Centurion Piper Nagumo watched her tactical display to see what the other destroyer would do next. She was one of the few non Wolfen starship captains in the Ruardiss Nyada navy. It had been a tough battle to earn her command of her Laelaps class missile destroyer.

The leadership was not outwardly prejudice but higher officer ranks were almost the exclusive domain of Wolfen. Around seventy percent of the population were Wolfen after all. Still, she considered the planet her home and would serve it faithfully even if the system sometimes was unfair.

The ship she was watching was a Caramelles Kingdom Mistral class destroyer. There had been various threats to her home since it was settled but the kingdom was a new level of threat. It ruled over six star systems, had a fleet far larger than Ruardiss Nyada, and was strongly xenophobic hating all races except humans. Even among humans, if you were not psychic, you were considered a second citizen.

She was not human herself although she almost looked like one. Actually, she was a Catyr. Tougher than a Human or a Wolfen and able to withstand quite a bit of radiation. There were humans on Ruardiss Nyada as well although the settled long after the initial Wolfen colonization of the system. Catyr were far fewer in number than humans and she was the highest ranking Catyr naval officer as far as she knew.

The Mistral class destroyer was pretty far outside of Caramelles Kingdom space, likely scouting although appearing to make no effort to hide itself. As far as Centurion Nagumo knew, the Mistral class destroyer had not detected her own Laelaps class missile destroyer. This was good because the Caramelles Kingdom vessel was over twice as massive as her own ship. If it came down to a fight, she had no confidence in winning even though she knew her crew was far better.

Besides, this was suppose to be an intelligence gathering mission. Of course, what was suppose to happen and actually happened are often two different things. Her plan though was if she was detected was to throw decoys in all directions and to make a run for it. The other destroyer appeared to be much slower than hers from what she could see of the larger ship’s power curve.

Everybody knew that war was coming but hopefully there would be time for the Ruardiss Nyada navy to further build up their forces and for the star system to gather allies. Not as if the Caramelles Kingdom was only a threat to Ruardiss Nyada. With rare exceptions, a single star system has little hope of fighting a six star system entity even if one of the system was still struggling against the empire’s iron thumb. There was faint hope of getting the Consortium to force the Caramelles Kingdom to back down but she did not count on it.

The smaller missile destroyer had lain in wait in the lee of a gas giant when the Caramelles Kingdom warship had entered the star system. A hot Jupiter, it had disrupted the formation of any planets which might have supported life. It also played hell with detecting Centurion Nagumo’s destroyer. Still, if it had been a Ruardiss Nyada warship, she suspected she would have been detected by now. She had heard that the crews of Caramelles Kingdom warship simply were not trained to her own system forces standards and this appeared to confirm what she had read.

Background:

Ruardiss Nyada is located in a star system outside of the fringes of the Consortium of Civilized Worlds. The area of space where it is located in one of the less explored areas of space. There have been a fair number of threats on the star system since it was first settled. Some of these threats have been known and expected threats while others have been unexpected threats.

The system was initially settled by Wolfen who were not interested in becoming members of the Consortium. Instead, they found a slightly marginal star system with a single planet which could support life and settled there. Even though they wanted to settle outside of Consortium controlled space, it was decided to keep reasonably good relations with the Consortium especially the Wolfen populated worlds.

One of the advantages of keep close ties is that they were able to get help a few times they struggled. In addition, they were able to get good deals on retired Wolfen warships, paying what a Consortium member world might otherwise pay. When the colony fleet initially left Wolfen space, they already had a number of older Wolfen warships in their forces which then formed the nucleus of their navy.

Even though settled by Wolfen, they were not all that adverse to other sentient beings settling on the planet as well. In fact, a number of Coyles and Kankoran came with the initially settlement mission. One of the first waves of additional settlers were human but were followed by various other groups including a large number of Noro and Catyr. Still, the majority of the population remains Wolfen even today.

Due to the dominance of the Wolfen, while this is little active prejudice, non-Wolfen often are restricted from positions of power and there is a fair amount of passive discrimination . This includes in both the political arena and in the military. In fact, the military has a lower percent of non-Wolfen than the regular system population. Still, even with the issues, most are reasonably satisfied with the situation and there is little actual strife and no threat of rebellion.

Population:

As the system was settled initially by Wolfen, the vast majority of the population remains Wolfen. The early settlements were also primarily Wolfen. Still, other sentient beings decided to settle the planet although it was only a relatively small trickle. As time went on however, a larger percentage of other sentient beings decided to settle the planet as well.

Wolfens do still make up around sixty-eight percent of the population although it is likely it will gradually shrink. Even so, they continue to hold most of the political power within the system and most senior officers in the military are Wolfen as well.

A small minority of the Wolfen in the population are refuges from the planets which were taken over by the Trans-Galactic Empire. Among this population there is a strong hatred of the Trans-Galactic Empire and the Kreeghor in general. There is some concern that there might be some intelligence operatives among this population but this is discounted by most.

Humans comprise the second most numerous group other than Wolfen. Following behind are Noro and Catyr. There are some of the other canine types as well including Coyles and Kankoran. Otherwise, other sentient being groups are only very small percentages of the population. Most make up one percent or less.

There is some prejudice but it is not official for the most part. There are some Wolfen who do resent the newly settled groups and there are some other the other sentient beings who chafe under the Wolfen rule. One of the pushes among some Wolfen is to restrict settlement to Wolfen and even resettling others. Still, both sides generally get along reasonably well and there is little active strife.

Total system population is around two billion, with many areas of the planet only sparsely settled. As far as the orbital and space community, around ten percent of the population comprises those who work and live in space. Interestingly, there is a small percentage of explorers who do travel through the system and there is some interest with tourism as well with there being vast unsettled tracts of wilderness. These wilderness are also where a large percentage of the Kankoran live.

	68%	Wolfen
	8%	Human
	5%	Noro
	5%	Catyr
	3%	Coyles
	3%	Kankoran
	8%	Others

Economics & Demographics:

One might consider Ruardiss Nyada to be something of a marginal system economically. There are many star systems worse of economically but it is far from being a first tier economy. In general, the population does not exhibit much in the way of hardship however with enough food for the entire population.

An effort has been made to make the system as self sustaining as possible due to limited trade. A major exception is in the shipbuilding industry. It simply is not considered cost effect to operate major shipyards and any effort would likely result in economic ruin.

There are major trade connections between the system and the Consortium of Civilized Worlds especially Wolfen dominated areas of the major cosmic power. There are a number of products the system produces and resources which the system has which are far cheaper than those in the Consortium generally.

While these is industry on the planet, the vast majority is in orbit and in space. This both makes many heavy industries easier to operate and reduces risk of serious ecological issues. There has been a concerted effort to keep the planet as pristine as possible.

The system’s social services and education are reasonable generally with some good although not outstanding schools. A large percentage of the population do receive some higher education. In most cases it is trade school type education but includes arts, sciences, and other fields as well.

There is basic medical for the population otherwise and various social programs mean to help the lowest levels of society. These social programs are actually pretty decent for a fringe would however are lacking in comparison to the Consortium generally.

Interestingly, while Wolfen dominate politics and the military, there is a significant part of the economy which are not dominated as much by them. Several of the most wealthy members of the population actually are human.

