Overview

The Russian Federation was the second country to elect a Nova president, after Randal Portman came to power in America. Team Tomorrow had helped clean its streets of the mob problem, its own domestic Nova forces building order. In 2030, when the Unity launched, it seemed like it was on its way to forgetting its old history of suffering and enslavement, a shining beacon of the eternal progress of the Nova age.

And then everything went wrong.

Coup and Conspiracy

A group of ex-FSB nova operatives, led by a powerful and charismatic nova posthumously diagnosed with sociopathy and megalomania, colluding with dissatisfied retirees from the Directive and various PMCs, attempted an outright coup on the government of a major country. Extremely powerful, highly skilled, and most certainly intelligent beyond human ken, their plan succeeded initially, but was only stopped by a loose alliance put together of various people with disparate reasons for stopping their overthrow of Russian soverignity.

The cost was immense, and planted the seeds of resentment and the first cracks in the utopian facade. It wasn't that people had attempted to overthrow a government-that had happened uncountable times before. It wasn't even that novas did it. It was that the conspiracy had little popular support, latched onto no popular movements, had to fight a good half of the Russian military-and almost managed it, with numbers barely exceeding a hundred. It was that a megalomaniac nova had been able to disguise himself for so long to accumulate the power he needed and the men and women he sought.

Previous incidents of this form had appeared, but this was the first one too large to ignore. The Islington Tea Society reveal, a few years later, would further damage nova-human relations and be one of the major contributors to the death spiral that led to the Aberrant War.

The Aberrant War

Russia was the first country to declare war against novakind. Russia was the country worst hit by it, its weather subverted into a devastating weapon that even now makes it impossible for any agricultural industry to survive outside of climate-controlled fortresses, forcing Russia to lead the world in the production of purely synthetic foodstuffs.

The nature-controlling Nova Digitalis tore apart the fragile ecosystems of Russia, mutating foodstuffs into deadly biological weapons and transforming peaceful forest animals into targeted killers which stored energy in explosives instead of fat. Elemental novas wreaked havoc with the temperature and air conditions, killing millions. The Russian military did its own damage to the ecosystem, with directed nanotech weapons, a massive use of tactical and strategic nuclear arsenals that would have had global consequences had aberrants not already disrupted the world ecosystem, and other, more exotic weapons.

The Collapse

When Russia died, screaming and clawing at the cliff it was falling off of, its scientists still worked. Synthetic nova pharmaceuticals, untested genetic engineering techniques, black-market bioconstructs, all were combined into a hope for surviving the harsh hell that the novas had created. To become inured to the conditions, genetic augmentation was seen as the fastest method. The generation after the Collapse were mostly innoculated to the conditions, given various upgrades to be smarter, faster, stronger, more powerful. Even though a wave of bioconservatism was sweeping through with the end of the Aberrant War, with germline genetic modification being seen as risky and undesirable, Russia had little choice.

The Long Insult

When noetics and bioapps were introduced to humanity at large, a new renaissance of psionic-based technology and rebuilding resulted, with the Psi Orders leading the way for additional research and development. Yet, given the prevalence of genetic modifications in Russia, this passed the Motherland over. There were too few baseline humans, too few men and women with the genetic markers for latency which allowed for psionics to exist, and as the fruits of biotech rejuvenated Earth, Russia was left with the scraps.

Again, the chance to become earth-shaking once again had come tantalizingly close, only to be snatched away.

Russia Today

Russia is, on one hand, recovering slowly. However, outside of its climate-controlled arcologies, its control becomes increasingly tenuous. It is a nation which is at once strong and brittle, held together largely by long memories of the horrors visited on them.

Old Moscow

Old Moscow is a functioning and reasonably prosperous Russian old city, with a working population and police force. However, the slums near it are havens of crime and aberrant cults which the Russian military has not managed to fully stamp out. A center for cultural recovery and archiving history, it is also a large tourist destination, with a famous Aberrant War museum, including the preserved and mounted corpses of several Aberrants who were taken relatively intact or surrendered to the Russian military.

