Saphiraans Vs. Ascendancy!

[SteltekMaster]

C'mon Gabooz, let's plan it out - the who what where when and most importantly why of it. It would be really cool to have a movie, or even a series of stills, which involves two original universes!

[Gabooz]

We probably should write out the actual capabilities, size, tech level, general political views (expansionism, genocide, etc), and various other stuff of the races before deciding on those things, since that'd help a lot in determining how would the war go and why would it start in the first place

[SteltekMaster]

Precisely, as I said, most importantly "why". Why is something Vs. works usually lack.

[Gabooz]

Well, the Ascendancy is non-expansionist (quality over quantity ), but it has no qualms about completely annihilating other races if they pose a threat, especially if they attack first. What's the general ideas and behavior of the Saphiraans? Could there be a religious reason of some sort? Expansionism?

[SteltekMaster]

Hmm, well, here's what I've got so far on the Saphiraans:

External Behaviour:

The Saphiraans are generally benevolent towards other races, but have very rigid principles and will not stop short of enforcing order with force. For example, if any race of equal or near-equal power to Saphiraans interferes in the affairs of a weaker race, the Saphiraans respond ferociously, citing that as a violation of the order of the Universe.

The Saphiraans are also very proud of thier Monuments - which take the form of nebulae and other stellar formations, and have been marked with armed warning beacons to discourage desecration. If anyone attempts to alter the monuments, the Saphiraans respond in force, first with warning shots from the beacons, and then with thier actual presence on the scene.

Finally, the Saphiraans jealously guard their home nebula - yes THAT nebula. Any incursion into that sector of space is met with immediate retaliation.

Religion:

Yes, the Saphiraans have a religion. They believe that the universe was concieved by a benevolent Primary Intellect. They see themselves as the Primary Intellect's eldest progeny, and thus believe they are best fit to interpret it's plan for the universe.

Government:

The Saphiraans are governed by a council of Elders, led by the High Elder. The group is usually of like mind on most issues, but nonetheless a group is maintained for the sake of having 700 members. (The Saphiraans believe 700 is the Primary Intellect's perfect number.)

[Gabooz]

Here's some stuff I wrote pretty quickly, hope it's enough for now

Overview:

The Gaboozaard Ascendancy is a human empire. It is non-expansionist, inhabiting only one system and controlling the surrounding space. It is, however, highly advanced, with special emphasis on matter/energy conversion, bio/genetic, and psionic technology.

Ascendancy Government:

The primary Ascendancy governing body is the Ascendant Synod, which is a council consisting of representatives from each of the Directorates, and led by the First Ascendant. Both Synod members and First are chosen by computer, which evaluates the entire population database and selects the person with the best qualifications. Both Synod and First have near-absolute power, and the authority to make decisions independently. That is rarely done, however, since the Synod and First are permanently linked by psi-net, and thus can consult with each other instantly at any time.

The Directorates are in tasked with operating and maintaining specific parts of the Ascendancy. The following Directorates exist:

Directorate of Order (law enforcement, intelligence)
Directorate of Defense (military deployment/management)
Directorate of Science (research/development)
Directorate of Construction (all industry and construction, power, maintenance)
Directorate of Biotechnology (medicine/population control)
Interior Directorate (manages cities, transport, controls internal expansion, etc)
Exterior Directorate (foreign affairs - diplomacy, management of intelligence, etc)

The first five Directorates control, maintain, and construct actual resources, while the Interior and Exterior Directorates are tasked with applying those resources in the interests of the Ascendancy. For example, the Directorate of Defense is in charge of maintaining the military, building new ships and other vehicles and deploying them as they see fit. The Exterior Directorate can give tasks for the Defense Directorate, which then decides on the optimal way to go about that task and implements it. The First has the authority to micromanage as much as necessary, as well as issue general orders.

Foreign Policy:

Generally, the Ascendancy does not interfere with the affairs of other races. It tends towards isolationism, and does not hesitate to completely annihilate any race which tries to launch an attack. Generally, however, the Ascendancy simply does not care about other races unless they directly influence its interests.

