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[crazyabe]

When should the first Battle Report be?
Start of SY100 (6): Chiefwaffles, BBBence, TFF, Detoxicated, khang, Blood_Librarian
End of SY100: (6):  Piratejoe, Madman, Talion, Shadowclaw, Jilladilla, Crazyabe
I don't care: (1) : Andrea

[Chiefwaffles]

When should the first Battle Report be?
Start of SY100 (5): BBBence, TFF, Detoxicated, khang, Blood_Librarian
End of SY100: (7):  Piratejoe, Madman, Talion, Shadowclaw, Jilladilla, Crazyabe, Chiefwaffles
I don't care: (1) : Andrea

May as well break the tie.

[joha4270]

When should the first Battle Report be?
Start of SY100 (5): BBBence, TFF, Detoxicated, khang, Blood_Librarian
End of SY100: (:  Piratejoe, Madman, Talion, Shadowclaw, Jilladilla, Crazyabe, Chiefwaffles, joha4270
I don't care: (1) : Andrea

[NUKE9.13]

Alright. End of SY100 it is.

Both colonies are currently on the revision phase of SY99. Ertex is almost done voting, Quillus has yet to start (Quillus really needs more engineers, if you're reading this and haven't joined, please consider joining Quillus). Unfortunately for Ertex, the revision phase of SY99 is gonna be synchronised (I'll roll for both colonies at roughly the same time).
There will then follow a report on the fate of the D Mission, followed by the design phase of SY100. After the revision phase of SY100, there will be a tactics phase, and following that, at long last, the first battle report.

[Detoxicated]

Go ertex mother of invention.

[NUKE9.13]

Update:
In addition to ships and units, there are Satellites and Installations. These cost SPP and GPP respectively, but are cheaper than their mobile equivalents.
To construct a satellite requires total control of the planet it is to orbit. Don't ask why.
To construct ground installations requires 50% control of the planet.

Any satellites/installations you have obtained will be constructed for free around/on your homeworld (in reasonable numbers).

[NUKE9.13]

Battle Report for SY100

The time is here at last. Now to find out whether this game even works.
Format is thus: Orbital Combat, Ground Combat, Description of New Tech.

Orbital Combat
We shall start with the orbit of D, where the largest battle is taking place.

Both colonies have sent substantial fleets to escort transports to the verdant planet where this war began. Ertex has fielded 5 of their Cuttlefish-class ships, escorting a single ITC. Quillus has sent two of their angular Odin-class ships, which they have named Thought & Memory, escorting a single ITC, which is also carrying four Loki fighters.
Neither side knows what to expect, though both are on the lookout for the other. As they enter the orbit, Quillus deploys a Loki ahead of the main force to act as a scout- the Loki's ability to operate independently for several days making it suitable for this role. It is this Loki that spots the Ertexite fleet, quickly radioing in the position to the rest.
Ertex is alerted to Quillus's presence by the appearance on their raider of several extremely fast-moving slugs, fired by the Quillian ships' Mjolnir coilguns (which are not railguns). Fortunately, none of the shots connect, as Quillus relies not only on manual aiming, but also on manually calculating the heading and velocity in order to lead shots properly. The Cuttlefish promptly return fire with their AX4-Spear Laser Turrets. Also reliant on manual aiming at long range, their accuracy is not much better, and the few shots that land are so diverged that they deal minimal damage to the Odins' reflective ceramic armour.
As the ships grow closer together, the four Lokis race ahead of the slower Odins, entering within range of the Cuttlefishes' radar, and the Cerberus System, which begins automatically tracking the fighters. It doesn't do a very good job, especially given the Lokis' speed, and whilst the automatic fire is more accurate than manual fire, almost all shots still miss. Not all, though. A lucky shot burns through a Loki's light armour, damaging internal systems, and it pulls back, becoming the first ship in the war to retreat.
Meanwhile, the two Odins continue to fire. A shot from one of the extra-long spinal-mount Mjolnirs manages to hit a Cuttlefish. Unlike Ertex's lasers, the fast-moving slug deals major damage to the lightly-armoured Cuttlefish. 
As the fleets close to medium range, the Cerberus divides its attention between the Lokis and the Odins, the latter of which it has more luck hitting- until the Odins start performing evasive manoeuvres, the multiple thrusters allowing it to dance across the sky. Nevertheless, concentrated fire melts through the light ceramic armour- revealing the heavy titanium armour several meters below it.
Coilgun slugs fly all around the Ertexite fleet; despite their Hermes drive's ability to perform brief bursts of extra speed to aid in evasion, it is inevitable that some hit. Two more Cuttlefish are damaged- one shot strikes a Cuttlefish's Helios-S reactor, causing containment to fail... which does not cause it to explode dramatically, as fusion reactors don't do that. Instead, the ship just stops moving.
Laser fire finally manages to destroy significant sections of the Odins' outer armour, and starts to work at the inner armour. Though less reflective, the thickness still absorbs a lot of damage- damage which increases as the two fleets grow closer together.
However, before Ertex can find out whether there is a third, even thicker layer of armour below the second (there isn't), another shot strikes a previously damaged Cuttlefish, mangling internals, disrupting fire from its lasers. The captains judge discretion to be the better part of valour, and make to retreat. The Odins, with their heavily damaged armour, do not attempt to pursue. The Lokis continue to harass the Cuttlefish, damaging yet another, until another lucky shot manages to fry one, taking it out of action for good, and the remaining two pull back as well.