Agriculture: It is more important for planets who are fringe worlds to be independent with regards to agriculture. The system actually does export significant agricultural production especially in the form of grain. Some consider it barbaric but the planet has large animal farms and also exports significant percentage of meat. The amount of land allowed for growing and farming however is heavily restricted.

Industry: Approximately 80% of all of the system’s industry is in orbit or in space. The industry is scattered in orbit around the planet, on various moons, and in the asteroid belts. As far as technology, the system is considered less advanced than the Consortium generally although better than many fringe worlds. Considered solid generally however. Because of the lack in some aspects of advanced technology, some of the more advanced systems on their warships are imported as a result.

Shipyards are mostly limited to being able to repair and refit small and medium sized vessels. Larger ships will have to be refitted in the Consortium or elsewhere outside of the system. There is no real ability to actually build ships, either civilian or military. Such industry is currently not considered economically viable.

Trade: While not a mainstay of the system’s economy, there is some trade which gives needed income from outside the system. Some products which the system produces are far cheaper than it is in the Consortium, some resources can be acquired cheaper from the system, and finally there is significant agricultural production exported.

The system itself is not a major hub of trade although some even smaller systems do trade through Ruardiss Nyada. Such trade is taxed and is a source of system revenues. In addition, the system does have more industry than most of the other local system and acquiring products from the Consortium would be far more expensive.

While primarily maintained to protect the system, the navy is also expected to patrol in order to prevent any major piracy. It is actually considered one of the bigger players in the area and helps to prevent some of the local systems from augmenting their own economies through piracy.

Medicine: Medicine is reasonably advanced but is not considered first tier. Regeneration is restricted although the military does have greater access to such therapies. In addition, gene therapies are limited. For the best medical care, individuals usually travel to the Consortium. Basic medical care is however considered a government service and is heavily subsidized.

Anti-aging treatments are considered luxury goods which are general not available to the general population of the star system. Many among the elite and wealthy do take advantage of such treatments however. Cybernetics are a bit more common than they are in the Consortium and do not have the same stigma. The system lack the technology of the advanced bionics of the Quatoria although there are a handful who have settled on the planet.

Education: As with most star faring societies, literacy is basically universal with 97.5% of the population being literate. Some among the Coyle and Kankoran parts of the population have been resistant to higher education. Not including them out of the population, this would increase literacy to just over 99%.

Advanced technical education is available to all with approximately 85% of the population having the equivalent of an associates degree. There are universities in other fields as well, less technical including more theoretical sciences, philosophy, and even the arts.

Tourism: Tourism is a significant aspect of the system’s economy with large amount of unspoiled wilderness. There are plenty who specialize in escorting tourists around the wilderness and there always a few tourists who either die or disappear in a year. Hunting various native creatures is also part of the industry and some of the creatures are quite dangerous. There are restrictions on hunting per year and licences are quite expensive.

Society of Ruardiss Nyada:

The population of the system, Wolfen and other beings alike, have a strong independent streak. Of course, no star system can be considered truly independent but this spirit is still to the society. Many of those who settled on the planet and the system wanted to get away from what they considered the overbearing government of the Consortium.

The society cannot be considered truly fair to non-Wolfen. They cannot really be considered second class citizens but it is almost impossible for them to gain high political offices. The military leadership also tends to restrict their advancement within the military.

Otherwise, there is not as much upward mobility as there is in some societies although in some cases one can manage to gain in position. Still, there are a number noble Wolfen families whom hold most of the power within the society including having the senate is appointed from. Sometimes somebody can gain enough prestige to join those ranks however there have been few non-Wolfen ever to reach that status.

One of the things that makes the society more manageable than it otherwise might be is that the unofficial nobility does consider it part of their duty to make sure those below them in society have various social programs to support them. This makes sure that even those on the lowest rungs of the society are able to live without any horrible hardships.

While there are issues between the various sentient beings which make up the society, there is no real discrimination with regards to either gender or sexual orientation. Even though anti-aging drugs are rare, small families are the norm and birth control is readily available. The more wealthy and powerful have access to “tube children” technology although adoption is common across the various levels of society.

Social Structure: There are several levels which the society, each which forms certain aspects of the society generally. Those in the higher levels of society consider themselves responsible for those in the lower classes. Still, it is quite hard to rise up through the ranks of society.

Patricians: These are hereditary families who hold most of the power within the Ruardiss Nyada society. Most were among the first wave who settled the system. There are no non-Wolfen within the top rank of the society. Patricians make up approximately 2% of the population.

Equites: Lesser nobility with the society. They tend to be less wealthy than the Patricians but still are among the elite of society. Most of the military officers come from among the Equite ranks although some exceptional individuals come from lower ranks of society. There are also a handful of non-Wolfen within the Equite rank and is more open than the Patricians. Equites make up approximately twelve percent of the population.

Citizen: The bulk of the population are ordinary citizens. Also sometimes called Plebeians. Most Wolfen are of the citizen rank with only a handful of other sentient beings of higher rank. Citizens do have the right to vote. Some citizens can actually be extremely wealthy and powerful in an economic sense although those of the upper classes, even those who are not all that wealthy, tend to look down on those of the citizen class. Ordinary citizens make up approximately 86% of the population.

Dress: Those in the Patrician rank tend to wear outfits styled after those which were popular among Wolfen society when the system was first settled. The style has changed slightly but is still quite different when compared to those of other ranks of the society. Other ranks tend to align their styles closer to those of the Consortium and tend to change with the times. This includes members of the Equite rank although theirs tend to be patterned after military uniform styles.

Buildings: While modern on the inside, most administrative and government buildings are designed to mimic ancient building styles. Mostly they are designed to appear to be built of stone and are often encased in granite or marble. Most of the population live in houses styles after house designs from the Wolfen planets which they settled from however. When possible, houses are designed to be part of the environment. The poorer elements tend to live in the inexpensive giant towers which are common around the Three Galaxies.

Religious Groups: The society of the planet actually is a bit more religious than most societies within the Three Galaxies. Those of the Patrician class do tend to be the least religious however and those of the lower classes tend to be a bit more religious. Otherwise, there are strong laws protecting the religious and they are designed to protect the non religious as well. Priests are generally greatly respected within the society of the planet.

Views on other Races: As previously described, the society is dominated by Wolfen with the other sentient beings not having a significant amount of the political power. In general however, they are not actively discriminated against and are considered citizens of the planet. There is plenty of passive discrimination however. If the system was to ever try to join the Consortium, this would be one of the stumbling blocks to joining. As discussed elsewhere, there is hatred of Kreeghor among the population whom are refuges from planets taken over by the Trans-Galactic Empire.

Views on Magic & Psionics: A significant percent of the population are psychic of various types although most are lesser psychics. There are some laws protecting non-psychics against unauthorized mind reading. For mind melters and other powerful psychics, there are a number of schools.

The planet is fairly active magically and has a significant number of spell casters. They form something of their own society which is more welcoming towards members of other sentient beings. While some are in the cities, others are deep in the wilderness of the planet.

Laws of Ruardiss Nyada:

Based on Wolfen laws from before the Wolfen systems joined the Consortium, laws tend to be harsher than they are in the Consortium. Many of the more serious crimes have the death penalty. Even so, the laws are meant to be fair although this can be an issue in some cases. There is also no real presumption of innocence in the court

If one is a non-Wolfen, they may find themselves at a disadvantage in court. They will find themselves often getting harsher penalties for the same crime and since juries are usually composed of mostly Wolfen and almost all judges are Wolfen, trials are usually quite prejudiced. In addition, those of the lower classes are at a disadvantage in the courts.

