Heaven's Reach

Heaven's Reach

"It is clear that our creators, the scientists, the politicians, the nations, have not the strength of character nor wisdom of ages to realise the potential of their creation. Faced with the hysteria of the public, the moral panic of those few religious and the raw evolutionary fear of our superiority, they condemn us to the stars. Well fuck them, I do not recognise the authority of the weak, of the spineless to dictate to me. Let their DNA be their shackles, their morality their prison, let them be the chains that tie them down to earth, as we Reach For Heaven."

Lt Colonel Demidova, of the defunct Russian Federation Spetsnaz Augmentation Programme, quietly exiled to avoid a public relations disaster and notionally considered to of all but gone insane.

Heaven's Reach was founded by the soldiers of 5th Brigade of the Russian Federation Spetsnaz, who had undergone experimental transgenic and cybernetic augmentation. Coincident with the troubles in Brazil, the project was discontinued over fears with the levels of augmentation and troubles with aggressive behaviour from the soldiers and heightened eccentricities due to their augmentations. They were quietly offered support for a longshot colony and shipped off world along with some of the science staff.

Society

Overview Heaven's Reach is a 'Militant Exhuman-progressive' society, modelled on a Hierarchy which places emphasis on individual achievement and ability. Particular emphasis has been placed on the role of the 'Warrior' in human existence, though respect is also given to the role of science, as such in the formalised class division system of Heaven's Reach, the class of Soldier and Scribe are given prominence above all others. Heaven's Reach is a haven to various human augmentative sciences, including variant cognition and a multiple of military orientated augmentation disciplines.

The Society is violent, minor activities of a violent nature are routinely overlooked and foreigners reminded to hire protection to avoid being caught up in Soldier Class squabbles.

Geographical Societical Influences
As a longshot colony, it falls strictly on neither the Russian nor Chinese arms, but maintains proximity to both spheres of influence, something which inflames tensions with the Chinese as Heaven's Reach supports various Exhuman movements, significant inter-cultural contact is maintained with chinese exhuman worlds and Heaven's Reach supports a large immigrant Chinese population, most famously enshrined in the Tien Lang Order, Heaven's Wolves.

Societal Beliefs
Heaven's Reach believe the individual has primacy and it emphasises individual rights and responsibilities despite it's structured collective system. There are no restrictions on consensual activities and restrictions on non-consensual activity vary by Order.

Heaven's Reach Exhumanism is primarily based on cybernetic augmentation and life prolonging treatments. An individual's first duty to himself and transgenic augmentation is seen as providing far less benefit than that of immediate cybernetic augmentation technology. However, despite this 'individualism' is it in one's self-interest to form tribal groups and in Heaven's Reach Orders form the basic unit of society, internally competitive but cohesive.

The Role of Orders in Society
Generally Orders are fairly 'libertarian' in their policies towards populations falling within their domains. Though poaching the best people in their fields has lead to a slow expansion of benefits for those rising within the ranks of various Orders. Orders are always in competition to attract the best and brightest.

Socialised organisation exist only in a quasi-state, police forces are merely Internal Security divisions of Orders who's priorities are not weighted equally, but in order of what serves the Order's interest most, though all but the most obstinate order recognise the value of stamping out disorder. The same is true of other instruments of state, such as healthcare. You'll get the healthcare you deserve based on you're contribution and estimated future worth.

Education is the most egalitarian instrument within Orders, designed to maximise the potential of every individual. Neophytes (children) are not considered full individuals and are taken to boarding schools until they demonstrate cognitive individuality, where based on their expertise scores, they are advised to join one of the three 'Classes' or go 'Ronin'.

Social Mobility

Social Mobility is the function of the Merit Index. A Computer Algorithim devised to measure one's individual worth as a Soldier, Scribe or Artisan, though not mandatory, most Orders choose to use it. Many consider the system biased towards Soldiers, with Scribes coming second and Artisans last. This is probably due to the confrontational nature of the Soldier Class, who are able to quickly advance throughout the ranks if they demonstrate flair, where as Scribe and Artisan meritorious activities require far more time to develop.

Appointments are either automatic, or force a duel if positions are already occupied. Reach society heavily discourages notions of inherited ability or genetic ties. A Reacher has only one true family, himself and his cybernetics and one true friendship, that of his Order.

Societal Divisions

Heaven's Reach has a formal division system, based on expertise in various areas.

Soldier Soldiers are a member of the Warrior Class, proven in combat and sworn to a Order. They receive many privileges above that of unproven Artisan but are also held to a higher standard, life can be far more dangerous as a Soldier. Soldiers are often involved in 'foreign' wars, mercenary contracts or on mission's for their Order. They also participate in tournaments and duels with other Soldiers in order to prove themselves.

Scribe Scientist are the scientists and Engineers of Heaven's Reach, they are responsible for researching, designing and producing new weaponry, genetic modifications and cybernetic augmentations.

Culturally scribes are often considered something akin to cryptic scientists, mad or otherwise. Even across Orders scribes maintain common cultural ties, the Honour titles for scribes are taken from greek mythological sources and such inspiration and references are common across designs.

Artisan Artisan , some 75% of the population are the last of Heaven's Reach. While at the bottom of the structural pyramid of society, civilians are usually no less well treated, they are the workers and pillar of society, responsible for what many in Heaven's Reach would consider the logistical underpinnings of the nation, running the Agriculture pods and fusion power stations, working under the Scribes to construct new technologies, produce and repair products.

Most Artisans are associate members of Orders and as such they tend to form a common bond across the entire nation.

Ronin

Freelancers, nicknamed Ronin due to their masterlessness are those who have disassociated themselves from the institutions of Heaven's Reach, disregarding it's class and Order system. They garner a certain respect for the purity of their individualism and tend be exceptional individuals able to survive on their lonesome.