Project 412

An old USSR research station in Siberia has been refurbished and a source of major activity, constantly expanding with additional factories and personnel. This research station has been creating more and more interesting products to see service with the Russian military, many of which are things that only should exist in rumor.

Russian Upgrades

Russian upgrades all lack the genetic code to become either novas or psions. Approximately 92% of Russia have germline genetic engineering, and many submit to additional engineering to better survive the environment and predators.

Standard

+2 to all physical attributes and Willpower, +1 to all other attributes, Long Lived (immortal), Enhanced Antibodies, Filtration System, Regenerator, Blood Hyperoxygenation, Environmental Adaptation (Arctic)

Most Russians (75%) are standard upgrades, better in every conceivable way to baseline humanity, and beyond that with the ability to survive in freezing temperatures and the poisonous, tainted winds that often blow from killing grounds in the Aberrant War. Tough, strong-willed, physically superior to any normal human, these upgraded men and women have been the primary reason of Russia's fast recovery and its surviva.

Synths

Worker Synth

Str/Dex/Sta 6/4/6, Cha/Man/App 1/1/2, Per/Int/Wits 4/2/2, Long Lived (immortal), Enhanced Antibodies, Filtration System, Regenerator, Blood Hyperoxygenation, Environmental Adaptation (Arctic), Sleepless

Might 5, Endurance 4, Resistance 4, Athletics 4, Drive 3, Medicine 2, Engineering (any 3) 4

Synths, or "synthetic humans" are derived from early Russian programs on cloning, genetic enhancement, and human programming. Extremely fast-maturing, with worker synths achieving adulthood at age 6, with a preprogrammed database of technical skills giving it sufficient expertise to work as a repairman or construction worker in the high-tech environment. Worker synths, despite their pejorative name, are not stupid, but are generally extremely naive and childlike outside of their fields of work, driven by an inquisitive need to seek out more knowledge and to grow and develop mentally. Only the oldest worker synths are what people would call 'adult'.

Caretaker Synth

Str/Dex/Sta 3/3/3, Cha/Man/App 3/1/5, Per/Int/Wits 2/2/2, Long Lived (immortal), Enhanced Antibodies, Filtration System, Regenerator, Blood Hyperoxygenation, Environmental Adaptation (Arctic), Sleepless

Endurance 3, Resistance 3, Athletics 3, Drive 2, Etiquette 3, Style 2, Medicine 2, Academics (any 2) 2, Biz 2

Although labeled as 'caretakers', these synths are actually used as replacements for low-level service jobs. With improved sociability and sculpted appearances, they can do secretarial and service work of any form.

Warrior Synth

Attributes as Worker Synth, but add +2 to Perception, +4 to Wits, and +2 to all physical attributes. Add Dermal Plating, Hyperdense Skeleton (2), Trauma Tolerance, Acute Sense (Sight) Level 2, Night/Thermal Vision, and Enhanced Reactions (2).

Add Firearms 3, Heavy Weapons 3, Gunnery 3, Stealth 3, Strategy 2, Survival 3, Tactics 3 to abilities list.

Warrior synths mature only half as fast as worker synths due to their more complex biotechnology, but are extremely effective in their role. Supplementing normal infantry with their presence, warrior synths are extremely loyal, fanatical, and fight with no great emphasis on self-preservation. Their thinking is often textbook, with little improvisation, due to the more complex programs uploaded into their minds which have greatly reduced their ability to learn and adapt to new situations, making them unsuitable for more delicate operations, but when used effectively can greatly reduce losses. Unfortunately, examples used in Khantze Lu Ge have been captured and reverse-engineered, which have greatly improved the Colony's military ability.