Compared to most Human inspired legal systems, there is no body of jurors or ley judges. Lesser cases are brought to a judge-magistrate whom decides the case. The case can be appealed by either side and is then brought in front of a panel of three judge-magistrates. Such cases can also be appealed to higher courts but the burden of proof is higher with regards to appeals. Judge-magistrates almost always come from the Equites members of society. A handful do come from the Patrician ranks with a far larger percentage of higher judges being Patricians.

Rules of evidence are far looser with hearsay evidence generally allowed. In addition, none of the parties involved have the right to be silent in legal proceedings and defendants can be compelled to speak. Judge-magistrates can ask leading questions. Defendants do however have the right to have a defense attorney present and advise them. They also have a right to bring witnesses for the defense.

Psychic brain scans can be used in court by the defense for innocence but cannot be used by the prosecution side. However, if the defendant asks for a brain scan and it shows that the defendant is guilty, that evidence can (and almost certainly will be) used in court.

In some cases, trials will be show trials. This is often for either political motivations or for simple expediency. In some cases they prefer to close cases when there are tensions within the population due to highly charged case.

Crime	Ruardiss Nyada	CCW
Concealed Weapon	Not generally considered a crime	1 year rehabilitation
Weapon Traffic	10 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation	5 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation
Smuggling	5 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation	1 year rehabilitation
Drug Possession	2 year rehabilitation	2 years rehabilitation
Drug Traffic	10 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation	5 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation
Grand Larceny	5 years prison & 2 years rehabilitation	1 year rehabilitation
Armed Robbery	5 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation	2 years rehabilitation
Piracy	Death	15 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation
Rape	15 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation	5 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation
Man Slaughter	15 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation	5 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation
Murder 2	20 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation	10 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation
Murder 1	Death	15 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation
Kidnaping	20 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation	15 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation
Slavery	Death	20 years prison & 5 years rehabilitation
Genocide	Not on the books	Death

Government of Ruardiss Nyada:

On the surface, the government of Ruardiss Nyada is a representative republic. However, the actually system has biases towards the upper members of society makes the government far more of an oligarchy than any kind of republic.

There is a Consul and a legislature composed of a Senate and Legislative Assembly. Between the Senate and Legislative Assembly, the Senate has far greater power although theoretically the two legislative branches are considered equal.

The magistrates are not so much a separate branch of government but those who work under the Consul to run the system’s various government offices.

Consul: Essentially the equivalent of the prime minister in many republics. Generally runs the government on a day to day basis. The Consul is chosen directly by the Senate and often comes from the Senate although not always. Serves a four year term generally. While he or she can be elected by a simple majority, it requires a super majority (two thirds) to be removed from office. The Consul has to come from the Patrician class.

Senate: Composed of four hundred members, the senate is composed entirely of those of the Patrician and Equite ranks. They are not elected but are instead chosen by the Consul or a panel chosen by the Consul. The Consul can also remove members however there are various restrictions to the Consul to prevent this for being done for arbitrary reasons. Ex-Consuls automatically have a position on the Senate when they leave the office of Consul. Positions on the Senate are for life or until they retire.

Legislative Assembly: Composed of one thousand members, the Legislative Assembly is popularly elected unlike the Senate. Individual candidates are not elected but instead one votes for parties whom then select their representatives. The Legislative Assembly is composed completely from the Citizen / Plebeian portion of society. Unlike the Senate, members of the Legislative Assembly are only elected for four years. That means that they often lack the skill, decisiveness, and finesse of those in the Senate. In addition, large amount of money are spent by the upper classes to maintain their parties in control of the Legislative Assembly.

Magistrates: Under the Consul, the Magistrates run the system from day to day. Senior magistrates are chosen directly by the Consul with the senate having the ability to veto the Consul’s choice. Senior Magistrates operate what are in effect ministries.

Important Figures of Ruardiss Nyada:

Und'tasu: Present Consul for the system. Is on the conservative side and has resisted the suggestion by a number in the senate to reform the government so that it might be able to join the Consortium of Civilized Worlds. Is however working towards trying to get allies with some of the local systems.

Rheenny Irnal: Female Wolfen Senator whom has long argued for reforms in the system so that they might join the Consortium. While she portrays her motivation as being a matter of the system’s survival, she also motivated by empathy for those who are discriminated against.

Tawna Vaughn: One of only a few humans within the Senate. Also is from one of the few human families which is of the Equites class. While she is struggling to get some of the harder issues for humans and other non wolfen races but has little support.

Lyrota Dankel: Current Senior Magistrate for Defense. Is concerned that even if the system is able to get allies with local systems, it will not be enough to beat the Caramelles Kingdom, an opinion which is not popular with many in the government as well as many within the military.

Wortard Drakim: Senior Fleet Legate. Does not get along with the Magistrate for Defense. Even among other fleet officers, he is considered to be needlessly antagonistic. If he had his way, he would have the fleet operate provocatively against the Caramelles Kingdom.

Arosh Verlray: Senior Army Legate. Previous Wolfen officer in the Consortium Armed Forces who settled on the planet with his family. Is a quite skilled officer and is willing to accept the army’s subordinate role to the navy unlike many other army officers. Gets along well with both the Magistrate for Defense and the senior marine Praefectus, something many army officers do not.

Itris Tinskel: Senior Marine Praefectus. Female Wolfen who is actually relatively slight for a marine but is considered tough as nails by other marines. Was a fighter pilot but now mostly does administrative tasks, something she is resentful about. Wishes she could still be a fighter pilot although she still does fly sometimes.

Weldon Sosa: Human who is chief Consortium ambassador to Ruardiss Nyada. He is not unsympathetic towards the plight with regards to the Caramelles Kingdom but is firm on the need for the system to change their policies towards those of other races and make reforms towards a more democratic government system and to reduce inequities in the legal system.

Wor'dar: Trans-Galactic Empire Intelligence Operative. Came to the planet as part of the refuges which escaped Wolfen planets taken over by the Trans-Galactic Empire. Skilled actor who seems to be as rabidly against the Trans-Galactic Empire as any who escaped from the systems the empire took over. Is a powerful psychic who uses ability to hide thoughts as well as to spy on others.

Fletcher Sharpe: Human whom is of the citizen class yet is believed to be the wealthiest person within the system although there are some contenders. Has quite diversified investments including both banking and in the shipping industries.

Relations with other Governments:

Caramelles Kingdom: Presently considered the biggest threat with concerns that the system military simply cannot deal with the kingdom. The system is trying to find allies in order to be able to defend themselves against the kingdom. If such a confederation is actually formed, it is likely that Ruardiss Nyada will lead them in military matters since they will have the largest and best trained fleet. Might also in the future help the dissidents on Telramund. Otherwise, it is extremely difficult to get solid intelligence and mostly through their own vessels conducting covert operations and second hand information.

As one might expect, the kingdom is watching the system closely. At present, it appears as if the kingdom does not appear ready to attack. Either they simply have too many current issues that they are dealing with or they are concerned with the reaction of the other nearby independent systems or of the Consortium itself.