With neither side at a major advantage, ITCs on both sides manage to deploy troops safely.

Results: 1 Loki destroyed, 1 damaged; 2 Odins damaged. 1 Cuttlefish destroyed, 1 heavily damaged, 2 damaged.

Analysis: Though coilguns and lasers are not the same (lasers being more accurate but dealing less damage, especially at longer ranges), 14 Mjolnirs versus 15 Spears turns out to be a reasonably even fight, and both sides have roughly equal speed and agility, meaning the victor comes down to who can stick around the longest. In this case, despite being outnumbered, the Odins simply had more armour than the Cuttlefish combined. Combined with the harassment provided by the Lokis, this enabled Quillus to emerge- albeit not by much- victorious.

---

A lesser battle took place in the orbit of A.

Quillus has sent a solitary Odin (the class's nameship) to accompany an ITC to A. Ertex has sent a single Cuttlefish.
Ertex has the good fortune to spot Quillus first, but the advantage is somewhat squandered by their laser's poor performance at long range against the Odin's outer armour. The Odin, meanwhile, has trouble hitting the Cuttlefish at all.
As they close to medium range, the Cuttlefish starts doing damage, and the Odin starts hitting. Unfortunately for the Cuttlefish, when the Odin hits, it's a big deal, whilst the Cuttlefish is only chipping away at the Odin's armour. It takes only a single hit for the captain of the Cuttlefish to decide that this is not a fight he can win. The Odin pursues, but the Cuttlefish proves slightly faster whilst employing its extra thrust, and manages to escape before taking further damage.

However, with the Odin on the prowl, Ertex's ITC must be careful not to get spotted, meaning it deploys troops erratically, all over the planet, whilst Quillus is free to deploy its troops in a concentrated group.

Results: 1 Cuttlefish damaged.

Analysis: In a straight fight, a Cuttlefish is no match for an Odin, which outguns it in addition to having more armour. This results in an easy win for Quillus, although fortunately the Odin is not quite as fast as the Cuttlefish.

---

Quillus deployed ships to C, which went uncontested.

---

Ertex deployed ships to E, which went uncontested.

Ground Combat
Neither side really put much effort into their ground forces. It's rifle vs rifle, albeit different flavours.

A: Troops from both colonies disembark their shuttles wearing cumbersome X100 spacesuits. The Ertexites wield primarily EAF-PX3 "Raider" Laser Rifles. The Quillians have brought the QS-IRW-99 'Hayk', a micro-missile firing rifle.
The terrain itself is a hazard here; sharp rocks threaten to tear suits, unstable ground might collapse at any minute, and of course one must always be on the lookout for volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Of course, these problems affect both sides equally, since neither has provided their troops with better suits or vehicles.
Ertex gets off to a bad start on landing, as small parties are overwhelmed by larger groups of Quillians. By the time they manage to regroup, they have already suffered losses.
Things turn around for them in long-range combat, however, as the Raider, with its scope and bipod attachments, proves more accurate than the Hayk- not that the Hayk is terrible; Quillus manages to kill a few enemies at long range, but not as many as Ertex does.
Entering medium range, things turn around again, as the accuracy of the two weapons becomes similar, and Quillus has a slight advantage thanks to the Hayk being quite light and easy to handle, where the Raider is quite a heavy piece of kit (not that either side is exactly agile, given the limitations of the X100). Quillus also occasionally uses the Hayk's explosive rounds here- which are in shorter supply and have lower range and accuracy, but have horrible effects on impact, blowing off limbs being the least of them.
With unmodified Printed Pistols, neither side is really eager to enter short range, doing so only when the enemy has been battered into submission at longer ranges.
At the end of the day, Ertex's advantages at long range help to alleviate their losses in ambushes- but not enough, after taking into account their losses at medium range. Quillus manages to secure a few sections of the unstable planet, fortifying them against Ertexite incursion.
   Q:1/6, E:0/6

