Terrans (Wings of Dawn)

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The following information refers to the Wings of Dawn universe, and is therefore not canon for the FreeSpace universe.
The Wings of Dawn Universe Portal
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In the Wings of Dawn universe, Terrans have become a space faring race. Many Terran characters serve as protagonists in the Wings of Dawn story.

Physiology

Misuzu and Justice, two Terrans.

Thanks to generations of genetic tinkering, Terrans have grown to be a strong and intelligent race. The average life span is around 140 years and signs of old age only start to set in around the 70 year mark. The average male height is between 190-220cm, the average female height tends to vary between 165-200cm.

History

Early history

One of the biggest events in the history of humankind happened in the year 2198 of the old calendar. The year in which Einstein's 'I do not know how the third World War will be fought, but I can tell you what they will use in the Fourth, rocks!' quote was proven wrong. World war three only lasted one day and only one type of warhead was used: Nuclear flavored.

When the dust settled one clear victor emerged, the western continents. Thanks to highly advanced missile interception technology and large scale experimental energy shield generators the west managed to get through a nuclear holocaust with relative minor damage. Reconstruction efforts started almost immediately afterwards and with in a span of 20 years the remains of humanity managed to terraform a nuclear wasteland into rich grasslands.

While it was never clearly recorded who fired the first shot in the war, it is generally claimed that it was planned ahead by the western continents. The most used evidence for these claims are the previously unknown technologies (terraforming, energy shields, altering genetics) and the almost unreal fast recovery of the suffered damage.

Shortly after the war the remaining countries (West Europe, North America, Australia and Japan) united into one nation, the 'united earth union'. A technocratic government was instated and much value was placed on technological advancement. Genetic modifications on unborn babies were also conducted on a large scale, making the new generation highly resistant to diseases, stronger and more intelligent. Certain personality traits that were deemed 'unwelcome to the continued survival of mankind' were also removed. Having your child undergoing genetic modifications was not a choice.

It wasn't long before the now-united mankind started shifting their gaze towards the stars. With new drive technology, the other planets within the Sol system now became within range, and before long humanity set out to terraform and colonize the moon, Mars and later on the moons of Saturn, Neptune and Jupiter.

United Earth Union

Dawn, a genetically engineered Terran from the UEU period.

The United Earth Union was formed after the Third World War and was both the government and the military for the Terrans for over two hundred years. As a technocracy, it placed great value on technology and science and many consider this the reason why humanity started successfully expanding into space so soon after a world devastating war. The people in ruling positions were selected on skill and talent. The UEU controlled all colonies from the central capital on Earth. The UEU also instated the new calendar based on standard time units instead of the day and night cycle of the Earth.

Eventually however, it grew corrupt over the years when people unfit for positions refused to give up their seat of power and more and more 'unethical' research was being conducted. The UEU was overthrown when the colonies rebelled and reached Sol after a short war. In its last moments it destroyed a lot of evidence of 'genetic crimes.'

The League of Terran Worlds was later set up to replace the UEU. The military force was known as the League Star Forces (see below).

Terran-Cyrvan War

When the Cyrva made first contact with the Terrans in the Algol system they were surprised just how much the Terrans resembled them in appearance. But it also became clear to them that the Terrans are but a young and inexperienced race and needed to be protected against their own destructive tendencies. Likewise the Terrans did not expect that their first contact would be with 'space elves' but welcomed the encounter. Before long, this joy started to turn into irritation. The Cyrva were looking down on them and soon started suggesting that it would be best for the LSF to disarm themselves and let the CSA handle the defenses of the Terrans. The Terrans refused and in response mobilized and send a large fleet into the Algol system and claimed the system as their own. This caused the Cyrva to decide that a quick military victory would be prudent to show the Terrans just how powerless they are.

The LSF fleet consisted of 7,000 capital ships and over 18,000 fighters, well organized and in formation for a 'line vs line' type of battle. The CSA entered the Algol system with 4,500 capships and around 12,000 MCWS. What the Terrans did not know at that time, was that only 750 of those ships would be actually invading. The CSA opened the battle by subspace jumping behind the rearguard of the LSF and taking out the command ships of the fleet. This caused a lot of confusion among the LSF lines, they still had a large CSA force in front of them around the node and they did not receive any orders to turn around and engage the fleet behind them. The attacking CSA fleet wasted no time and did another jump, this time to the outer left flank of the LSF line and started destroying the LSF ships there from a flanking position. After the situation became clear, Rear Admiral Zego assumed command of the fleet and ordered all ships to engage the attacking CSA fleet. By this time however, the LSF had already lost over a thousand ships and three thousand fighters, whereas the CSA had only suffered a few MCWS losses.

In response to the LSF now actively trying to engage them, the CSA fleet started backing up, keeping the LSF ships just inside their own range while staying out of range from the LSF heavy weaponry. Furious, Rear Admiral Zego ordered all ships to hold position and ordered a massive fighter and bomber strike. In response the CSA fleet also held position and launched their MCWS. Zego was aiming for this moment and ordered all capital ships forward again and to continue forward 'until you can see the white of their eyes'. This maneuver was successful, the LSF managed to close in and did not allow the CSA fleet to get away again. However what Zego could not anticipate was just how vastly superior CSA technology was. The CSA point defense weapons ripped through LSF ships like a knife through hot butter, while the LSF heavy turrets could hardly penetrate the CSA shielding. The LSF fleet started breaking up and retreated back to the Lyrae node.

