Shallow Space: Factions

By John Harper

A reporter looking for truth in all the wrong places.
A simple freighter pilot stumbling upon protected treasure.
A crystalline world, and the biggest heist in the history of humanity.

The notorious pirate Samuel Shallom, who fought for a cause and became a legend.

Welcome to the worlds of Shallow Space, the new home of humanity after a 100 year voyage from a crippled Earth. In this collection you’ll find the entire short story collection for Shallow space, as well as learn about the major factions of humanity.

Inspired by Nexus: Jupiter Incident and Homeworld, Shallow Space is a 4X real time strategy space sim and this is the definitive collection of the game’s narrative.

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Harper
• Release date: Feb 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370079933

John Harper

John Harper’s writing career began in his first year of school when he stood before the school assembly and read out his ‘novelisation’ of the movie Short Circuit. School was spent writing endless pieces of original and fan fiction, most of the action revolving around his first original hero ‘Jack Hamilton’, Awesome Ass Kicking Extraodinaire and Pontiac Enthusiast. Fast forward a few years and John is a science fiction writer living in Wellington, New Zealand. He avidly follows the cricket and V8 Supercars. John is a passionate writer at night and occupies his days working as a chartered mechanical engineer. John is the author of official Elite: Dangerous novel, ‘Elite: And Here The Wheel’. John first played Elite on the Atari ST in 1989 as a seven year old who couldn’t dock to a Coriolis space station to save himself which is appropriate as docking was a life and death situation. A hacked save game got him a docking computer and he was off. With age and practice John was able to start again, manually docking his way to a fully equipped ‘Iron-Arse’. Bored of the ‘local group’ John set off to explore Chart 1 – his biggest memories are using his escape capsule to quickly travel across the chart. And then blowing up the Atari ST in the process. Aside from Elite fan fiction, he has written and published many short stories.

Book preview

SHALLOW SPACE: Factions

By

John Harper

Published by Special Circumstances

Cover Design by John Harper

Based on the real time strategy game

Shallow Space in development by Special Circumstances.

© 2016 Special Circumstances

Contents

Faction: Terran Confederation Navy

Vignette: Leaving Earth

Faction: The Terran Empire

Story: The Gift

Faction: INC

Story: The Tale of Samuel Shallom

Faction: Allied Pirate Forces

Story: Paradijs Lost

Faction: Pleiades Corporation

Vignette: The Gift – Aftermath

Faction: Mineral & Fusion Corporation

Story: The Watchers

Vignette: Battle for the Pleiades System

About Shallow Space

About The Author

Faction: Terran Confederation Navy

The Terran Confederation Navy was formed in response to the discovery of the Pleiades Corporation, descendants of the presumed lost worldship UES Halifax.

When the Pleiades Corporation refused to enter the Terran Empire, Emperor Christian decided to force the issue. He issued the construction of a military fleet to occupy the Pleiades system. To help with ‘buy-in’ from the rest of the Imperium this navy was labelled a ‘confederation’, with all member systems supplying ships and material, based on their tax status.

Each member system would provide a military leader to join the Council of Admirals and each council member would have a term as the field marshall, supreme leader of the Confederation Navy.

Technology of war had been forgotten on the hundred-year journey from Earth however and despite ingenuity from the INC staryards creating a quick, simple and modular cruiser, the Armstrong, training, ship completion and other factors resulted in a sub standard fighting force. Despite superiority of numbers and weaponry (on paper at least), the Terran Confederation Navy was routed at what became known as the Battle for the Pleiades System.

The lessons were learnt quickly; the TCN rebuilt, retrained, and quickly became the dominant force in Shallow Space. Although it was never tested again in direct conflict in the Pleiades System, the TCN was crucial to winning the Race for the Blankicite and diplomacy finally achieved what the TCN could not; Pleiades entered the Terran Empire as a ‘Core’ world.

To this day the TCN’s leadership still follows the founding concepts of shared control among the member worlds. The Navy is comprised of several fleets which keep the peace in both the core and the wild fringe of Shallow Space.

Vignette: Leaving Earth

"The passengers applauded as the UES Halifax broke its mooring, the first step of a hundred year journey. Their shouts rose and fell like waves upon an old Earth beach, grating against the pain in my own heart.

The drydock drifted across my targeting port, a sparse tangle of girders and power conduits. Inside, blue arcs danced across the half built Ajax, scheduled to depart in six months.

Then I saw Earth, fierce dark clouds racing through its skies, large rings and other shapes forming before my eyes.

Our cradle, our home, our mother. Ma, Pa and the twins were still down there, waiting for their turn. It was Pa who had forced me to join the navy. To guarantee early departure he said, but I had still hated him for it.

That was when I realised that the circular cloud surrounding Australia wasn’t just a ring.

It was a Mega-hurricane.

I had always thought that in desperate times I would think first of the people I love, but it turned out I was too much of a coward. In that moment all I could think about was myself. Thank God we left when we did."

-          Private Log, Gunnery Cadet Charlton Leeds, April 23rd, 2276

Faction: The Terran Empire

The Terran Empire is the ruling government of the human population in the region known as ‘Shallow Space’. It currently comprises 3 ‘core’ stellar systems and 9 ‘colony’ systems. They are spread across a region of space roughly circular in shape with a diameter approximately 100 light years (LY)

The Terran Empire was born from the slow decay of social order that was the 100 year trip from a dying Earth to Shallow Space. As those born on the worldships, (And having never seen Earth) moved into positions of control, the notion of a dying world uniting all peoples was forgotten.