C: Quillian troops enjoy some time on the beach whilst they wait for rudimentary ships to be constructed to ferry them to the next chain of islands.
   Q:2/6

D: Ertex outnumbers Quillus here. Combat is much like on A, except that at every range Quillus suffers from their reduced numbers. They fall back to the more overgrown and rocky areas of the planet, where they attempt guerilla tactics, which do help somewhat to alleviate losses- but do nothing to stop Ertex from claiming swathes of the planet for themselves.
   Q:0/6, E:2/6

E: Ertexite troops sit around heating units in their inflatable tents, waiting for blizzards to die down before making their way across the ice to the next place to stick a flag.
    E:2/6

New Tech (Spotted)
Ertex has obviously spent a lot of time working on their ESC-FS 1 'Cuttlefish' laser corvette. It is powered by a Helios-S fusion reactor, which is a variety of the ground-based Helios fusion reactor. This reactor utilises one of their bigger breakthroughs, Libum-265K, a near-room temperature superconductor. The Helios performs He3-He3 fusion, although it is not ideally set up to take advantage of the reaction's ability to produce electricity directly. The reaction reaches ignition, and generates a lot of cheap power, benefiting industry on their homeworld to the tune of 2SPP+2GPP. The Helios-S is specially designed so that plasma may be siphoned off without compromising the reaction, plasma which is fed into the Hermes variable-water-injected fusion thruster (placed where the beak of the Cuttlefish would be), which provides large amounts of thrust. Water may be added to the plasma to increase thrust, at the cost of fuel efficiency. The Cuttlefish's three turrets are AX4-Spears, utilising second-generation weaponized lasers. The emitters release pulses infrequently, but by using multiple staggered emitters it produces a powerful 'beam' with a decent range. The ship has a target-acquisition and aiming computer known as the Cerberus System, although it is not very well put together. It has light ceramic armour that provides only minimal protection. It looks vaguely like a cuttlefish. The ship moves at a Moderate speed normally, though it can inject extra water to reach Kinda Fast.

Ertex's ground weapon, the EAF-PX3 Raider, is a laser rifle weighing 7.5kg, utilising similar emitters to the AX4-Spear, and using the extremely compact NQ Cells as 'ammunition'. It can fire for 15 seconds without needing to reload, though it only fires in pulses.

---

Quillus spent similar quantities of time working on spacecraft. They have their own fusion reactor, the QS-CPP-96 'Stardust', which whilst not as good as Ertex's (it almost reaches ignition, and provides 1SPP+2GPP), does come in smaller varieties that are more easily mounted on ships. They use their QS-MHD-98 'Apollo' thruster for propulsion, a magnetoplasmadynamic drive of unparalleled effectiveness. It uses hydrogen plasma by default, but heavier elements can be injected for added thrust. For weaponry, they designed the QS-MAC-97 'Mjolnir', which is definitely a coilgun and not a railgun, godsdamnit, which fires 150mm slugs at high speeds. They put these together in the QS-CA-99 'Odin', a ship that is slightly larger than the Cuttlefish, and substantially more heavily armoured. A Stardust reactor provides power to three large Apollo thrusters in the back, and five smaller ones pointed in various other directions, providing excellent manoeuvrability despite the faraday-insulated heavy titanium armour, with light reflective ceramic armour suspended several meters away from the main hull. It has a spinal-mount extra-long Mjolnir, as well as four regular Mjolnir in turrets. It moves at a Moderate speed thanks to the truly excellent thrusters.
In addition to the Odin, they have also designed the QS-SF-00 'Loki' to serve as a scout and fighter. It has a miniaturised Stardust reactor (3m*3m*2m) and an Apollo thruster, as well as a single Mjolnir coilgun, a cockpit which can sustain a pilot for several days without resupply, all wrapped up in light armour. They are Fast, and very manoeuvrable. They do need to be carried by a mothership, a role currently only fulfilled by the ITC.

Their ground weapon, the QS-IRW-99 'Hayk', is a gyrojet rifle that has been polished to perfection, any flaws having been ironed out by rigorous testing. It is theoretically accurate at long range, though human arms and eyes cannot really take advantage of this. In addition to the regular finned micromissiles, a variety with exploding tips exists, with worse range and accuracy.