Full Cyborgs

Russia is not the only country to make significant use of full cyborgs, but is the largest user of high-end cyborg chassis, and even in a relative sense is only behind Japan for its cybernetics dependency. Full body cyborgs use the donor character's mental attributes, but replace the character's physical attributes with their own. They are always heavily shielded against quantum interference and electrokinetics, adding +3 difficulty to any attempts to interfere with them with either powerset, although this does not provide any protection against direct attack. Full cyborgs take EMP damage like vehicles.

Full cyborgs have Unliving and Inorganic, and use a small fuel-cell engine as well as superconducting capacitor storage to provide roughly 96 hours of constant operation without penalty or refuel (double this figure if doing only light work such as walking, multiply by 20 if largely sedentary). Most also have an additional 24 hours of emergency power, which halve all physical attributes (round down). Full cyborgs may mount armor modifications, as they are basically suits of armor with ghosts inside instead of humans. Full cyborgs heal very slowly (all damage is healed as lethal damage, and healing takes twice as long), but can be repaired. Their soak is the total of their Soak + Armor (the latter is given seperately for stacking armor).

Note that some of these bodies have slightly altered health level tracks that are impossible via combinations of high Stamina and Body Modification. To emulate these, a body modification is given below. These bodies also assume the brain is left mostly intact. Brain uploads in the 22nd century are just theory rather than something practical. A hypothetical upload, though, would gain an additional +3 to Initiative, -1 to multiple action penalties, and +1 to Wits and Perception due to greatly increased reaction speed, and without the braincase taking up space or the life support systems required, their chassis would be tougher, adding +1 to Soak and +2 -4 HLs.

Braincase
Armor 8, HLs -0 x 4/Killed

The braincase of a full body cyborg is a self-contained life support system with 24 hours of independent power. Although well-armored, the case is still quite fragile if exposed to direct fire-but this is only possible if the cyborg's body is itself destroyed.

Alpha Prosthetic Body
Str/Dex/Sta 6/5/6, Appearance 1-6 (chosen at construction), Soak 6/Armor 2, HLs -0 x 2/-1 x 3/-2 x 3/-4 x 2/Disabled, Scale 0

+1 to Awareness, Nightvision

The high Teratogen concentration in Russia and several other taint zones have created an extremely high incidence of disability from birth defects. Some of these unfortunate children come out feeble-minded, with severe mental disability, but others suffer a worse fate, with their minds intact but their bodies twisted and useless. The "Alpha" prosthetic allows for the lucky and wealthy to cure that problem, equipped with silicone muscle and carbon-ceramic composite bone, sheathed in flexible armored polymer, with self-healing components. Since the silicone musculature is quite cheap and easily produced, enough of it was provided to give the cyborg moderately superhuman physical ability. Alphas are the cheapest cybershells and not much tougher or more physically capable than a fit human, although their design gives them superior protection against small arms fire and they can resist even light rifle fire.

Golem Military Cybershell
Str/Dex/Sta 8 [2]/6/8, Appearance 1-6 (chosen at construction), Perception/Wits/Intelligence +1, Soak 8/Armor 4, HLs -0 x 3/-1 x 4/-2 x 4/-4 x 4/Disabled, Scale 0

+3 to Initiative, -1 to multiple action penalties, IR/Nightvision, Deals Lethal Melee Damage

The "Golem" full conversion cyborg is a infantry-size military chassis the size and shape of a human. Golems tend to be roughly 1.9 to 2.2 meters tall, massing roughly 200 to 250 kg. Although human-skinned, the Golem is nigh-impossible to confuse with a human, with thick, brassy skin (from the supercondutor lacing), incredible size, and, of course, superhuman physical ability. However, its designers knew that the deadliest weapon available to humans is his mind, and as such the Golem (like most military bodies) carries auxiliary processors intended to provide the mind inside it with significantly improved problem-solving abilities and intellect.