Combined Stars Protectorate: There is huge distance between Ruardiss Nyada and them. The leadership of Ruardiss Nyada is not unsympathetic. Might be willing to offer training in return for whatever support that the Combined Stars Protectorate might be able to offer. There is little contact between them however.

Consortium of Civilized Worlds: The system has reasonably good relations with the major power, especially with the Wolfen segment. The system does have embassies in the Consortium and the Consortium also has embassies in the systems. The Consortium does not approve of many of the government practices by Ruardiss Nyada and are not likely to accept a petition for membership. Even so, they are sympathetic to their plight. The system has been able to get a number of retired Wolfen warships.

Dartrok: There is enough distance between Dartrok controlled space and Ruardiss Nyada that the Dartrok are considered no real threat. In addition, it appears as if the Dartrok have no real interest in the system.

Farallon System: There is no real contact between the two powers and there are not even embassies.

Free Worlds Council: One of the places where Ruardiss Nyada has been attempting to go for advanced military technology has been the Free Worlds Council. Unfortunately, there appears to be little which can be offered in return. They are also far enough part in celestial terms that there is little direct contact. The Free Wolfs Council often snaps up warships which the system might like to acquire.

Human Alliance: They cannot be said to be on bad terms with the Human Alliance although there are a number of issues due to how much Wolfen dominate the planet and system. There is a certain amount of embarrassment by the Human Alliance because the Caramelles Kingdom was originally settled from the Human Alliance. As such, they might offer limited aid independent of the Consortium.

Icaria System: The Icaria System has tried to actively avoid interest in the area of space occupied by Ruardiss Nyada and Caramelles Kingdom although the extremely powerful star system does trade with both sides. Even though the Icaria System is replacing a number of their older warships, they are generally considered too large for the Wolfen star system’s military. Ruardiss Nyada would love to get the assistance of the Icaria System because it is one of the few independent powers which could take on the Caramelles Kingdom.

Naruni Enterprises: Naruni has tried to get the system interested in their support but so far the leadership has resisted, considering slavery under them to be as potentially dangerous as the Caramelles Kingdom. There is some extremely limited trade however in military hardware.

New Coventry: With its large shipyards, New Coventry is a potential place where they might be able to get their larger ships refitted and repaired. Otherwise, New Coventry is far more focused on the Trans-Galactic Empire. It is however one of the few independent systems that actually can be considered a threat to the Caramelles Kingdom.

Phase World: There is no real dealing between them besides some limited trade. Ruardiss Nyada also has used the system as an avenue to try to both acquire retired warships and new technology, both with limited success. Often it is easier to get warships through the Wolfen systems in the Consortium.

Pleasure Confederation: There is little interesting Ruardiss Nyada in the Pleasure Confederation. In some cases, a wealthy or powerful person in the system might visit the Confederation however. Ruardiss Nyada treats slavery extremely harshly and such people will be looked down upon if it is discovered that they visited the Confederation.

REF Wormhole Station: After watching the REF give the Trans-Galactic Empire a black eye, . Ruardiss Nyada would love to get their assistance with dealing with the Caramelles Kingdom. The REF however has shown no real interest even though the Wolfen system has not been rebuffed as the kingdom was.

Splugorth: The Splugorth are considered a slight threat but still not a major concern. For their own part, it appears as if the Splugorth have no great interest in the cosmic neighborhood occupied by Ruardiss Nyada although it is always possible that might change.

Trans-Galactic Empire: Because the Consortium is between Trans-Galactic Empire and Ruardiss Nyada, the empire is not considered a major threat. They also realize that many of their potential allies are more concerned with the empire and if the Consortium was to fall, it would spell disaster for the system. The empire has sent a convert mission to scout out if they might be able to entice the system to accept their aid which would eventually likely turn into a full scale invasion. If they could get it, which is extremely doubtful, it would allow the empire to attack the Consortium from a new direction. There is also a number of refuges from Wolfen planets which were taken over by the Trans-Galactic Empire. Among them there is a strong hatred for the Trans-Galactic Empire and Kreeghor generally.

United Worlds Warlock: While there is not much in active trade between the two system, due to the interesting cosmic phenomena around the Ruardiss Nyada, the system does attract its share of visitors from the United Worlds Warlock. There is also a reasonable percentage of spell casters among the population.

Xanadu Station: There is no real contact between the two systems with them on different sides of Consortium controlled space. In addition, Xanadu Station does not appear to have much with regards to a coherent foreign policy.

Military Forces of Ruardiss Nyada:

While there are a number of issues with the military forces of the Ruardiss Nyada system, it is considered one of the better trained independent military forces in the Three Galaxies. The military was formed on similar lines from the Wolfen military from when the settlers decided to leave the fledgling Consortium of Civilized Worlds. The core of the Ruardiss Nyada military were ex-Wolfen officers and crew.

The military was never planned to deal with a major threat such as a multi-system power. Against most single star systems, the military forces of Ruardiss Nyada are considered adequate. It is only with the growth of the Caramelles Kingdom that there became serious concerns. As a consequence though, there is an attempt at expanding the military, especially the fleet, rapidly.

The system has an excellent military academy where officers are trained and there are also excellent military specialist schools for enlisted personnel. In addition, there are a fair number of personnel who come from other militaries, especially the Wolfen Republic. A trickle do come from other militaries including Consortium Armed Forces, Human Alliance, and independent defense forces. Recruiting is not as effective as it might otherwise because pay is below what one can expect from many mercenary groups.

Due to economic issues, there has not been any real investment in fixed or planetary defenses. Instead, system defenses rely on their mobile forces backed up by fighter forces. For fighter forces, the system operates a total of around fifteen hundred fighters. Of these, approximately half are embarked aboard warships with over four hundred of those operated from scout carriers. Fighters are exclusively operated by the navy and marines with three quarters under control of the navy.

Much of the small arms are surplus Wolfen Republic equipment however such equipment is often hard for smaller races, such as humans to use. As a result, the Ruardiss Nyada has managed to also acquire some Human Alliance surplus equipment for those of smaller races to use. Tend to be in short supply however. While the military does use Consortium Jumpsuits, they are also in short supply. As a result, crews may use Human Alliance Jumpsuits or Wolfen Light Space Armor instead.

Personnel:

While Wolfen make up approximately 68% of the planet’s population, they make up 76% of military personnel. If one is not Wolfen, one might find themselves often disadvantaged and will often have a hard time gaining rank with virtually no senior officers being non-Wolfen. With regards to the military, approximately 60% of the military are male.

	76%	Wolfen
	6%	Human
	4%	Noro
	4%	Catyr
	3%	Coyles
	2%	Kankoran
	5%	Others

Space Navy of Ruardiss Nyada:

Considered the primary military force of Ruardiss Nyada and which virtually all of the system defense budget is spent on. Of course the army resents this however it is hard to argue against it. After all, if the orbitals around the planet are under the control of an invading force, there is little hope for planetary forces.

While the system does not have facilities to build starships, it does have facilities to refit vessels including two repair ships. Some limited upgrades can be done as well including modifying ships for slightly different fighter compliments, replacing weapon systems, and upgrading electronics. The system also has the ability to refit fighters and manufacture munitions.