---

Both sides may have developed other things, which have either been made obsolete, were not deployed (or were deployed in secret), or simply weren't worth mentioning.

Other Stuff!

The war has begun! A clash of cultures so fundamentally different that no reconcilliation is possible.
But... what kind of cultures are they?
Your government has come to you, requesting that you produce propaganda 100%trufax describing the glorious culture of Ertex/Quillus.
A good effort will see a small boost to research funding, as the proud citizens are reminded of their homeworld's glory.

PROPAGANDA CONTEST: Create propaganda that fills in details of your colony's culture. A satisfactory performance will provide a Minor Advantage (Revision)*. An outstanding performance will provide a Minor Advantage (Design)*.
Post entries in the core thread. Feel free to make up whatever details you like about your colony- I may discard the more outlandish claims as being mere propaganda, but most will become canon. Oh, I guess try to coordinate so your entries don't directly contradict each other.
Also, note that you will be judged on how interesting your culture is, not just how well made the entries are. I swear to your choice of gods, if one of you submits a godsdamned vanilla capitalist democracy USA-in-space... you might not even get the revision advantage. 

*Minor Advantage: instead of rolling 2d4, roll 3d4 and discard lowest die.

[Chiefwaffles]

The Triumvirate of Ertex

Here at Ertex we’ve long since abandoned the more primitive ways of our relatives on Earth. On the year SY 14, after the formative years spent under the primitive colonial charter, the Triumvirate of Ertex was founded in order to best lead Ertex and its people.

Ertex's government keeps the power and mandate of the people while ensuring a powerful nation. It’s based in a process in which we find the best individuals to operate our government. A process designed to ensure a smoothly running government best representing its citizens while being able to respond to any crisis. The process first saw limited use during SY 10, when the colonial charter's mandated leader, Gratian, voluntarily stepped down. It was his wish that the people would elect the leader after his chosen successor, but the chosen leader, Consul Alexander, remembered the mistakes of old Earth. Consul Alexander oversaw the formation of the Triumvirate (dropping his old role of "President"); he knew that chosen heirs would lead to a corrupt and regressed society, and that the tyranny of the majority could not be allowed. So he implemented the process, which would guide Ertex for years to come.

Ertex is largely ruled by Consuls. The Consul of Military, the Consul of Civics, and the Consul of Innovation. Together, they rule the Triumvirate in a fashion Quillus can’t hope to imitate.
Beneath the Consuls lie Magistrates. Individuals advised by the Consuls with significant control over different aspects of their branch. For example, the Magistrate of Fleet Operations under the Consul of Military handles the bulk of operations of Ertex’s fleet.
The populace actively participates via routine and extensive option polls securely and digitally delivered to every citizen. While the government isn’t required to heed these polls and is encouraged to take the path its leaders see as the best possible, it provides valuable data for how to best run the government and for the choosing of new officials. However, the only officials that citizens actively elect are planetary and regional governors, which have a relatively minor role in Ertexian governance.

Consuls aren’t elected or chosen directly by the people. Complex procedures and systems decide the next Consul, based on their activity, personality, the current poll regarding public opinion (though this isn't the biggest factor), and more. Consuls are also selected to be compatible with each other while different enough to encourage more efficient and intelligent operation of the government - they'll be different enough to encourage debate and thought over different approaches, but ideally similar enough to allow for a cohesive single administration. Magistrates are selected in similar ways, though the current Consul that the magistrate would be under has a significant - not absolute - say in the process. Of course, there are many below the Magistrates and below those below the Magistrates - the same process applies but yields further to higher-up input as it goes down, eventually resulting in straightforward appointments at the lower levels. Governors of cities and other small areas are directly elected by the people (though the candidates are chosen by a less-intense form of the system choosing Consuls), and planetary governors are chosen through cooperation with the Consuls and local governors on the particular planet. There's an absolute term limit of 20, with a soft limit of 10, years (that will likely by bypassed by the current administration due to the war) for any one administration, but it can be automatically judged that public opinion has notably shifted from the view of the current administration, causing the process to be started again.
This ensures the Consuls represent public opinion, yet don’t succumb to the tyranny of the majority and are chosen for their ability to enact the public opinion. Though after a minor armed uprising intense public petition, it is possible for a very large majority of the population to force a new administration to be put into place via a very publicized and scheduled vote.

