Nefer
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History
The Helios Event
The colony world of Helios saw its earliest beginnings as an outpost from which to launch exploration missions into the deep rim. Situated on the world of Helios 3, nicknamed Neferti, a low gravity world lush with a complex biosphere and extensive precursor dust deposits, the colony would harvest resources to build and maintain an expansive exploration fleet, and bring the wealth of discoveries back to the Core where they could be studied and profited from.
It was, on paper, an ideal setup- and it saw significant investment by several major corporations and research institutes over the first five years of its operation.
Then the Helios Incident occurred. Helios entered a period of heightened stellar activity- and approximately six months into this period released a massive plume of stellar ejecta. A plume headed straight for Helios 3.
Of course, the plume would take several months to reach the planet, but there was still considerable panic before martial law was established and an evacuation was set in motion. Of course the colonists couldn't take everything with them- most machinery was too bulky to be moved in the time allotted. Instead they loaded up on valuable supplies- be it processed ore or extracted delta dust. Moreover, an initiative was fast tracked to save samples of Helios 3's biosphere.
Even so, the escape from the doomed world was extremely close- the last of the colonists didn't leave until roughly ten hours after the impact of the ejecta plume on the opposite face of the planet- by then the air was nearly molten and a massive firestorm was consuming the planet.
Nevertheless, the colonists had survived. Packed onto every ship available- loaded into pressurized shipyards and half-finished exploration vessels, even the orbital ore processing stations had been tasked to provide temporary habitation for the colonists.
But these measures were merely temporary- a more permanent solution had to be found.
The Never Object
"Never" was the name given to the aloof Posthuman Intelligence that operated in the inner system by the initial survey team, who warned them off their approach of a then under construction project with the broadcast "Never Trespass On These Grounds." (At least the official version- the full version of the transmission read "Never Trespass On These Grounds Without My..." before cutting off. It was classified for obvious reasons)
Further attempts to communicate were met with silence, and further attempts to approach were met with flybys by AI drones. As a result, the UNCCA was content to leave the AI to its projects, the largest of which involving the construction of a latticework of geodesic spheres- some sort of habitat structure.
This structure, nicknamed "Never's Object" would see significant growth and advancement over the colony's initial three years of operation, cumulating in the start of a grand experiment by the AI with the purpose to evolve a species of intelligent life. Each biosphere was grossly accelerated in development, and in time produced many a biological nightmare- be it an evolutionary perfect (but non-sentient) predator, or a terrifyingly efficient virus. But non produced the results Never was searching for.
When Helios entered its period of heightened activity and the colonists were forced offworld, Never re-established communication with the local UNCCA office (specifically, he sent them an email), and offered the use of a specially constructed habitat as an 'interim' measure (although what constitutes 'interim' was never really discussed). Given the lack of other options, the UNCCA took the AI up on its offer, and the resulting colony was named "Never's World"- although this was later shortened to "Never" and then to the current name of "Nefer" after the AI grew increasingly distant and eventually went completely silent shortly prior to the Breakdown. Ultimately, the change in name was an attempt by the colonists to forge their own way- taking a name that could be their own, and not merely be content to lay in the SAI's shadow.
Nefer Today
The Nefer of the modern era is a nation dedicated to a capitalist-socialistic ideal, which melds the earning of resources on a personal level with a healthy safety net available to all residents of the state. This system, while not the height of engineered efficiency such as those used by the so named Magnates, has served Nefer well over the years, and encouraged a healthy trade industry. Given that it is hard to determine where Nefer's government ends and Pyramid Industries begins, Nefer is often stereotyped as a corporate pawn- little more than an industry with a vestigial civilian sector attached. However, this perception is hardly accurate- for while Pyramid is certainly a megacorporation worthy of the name, its operations for the past two decades have largely been fueled by a supreme patriotism and a dedication to its people. Between governmental safeguards, and a healthy optimism, Pyramid has yet to become in truth what it is stereotyped as by many.
To put it simply, Pyramid is the Business of the Government. They handle Nefer's civil service and contribute heavily to its military- although by necessity the military is not under the direct authority of the Board of Directors. If roads need to be laid down, it is Pyramid that handles the work. If new hulls need to be produced, it is the Pyramid Yards that handle the order. While Nefer has plenty of local corporations that vie for contracts and work, Pyramid operates in a market that is separate- to a degree, yet still indisputably linked. Their competitors are foreign governments and star spanning megacorporation, not that new fry franchise that's popped up in Sphere 12.
Military
Uniforms: The uniforms employed by the Nefertan military are an adaption of those used by Pyramid's exclusive military training institute, which serves as a prerequisite to actual military service. The uniforms are a blend of military service finery, as well as the more business oriented garb of Pyramid's civilian employees.
In order to allow for quick identification of roles and specialties, Pyramid assigns each department a specific colour. Those departments utilize that colour on the ties of their uniforms, indicating their specialty.
The most recent up to date Department to Colour information is as follows:
- Command - Red
- Science - Green
- Tactical - Yellow
- Medical - Blue
- Civilian Authority - White/Other colours (See appendix III for details)
- Unassigned - Black