Orbital facility and shipboard security for ships with a dedicated troop compliment are the role of the marine corp. Smaller vessels without a dedicated marine compliment will have naval crews fill this role. Even so, ships and facilities do carry small arms for the entire crew although mostly older equipment.

Chain of Command: The Marine Corp is under the navy’s chain of command while the army is an independent branch. Both are under the office of the Magistrate of Defense however. Fleets are usually commanded by a Praefectus with Legates acting more as administrators.

Enlistment:

Enlisted: Raw recruits are required to enlist for twelve years due to the extensive training required. Later enlistments can be for six years however. Veterans from other services also enlisted for six years. There are small bonuses to entice re-enlistment and enlistment by veterans however they are not up to the rates offered by other militaries. Greater bonuses are offered for signing up for twelve instead of six years. Partial retirement is offered after thirty years and full retirement is offered after forty-two years.

Officers: Officers serve at the pleasure of the military and have an indefinite length of service. If their services are not considered critical, they will generally be allowed to resign after twelve years of service. Veterans from other militaries are often given more leeway with regards to resigning from service.

O.C.C.: Training standards are generally considered excellent, generally equal to those in the Consortium and Wolfen Republic militaries. There is a fair amount of personnel trained to different standards with veterans from other militaries. In some cases civilian spacers are allowed to join the fleet if they are highly skilled.

Enlisted: Those trained by the Ruardiss Nyada navy are generally trained to CAF Trooper O.C.C. standards. Those from other military forces can be a variety of different classes. In addition, there are a small number of former merchant sailors in the fleet which would mostly be considered Spacer or Operator O.C.C.s.

Officers: Most officers trained by the Ruardiss Nyada navy are trained to CAF Fleet Officer O.C.C. standards although a significant number are trained to trained to CAF Trooper O.C.C. standards. Some fighter pilots are trained as Turbo-Jockey O.C.C.s as well. Those from other military forces can be a variety of different classes with a significant percentage being Turbo-Jockeys.

Standard Combat Equipment:

Crew members: Two sets of light space armor [CAF Jumpsuits, Human Alliance A-1 Jumpsuits, or Wolfen Light Space Armor], one pistol [WRA-P(E)-01 Pistol, WRA-P(I)-02 Pistol, or Human Alliance LP-8 Heavy Laser Pistol], and one vibro-knife. In some cases personnel will also be issued non lethal weapons such as the HW-19 Stun Pistol or Web Gun. Whenever a starship is at general quarters all crew member are in light armor to protect from explosive decompression. Silver rounds for WRA-P(E)-01 Pistol and silver knives are kept in ships armory for use against supernatural being.

Pilots: Light combat armor [WRA-A-01 Standard Combat Armor, Human Alliance A-2 Light Combat Armor, or Modern Light Combat Armor], one set of light space armor [CAF Jumpsuits, Human Alliance A-1 Jumpsuits, or Wolfen Light Space Armor], one carbine [WRA-RC(I)-03A1 Carbine or Human Alliance LPC-40 Laser Pulse Carbine], one pistol [WRA-P(E)-01 Pistol, WRA-P(I)-02A1 Pistol, WRA-P(I)-03 Pistol, or Human Alliance LP-8 Heavy Laser Pistol (Some are “field modified”)], and one vibro-sword.

*Note that Human Alliance weaponry is only available in limited number. It is general issued to humans and other “small” races but is not always available. In those cases, personnel need to use Wolfen issue gear or weapons they have managed to acquire outside of normal service.

Uniforms:

Enlisted:

Enlisted uniforms tend to be simpler than officer uniforms. Working uniform is a simple dark grey jumpsuit with rank insignia sewn onto the collars of the uniform.

Dress uniform is white tunic and dark grey pants. There are silver stripes on either side of the pants. As with working uniform, the uniform has rank insignia on the collars of the uniform although worn not sewn. Senior enlisted have silver shoulder boards with rank insignia on them.

Officers:

Working uniform is relatively simple. It is a red jumpsuit with gold epaulettes. Senior officers have more complex gold epaulettes. The rank insignia are sewn onto the collars. There is gold striping down each leg of the jumpsuit as well.

Dress uniform is red tunic with a side flap that buttons and red pants. One each side of the pants is gold striping and the uniform shirt has gold braiding in the front as well as gold epaulettes. Senior officers have more complex gold epaulettes. As with working uniform, the uniform has rank insignia on the collars of the uniform although worn not sewn. In addition, there is a gold sash with the uniform. The uniform has a fur cloak with junior officers having a white cloak and senior officers having a black cloak. Part of the dress uniform is a sabre as well.

Personnel: 12,800 (Does not include civilian personnel.)

Army of Ruardiss Nyada:

While the largest military, has a lower budget than the navy, which has caused a fair amount of resentment. The army does not have a role aboard starships with marines filling that role. In addition, the army does not operate any fighters. Their main jobs is ground defense including ground missile batteries.

Even so, the army is reasonably trained and considered generally a professional service. In some case, they will take veterans of other militaries which the other services will refuse and will also in some cases take marines which did not work out in marine service. They will not take personnel and officers however that are considered real problems.

Vehicles operated by the army include the GTA-14 Spartan Power Armor as well as Maniple infantry fighting vehicles. In addition, missile trucks for planetary defense are operated by the army. For small arms, the marines get first choice while the army gets whatever the marines do not want.

Chain of Command: The army does have its own independent chain of command although the army is still under the Magistrate of Defense. The ratio of officers to enlisted is far less than with the fleet. Legates serve as commanders of combat units but mostly are considered administrators.

Enlistment:

Enlisted: Raw recruits are required to enlist for eight years due to the training required. Later enlistments can be for four years however. Veterans from other services also enlisted for four years. There are no inducement bonuses to re-enlist and due to low pay, there are even more issues with retaining trained personnel than with the navy. As with the navy, partial retirement is offered after thirty years and full retirement is offered after forty-two years.

Officers: As with the navy, Officers serve at the pleasure of the military and have an indefinite length of service. If their services are not considered critical, they will generally be allowed to resign after eight years of service. Veterans from other militaries are often given more leeway with regards to resigning from service.

O.C.C.: Training standards are not quite the equal of those in the Consortium Armed Forces and Wolfen Republic military forces but are still very good. There are veterans of various militaries serving with the army with various different training standards.

Enlisted: Basic training gives the personnel the equivalent of the Enlisted are trained equal to the Special Forces O.C.C. from the Rifts: Mercenaries. Those from other military forces can be a variety of different classes. Some will be of the CAF Trooper O.C.C. but also includes those of Mercenary O.C.C. from the Rifts Main Book, Galactic Tracers O.C.C. and a variety of other classes.

Officers: Most officers trained by the Ruardiss Nyada navy are trained to CAF Trooper O.C.C. standards. Those from other military forces can be a variety of different classes. Some will be of the CAF Trooper O.C.C. but also includes those of Mercenary O.C.C. from the Rifts Main Book, Galactic Tracers O.C.C. and a variety of other classes. Only a comparatively small number will be of the to CAF Fleet Officer O.C.C.