The Consul of Innovation covers technology, utilities, technological infrastructure, and much more. Civics cover public essentials and guaranteed services, regular infrastructure, general citizen services, and most of the immediately civilian-facing responsibilities. The Military role is obvious. Criticisms do arise that the responsibilities of these different Consuls can be confusing as they're organically grown according to demand and that supposedly disputes regarding responsibilities between Consuls can occur, but Ertex would never be disrupted by such trivial flaws!


The Consuls rule from the Spire, a grand structure located in the center of Solon, Ertex's capital city. In fact, citizens tend to use the term "the Spire" to refer to the general overall administration at the time. Consuls largely govern from their office using the communications network to instantly communicate their decisions and policies with the rest of Ertex, and while they do make occasional public appearances, they largely leave PR and communications to subordinates; this ensures that they spend most of their time ensuring Ertex remains prosperous.


The Spire

Construction on the Spire originally started in SY50 as a joint project between the Consuls (largely those of Civics and Innovation) to celebrate Ertex's fiftieth anniversary. Envisioned as a symbol of Ertex's significance and prosperity as well as the seat of its government, construction quickly commenced. The sheer industrial might of Ertex managed to finish construction in a mere 40 years, though the Spire served as the capitol well before construction officially finished.

The building itself is a gleaming white, and it stands tall above the many skyscrapers in the center of Solon. It's isolated via a large circular lawn surrounding the Spire. The Lawn is a beautiful sight, being largely grass with pavement leading many places. Many sculptures and amenities populate the Lawn, sourced from the best artists of Ertex and celebrating or depicting important events and people in Ertex history; in fact, just last year the most grand sculpture yet was unveiled for Ertex's centennial anniversary. Ornamental bodies of water are a common sight here. The Lawn is seen as, in addition to being the effective town center of Solon, a community gathering place, park, and general symbol of Ertex. Many events are held here, from citizen political organizations to official events from the government.
The Spire is the tallest and largest building in all of Ertex. It reaches high into the air, and the exterior is filled with gardens - instead of the building simply sloping inwards as it grows taller, the edges of levels terminate in open-air balconies and gardens; giving the Spire a lush and vibrant appearance at all levels. At night, it seems to almost shine, losing none of its luster or visibility - being an example of how Ertex never fades. Windows on every level both allow those inside to peer over Solon and Ertex, and those outside to always see into the workings of Ertex's government. Many white skywalks jut out from various levels of the Spire to different parts of Solon.

The Consuls themselves are housed at the gargantuan ground floor - they're never above the Ertexian people. From here, they benefit from the Spire's extensive mainframe and direct connections to the entire planet and the rest of Aljadid. They're always connected with the people. Nearly all of Ertex's government, barring regional governors, is housed entirely inside the Spire. The connections to the rest of Aljadid mean they're never away from their people. Even the esteemed Design Bureau, formerly known for organizing nearly all of Ertex's infrastructure prior to the war, resides in the Spire. Those from the public are always allowed in and are often encouraged to for varying reasons. As Solon is the largest city on Ertex, the people are never isolated from their government.


Consul of Innovation Skylax
The following is an audio excerpt from a public holoprojector in the Spire's "Hall of Consuls" displaying Consul Skylax's image.

Consul Skylax, leading from SY 43-53, may be considered one of the greatest Ertexian innovators to this very day.

It was under his leadership that the Consul of Innovation was transferred from a mere holdover still tied to its original role of re-propagating colonial technology to the modern pioneers all citizens know and recognize today! His famed Era Reforms, named so for his belief that the year SY 50 would usher in the "Era of Aljadid", completely changed the role and power of Innovation. Prior to the Era Reforms, the Consul of Innovation was largely tasked with overseeing the expansion of technological infrastructure to expanding areas. While Innovation is still in charge of technological infrastructure today, it has many more roles. For instance, Innovation now currently holds a representative in every major private company located in Ertex; charged with managing government relations to the company, ensuring the company is obeying all Triumvirate laws, gently encouraging a positive direction for the company, and - most importantly - propagating government-originating technology amongst the private interests of Ertex appropriately in order to keep competition and technological relevance high in the private sector.

Consul Skylax was also chosen by Consul Kleopax (his successor) in order to be the first to lead the newly formed Ertex Design Bureau, created in the final two years of Skylax's leadership. It was under Consul Skylax that the Consul of Innovation went from its colonial roots to the primary reason for Ertex's continued technological dominance.


Consul of Military Tullus
The following is an audio excerpt from a public holoprojector in the Spire's "Hall of Consuls" displaying Consul Tullus's image.