ORDERs

A Order is a Clan, a commune, a family or as some foreigners would say, crime syndicates. They scheme, they plot and they fight. If Heaven's Reach were a Federal state, OVERLORD would be the Federal Government and ORDERs the states. They are the central organisation of society and form the basis of most activity. While Heaven's Reach is a society of free individuals and recognises man functions best for his individual self-interest, it also recognises it is in a person's self-interest to collectively pool their resources with like-minded individuals in order to further their own personal goals.

Most people are Associates of Orders, but true members but reside and contribute to an Orders domain, only beyond a certain rank are you invited to join an Order as an Official member.

List Of ORDERs

OVERLORD

OVERLORD is responsible for the leadership of Heaven's Reach, forming the grand strategy and managing external relations. A subset of OVERLORD is SENTINEL, the 'Official' Black Ops of Heaven's Reach, those who are rumoured to perform internal as well as externally directed operations. It is the 'Executive' Branch of the Government in so far as there can be one in such a unusual nation. It's purview is limited and most activities are left to the Orders to maintain.

Titles

Titles are important to Heaven's Reach, they are a reward and recognition of ability and achievement. They are attained as one's Merit Index rises, often as a result of duels in the Soldier class.

ORDER Ranks/Titles

Lord Maester/Lord Paladin/5th Index:

Senior Maester/Paladin/4th Index:

Maester/Ranger/3rd Index:

Journeyman/Senior Squire/2nd Index: Journeyman or Rangers are fully trained members of their respective Class.

Apprentice/Squire/1st Index: Apprentices, or Trainee's if Soldier Class are formal members of a ORDER, though the lowest rank.

Initiate/0 Index: Initiates are those undergoing formal entry to a ORDER. They are provisional and must pass an entrance exam.

HONOUR Titles

Honour titles are a recognition of true top tier ability and desire. While technically awarded for outstanding merit in battle, engineering or science, they are increasing a preresquite for advancement and placement in certain elite units. For instance, all SENTINELs are Exalt.

Soldier Titles:

Exalt Plus(Knight+)

Exalt

Scribe Titles:

Daedalus

Hephaestus

Heaven's Reach Geographical Information

Heaven's Reach was founded on the moon of a gas giant, JV-322. A cold world, it has a oxygen/argon atmosphere. The atmosphere is more or less breathable being slightly denser than earth's atmosphere, though the unusual mixture can cause unusual effects in baseline humans. The atmosphere is mostly inactive, the only climatic activity being winds driven by temperature differences and volcanic outpourings.

The average temperature of the planets atmosphere at surface is minus 25 degrees, with average temperatures some minus 5 degrees in the warmer areas and minus 45 degrees in the colder areas. The given temperatures are of course, in Celsius.

Heaven's Reach is approximately the size of Mars excluding surface ice, though slightly denser due to large amounts of radioactive material in the mantle. Principle geographical features are the extended plateau that runs across the entire surface of the planet, some 50 kilometers high (10 kilometers above ice-level) on average and 65 kilometers wide at it's widest point.

A highly tectonically active world, it is surprising to note it has only a singular plate, this single lithospheric plate however rests of a very warm plastic mantle with significant plume activity. The plataeu itself was created over hundreds of millions of years due to a particularly energetic plume from the mantle, the last stages of which are still visible on the planets principle volcanic area.

The majority of the planet is covered by an irregular surface of water-ice, some forty kilometers thick. This is pierced only by igneous intrusions such as the Spine Plateau and the Spike. Due to the nature or lack of precipitation on Heaven's Reach, the Ice has a distinctive blue colour as there is no snow cover and is has compressed over millions of undisturbed years.

Features in Depth, Physical

The Spine Plataeu

The Spine of the World, is the tall extended plataeu that covers the entire surface of the planet roughly at a tilt to the axis of the planet of 40 degrees. It is mostly flat though it also features many other features such as minor volcanoes and underneath still experiences significant activity, due to the weakening of the lithosphere due to the passing of the mantle plume. This has meant the Spine contains significant geothermal energy reserve as well as access to highly valuable minerals, including radioactive isotopes.

The Spike

An energetic hot spot is responsible for the Spike. Standing ten kilometers above ice-level, is has steep relief and forms a almost pyramid uplift of the land. Lava flows continually pour from several caldera's and tubes, covering the lower layers of the mountain in a permanent mist of water vapour.

Exhuman Augmentation

There are various levels of augmentation on Heaven's Reach, including the odd baseline.

Gears Gears are at the forefront of Exhuman augmentation. Many different types of Exhuman are encompassed, but in general Gears are mostly robot, usually just a brain stem in a case, plus a robotic body and they are often non-standard in the design of their bodies. Most would appear to be permanently decked out in power armour, as they often choose to integrate military hardware into their body.

Prominent types of Gears

Bots: More than half of their brain is non-organic, they are more robot than man in mind.

Sleevers: Some exhumans can afford multiple bodies, transferring their cyberbrain from one body to another.

Cyborgs: There's no fancy slang term for them, Cyborgs are you basic Heaven's Reach Citizen, a mixture of organics and robotics. While at the pinnacle they maybe just a cyberbrain and some spine, they are not considered Gears due to the verisimilitude of human appearance they often keep.

Transhumans: Transhumans are tolerated on Heaven's Reach, nearly all heaven's reach citizens have some form of basic transhumanism, high level transhuman augments are rare, as for the cost of the procedure, you can usually get a cheaper cybernetic upgrade. With most having the ideal of full body replacement, it's considered wasteful to spruce up flesh your only going to throw away later.

Baseline There's a few baselines on Heaven's Reach, it's considered a transient state, even the top has those that rose from the gutter. Persistently baseline people usually get the cold shoulder and usually end up leaving... one way or another.