1.6 Pirates and Knights Part 1

“Want to go into space with me?” I ask Samuel and Vance as they enter the main room of the base.

“How could I say no?” replies Sam eagerly.

“You can count me in,” grins Vance.

As Narszara suggested, I have decided to take the League’s starship for a spin. It seems cool to go into the space. Even if I have been there quite a few times before.

“Now for a brief history of local space,” I tell them, “We, humanity, are relatively new to the scene, but are much more dangerous when you take technology out of the picture. We’re one of about a half a dozen races that are in constant conflict. Most races only have one or two wars over a century and a major one once every thousand years. As a result, we’re much more ruthless, pragmatic and deadly when it comes to fighting. We’re effectively the third most dangerous race in this part of the galaxy so a lot of aliens recruit us as mercenaries or pirates. Especially a super if they can their hands on one.”

“The Sangor are the biggest power around, one of the two galactic superpowers, but since the Sektain Invasion was defeated, the Sektain Collective’s presence in this part of the galaxy has been shattered. The Sangor are like the galactic police force, they’re just, fair, reasonable and have such advanced technology that no one apart from their ancient enemies the Sektain can hope to best them at war. Fortunately the Sangor like us a lot. By us, I mean the human race through they do like the League much more than most other humans. Except maybe the Knights. Your average Sangor would rate a Class 3 and has trained their entire life for combat in addition to having the greatest tech level in the galaxy. So do not mess with them. Got it? Good.”

“The Sektain don’t have much of a presence apart from two score of heavily defended systems. Several more troublesome groups broke away and are more of an active threat. The Sektain are strong psionics and psychics, but physically weak so they find promising species and breed enhanced versions of them as their servants. After the Invasion was stopped by Lantern back in seventies, the servant sub-breeds that the Sektain had broke away, becoming warlords, marauders and pirates. Things have sort of settled down now and some of them have a reasonable if cruel and ruthless society by our standards.”

“The Sektain separatists consist of four major sub-breed species. The Sektain machines and mindless races stayed under the control of the Sektain. First of all you got the Gang’li. They’re basically greys, but evil with some decent psionic abilities. Nothing on the scales of the Lanterns or Sektain through. They’re cowardly and generally follow the most powerful leader around. The Seth Kane are humanoids and the majority are stayed loyal. They can pass for a tall and thin human with balding hair and shaved faces. They’re fast and agile, but go down as easily as a human would. The Sang are a different matter entirely. They have served as the frontline troops of the Sektain and the more dangerous Sang were made the personal bodyguards of the Sektain. They’re like the Sangor since they share common descent. The Sang are basically genetically bred Sangor used by the Sektain. Just as dangerous and none of the honour and fairness. The last are the human sub-breeds. They’re like humans, but the Sektain found away to make them and their children supers, generally Class 3s and 4s with the odd Class 5. Fortunately there are no known Class 6s. The types of powers the sub-breeds had were quite organised by the Sektain, but since they broke free, the sub-breeds have heavily bred amongst themselves, giving their children a variety of powers. There are about six score of different separatist groups and they control just over eight hundred systems between them. So very large, but also very divided at the same time.”

“The Tarii Republic is the only other major government, which contains many weaker species. They don’t like humanity as they see us as a dangerous rival. Not unfairly given the history of our species. Their people will be hostile to us no matter what. As for the rest of the aliens, you got a bunch of smaller civilisations no larger than three systems with varied technological advancement.”

“As for Earth humanity space, the US has six warships, two heavy cruisers, a light cruiser, a destroyer and two frigates. The Russians have frigate while the Chinese have two frigates. As for us, the Royal Navy has a heavy cruiser, two light cruisers, two destroyers and three frigates that were all designed and partially paid for by Granddad and the League. The Knights have an impressive space navy of two battleships, two battlecruisers, twelve heavy cruisers, thirty four light cruisers, eighty three destroyers and one hundred and forty four frigates. They also have two interstellar colonies, New Valletta in Epsilon Eridani and New Malta in Epsilon Indi. There is also an international colony on Europa that’s dominated by the Americans, but has a strong alien presence. That’s where most of the human mercenaries are recruited. Any questions?”

“Yeah,” replies Sam, “You don’t really expect me to remember all of that do you?”