littered with patriotic bunting, iconic banners and propaganda posters. Nearly every citizen has a full military skillsoft set implanted in their teens and qualifies as a reservist. Exhumanism in service to the state and Spiral are seen as virtuous, and the Aphelion keeps the largest population of military Egans in the entire Spiral.
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	While network access is ubiquitous in the rest of the the Posthuman Spiral, it's absolutely essential in systems like Apogee. Nearly an eight of the billions of people who dwell in-system are not actually active, but either mindstates running on the central processor or in dormant bodies accessing the Netsphere.		While network access is ubiquitous in the rest of the the Posthuman Spiral, it's absolutely essential in systems like Apogee. Nearly an eight of the billions of people who dwell in-system are not actually active, but either mindstates running on the central processor or in dormant bodies accessing the Netsphere.

	==== ~~Apsis Free City-States~~ ====		==== Other ====

	The remaining hundred systems of the AFCS are still sprawling civilizations that dwarf humanity's scope during the first ten thousand years of recorded history. A few notable systems like Avicenna and Brahe are notable enough to have a meaningful impact on wider political movements in the in the Arrival Cluster, but the majority are simply a drop in a bucket of billions.		The remaining hundred systems of the AFCS are still sprawling civilizations that dwarf humanity's scope during the first ten thousand years of recorded history. A few notable systems like Avicenna and Brahe are notable enough to have a meaningful impact on wider political movements in the in the Arrival Cluster, but the majority are simply a drop in a bucket of billions.
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	=== Kepler Enclaves ===		=== Kepler Enclaves ===

	The Kepler Enclaves are coalition of thousands of small scientific enclaves modeled after Apogee, each featuring one or more Jupiter-brain class megaprocessors in their sovereign systems acting as major server nodes for the Spiral's all-encompassing Netsphere. ~~They~~ are politically neutral, only concerning themselves with the continuing operation of the network and the free flow of information.		The Kepler Enclaves are coalition of thousands of small scientific enclaves modeled after Apogee, each featuring one or more Jupiter-brain class megaprocessors in their sovereign systems acting as major server nodes for the Spiral's all-encompassing Netsphere. Appropriately, the majority of the citizenry in the Enclaves actually do not have permanent bodies and interact mostly though the netsphere, where they have a vast and functional digital democracy that manages to string together a population one eighth the size of the League into a functional government. In foreign matters, they are politically neutral, only concerning themselves with the continuing operation of the network and the free flow of information, although they favor the Ispano League and Apogee over the other other political blocs of the Spiral.

	~~The Enclaves maintain their own standing military~~, ~~known as~~ the ~~Safeguard, and~~ the ~~anti-cyberterror organization Ghost Line~~. ~~Both are widely regarded as competent~~ and ~~efficient paramilitary forces on the level of national special forces~~.		Most Enclave members are adherents to Techno-Messianism, a religion that seems to combine the syncretic post-Anglican doctrines of some Sol Imperium worlds with a belief in an afterlife created through the netsphere. Most citizens of the Enclave alternate between cyberspace and realspace existences, switching back and forth every one or two generations in order to retain fresh perspectives.

	While some nations are reticent about allowing Kepler task forces in their territory, the majority acquiesce largely out of good will to the Enclaves and also as a means of avoiding censure. Who would, after all, want to appear as an enemy of free information?		The Enclaves maintain their own standing military, known as the Safeguard, and the anti-cyberterror organization Ghost Line. Both are widely regarded as competent and efficient paramilitary forces on the level of national special forces. While some nations are reticent about allowing Kepler task forces in their territory, the majority acquiesce largely out of good will to the Enclaves and also as a means of avoiding censure. Who would, after all, want to appear as an enemy of free information?

	==== Safeguard ====		==== Safeguard ====

			The Safeguard are a paramilitary force number in the millions, with several hundred capital ships and thousands of workhorse vessels such as frigates and destroyers. The Safeguard are distinctive for abandoning traditional bodies and sleeving into pure combat units, as well as their unique insertion method. Most Safeguard assaults have them hijacking a local fabricator and deploying a body directly into the field because sending a consciousness to it.

	==== Ghost Line ====		==== Ghost Line ====

	== ~~Clades~~ ==		Ghost Line is an anti-terror task force established by the Enclave to protect their interests and stop subtle existential threats to the netsphere. Rogue hyper-hackers, intelligent memetic plagues and maddened singularity intelligences pose serious risks to the continued function of the network and the Posthuman Spiral at large. With official jurisdiction in the entire galaxy, they act to protect both nation and network... at any cost.

			=== Ispano League ===

			The Spiral's largest democracy and often considered the heart of its political and cultural scene, Ispano is a multiparty representative democracy consisting of a several hundred worlds. The majority of these states operate as digital democracies on the planetary level, although it does very little to alleviate the political tensions between the various signatory states in the League. The League is heavily centralized economically and politically, with most of its resources going into construction efforts in the main systems of Sol Dios, Asturia and Milesia.

			The unfortunate political situation could be considered a consequence of 90% of the Ispano's population dwelling in a handful of systems, despite holding hundreds. Outlying states and new colonies suffer extensive a sort of ''tyranny of the masses'' as the electoral power of their representatives is measured by population and seniority in membership. Some systems have considered breaking away, while some rising stars have pulled themselves from the lowly ''minority houses'' and have closed the gap with extensive cloning and bioroids, often using randomized versions of extremely standard or cookie cutter personality templates. As a consequence, the society that prides itself on culture has a disturbing trend towards uniformity towards its fringes.

			Despite the apparent failure of their democracy, the Ispano are the premier megastructure engineers of the Spiral. Using the funds collected, they succeeded in constructing a number of ''globus cassus'' structures, essentially vast hollow worlds with ten times the landmass of an Earthlike planet, which house dozens of billions. They're also responsible for the initial completion of Apogee's netsphere hub, and the subsequent creation of the galactic netsphere system.

			Rumors abound that the Ispano are building a Dyson sphere-like weapon designed to fire quasars into distant solar systems, but such rumors are largely unfounded. No society, let along the League, has the industrial capacity to build a weapon that can harness suns in such a manner.

			== Archetypes ==

	Just as it is divided politically, there are also major philosophical lines and groups in the Spiral as the colonists continue to experiment with ~~increasing~~ exotic or strange expressions of their transhumanity. The major groups are well known, the Egan, Shaka and		Just as it is divided politically, there are also major philosophical lines and groups in the Spiral as the colonists continue to experiment with increasingly exotic and strange expressions of their transhumanity. The major groups are well known, the Egan, Shaka and

	== Technology ==		== Technology ==