Cossack Heavy Infantry Cybershell
Str/Dex/Sta 12 [5]/8/12, Perception/Wits +3, Intelligence +1, Soak 12/Armor 6, HLs -0 x 10/-1 x 5/-2 x 5/-4 x 5/Disabled, Scale 1

-2 to attack difficulties, +5 to initiative, -3 to multiple action penalties, +3 to Awareness, IR/Nightvision/T-Ray/Lateral Line/Sonar/Radar/Lidar

Active Camouflage, Point Defense, Deals Lethal Melee Damage, Doubled Move Speed

2.8 meters tall and nearly 500kg, the Cossack is an awesome combat-designed heavy assault chassis, barely capable of fitting indoors. Distinctly inhuman with its angled, sloped armor (designed to minimize radar signature) and completely silent in movement, Cossacks are dedicated combat weapons capable of fighting even proper aberrants on even footing. Fast, tough, and stealthy, these machines are deployed in all-Cossack squads and armed with light VARG weaonry. Although a third of the size of the Spirit Warrior, their artificial musculature is entirely high-grade carbon nanotube boosted by laminar cybermotors, giving them the strength of the light scout VARG.

Hussar Heavy Infantry Cybershell
Str/Dex/Sta 15 [6]/8/14, Perception/Wits +3, Intelligence +1, Soak 14/Armor 6, HLs -0 x 10/-1 x 8/-2 x 8/-4 x 6/Disabled, Scale 1

-2 to attack difficulties, +8 to initiative, -3 to multiple action penalties, +3 to Awareness, IR/Nightvision/T-Ray/Lateral Line/Sonar/Radar/Lidar

Point Defense, Deals Lethal Melee Damage, Tripled Move Speed, 1 Light VARG Hardpoint

1.5 tons of heavy metal, the Hussar is, in a way, heavy cavalry for the 22nd century. Like a mounted knight, the Hussar manages speeds no infantryman can achieve, carries far better protection, and has better endurance. Unlike the mounted knight, the Hussar manages top speeds of over 80 kilometers an hour, is armed with weapons which would worry a 21st century main battle tank, and has sensors that, a mere century ago, would have required a multi-ton reconaissance drone to carry.

New Body Modifications

These body modifications are generally intended for full-conversion cyborgs, but novas can acquire them.

Single Health Level (1/2 XP)

The character gets a single health level of any sort (-0, -1, -2, -4, Incapacitated). This costs 2 XP for -0 HLs, and 1 XP for all other HLs. Every 2 purchases of this modification count as 1 purchase of Redundant Organs/Vital Organ shielding for the purposes of the (Stamina + 2) limit on extra HLs from body modification.

Altered Health Track (1 XP for up to 4 purchases)

The character's health track is altered with different wound penalties. This adds a single health level of any type (-0, -1, -2, -4) save Incapacitated, but removes a single health level of any type. This modification is largely useless and is only used to stat out full body cyborgs, as above.

Augmented Strength (10 XP)

The character has strength that is far beyond human normal-this can be gained by quantum effects, high-strength electromagnetic rams, carbon nanotube, or so on. To purchase this body modification, the character must have a minimum of Strength 8. Each purchase of Augmented Strength adds [1] to the character's strength, giving 1 success on Strength rolls where raw physical lifting force is necessary or adding +2 to Strength for weapons handling purposes, turning unarmed damage lethal, and multiplying the character's lifting capacity by (1 + Augmented Strength purchases), so a single purchase of this gives a character doubled carrying capacity, two triples it, and so on. Every 2 purchases adds a damage add of [1] to unarmed attacks made by the character. A character may only purchase this body modification twice if his strength is less than 10. If the character has a Strength over 10, this modification may be purchased a number of times equal to (1 + Strength/3, rounded down).

Equipment

Tactical Gear

Russian tactical gear has been geared to fighting Aberrants, and in the near-century of recovery time it has had, has become even deadlier with the superscience and outright arcane weapons that the Superiors of Project 412 have slowly been churning out. Weapons which are outright gadgets and can only be produced by Paramorphs are marked with an asterisk (*).