The end result: The CSA lost four frigates, two destroyers and one cruiser was damaged. 500 MCWS were lost. The LSF lost 5000 capital ships, of which 3000 were disabled and taken prisoner, and over 6000 fighters.

The Abyss system was left as a monument, a reminder of a long but pointless war.

The CSA then continued on into the Lyrae node, easily crushing the blockade that was put up in a hurry and seized control of the system. The Cyrva predicted that the Terrans had no more than three systems under their control. The fleet was split, one was send to the Tauri system, the other to the Librae system. Both encountered fierce resistance but eventually the CSA ensured control of these systems too. After a whole year of fighting, the CSA fleets entered Sol and Harcon. It not only seemed like the Terrans had far more systems than initially thought but also like they were rapidly producing new weapon systems and more effective ship designs. The CSA fleets received little in the terms of reinforcements and were slowly but surely starting to lose fighting power. One more year passed, Terran causalities and losses numbered in the thousands, the CSA fleet was down to 457 capital ships. Each ship they lost caused a cheer in the LSF fleets as they had realized that the invading fleet received little to no new reinforcements. Some ships even had a counter to keep track. The Cyrvan public opinion was starting to turn more and more against this invasion. Perhaps the Terrans were not as immature as a race as they had thought? Hearing stories from families that had lost their loved ones also did little good for the support of this war.

The Cyrvan fleet commander, Fer'opal, started realizing that in order to reach the Terran homeworld he would need the fleet currently fighting in the Harcon system as well and ordered both fleets to regroup in the Lyrae system. The LSF took this as a sign that the enemy was on the run and launched full scale counter attacks, retaking Librae and Tauri and putting immense pressure on the CSA fleet in Lyrae. Before Fer'opal could launch a counter attack of his own however, he received orders to return to CSA space. A more diplomatic approach would be taken, the Terrans had shown that they would not need the Cyrva to watch over them but that they could stand shoulder to shoulder with them.

The LSF followed them through to Algol and initiated a fierce orbital bombardment on the military outpost the CSA had established on Algol prime. Devastating the planet as the crust was broken on several places. Turning it into a hellish place of lava and brimstone.

After almost five years of space warfare, peace was signed. The Algol system was declared neutral space and renamed to Abyss. It was to be left as a monument, a reminder of a long but pointless war.

Today

League Star Forces

The League Star Forces is the military branch of the current Terran government, the League of Terran Worlds. The LTW is a confederation of all Terran controlled systems. The biggest difference with the UEU is that each colony is now allowed to make its own laws and is free from the control of some far away government. Each planet has its government elected by democratic means. The prime minister of each planet serves as a representative for the central LTW meetings.

Each system is responsible for building and maintaining a fleet, which is put at the disposal of the LSF. LSF high command consists of a fleet admiral of each system. The Intelligence branch of the LSF consists mostly of people from the Lyrae system and is known for being highly skilled at its job. Fleet commanders have learned that they can usually trust the info they receive from Intelligence.

Joint Guardian Angel Strike Force

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The Joint Guardian Angel Strike Force is a joint project between the Terran and Cyrvan navies. Students from both races receive their training at Abyss station and after five years will end up serving on a Guardian Angel class carrier, which will be the center piece of the new battlegroup. The program is not aimed to increase the fighting power of both races but to encourage cooperation, interaction and friendship between each other, so that both races will understand each other better and that a war will never break out again.

Each year there will be a new Guardian Angel class carrier for the next class of graduating students. The 1st JGASF has been assigned to LSF space. The 2nd will be assigned to CSA space, the 3rd will be assigned to LSF space again and so forth.

Abyss station is a large space station orbiting the wasteland of Abyss Prime. It has design traits of both Terran and Cyrvan architecture. Functions as the primary trading hub between the two races. While it has a strong shield generator, it is only armed with a few point defense systems.