Standard Combat Equipment:

Standard Troops: Light combat armor [WRA-A-01 Standard Combat Armor, Human Alliance A-2 Light Combat Armor, or Modern Light Combat Armor] with some troops issued heavy combat armor [WRA-A-03 Heavy Combat Armor or Human Alliance A-3 Heavy Combat Armor], one rifle [WRA-R(E)-01 Rifle, WRA-R(I)-02A1 Rifle, or Human Alliance LPR-60 Laser Pulse Rifle], one pistol [WRA-P(E)-01 Pistol, WRA-P(I)-02A1 Pistol, WRA-P(I)-03 Pistol, or Human Alliance LP-8 Heavy Laser Pistol (Some are “field modified”)], one vibro-sword, and two silver knives. When troops serve in crowd control roles, they are equipped with the HW-19 Stun Pistol or Web Gun. One in five troops are issued one heavy support weapon [WRA-RS(I)-04A1 Support Rifle, WRA-RS(E)-01 Support Rifle, or Human Alliance LPSR-260 Laser Pulse Support Rifle] or one missile launcher [WRA-L(R)-10 Launcher or Human Alliance MM-6 Mini-Missile Launcher.] In addition, silver rounds are available for the projectile weapons when dealing with supernatural beings. Power armors most often carry the WRA-RS(E)-01 Support Rifle to supplement the Spartan’s standard weaponry.

Vehicle Crews: Light combat armor [WRA-A-01 Standard Combat Armor, Human Alliance A-2 Light Combat Armor, or Modern Light Combat Armor], one carbine [WRA-RC(I)-03A1 Carbine or Human Alliance LPC-40 Laser Pulse Carbine], one pistol [WRA-P(E)-01 Pistol, WRA-P(I)-02A1 Pistol, WRA-P(I)-03 Pistol, or Human Alliance LP-8 Heavy Laser Pistol (Some are “field modified”)], one vibro-sword, and two silver knives. In addition, silver rounds are available for the projectile weapons when dealing with supernatural beings.

Uniforms:

Enlisted:

As with the navy, enlisted uniforms tend to be simpler than officer uniforms. Working uniform is a simple camouflage jumpsuit with rank insignia sewn on the collar of the uniform.

Dress uniform is light grey tunic and dark grey pants. On either side of the legs are black stripes. As with working uniform, the uniform has rank insignia on the collars of the uniform although worn not sewn. Senior enlisted have black shoulder boards with rank insignia on them.

Officers:

Working uniform is relatively simple and is far lower key than the navy uniform officers. It is a camouflage jumpsuit with detachable black epaulettes. Can be removed so in the field will not make officers targets. Senior officers have more complex black epaulettes. The rank insignia are on the collars but is removable when in the field. There is no striping down each leg of the jumpsuit as with the navy uniform.

While still a bit on garish side, the army dress uniform is far plainer. There is a sky blue uniform shirt with black pants. On each side of the pants are gold stripes and there are gold epaulettes on the uniform shirt but no braiding. In addition, the uniform shirt of a more conventional design. Senior officers have more complex gold epaulettes. As with working uniform, the uniform has rank insignia on the collars of the uniform although worn not sewn. In addition, there is a gold sash with the uniform. Part of the dress uniform is a sabre as well.

Personnel: 183,200 (Does not include civilian personnel.)

Marine Corp of Ruardiss Nyada:

Smallest military force of the system military and considered the most elite, something felt within the marines itself. They form both marine compliments aboard warships that carry one and make up about one third of fighter squadrons. Several times there have been attempts to merge them with either the army or the navy. Still, they are considered to be under the administrative control of the navy.

They are extremely well trained and are among the most skilled within the Ruardiss Nyada military. As one might expect, they are also the most strict as well as the most disciplined as well. There is very little tolerance for those who have problems in service. While there are a few veterans from other services, there are fewer than other services. In addition, the number of non-Wolfen is also the lowest among military service branches.

As an elite unit, the marines generally only get the best equipment available, something the army is resentful at times about. One of the few exceptions is that they have not been issued any Bearcat fighters as of yet. Other equipment they operate include the SC-MM-1000 “Stormcrow” Space Combat Exoskeletons and “Knock Off” Kittani K-Universal Power Armors. They do not operate the GTA-14 Spartan Power Armor or much in the way of ground vehicles.

Chain of Command: As described above, the marine corp is under the navy’s chain of command. Senior officers in the marines are of the Praefectus rank with no marine Legates. Crew serving aboard warships and other navy commands are considered under the command of the vessel’s captain.

Enlistment: Enlistment

Enlisted: Raw recruits are required to enlist for twelve years due to the extensive training required. Later enlistments can be for six years however. Veterans from other services also enlisted for six years although they are also rarer. There are small bonuses to entice re-enlistment and enlistment by veterans however they are not up to the rates offered by other militaries. Greater bonuses are offered for signing up for twelve instead of six years. Partial retirement is offered after thirty years and full retirement is offered after forty-two years.

Officers: Officers serve at the pleasure of the military and have an indefinite length of service. If their services are not considered critical, they will generally be allowed to resign after twelve years of service. Even veterans of other services are not given much leeway and are expected to understand this before joining.

O.C.C.: Training standards are generally considered excellent, generally equal to those in the Consortium and Wolfen Republic militaries, sometimes even better. Veterans of other services are rarer but must also be extremely skilled.

Enlisted: Those trained by the Ruardiss Nyada marines are generally trained to CAF Trooper O.C.C. standards. Have a +1 bonus with modern weapons. In addition, approximately 80% have sharpshooting in one or more modern weapons. Those from other military forces can be a variety of different classes although CAF Trooper O.C.C. is most common.

Officers: Most officers trained by the Ruardiss Nyada marines are trained to CAF Fleet Officer O.C.C. standards. If they fail at training standards, they will generally be transferred to the army. Marine officers will have +1 bonus with modern weapons in addition to other bonuses and approximately 80% have sharpshooting in one or more modern weapons. Some fighter pilots are trained as Turbo-Jockey O.C.C.s as well. With officers from other services, most common are those trained to CAF Fleet Officer O.C.C. standards or Turbo Jockey standards.

Standard Combat Equipment:

Standard Troops: Light combat armor [WRA-A-01 Standard Combat Armor, Human Alliance A-2 Light Combat Armor, or Modern Light Combat Armor] with some troops issued heavy combat armor [WRA-A-03 Heavy Combat Armor or Human Alliance A-3 Heavy Combat Armor], one carbine [WRA-RC(I)-03A1 Carbine or Human Alliance LPC-40 Laser Pulse Carbine], one pistol [WRA-P(E)-01 Pistol, WRA-P(I)-02A1 Pistol, WRA-P(I)-03 Pistol, or Human Alliance LP-8 Heavy Laser Pistol (Some are “field modified”)], one vibro-sword, and two silver knives. In some circumstances, troops may be equipped with the HW-19 Stun Pistol or Web Gun. One in five troops are issued one heavy support weapon [WRA-RS(I)-04A1 Support Rifle, WRA-RS(E)-01 Support Rifle, or Human Alliance LPSR-260 Laser Pulse Support Rifle] or one missile launcher [WRA-L(R)-10 Launcher or Human Alliance MM-6 Mini-Missile Launcher.] In addition, silver rounds are available for the projectile weapons when dealing with supernatural beings. K-Universal power armors most often carry the WRA-RS(E)-01 Support Rifle. Those assigned aboard ship will also be issued one set of light space armor [CAF Jumpsuits, Human Alliance A-1 Jumpsuits, or Wolfen Light Space Armor].