Consul Tullus, leading from SY 88 to SY 99, is considered the chief architect for the modern Ertexian military.

The Ertex Armed Forces and the Ertex Space Corps were both founded under his leadership. Prior to his military reforms, the Consul of Military primarily led the Ertex Planetary Security, a now defunct military branch split into the modern military. Consul Tullus worked with the then-Consul of Innovation in order to retool the Ertex Design Bureau to head R&D for the Ertex military. Consul Tullus argued passionately in one of his rare public appearances that the Design Bureau's former goal - updating the civilian technology to a modern state fit for Aljadid from the colonial standards brought with us from Earth - was successfully completed; Tullus argued that it was necessary for Ertex's military to be developed into a modern force fit of countering Quillus' growing aggression. Tullus is seen as the sole person responsible for the much more formal and fit-for-battle Ertexian military seen today.

Consul Tullus currently serves as the admiral of the 1st Expeditionary Fleet.


Consul of Civics Alexander
The following is an audio excerpt from a public holoprojector in the Spire's "Hall of Consuls" displaying Consul Alexander's image.

Consul Alexander is the first Consul, ruling from SY 14 to SY 20, is the first and most significant Consul in Ertex's history.

After the Incident of SY 10, Consul Antipater was chosen to lead the Triumvirate by popular vote. At the beginning of his term, he held the title of "President Alexander" and was the only ruler of the then "Colony of Ertex". It was under his leadership that the Triumvirate of Ertex was officially founded. He spent his years as President garnering support in the burgeoning colony to form a new constitution for Ertex to replace the already aging colonial charter from Earth.

Consul Alexander believed that power was best held in the hands of multiple, and that as Ertex grew (eventually annexing Quillus, of course) it would need a more reliable and steady hand than the fickle wants of the majority. Under a series of conventions and meetings and other events hosted by the then-President, Consul Alexander came out in the year SY 13 with a new constitution that would officially form the Triumvirate and the process used for choosing Consuls; the public gave resounding approval to the proposal, and the Triumvirate officially came into being SY 14 with Consul of Civics Alexander at its head.
Alexander led Ertex in its more primitive colonial years, yet is responsible for everything you see today. The two other Consul positions - that of Innovation and Military - were seen as equally important, but after Alexander's example the Consul of Civics held the easy dominance over the other two until Consuls Skylax and Tullus.

[Thanatos Russ]

Fucking romans

[Blood_Librarian]

In an era of infinite war, where conflict is eternal, who makes sure that the Infernal Eternal Stalin keeps his bloodshed to the enemy?

These are the questions we have to ask.

[Detoxicated]

I see the enemy is full of fear...

[Chiefwaffles]

The Peoples' Reforms of SY 67
Excerpt from the Triumvirate-approved history textbook for ages 12-18.

The year SY 67 saw the administration with the lowest approval rating in the history of Ertex. Consul of Civics Gratian, leading from SY 64 to SY 67, along with the rest of the Consuls, held a strong stance towards the policy of barring further expansion on Ertex in favor of developing existing infrastructure and communities. While this policy isn't a unique occurrence in Ertex's history, the people's dislike towards the policy - or at least Consul Gratian's implementation of it - is unique.
At the time, both the process of Abandonment - where with a 70% citizen majority in favor, the administration can be re-selected - and the extensive polling system in wide use across the Triumvirate were not in place. Yet citizen-conducted surveys and polls were used to display a surprising shift in viewpoints between the populace and the Consuls. Construction of the Spire saw little progress in SY 67, as protests in areas under construction and the Lawn were frequent sights.

The civil unrest culminated in the Peoples' Reforms, bringing in both the current polling system and Abandonment. Consul Gratian and the others in the current administration organized for a convention to be held to reconcile their differences and, after approving the Peoples' Reforms, willingly stepped down.


The Fall of Gratian
A holoprojector normally used for displaying mild propaganda and announcements in Solon, hacked to display an unapproved image.

This is a holoprojection of an unfinished Spire.
On the projection is an image of immense crowds surrounding the Spire. The crowds are holding torches and Printed Pistols. The crowds are yelling.
In the front of the crowds is a man and Gratian. The man is striking down Gratian. This artwork relates to the Uprising of SY 67 and the execution of Consul Gratian.


Expedition slaughtered! Ertex at War!
"Ertex Daily", most popular newsfeed in the Triumvirate.