Timeline

  • NC0000 - Start of the new calendar
  • NC0025 - All of the suitable moons in Sol terraformed and colonized
  • NC0027 - IO shipyards constructed
  • NC0030 - The first starlance discovered
  • NC0038 - After intensive research, a jump drive that is capable of entering the Starlance is developed.
  • NC0040 - First successful manned jump through the Starlance to the Tauri system.
  • NC0045 - The third ship that is Starlance jump-capable, the UEU Explorer, is missing after its jump to Tauri.
  • NC0052 - An outpost is established on Tauri II and soon after a colony is established, marking the first permanent Terran presence outside of Sol.
  • NC0053-70 - More Starlances are discovered. In this time frame colonies in the Polaris, Grens, Harcon, Silva, Lyrae, Librae and Phoenicis are established, greatly expanding the human sphere of influence and giving the human race nearly infinite resources.
  • NC0071 - The colonies are starting to feel oppressed by the Earth-centered government. Genetic modifications are still being enforced despite the fact that the human population now numbers in the billions. The cry for reform becomes louder each day. The UEU slowly grows corrupt over the years and outright rejects all proposals involving reformation of the government.
  • NC0072 - Fed up with being treated as second-rate citizens, having to abide by old laws and the UEU government dead set in its ways, Librae and Phoenicis declared open revolt. The Silva shipyards supported the rebellion in secret by providing the rebels with the latest cutting-edge fighters and weapons.
  • NC0073 - The UEU is slow to respond to the uprising and soon starts to lose control of the situation. The UEU sends a fleet to each revolting system in a slow response, but half the fleets were already lost, due to defectors and ambushes staged by mercenaries from Harcon. Encouraged by the success of the rebellion, Tauri, Harcon and Polaris each joined the revolt.
  • NC0074 - After a short but bloody engagement in Sol between UEU loyalists and rebel ships, the United Earth Union's reign came to an end. From its ashes arose a new government, the League of Terran Worlds, that would no longer function with Earth as its center point. All of the Terran fleets were united under the LTW's military arm, the League Space Forces.
  • NC0077 - The LSF is going strong, the economy is in top health, political reforms have raised the morale of the population and new technological advances are being made. A scouting fleet in the newly discovered Algol system encounters ships of unknown design. First contact was established with the Cyrva.
  • NC0078-83 - Terran-Cyrvan war
  • NC0084 - Peace was signed, Algol renamed to Abyss as a monument of the pointless war.
  • NC0085 - Relations between the two races improved at a rapid pace after the war was over, the main reasons were that the CSA did not attempt planetary invasions, disabling LSF capital ships instead of destroying them and that Cyrvans and Terrans closely resembled each other in appearance. Before long the two races signed an alliance.
  • NC0086 - New colonies were established in the Vega system.
  • NC0089 - Ravi colonized.
  • NC0090 - Alpha Draconis discovered.
  • NC0094 - The idea of a joint space academy was proposed.
  • NC0096 - After two years of heavy debate, the idea is rejected in its current form.
  • NC0102 - Alpha Draconis colonized.
  • NC0128 - The alliance continues going strong and the idea of a joint starbase and academy project is once again proposed.
  • NC0131 - The project is accepted by both parties and the construction of Abyss Station gets the green light.
  • NC0135 - Construction of Abyss Station completed, work on the Academy section begins.
  • NC0138 - Construction of the Joint Academy on Abyss Station completes, but disagreements in teaching methods lead to delays.
  • NC0140 - The Joint Academy finally opens its doors.
  • NC0145 - First class of the Joint Academy's exams, the start of Wings of Dawn...

Tidbits from the "Ask a crew member" thread

The following tidbits of information below are from characters in the Wings of Dawn universe, so they might contain a personal bias. The links go directly to the post, in which the information was provided.

Government and Law

  • Despite having a dark history with the UEU's genetic engineering, the LTW has not outlawed it yet. [1]

Culture and Society

  • There is a growing movement among Terrans attempting to recreate racial traits such as different skin colors, something that was forcefully engineered out of the human race by the UEU. [2]
  • The Terran currency is the "United Currency", or "UC". Originally introduced by the hated UEU, the LTW decided to retain the UC for its practicality after it's demise. Currently, UC values slightly above that of the Cyrvan Credits, even after the damage the Terran economy took during the Hertak invasion. [3]

Military Doctrine

  • "In the LSF, each fleet has its own hand to hand combat trainings and styles. Each effective and deadly in their own right. However none of these martial arts have ever accounted for the possibility of facing a four-armed lizard that has twice your physical strength and a completely different center of gravity. Or an overgrown praying mantis that has three times your arm length in attack range. We're currently trying to figure out how to best train our combat personnel for these engagements." - LSF Lt. Commander Daniel "Justice" Hawkings on training of LSF soldiers[4]
  • "LSF boarding forces wear Mk. IV powered armor suits with personal plasma shield generator attachments. For weaponry, they are usually equipped with Ion Particle rifles (think of a really scaled down VX-02a) and Gauss pistols. Some detachments prefer using physical combat shields and/or the heavier but less mobile Mk.IV-D heavy armor suits with the Ion Particle scatter rifles." - LSF Lt. Commander Daniel "Justice" Hawkings on equipment of LSF soldiers[5]

Technology

  • Most LSF strikecraft drop the canopy design in favor of a fully-enclosed cockpit, such as the standard Cleo-132 cockpit - Equipped with 3 monitors capable of resolutions up to 32768x32768, 80x zoom, multi-spectral display (infrared, ultraviolet, etc.), multi-target tracking and fire/radar warning receivers. [6]
  • Ironically even with such an advanced cockpit, there is no bright light filtering that can potentially blind pilots. [7]
  • Terran ships are capable of direct atmospheric re-entry and atmospheric jumps after making complex, time-consuming calculations, while blind atmospheric jumps risk ship destruction. [8]
  • The LSF does not use AIs in military applications, but a near-sentient AI in the Io Shipyards manages every detail of ship construction. [9]

Characters

Ships

UEU

LSF

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