Infantry Equipment

Phase-Shift Ammunition*

Phase shift ammunition gives the weapon +3 damage and AP:infinite, allowing it to ignore all non-natural soak.

These rounds use some form of super-scientific trickery to seemingly teleport past defenses and recohere inside the body, causing grievous damage. However, as gadgets rather than 'conventional' superscience, they can only be produced by inspired humans and are unlikely to ever be used outside of rare situations.

Supercritical Ammunition*

Supercritical ammunition deals double lethal damage, and has a lethal damage add equal to the weapon's base lethal damage. These munitions have Area:2.

Miniature atomic bullets. Quite fortunately these rounds are quite rare.

Phase Tuner*

Phase Tuners act like ECS + Aberscope combinations (detect aberrant powers, +3 to accuracy and doubled aiming bonuses), except when coupled with phase-shift ammunition, shots fired from the weapon ignore cover.

Phase Blade*

Phase blades have AP:infinite and deal +1 damage.

Using a similar technique to phase-shift ammunition, phase blades have a 'blade' that seems to be ephemeral and intangible when active, but despite this when drawn through a person the target is cut as if attacked by a normal blade-except the cut doesn't appear in hard objects such as armor, saving significant energy.

Infantry UV Laser

UV lasers use any hardtech laser template but add +2 to damage, +3 to AP, +50% range, and -50% to magazine size

Russian hardtech is superior to every other country's when it comes to warmaking, and they are the only country to use short-wavelength UV lasers. With high penetration power and nearly the same amount of efficiency as standard visible-wavelength laser systems, infantry UV lasers are a significant upgrade over standard weapons.

Smart Rifle

Accuracy 12, Damage 14L [4], AP:4, Range 300, RoF 3, Magazine 30, Mass 8, Min Str. 2

Smart rifles act on Initiative 30, firing at maximum rate of fire and with a -3 multiple action penalty (so 3 attacks at 12/11/10 dice). Their actions are preprogrammed and may only be adjusted out of combat. Their automated targeting braces negate 1 enemy dodge success.

Russian military are commonly equipped with smart rifles, small-caliber payload rifles mated to a drum magazine and automatic targeting brace. There is no trigger system, only a safety switch. When unsafed, the weapon targets and begins firing at enemy targets, the most threatening first, and does not cease fire until anyone not carrying friendly IFF or a civilian is no longer alive. The Russian military has repeatedly been censured for the use of these weapons in populated areas, as their targeting acquisition is not perfect and oftentimes civilians running towards the shooters are labeled as threats and eliminated.

Hypervelocity Missile

Accuracy +0, Damage 24L [12], Range 1,000, RoF 1, Magazine 1, AP:10, Mass 8, Min Str. 3, Guided, Scale:2, Fast-Tracking:2

Russian missile technology had always been top-notch, even before the nova age, and as Russian transgenics improved their technology, is now unsurpassed. The hypervelocity missile is one of these inventions of superhuman Russian scientists. A single-shot coilgun launches the 5-kilogram missile at enormous velocity, which accelerates itself further on its own high-impulse drive. When it hits a target, the missile, now almost 80% lighter, is traveling at over 10,000 meters a second-sufficient to kill an APC... or an aberrant. HVMs are disposable single-shot weapons commonly assigned to Russian infantry units, and are exported in limited amounts to the Legion for use on Khantze Lu Ge.

Decoherence Gun*

Accuracy +3, Damage (Special), Range 100, RoF 1, Magazine 10, Mass 5, Conceal N, Min. Str 2

Decoherence guns deal 10A damage to normal targets, ignoring scale and soak. Against targets which are intangible, the weapon deals 15A [8] damage instead, plus 5A [2] for every dot in the aptitude or power which provides said intangibility. Characters who are willingly under the effects of density decrease may abort action to drop their density decrease in response to this attack.