Religion:

None - immortality granted by advanced technology silenced most of the few remaining fundamentalists, and any possible religious inclination is now erased from citizens.

Technology/Capabilities:

Bio/Genetic/Psionic:

Some of the most important Ascendancy technologies are in the field of neural/psionic interfaces. Perhaps the greatest achievement in that field is the psineural network, which allows practically any amount of minds to be linked as one, at the speed of thought. Aided by supercomputers of great speed, this allows not only complete sharing of thoughts but also the creation of highly complex designs and simulations in an instant - as fast as the person (s) can think of it. Furthermore, the participants have full access to the abilities of the computer - they know what it knows (having access to the complete Ascendancy database), as well as computer-like calculation ability. For example, a scientist can think of an equation, and if the computer can solve it he will immediately know the answer. Needless to say, this helps enormously with scientific research and development.

The psi-net is widely used in many fields besides research - all citizens are permanently connected to a limited version, allowing them instant communication and access to the Ascendancy database. The military is equipped with a specialized version, which allows soldiers to coordinate their actions near-perfectly, by allowing every person in a group of practically any size to always be aware of what the other soldiers are doing, and determine the optimal course of action with the aid of a computer. This requires some implants, which are highly organic and completely integrated into the brain upon birth.

The most important Ascendancy technology, however, is in the field of organic matter generation, which includes highly complex genetic engineering and bio-technology. Startling advances in the field have practically eliminated all mortality among Ascendancy citizens. Highly complex bio-engineering machines can annihilate any disease or wound by transporting the damaged/afflicted tissue out of the body while generating perfectly healthy tissue in its place.

However, the greatest achievement in this field is the Organic Reconstructor. Regularly (usually daily), all Ascendancy citizens are "saved" into several independent databases (for security and backup). Everything from their thoughts and memories to bodies are saved. Any citizen can have himself saved any time he wishes, and a constant, real-time update of thoughts and memories is possible. If a person dies or is damaged beyond help, he is regenerated completely, minus any diseases or impurities. The Reconstructor can also remove aging effects, and change the appearance or physical properties of a person. Furthermore, this allows people to travel practically infinite distances, as long as there is a communications link (and a Reconstructor) on the location - the person is saved, terminated, and reconstructed at the new location in a matter of seconds.

Education is done with direct mental imprints - the person instantly knows what he needs to know, gaining memories, skills, and abilities. A person can share experiences and knowledge with others directly via psi-net - they know and feel exactly what he knows and feels. Upon birth, people are altered to delete harmful tendencies like greed and selfishness, as well as any kind of mental or physical disease.

Power Generation:

The Ascendancy's greatest achievement in this field is the Universal Field Generator. This device generates power by tapping multiple parrallel dimensions, as well as converting surrounding space matter (and even the void itself) into energy. It can also manipulate energy fields, and a UFG serves as a vehicle's power generator, shield, engine, and a variety of other devices.

The Ascendancy also uses anti-matter reactors and singularities, which are utilized as secondary power sources and often used to power auxiliaries and secondary systems.

Industry:

Matter generators can create practically anything quickly and efficently. Most UFG's have the energy/matter and field manipulation capabilities necessary for this process, and there are specialized generators which are mostly located in shipyards and factories. A phased stasis field is required for assembly of extremely complex objects to prevent them from interacting the the regular universe while being created. Less advanced methods such as nanoassembly and component-based fabrication are also available, but rarely used. Matter transporters are used to relocate matter, organic or not, with perfect precision at considerable distances.

Weapons:

The most widely used Ascendancy weapons are the Gravitic Plasma Beam emitters. These project dense streams of plasma particles along a tightly focused, powerful gravity field at high sublight velocities. The beam is initially out of phase, unable to interact with any regular matter or energy, but it is directed by an energy "mirror" of sorts, which directs the beam to its target and brings it into phase, allowing the weapons to be easily fired in any direction. The plasma emitters are often placed in clusters and fired simultaneously or in rapid succession. They are well-suited to intercept enemy projectiles, and most Ascendancy ships are equipped with advanced targeting systems that allow simultaneous engagement of hundreds of separate targets. The beam emitters come in all sizes, from rifles to immense starbase-grade weapons. The rifles link with the soldiers' psi-net implants, and aiming is done by thought and/or computer assitance, allowing for excellent accuracy and off-axis shots.