The Spire has just issued a press release with the unfortunate fates of the Expedition. The esteemed persons sent to explore and expand Ertex encountered an armed Quillus force, and 90% of the expedition was lost. The current administration - chosen last year - has been unanimous in its dedication towards war with Quillus. A number of classified military vessels are planned to launch the middle of this year, and based on orbital flight paths will likely arrive at their destinations within Aljadid by the end of SY 100.

According to reports, former Consul of Military Tullus will be leading the 1st Expeditionary Fleet. Representatives for the Consul of Military have declined to offer any more comments on Triumvirate military plans, stating the risk of leaks to the Quillus military. However, the Consul of Military is reportedly confident of developments coming from the Ertex Design Bureau since they were retooled for military purposes in SY 95. Former Consul Tullus was praised for his foresight in preparing for this inevitability, and is believed off-planet to command the first military fleet of the Triumvirate.

The Consul of Military has established recruiting posts in every major city on Ertex, and requests that every able-bodied man and woman report to their nearest post in order to help protect their home against the Quillus menace.


Triumvirate Recruiting Outpost
A recruiting outpost for the Consul of Military, located in a frontier city on Ertex.

The recruiting outpost is located in the center of town - in its own "Lawn"/town center area. 3D-printed structures and canopy roofing make up the majority of the assembly, with sprawling wires connecting the outpost with the city's power and data grid. A large holoprojector lies at the center, looping propaganda and recruitment advertisements. One major hologram loop is that of the current Consul of Military making a passionate speech about brave men and women ensuring the would-be Quillus oppressors never get a chance to hurt the people of Ertex.

Several Triumvirate soldiers in uniform stand diligently, holding EAF-PX3 "Raider" rifles. A smaller holoprojector displays a simple person-sized representation of a Cuttlefish angled upwards facing away from the planet of Ertex, a contrail streaking away from the ground. A few attendants scuttle around, maintaining the outpost and talking to perspective recruits. A large screen next to the main holoprojector displays information, statistics, and news, deemed relevant by the Spire; common sights on the screen are descriptions of the fate of the D-Expedition and the feats of the military to this point.

Numerous terminals litter the outpost painted in bright (Triumvirate) colors. Citizens walk to the terminal, often aided by an attendant, and enter in their information and ID in order to register in the military. Those who have finished registration are printed tickets for transit to the nearest military base and given basic instructions regarding reporting for proper induction into the military.


Consul Alexander's Vision
An excerpt from a physical book largely distributed in Solon.

Alexander stood on top of the disassembled Ertex, currently serving as the capitol of Solon. He surveyed the burgeoning city; while Solon remains the largest "city" in the Colony by far, most citizens unsurprisingly choose to live in frontier cities (not that Solon wasn't itself a frontier city). After all, these people were all already willing to join a colony expedition to another solar system. Solon was mostly constructed out of 3D printed materials and parts from the Ertex. Once the pride of the Expedition, the Ertex was simply just a temporary makeshift capitol and glorified warehouse for technological components.

He stepped down from the balcony and walked over to the bridge of the Ertex that now housed Expedition Leader Nepos. As one walks into the room, they immediately see trinkets and historical items put in place by Nepos. The physical charter for the Colony of Aljadid lies on the forefront of a desk, facing the entrance. An official document from Earth giving Nepos his authority is framed motionless on a far wall. A large window at the back allowed one to look over all of Solon.
Nepos wasn't here, of course. He rarely stepped into his office. More frequently Nepos could be found at his house in Solon or overseeing further colonization efforts. This very moment Solon was visiting a fringe frontier city, ensuring the colonists had the support of Solon. Nepos didn't believe in a single Ertex. His trips and work primarily went into developing Solon, and occasionally strengthening relations with those who left to form their own cities.

Alexander was here for a meeting. Minutes later, the current Chief of Security for the expedition stepped in through the door, soon followed by the former Chief Engineer of the craft the three were standing in. The gathering was less of a traditional meeting. All three already knew what they were going to do. It was more of a check to see if they were all ready. A few words were exchanged as Alexander stared at Solon. Eventually the other two left, Alexander still gazing outside.

January 1st, SY 10, was the year that the colonial chart mandated a new Expedition Leader be chosen. Alexander was the obvious choice. In SY 2, after the previous one was inspired to go take up frontier living away from Solon, Alexander become Nepos' second-in-command. His charismatic personality and constant presence in Solon - which, under Nepos, was the only place under the influence of the charter - ensured the support of the people. And his close cooperation with others in the Expedition guaranteed him the support of the expedition himself.
Nepos stepped down as expected. Though as he named his successor - Alexander - he decided to confer upon him the title of "President", signaling his hopes for Solon.