Decoherence guns alter and amplify random molecular movement in a target, causing them to literally break apart. Although the effects are horrific on normal objects, their density is such that the damage is often survivable, and even repairable, with modern nanosurgery. Their effects, however, on targets which have artificially decreased densities, such as aberrants with the 'density decrease' power, are markedly more dramatic and often instantly fatal, as the lower densities make it much easier for the target to come flying apart.

Singun*

Accuracy +0, Damage 12A [4], AP: infinite, Range 50, RoF 1, Magazine 10, Mass 0.5, Conceal P, Min. Str. 1

Singuns cannot be used for called shots and do not benefit from additional attack successes. If a character has external health levels (from forcefield, psionic powers, or similar) a singun deals damage to both the character and his external health levels simultaneously.

Singuns are rumored to be probability disruptor weapons that cause vacuum fluctuation to go into overdrive in the space a target is in. The result is a significant number of internal matter-antimatter annihilation events as myriads of electron-positron pairs spontaneously appear and annihilate. These weapons have never been confirmed, although they are a famous conspiracy theory and rumors exist of aberrants on Khantze Lu Ge found dead, with severe internal burns that would be expected of such a weapon.

AT-15 "Sunfire"

Accuracy +0, Damage 50L [20] + 24A [12], Area:4, Range 1200, RoF 1, Magazine 1, Mass 120, Min. Str. 15/1 (undeployed/deployed), Guided, Scale 5, Fast-Tracking 3

Damage listed is for the fireball, the weapon also creates a blast wave dealing 25B damage with Area:20.

The AT-15 is an infantry-use tactical nuclear missile intended for use against point targets such as aberrants. Rarely deployed, they have been used against aberrants with quite satisfying results, as few can withstand a direct hit from one of these weapons.

Probability Sheath

+2 difficulty to all enemy attacks, 1s subtract successes.

Heavy Equipment

Su-85 Advanced Tactical Fighter

Safe/Max Speed 5000/20000, Maneuverability +5, Acceleration 8G/16G, Passengers 0, Armor 15, Scale 3, HLs -0 x 10/-1 x 10/-2 x 10/-4 x 10/Terminated

The premier unmanned fighter of the Russian military, the Su-85 is exceptionally rare in service, using a high power catalyzed-fusion torch, armed with a half-dozen smart missile hardpoints and a powerful pair of tactical lasers. Sleek, aerodynamic, and invisible to detection due to its metamaterial coating and stealth buffers, the only secret is that the Su-85 is not truly unmanned, containing the brain of a single willing volunteer, his body and mind both sacrificed, as the drugs and interface render him into something not quite self-aware but not fully machine, giving the "AI" of the Su-85 a distinctly human ferocity honed by inhuman machine reflexes and precision.

The Su-85 uses human brain tissue in its computer systems, rendering it immune to cyberkinesis. As the brain itself is nestled behind a quantum-shielded armored box, use of Domination or Telepathy to influence it is at +3 difficulty. The direct mind interface gives the 'pilot' +10 initiative and -4 to multiple action penalties, and allows the pilot to use Wits instead of Dexterity for all piloting rolls. The metamaterial coat on the Su-85 adds +3 difficulty against any attempts to detect or attack it.

Tactical Fusion Missiles (6): Accuracy +2, Damage 50L [20] + 24A [12], Area:4, Scale 5, Range 20,000, RoF 1, Magazine 1, Guided, Fast-Tracking 2

Hypervelocity AAM Launcher: Accuracy +3, Damage 24L [12], Range 1,000, RoF 2, Magazine 8, AP:10, Guided, Scale:2, Fast-Tracking:2

Particle Lance: Accuracy +2, Range 1,000, Damage 30L [15], AP:10, Rate 3, Magazine (inf), Scale 2

Tactical Fusion Weapon

Damage 50L [20] + 24A [12], Area:4, Scale 5 (uses the scale of the launching weapon for accuracy purposes)