Almost as widely used are torpedoes. These are projectiles fired at high speeds from varying launchers. There are different subtypes, some using specialized propulsion devices for homing capabilites, but the two main types are Neutron and Strong Nuclear Force Disruption torpedoes. Neutron torpedoes are based on neutrons in a state of phase flux, as well as other energized particles. The rapidly shifting nature of these warheads places an especially strong strain on shields as they struggle to compensate. However, they are not particularly effective against most ship hulls and armor, since there is a substandard amount of matter-disrupting energy. The exception is organic hulls and creatures, especially fully living ones, since the projectiles are extremely radioactive and annihilate living cells very easily. The Strong Nuclear Force Disruptors, on the other hand, are devastating against practically any solid matter - they cause a cascade reaction at the subatomic level, often completely obliterating whole chunks of enemy armor and structure. However, the charge dissipates quickly when met with a strong energy field, making it ineffective against enemy shields. These torpedoes are fired from different launchers, some fixed, some turreted, and some capable of directing exiting warheads with gravity fields. Ships sometimes use matter generators to replenish their ammo supply during combat. Hand-held torpedo launchers are available for infantry.

The most powerful standard weapons in the Ascendancy arsenal are the Meson Projectors. These guns fire streams (or blasts, depending on the model) of microsingularities enhanced by an extremely powerful flux field. The sheer density and energy volume of a blast often overloads any energy shields, at least locally, and wreaks havoc on armor. Furthermore, a well-placed blast from a larger Meson weapon can obliterate entire planets with a devastating chain reaction.

There are some less common weapons in use as well, such as combat-oriented fields projected by UFG's.

FTL Travel:

The UFG can generate a variety of portals and fields necessary for different methods of FTL travel. The most common is a swirling, green vortex that forms a tunnel of sorts between the two points, allowing the ship to travel in a regime in which the points are actually much closer than they would be in normal space.

Sublight Maneuvering:

Ships rely on the UFG for sublight maneuverability. Most UFG-equipped ships are extremely agile, thanks to the UFG's ability to generate gravitic, inerta-nullifying, and other helpful fields.

Ship Defenses:

The UFG forms the bulk of a ship's defensive capability. While concentrated and highly visible, a UFG is highly survivable and capable of rapid self-reconstruction. For defense, it projects various fields that absorb, dissipate, or deflect enemy fire. The advantage is that the UFG is extremely versatile and can be used to project fields that are especially effective against the enemy weapons, rather than the same fields all the time. There are also specialized shield emitters, which can only project one type of energy shield, but which has been optimized to defend against as many as possible types of attack. These shields are not nearly as effective as the UFG's specialized fields, but they can help deal with shield-piercing weapons by emitting a differently-modulated field from each projector.

Structural Integrity Field generators are present in large numbers on all ships, greatly strengthening the hull and allowing it to sustain far more damage and withstand immense acceleration and tight maneuvers. The SIF generators are extremely numerous and redundant, ensuring a ship's integrity and durability.

All ships are equipped with the Phased Crystaline Mesh, which is completely self-contained and always present around a completed ship. While it does not physically exist, being out of phase, it can interact with energy weapons in a relatively minor fashion, dissipating and deflecting some of the energy.

Thorlithium Composite Armor is a strong, fairly light armor that resists energy weapons somewhat and regenerates when damaged. Modules are encoded with a sort of DNA-like code which allows it to "know" what form to regenerate to. This is very useful if the matter generator/transporter systems are unavailable and repairs cannot be affected.

All ships are also protected by Standard Interlock Armor modules, which are very easy to replace by the matter generator/transporter system. A new module is simply transported right into a damaged one, merging them into a single solid, perfectly intact module.