Old differences surfaced. New ones formed, and Corporations, the opportunists that they are, saw ways to take advantage.

Field Marshall Christian saw the damage unfolding, knew it could destroy the fragile species of human kind. Something had to be done. Already in command of the military he initiated a swift coup and dethroned the United Earth Council, taking ultimate control. Immediately factions formed amongst the worldships, but quick negotiations with the major corporations resulted in Christian regaining complete control over the entire human race as Emperor.

In this way Christian could continue to guide humanity without the wastefulness of votes, and all the fluff that comes with democracy. He lived to see humanity not only reach its goal of landfall, but also spread throughout the Terran system and begin a new life of promise and unlimited resources. His son Christian II quickly secured his father's throne before any Corporation could push their own candidates.

The Empire is currently ruled by Christian III aged 77 and comprises an area of space approx. 100 LY in diameter, though only 12 stellar systems have registered settlements. The population of the Empire is estimated at 517 million with a further 2 million living in unregistered settlements.

The Empire is controlled by the Emperor but below him is the Imperial Senate which has one representative from each member stellar system. (Except for the Pleiades system, which has an additional corporate representative). The senate can generally resolve issues itself and pass law but the Emperor has veto power. He is usually present at the senate assembly pushing his point of view, rather than sitting back and waiting to veto.

The citizens of the Empire are generally happy with their governance and the culture is very materialistic and flamboyant. After a century or restricted resources (and the devastation of Earth), people now live in a time of abundance. It is this need to horde resources (money won’t save your family when your planet is destroyed) that now drives Imperial citizens. Arable land, food and equipment are the resources that are coveted.

With the realization of the crysophage theory and the creation of blankicite, this resource hunger narrowed on blankicite, which can be both a building material and a food depending on how it is transmuted.

Freedom of movement and speech are considered 'Deity given rights' of citizens, however matters of food supply bring out the most passion in the populace.

The seat of power in the Terran Empire is the Terran stellar system.

Story: The Gift

Marlon Kurtz exhaled ice, forming fractals against his helmet’s visor. He glanced from his starship’s deactivated controls to his survival suit’s readout. Five degrees, as programmed. A week of cryogenic conditions had sounded more comfortable in planning, but he was still 278 degrees above absolute zero, and thus a target for anyone looking hard in his direction. He grunted and tucked his gloved fingers back inside his armpits.

Beyond the viewport, the star Helios shone brilliant white fury, making him squint despite the autotint.

He continued his routine of toe and finger stretches, though he couldn't shake that dull ache of impending frostbite. Drinking from his helmet's suck was agony on his desiccated lips. Even the recycled air tasted dry and acerbic now. Panic tore away at the edges of his mind. He wanted out. But a slow calm breath and the panic receded. Keep breathing, maintain circulation.

At the agreed time he reactivated the passive sensors.

A risk. Small, but a risk nonetheless and there was nowhere to hide in the freakishly empty stellar system. He squinted at the star again. He saw it, a small black disk before the burning whiteness, the only planet in orbit. ‘The Gift’, according to the Imperial Systems almanac. ‘The Prize’ in pirate circles.

The scanner bleeped. A single low powered pulse from The Gift. It barely registered, but it was enough. He breathed in deep, numb fingers shaking toward the worn-smooth ‘go’ button, an uncharacteristic tremor in his heart.

His gaze tracked to the rear view. This would be his biggest job yet. And the boldest. He didn’t have to proceed. He could turn and flee. He didn’t need the Shallom Clan's money, nor did he fear their wrath for breaking a contract-

He depressed the button.

-but he had a reputation. And self-respect. He wasn’t going to lose either today.

Blinding lights filled the cockpit. Consoles beeped with initializing software. He pulled off his helmet and heat burned through his frigid body. His nerves screamed in ecstasy and pain and Marlon closed his eyes, basking in the simple act of feeling.

He gave himself five selfish seconds of warming then pointed the ship toward The Gift and engaged the prime mover.

#

The Armadillo patrol craft pinged him half way to The Gift. Marlon ignored the hails and threats and maintained his beeline. The Gift grew beyond the viewport, the albedo of the sharp crystalline landscape lending the growing horizon a square, blocky shape.

His scanner detected a second ping – a second Armadillo trying to cut him off. He re-checked his mole's coordinates dirt-side and adjusted his trajectory.

Shapes became distinct on the surface: towering cuboids of zirconia, cloudy pyramids of spinel, rows of diamond picket fences. Marlon swooped downward, a pudgy Armadillo behind, another trying to cut across his vector.

Marlon's missile alarm warbled. Stomach tightening, he shaved a klick off his altitude. He raced toward the terminator, the ship's hull scraping above shimmering obelisks.

The land fell away to a glittering red ocean glowing under Helios' assault. His engine's thermostat flashed red. The engines coughed, shaking the ship but he didn't slow. The thermostat kept rising, the missile alarm warbled again, the engines hiccupped, losing him another klick, and then there was darkness. The ship's vibrations became a purr and he climbed to a safe altitude and checked his coordinates.

There, five hundred kilometers ahead, another clearing between rows of inverted stalagmites. He glanced at the scanner. The closest armadillo was eighty seconds back. Good enough. He re-fastened his helmet, rapped his knuckles against the cockpit frame and nodded to himself. He dumped the fuel