Uniforms:

Enlisted:

As with the navy, enlisted uniforms tend to be simpler than officer uniforms. Working uniform is a simple camouflage jumpsuit with rank insignia sewn on the collar of the uniform.

Dress uniform is white tunic and black pants. There are silver stripes on either side of the pants. As with working uniform, the uniform has rank insignia on the collars of the uniform although worn not sewn. Unlike the navy and marines, senior enlisted do not have shoulder boards but instead have silver braiding on their uniform shirt.

Officers: Working uniform is relatively simple and is far lower key than the navy uniform officers. It is a camouflage jumpsuit without epaulettes. The rank insignia are on the collars but is removable when in the field. There is no striping down each leg of the jumpsuit as with the navy uniform. .

Dress uniform is red tunic with a side flap that buttons and black pants. One each side of the pants is gold striping and the uniform shirt has gold braiding although does not have gold epaulettes. Senior officers have more complex gold braiding. As with working uniform, the uniform has rank insignia on the collars of the uniform although worn not sewn. In addition, there is a gold sash with the uniform. The uniform has a fur cloak with junior officers having a white cloak and senior officers having a black cloak. Part of the dress uniform is a sabre as well.

Personnel: 1,650 (Does not include civilian support personnel.)

Military Ranks:

Even though there are three branches of service, all three use the same basic military ranks. These military ranks come from back before Ruardiss Nyada was founded. Compared to the Consortium, the number of ranks is rather limited. On the list is also the closest human equivalent to the rank.

Those that come from citizen rank in society are generally limited to the lower officer ranks, normally Centurion. In some rare circumstances, one might be promoted to Primus. Legate and Praefectus are both limited to those of Equite and Patrician stature. Enlisted can be promoted to officer ranks although almost always limited to Optio rank.

Larger warships, including carriers, may be commanded by a Primus while smaller warships will be commanded by a Centurion. Fighter wings on carriers will also usually be commanded by a Centurion. Fighter squadrons are usually commanded by a Centurio. Many smaller warships will have a half squadron commanded by either a Centurio or an Optio.

Officers:

Ruardiss Nyada Forces:	Human Equivalent:
Legate	Admiral / General
Praefectus	Commodore / Brigadier
Primus	Captain / Colonel
Centurion	Commander / Major
Centurio	Lieutenant / Captain
Optio	Ensign / Lieutenant

Enlisted:

Ruardiss Nyada Forces:	Human Equivalent:
Tesserarius	Chief Petty Officer / Master Sergeant
Evocati	Senior Petty Officer / Sergeant
Discens	Junior Petty Officer / Corporal
Munifex	Able Crew / Private
Tirone	Recruit

Military Rules & Regulations:

Military Law: The system does have a military justice system set up which is independent of the normal legal channels. Punishments tend to be even harsher than standard and there are criminal acts within the military which are not in normal civilian life. Otherwise, trials are similar with military judge-magistrates.

There is not an official non judicial punishment system however commanding officers do have wide leeway to punish those under them without getting the higher chain of command involved. There is the ability to file a grievance against one’s commanding officer however only extraordinary circumstances will result in action from those higher in the chain of command.

Military Protocol: Military rank is taken extremely seriously. Those above you are expected to be addressed by their proper titles. Those who have just joined from other military forces are given a bit more leeway in this regard. In addition, they are expected to be treated with the utmost respect. All orders are also expected to be followed unless they are definitely illegal.

Religion: As previously described, the society of the system tends to be more religious than most in the Three Galaxies. The military is just sightly more religious than the society in general. Special efforts are made to respect a service person’s religion unless it is harmful or would interfere with military discipline.

Sexual Contact: The military has a somewhat unusual attitude towards sexual contact. It is seen as often being positive with actually increasing unit cohesion with the belief in “Band of Brothers” with many relationships being same sex. There are rules and regulations to prevent harassment however they are not always enforced as well as they should be. Often unfortunately complaints are ignored.

Personal Equipment: The use of personal equipment is allowed in most circumstances with there some limitation. Generally personnel can carry small arms other than issued and use their own body armors if they pass examination. Force field generators are also generally allowed. The use of non-military issue equipment is even encouraged in some cases. Smaller races are suggested to pick up small arms because the military only has limited small arms for non-Wolfen. Many officers and pilots will carry more powerful small arms and even enchanted weaponry.

Mage & Psionics in the Military:

As the planet is in a very active area magically, there are a fair number of mages and some do end up joining the military. In addition, there are a fair number of psychics among the general population who also join the military. Virtually all who join the military are Wolfen with other races find there to be too much prejudice against them. The exception being those who are minor or major psychics.

Individuals with Major and Minor Psionics fall into standard O.C.C.s. To create a mage (Ley Line Walker, Mystic, Battlemage, etc.) or a Master Psionic (Mind Melter, Burster, etc.) use the O.C.C. but add standard Phase World background skills and add the following additional skills for military training.

Radio: Basic (+5%)

Running

Climbing

Hand to Hand: Basic

W.P. Energy Rifle

Planetary Surface Defenses:

There is comparatively light planetary defense, mostly missile batteries in key locations. There is some limited fixed defense facilities with a mixture of long range and medium range missile batteries positioned around important government and military locations.

In addition, the military operate a number of cargo vehicles converted into missile batteries. These were far cheaper than actually military designs would be. While the military does not operate any tanks, the military does operate a limited number of Maniple infantry fighting vehicles.

Part of the facilities includes a number of fighter bases. Only about twenty-five percent of fighter squadrons assigned to system forces are ground based, mostly operated by the marines. There is however enough facilities to operate all fighters from ground bases if required. There are extensive fighter repair and refit facilities at ground bases. There are extensive munitions based on the planet as well in deep underground bunkers.

Minefields:

Because of the potential war, the system military has already collected extensive stocks for the laying minefields around the system. They are a mix of different types of mines, simple mines, various kinds of missile launching mines, jamming mines, and decoys.

Orbital Space Defenses:

The system does not really have what one might generally considered conventional orbital defenses. Some of the stations do have some limited defensive weaponry in the form of point defense lasers and medium range missile batteries. They are similar to those mounted on most merchant vessels and are useful only to deal with a few missiles leaking through the regular combat forces.

A number of the stations have facilities leased out to the military. The bulk of fighter squadron not assigned to warships are operated from these facilities. The number of fighters per facility various from four to eight squadrons. While these facilities do not have the ability to build fighters, several of the larger facilities do have extensive ability to maintain and repair fighters. Several stations also contain massive ammunition facilities for the fleet.

Ships of the Fleet:

While relatively small, the fleet of the Ruardiss Nyada system is considered extremely effective. Generally the fleet operates as far strike forces with a carrier escorted by several destroyers. Usually the Theron / Hunter class destroyers are used in the escort role while Laelaps / Striker class missile destroyers are more often used in the independent strike role.

Most of the ship operated by the Ruardiss Nyada navy are retired warships from the Wolfen navy. They have often been able to get excellent deals on the warships. Otherwise, some of the warships came from smaller navies which have discarded warship. In a handful of cases, warships have even been captured from pirates.

With the threat of the Caramelles Star Kingdom, there is a major push to expand the navy. Mainly the system navy plans to purchase additional scout carriers and destroyers. At present, the system is in negotiation with Wolfen members of the Consortium although the system navy has their eyes on potential other sources for additional warships.