Most ships are also equipped with complex fire control systems that allow them to intercept massed enemy projectiles. They are also armed accordingly, often with large numbers of the accurate plasma beams. Some, like the Type II fighter, are specialized in this task.

Ship Overview:

Most Ascendancy ships are extremely versatile, mostly due to the UFG. The UFG allows any ship to service other ships, tow them, build new ships and equipment, and project a lot of helpful and harmful fields that can do everything from assist in scanning a nebula to setting a planet on fire. The only limitation on ship costs is the energy required to generate the matter they're built of, so the cost is rarely an issue except with some of the most complex and largest vessels, like dreadnoughts and starbases. Most combat ships have many plasma beams, built in clusters, to destroy enemy fighters and projectiles, as well as heavier offensive weapons. Some, like the Stealth Raider, are heavily specialized and designed around their role. Others, like the Dreadnought, are extremely versatile, multi-role ships. The Directorate of Defense often creates specialized systems and designs to deal with specific threats, and versatile, multi-role vessels for general use.

General Combat Tactics:

Ascendancy commanders favor highly aggressive, massed wave attacks and flanking maneuvers. Since anyone killed in battle can be resurrected immediately, pilots are often highly aggressive and even suicidal, ramming their fighters into enemy ships when out of torpedoes. Larger ships do this less often, though, since they are much harder to replace in the field. Stealth escorts often follow enemy ships and ambush them when they are distracted by unhidden Ascendancy vessels.

[SteltekMaster]

More complete overview.

Overview:

The Saphiraans are a race of energy-based lifeforms. They are almost universally benevolent, only resorting to violence when the order of the universe is violated. Their technology is highly advanced, as are their own psionic abilities.

Government:

The Council of Elders is the supreme governing body for the Saphiraans. To be a member, a Saphiraan must have attained no less than the ten-thousandth level of psionic harmony, must be no younger than two thousand years, and must have been duly chosen by his peers as their representative. The Council is presided over by the High Elder, who is, in fact, the oldest living Saphiraan, over one billion years old and at
the three hundred-thousandth level of psionic harmony.

Diplomacy:

The Saphiraans do not actively seek contact with other races, but are not hostile to any they encounter, often bestowing gifts of relatively advanced technology (case in point, their gift of the Electron Cannon to the Tuathans) to younger races.

Religion:

The Saphiraans regard (worship would not be the correct word) the Prime Intellect, which they see as a benevolent entity whose presence pervades all dimensions and multiverses. According to the Saphiraan
religion, the universe is a matrix of thought in the mind of the Prime Intellect, created to educate it's offspring , which includes all sentient beings.

Ablities and Technology:

Inherent abilities:

1. Psionic Harmony

Psionic Harmony is the Saphiraan term which describes an individuals mastery of his or her psionic abilities.
A saphiraan is born at the five-hundredth level, which enables telepathy and macro telekinesis of small objects. Saphiraans have been known to advance to the two hundred-thousandth level, and one legendary Saphiraan is said to have reached the millionth level.

2. Phasing

A saphiraan is born as an energy mass contained within a biological shell. Gradually, Saphiraans learn to phase, and become more and more energy, and less and less matter. Perfect Phase, which generally coincides with the fifty-thousandth level of psionic harmony is reached by few Saphiraans.

Technology:

1. Limbo Drive

No Saphiraan technology is completely in normal space, but is phased by up to 50% into various dimensions. The Limbo Drive is able to draw on the energy of Bright Matter(or, Anti-Dark Matter) which is the source of the Saphiraans power.

2. Fold Gates

The Fold Drive on board Saphiraan spacecraft brings two points in space together temporarily, at a vortex-like point called a Fold Gate. Fold technology is much faster than conventional hyperspace, and is made possible by the presence of a minute amount of Bright Matter in the composition of the Fold Drive.

3. Plasmatic Weaponry.

Plasma, the universe's mysterious fifth element, is channeled into coherent beams of incredible intensity by Saphiraan weapon technology.

