Concept Art
Trent Johannsen (TJ)
Young, fiery male (18-25). Recently graduated from Earth Defence Force Academy (EDFA) well ahead of his peers.
Has lost two brothers and a cousin (Sagitarius formation) in recent fighting with Earth’s oppressors, whose identities are not yet known.
Previously a gifted student of Earth History, particularly 19th- and 20th- century conflict and societal movements.
Amicable, self-effacing attitude allows TJ to make friends easily, but can his approach can quickly slip into perceived arrogance.
Slim build - not chiseled, but not unattractive. Rarely seen wearing anything other than spacesuit or combat fatigues. Famous for keeping helmet on in inappropriate locations.
Currently assigned to Scorpio formation with the EDF - callsign Scorpio 3.
Seraphs
Originally named after the angelic appearance of their ships, whose shields bear more than a passing resemblance to halos.
Their ships give off an otherworldly glow, and the absence of seams or external rivets lend an air of purity to their construction.
Seraphs themselves, however, are far less aesthetically appealing. Frequently appearing unkempt, with their tentacle-like hair, seraphs appear reminiscent of Earth’s ocean-bound squids, their skin able to change colour and pattern at the whim of its owner as they walk from one environment to the next.
Their eyes are inky black, and give away little. Emotion is rarely shown.
Seraphs concentrate their technology on a solid defence - their shields are the best in the known galaxy. This single-mindedness has led to a neglect on the part of their offensive weapons, however.
Hominid Ships
The ‘evil creatures’ are able to emulate the best/most dangerous features of all the other races/classes in the game, morphing into one form as and when required.
Since I intend to write these guys in as the ancestors of intelligent life forms in the galaxy, it’ll pretty much fit in. Their intelligence and firepower is superior, as is their ability to adapt. They are a superset of all other races.
Their ‘evil nature’ may merely be relative. They may have a greater ‘good’ plan in action: to quell the idiosyncracies inherit in the other races in order to prevent them destroying each other and their surrounds, thus creating wider harmony in the universe, at the expense of species variety.
They see themselves as the galaxy’s pest controllers.
Somewhat fascist, perhaps, but it may put a ‘not quite as pure evil as you might think’ spin on the plot development, and force TJ (our hero) to make a moral choice at the final confrontation.
Miners
Rough but docile. You wouldn’t want to run into them in a dark alley, but out in the space frontiers, these guys’ ships are pushovers, ripe for the picking.
Corporate backing behind off-world mining has diminished somewhat in recent years, leaving the miners to fend for themselves in the security department. While the trade is still profitable, hired guns and automatic defences (courtesy of several re-programmed Reb-bots) are standard security measures.
Miners’ ships are built to carry massive amounts of cargo - hence, they travel slowly, maneuver poorly, and only have space for a few turrets. Only foolhardy miners run the trade routes without a properly equipped escort.
Mining Station / Reb-Bot Base
Originally created by the EDF for dangerous space-based border-missions.
Embedded with all the training from the EDFA, Reb-bots have all the skill and understanding of their human counterparts.
An unforeseen consequence of imbedding the Reb-bots with advanced intelligence algorithms resulted in their refusal to return to base after completing missions - rumours abound of the un-natural things their neural sensors have discovered, and only the brave dare to whisper what their hard-drives have captured of the experience.
Generally hostile towards EDF craft, but able to re-create other Reb-bots as a means of maintaining the ‘race,’ and selling slave-bots to other races.
Anarchists' Ships
Tired of EDF’s perceived oppression of other colonies and races, outcast by their own races, Anarchists have a disdain for any form of order.
Notorious for having the best drugs, the loudest and fastest music, the wildest parties, and the most motley crew of pilots and craft the galaxy has seen. Each pilot customizes their ships to the nth degree, bolting on anything they can find (or have stolen) from previous encounters.
As a group, they are threatening to a single craft or small formation, but are generally too distributed and disorganized to be effective on a large scale.
Always very distrustful of outsiders, they share their knowledge and resources sparingly with newcomers.
Cutscenes
As a general rule, EDF pilots possess a pragmatic, gung-ho approach not only to combat, but also to Earth’s place in the galaxy.
Some would say they have developed a sense of arrogance, largely thanks to their centuries of military, economic and political dominance of other races sharing the galaxy. Few other races have a neutral view of the EDF - it’s pilots share a love/hate relationship with every other craft they come into contact with.
EDF pilots’ confidence has taken a beating in recent months, with the appearance of hitherto unknown oppressors, dominating them in every skirmish. EDF’s numbers have steadily diminished, many pilots are deserting, and rejecting the orders of their commanders.