The two heavy cruisers normally do not operate outside of the Ruardiss Nyada system but otherwise operate as command ships. Even though the navy is working towards expanding the fleet, there are no plans to expand the cruiser forces.

Carriers:

Ruardiss Nyada “Oribasos” class Scout Carrier (Modified Stalker class)

Cruisers:

Ruardiss Nyada “Patricus” class Heavy Cruiser (Modified Lictor class)

Destroyers / Corvettes:

	16	Ruardiss Nyada “Laelaps” class Missile Destroyer (Modified Striker class)
	32	Ruardiss Nyada “Theron” class Destroyer (Modified Hunter Class)

Minesweepers:

	1	Ruardiss Nyada “Canache” class Minesweeper (Modified Scimitar Class)
	3	Ruardiss Nyada “Scylax” class Minesweeper (Modified Cobra Class)

Fleet Auxiliaries:

	2	Wolfen “Sethlans” class Repair Ship / Tender
	12	Various Supply Ship classes

Notes on the Fleet:

For fighter forces, the fleet almost exclusively operate the Bobcat light fighter design. A small number of Bearcat class light fighters are also operated by the Ruardiss Nyada navy. At present, there is not real plan to retire the older fighters but instead purchased Bearcat fighters in an attempt to gradually increase the number of fighters operated by the system defense forces. Ideally, the military would like to replace the Bobcat with the Bearcat but this is unlikely in the immediate future.

Due to the Bearcat being a modified Bobcat, logistics are far less than if they were operating a completely new fighter design. Except for a number of Bearcats operated by training command, all Bearcat fighters are operated aboard warships. It is likely that system forces will be issued Bearcat fighters after the fleet replaces all of their older fighters.

On the Sethlans class repair ships, the 10 cm particle beam batteries have been disabled in order to reduce crew requirements. There has been some discussion to completely stripping the heavy particle beam weaponry from the repair ships and use them for other warships in service. Unlike most other warships in the fleet, the point defense lasers are retain. Most warships have their point defense lasers replaced by variable focus particle beams.

Normal load out for warships with regards to capital missiles is, in addition to carry multi-warhead fusion anti-warship capital missiles, is to carry decoy, jamming, and sensor probe missiles. The system does have the ability to manufacture their own missiles although probably not enough to keep up with expenditures in a full scale war.

While they have not yet adopted them, the navy is evaluating box launchers for capital missiles to be carried on their warships. Both the New Coventry and Tri-Galactic Military Service designs are currently being tested. At the present time, the Ruardiss Nyada navy is leaning towards the Tri-Galactic Military Service design due to having a higher missile capacity.

Military Technology:

While the system does not manufacture their own warships, they are considered pretty advanced for an independent star system with advanced sensor systems and electronics generally. The system military is pretty adept at refitting vessels without the need for a true shipyard. Even though the system does not build their own weapon systems, there has also been an attempt to increase the ability to manufacture both repair parts and even major components.

The fleet does not have anti-matter or X-Ray laser warheads. Instead, they mostly use multi-warhead fusion warheads as far as capital missiles. There is an attempt however to get designs for the more advanced warhead designs, either anti-matter or x-ray laser warheads. The x-ray laser warhead is consider a better choice and most of their effort has been towards acquiring that technology.

Description of the Ruardiss Nyada System:

Around the system of Ruardiss Nyada, there are a number of incredibly powerful ley lines and there several quite powerful ley lines which pass right through the star system. There are stories of ley line rifts opening up and swallowing ships.

While most of the space towards Consortium controlled space has been explored, space further out has not been well explored. There are plenty of unexplored systems surrounding the system. As one might expect, most are red dwarf stars but a few are other classes of stars. None in the immediate vicinity of the system appear to support complex life however.

There is a F0 class star that is only about 1.5 light years away from Ruardiss Nyada however the two stars are not gravitationally bound. The large star has altered the orbit of a large number of comets however.

The system description does not include dwarf planets which there are a few. As well, the larger moons are listed but not described in any detail. As with most solar systems, there are also numerous asteroids outside of the asteroid belts as well as comets.

Star is a relatively young yellow G5 class with two large gas giants, one small gas giant, and three rocky worlds. One of the rocky worlds is extremely large as well and there is a thin asteroid belt between the third and fourth planets.

Star: Glaenarm - Yellow main sequence star of around 3,800 million years. G5 class star with the mass of star of around 0.91 Solar masses and is about 78% the brightness of Sol. Jump distance from star is 36.6 light minutes out from star.

Planet -1: Ilragorn - Rocky world with the mass of the planet being around 0.12 Earth masses with an orbit of approximately 0.32 AU from star. Extremely dense rocky world, denser than Mercury in the Sol system. Planet is tidally locked around the star.

Planet -2: Ruardiss Nyada - Only habitable world in the solar system. Has a mass of around 1.28 that of earth but is less dense and has a radius of 1.12 that of Earth. Surface gravity as a result is only 1.02 that of Earth. It orbits 0.83 AU from star and has an orbital period of .844 Earth years. Planet rotates on its axis rather quickly, having a 13.5 hour day and because there is no large moons, it has a larger change in tilt. Has 43% land to water ratio but extremely deep oceans. Has a lot of powerful weather as a result of various factors. Only has relatively light vulcanism however. Population is around 1,950 million with an addition 180 million living in orbit around the planet. There is a reasonably amount of manufacturing in orbit but no actual shipyards.

Moons: Lindow - Relatively small moon of approximately 45 kilometers per side. Has a relatively low mass and is more of a rubble pile than anything.

Planet -3: Wanborne - Huge terrestrial world with a mass of approximately 3.8 Earth while having a radius of 1.38 that of Earth. Dues to the high gravity, the planet has an extremely dense atmosphere as well and is a greenhouse world even though it is 1.38 AU out from the star. Also has incredible vulcanism. The planet has been deemed almost impossible to terraform.

Moons: Has four moons - one large moon of approximately 0.65 mass of Luna (Earth’s Moon.) Others moons are much smaller of 100, 45, and 25 kilometers.

Asteroid Belt: Asteroid belt is extremely sparse with only about 10% of the mass of the asteroid belt of the Sol-Earth system. There was once much more mass but most of the material was flung out through the complex interaction between the planets on either side of the belt. There are several larger asteroids which make up about seventy five percent of the mass of the asteroid belt. The asteroid belt is approximately 2.3 AU out from the star. There is mining in the asteroid belt and some limited shipyard facilities, mostly limited to repairing vessels.

Planet-4: Braedon - Large gas giant of 277 Earth masses (a little less massive than Jupiter) . Average orbital distance is 4.8 AU out from the star.

Moons: 54 moons with 4 being relatively massive and containing most of the mass of the moons between the four. Several moons are believed to be captured asteroids. There is some limited mining on the moons.

Planet-5: Orilon - Large gas giant of 423 Earth masses (about one third more massive than Jupiter). Average orbital distance is 8.8 AU out from the star.

Moons: 87 moons with 6 being relatively massive and containing most of the mass of the moons between them. One of the large moon is tidally squeezed by the planet and has massive vulcanism.

Planet-6: Naporia - Small gas giant with 22.4 Earth masses (slightly larger than Neptune). Average orbital distance is 18.4 AU out from the star.

Moons: 23 moons with one massive moon containing 65% of the mass of the total moon system around the planet.

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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

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