4. Gravitic Weaponry

Graviton singularites are employed as weapons of last resort by Saphiraan forces - a single singularity generated from the Diamond-class Dreadnought, largest of Saphiraan ships is sufficient to destroy a star.
Graviton weapons are also used in the form of projectiles, which do far less damage than the singularity weapons of the Dreadnought.

5. Limbo Refraction Armor

Since Saphiraan technology is phased into several dimensions at once, the damaging effects of hostile forces on Saphiraan ships is greatly reduced upon impacting the ship's hull.

6. Hyperspace Deflection sheilding

The sheilds of Saphiraan ships are actually warps in space that phase unwanted energy out of normal space. This technology is, like most Saphiraan technology, based on the Limbo Drive.

7. Atomic Reorganizer

This device is rarely used in military applications, and cannot be used on sheilded targets at any rate. It's purpose is to repair and regenerate matter by re-organizing damaged material on the atomic level.

Combat Tactics:

The Saphiraans swarm hostile targets with large numbers of ships and concentrated firepower. When possible, multiple Saphiraans will all concentrate on single enemy ships at once, enabling them to quickly destroy their targets and move on to the next. In the unlikely event that a Saphiraan ship becomes severely damaged and is in trouble, all Saphiraans in the area will swarm to defend it and destroy the attacker, even to the point of less damaged ships moving into the path of enemy fire.

[Boothby]

All I know is that the Imari would own them both.

Hehehehehehe

[Gabooz]

Oh yeah? How about Saphiraan/Ascendancy alliance vs the Imari, then?

[SteltekMaster]

Given the primitive sheilding technology of the Imari, there's one that'd be over quick.

[Gabooz]

Not to mention Ascendancy industrial capacity and ability to take and replace infinite casualties

[SteltekMaster]

Saphiraan and Ascendancy ships encounter a fleet of Imari hostiles...

Saphiraan Elder: It seems a great force has massed against us.

Ascendancy Commander: Indeed.

(pause)

Saphiraan Elder: I believe the "B" squad will be more than sufficient to deal with it.

Ascendancy Commander: I think I'll go on break, wanna come?

Saphiraan Elder: Truly.

[Gabooz]

[img]http://www.*******************/images/img-yes.gif[/img]

[SteltekMaster]

[Boothby]

One thing to say...


Try 'em.

If ONE of my babies gets it's side to you and is able to let a full battery loose of its main guns, there won't be a ship there anymore. Not to mention the perty little rail guns in the front...

Oh yeah, and at the impossible chance that the Naval Division doesn't finish you all up, have you forgotten this baby as well?


http://www.sballiance.com/studios/pj...hip1-view2.jpg

And if the guns don't work, they'll obliterate you with their stunning good looks.

[SteltekMaster]

Rail guns?! LOL. That's what you've got to put up against graviton and meson weaponry? Look, I like the Imari, and no insult to you, but they are just out of their league with the Saphiraans and the Ascendancy.

[Boothby]

OK. Sorry dude.

I see this becoming stupid really quick, so I'll bail out before it becomes that.

[Lokan]

heeheeehee... Gaboozard...heehee

[Gabooz]

"heeheeehee... Gaboozard...heehee"

Quiet you!

[Mackie]

Originally posted by Boothby
OK. Sorry dude.

I see this becoming stupid really quick, so I'll bail out before it becomes that.

well.... maybe you could go up against tangodrinkers navy ?

[SteltekMaster]

As I understand it, Tango's models are even bigger than gabooz's, as far as polygons.

[SteltekMaster]

OK. Sorry dude.

I see this becoming stupid really quick, so I'll bail out before it becomes that.

Uh - actually it's called a Vs. Debate, Booth. Hmm, I guess we're in the wrong Forum, but that's about it.

[Boothby]

I hate to say it, but VS. Debate = stupid in my book.

[Lokan]

Originally posted by Boothby
I hate to say it, but VS. Debate = stupid in my book.

BLASPHEMER!!!!

[Boothby]

Ya know it!