100 Years Ago

The Void caught fire. Some seven thousand strands exploded, filling the area known as the void with a burning cloud nearly one fifth the size of the galaxy. Today, it can be seen from almost every planet in Known Space. The area that was known and the void is now called the inferno. It is considered impassable. No one who has entered it, even by strand, has survived.

80 Years Ago

Arkady Kirov is born into Great Families of the Shining Pearl on the fifth planet of the third system of the Sublime Principality of the Lotus Blossom.

50 Years Ago

Kirov's forces defeat the Royal Armada at the Battle of the Strands, completing their Fortunate Revolution. Kirov begins his reign as the Benevolent Guide of the Lotus Republic. At its formation, the Republic claims 20 worlds and rules a formidable 8.

40 Years Ago

The 10 year anniversary of the Fortunate Revolution is celebrated with the first decennial Fighter Trials. New fighter designs are tested by the Republic, and pilots from all over the Republic and surrounding systems compete for the admiration of their peers and fabulous cash prizes.

25 Years Ago

After an 'incident' with the Colos Empire, Damascus station is moved from Hibernia. Kirov's brother Ayabe purchases the station, and causes it to be towed into orbit around the first planet of his system, Vortigern.

Tomorrow

The Fighter Trials, now called 'The Decennials', will begin as the first star rises over Vortigern. Fighters and Pilots will compete in the Regatta, the Maze, and the Hunt.

The Lotus Republic

Like most of the members of the Yoka-Shan Commonwealth, the LR is ruled by an aristocracy of warriors who are advised by a guild of merchants. Kirov himself still rules the Republic, but does allow votes from time to time. His senate of planetary governors, corporate officers, and aristocrats advises him, and rumor has it that he takes their advice.

Daily life in the LR is fine for the wealthy, varies from tolerable to enjoyable for the bourgeois, and miserable for the poor. Honor and marital prowess, both on the ground and in the sky, are integral to social postion, and social position determines both financial and political success.

By far, the Decennials are the most famous event in the stellar region that contains the LR, and draws visitors and participants from throughout Known Space.

Gregor Steinitz and the Damascus Defense Force

There have been two Decennials since the purchase of Damascus by Ayabe Kirov. The DDF and its commander Marshal Steinitz swept the first Decennial, taking the prizes in all three Trials. They did the same in the last Decennial. Steinitz has said he will not compete in the upcoming Trials.

Scipio

Vortigern has nearly unlimited resources, a warm climate, and the unrivaled commercial advantage of an orbiting station known across 3 Spheres. Scipio is a mining planet with no glamor and little warmth. Until the arrival of the DDF, Scipio's one boast was that it was the Honjin (Headquaters) of the System Defense Squadron, a proud fighter group with a history that began with the first shots of the Fortunate Revolution, when the unit was called the Wings of the Red Crane. That name, and the proud history, are lost in the shadow cast by Damascus Station and its invincible DDF, which has destroyed every threat to the system since the day the station was towed into orbit. Today, the SDS rarely flies, leaving the hanger once each year for a formal tour of the system. After this year's Decennial, the fighters of the SDS are to be sold for scrap, and the SDS itself decommissioned.

The Characters

The PCs, as you might have guessed, are the pilots of the SDS. They should include:

Up to one Wunderkind Engineer.

No more than one Combat Veteran.

No more than one Out-worlder

At least one Black Sheep Noble

All Good Pilots of any age or gender.

The Fighters:

The Frog: Pyramidis Shipyards 270 Model s/t Sentry, A planetary defense boat, armed with short ranged weapons and enhanced with a tactical communications hub.

The Hound: Imperial Transtar Series 1220 A Nighthawk, aka 'The Meathook'. This is the fearless pilot's fearless fighter. Every dime the system could scrape together to fund the SDS has gone to maintain this fighter.

The Wasp: Imperial Transtar Series 1010 E Blizzard, lacking any money to spend on the torpedoes characteristic to the combat portfolio of this fighter, the SDS has taken duty in the Blizzard off the usual rotation and reserved it for punishment detail.

The Thorn: Star Dynamics CAL 220 Dart, The Dart is one of the fastest fighters of its day. Unfortunately, its day was nearly thirty years ago. Today, the SDS has trouble providing it with enough fuel for the fighter to maintain a safe attack speed.

The Vulture and the Falcon: Gilliam Designs Y770 Spirit Rider, these two fighters have one friend, called 'The Chicken', a third Spirit Rider. Between them and it, they usually have enough parts to get two of them flying.