Under President Alexander of Solon, the threat of Quillus became much more apparent. Threatening transmissions from Quillus were quickly publicized, and soon citizens saw helpful information outlining the threat of Quillus. It was clear that a fragmented planet of city-states had no hope, and Alexander made this clear to anyone who would listen.
Most frontier cities willingly joined Solon under President Alexander. When the last willing city joined, Alexander announced a series of reforms for the Colony to replace its "aging" charter. With the support of the rest of the expedition and the widespread support of the populace, the Triumvirate was formed. Alexander become Consul of Civics Alexander; the Chief of Security, the Consul of Security; the former Chief Engineer, the Consul of Innovation.

Citizens applauded the Triumvirate. It promised a new administration that would pre-emptively eliminate corruption entirely, while unifying Ertex. The Consul of Military led Ertex Planetary Security to ensure the joining of the remaining frontier cities. The Consul of Innovation tasked to integrate the frontier cities' technological infrastructure to the rest of the Triumvirate.
Public support for the Triumvirate was high, and would remain high until the controversial leadership of Consul Gratian and the rest of his administration.


Solon & Ertex

Ertex is a very mountainous planet. Mountainous to the point where typical human cities - those seen on Earth - simply become impossible. But this doesn't stop or even discourage the brave pioneers of Ertex and the Triumvirate.

Solon serves as an effective case sample of this. The Ertex, the premier ship of its expedition, landed on a plateau that would just barely fit it. In fact, the plateau doesn't even fit the entire ship: if one were to go back to the early Colonial days, they would see the opposite ends - each roughly a quarter of the ship - seemingly dangerously lying off the side of the plateau. The smart decisionmaking and calculations of the pilots of the ship kept that from happening, however, and the Ertex was secure in place. The rest of the area near that plateau was equally as mountainous as the rest of Ertex, but held a wealth of natural features and resources perfect for the capital city of Ertex.
Today, the plateau is dedicated to the Spire. The sheer, extreme size of the Spire and its accompanying Lawn means that no other space remains for other buildings.

Taking after the mountains, most of Solon is skyscrapers; building in the terrain is expensive, meaning it's cheaper to add more floors to an existing building than to make multiple buildings. Building inside the mountains is an utilized alternative, but is much rarer. Buildings are densely packed together, making all Ertex cities by nature very urban-looking. Skywalks and bridges are the preferred method of transit - walking is very practical due to the very dense cities and without the skywalks moving between buildings would be practically impossible. Every building is connected to other buildings at various levels by many skywalks. Well beneath these skywalks and between the main buildings lies what may appear like an artificial floor - the "floor" houses the industry of Ertex. Factories, hydroponic farms, and more. Some cheaper residences are located here as well.

Mass transit is also a necessity for travel in the bigger cities like Solon and between cities. While many types are used, transit between cities is primarily performed via vactrain - maglev vehicles in closed tubes and tunnels. This allows for superfast transit between cities, ensuring Ertex is always connected. For new frontier cities not connected by vactrain, the slower air travel is used. Most citizens make their commute and travelling on the City Skywalks - the public government-maintained skywalks weaving around practically every building and between every destination much like roads in lesser cities. The skywalks are quite wide to fit large amounts of foot traffic. Thanks to the propagation of holotech from the Design Bureau in SY 101, already the buildings project holoads over the skywalks much like billboards.

Cities on Ertex generally follow this pattern. Due to the low availability of space suitable for development, the smaller cities are simply called frontier cities. Still just as densely-packed and urban as most other cities, but just... smaller. Vactrain tubes connect most frontier cities to the rest of the Triumvirate.

[NUKE9.13]

Alright, so. I'm working on writing the turn now, so both sides' tactics are locked in. However, the turn will be delayed until late tomorrow (Like 30 hours from now), on the off chance that someone from Quillus actually posts a culture piece.
Should they fail to post any cultural information before that time, then Ertex will win the MA(Design) by default, and Quillus will receive nothing.

[Madman198237]

Dude, you mentioned delaying culture til next turn, just post the turn when you finish and I'll do my best to shoehorn a cultural discussion in among the masses of turn discussion afterwards.

Regardless, I'll start writing in the next few minutes. We'll see what I come up with.

[andrea]

and Ertex is opposed to delaying culture a turn, because it messes up with planning. We prefer delaying this turn than delaying the contest.

Besides,it will have been a week by the time nuke's deadline arrives. and we do, in fact, know that some work has already been done, since nidhunter posted it in discord. you should be in no danger of not having anything for the contest.