Campaign Setting: The Tangent

Points of Interest
Travel Times in the Tangent
Notable Personalities
Adventure Seeds

The Tangent is a large area of space on the frontier that used to be part of the Republic of Akasha. It is so nicknamed because it lies along the Path to Fortune, a secondary Hyperspace Highway branching off from the Oregon Trail. However, the Path is now largely defunct because most of its H-Gates no longer work.

Although isolated from the rest of the Known Sphere, the local military presence of a Republic garrison and fleet at the strategic world of Stardust provides a measure of stability and security, though the Tangent as a whole still remains a largely lawless and rough and tumble place. Thus, though hard it may be, life goes on and hundreds of merchant traders and explorers brave the local Ebon Sea despite the constant threat of piracy, ferrying people and goods to and between the colonies, and continuing to reconnoiter the frontier.
 

Politics in the Tangent

At the start of the Second War, although this area had been claimed and incorporated by the Republic, it hadn't yet been organized as a Territory. Thus, there is no official regional self-government yet and the national government still rules in name. However, since the Tangent lies far beyond the battered arm of Valkyrie, each colony is effectively an independent, self-governing entity and relations between the colonies are a shifting and crisscrossing web of alliances.

The Theater Commander , as the leader of the largest organized military force in the region, has become de facto territorial governor of the Tangent. However, except for crisis situations or anything even remotely related to the safety of Stardust, Fleet Admiral Choi has neither the resources nor inclination to address. As it is, the NAS is suffering from significant manpower shortages and, given the current situation in the Old States, relief is nowhere on the horizon. A group of colonial leaders meets once a month on Harkon and acts as an informal advisory body to the Admiral, though the latter rarely comments on or intervenes in non-military matters.
 

Economy of the Tangent

The settlements of the Tangent are a mixed bag, with the worlds in the Pocket being the most developed. For the most part, they are agricultural colonies with native cottage industries, both focusing on high value exports, though many worlds also feature some sort of resource extraction. What regional heavy industry that exists is centered on Harkon.

Most worlds are largely self-sufficient as to basic necessities, or are as much as they can be. However, the bulk of value added goods (e.g., electronics, medicines, most weapons, etc.) are imported from the Core. Aside from Stardust’s massive catalytum exports, most interstellar trade is regional between the various worlds of the Tangent. This business is brisk, and handled primarily by independent merchant traders, though House Avanno has recently established a trade mission to investigate the situation.
 

Getting There, Back, and Around

While the main space lines stopped sending passenger ships to the Tangent with the onset of the Second Unification War, reaching the area is still fairly easy enough. Most people arrive having booked passage on a corporate transport or larger merchant vessel. These have the benefit of traveling in convoys with armed escorts to deter pirates. Additionally, for the more adventurous or down on their luck, smaller ships also shoot the gap between Stardust NAS and Nibelungen NAS flying solo.

The first stop for most travellers arriving in the Tangent is Wayfarer Station above Harkon. From there, they can go louxia or transfer to another freighter onward to their final destination. All the colonies of the Pocket have orbital interface facilities, and ships depart for other Pocket systems at least daily. Travelling further afield requires more legwork and creativity.
 

The Pocket

Life in the Tangent is centered on an area called "The Pocket," a handful of highly settled and strongly defended fortress worlds. The Pocket is also surrounded by many smaller settlements, as well the other little or unexplored worlds of the Tangent.

The Pocket is home to most of the oldest, largest, and best defended worlds in the region, as well as the safest and most established trade routes.

Although the Tangent, in general, has its share of warlords, pirates, and other outlaws, the chief reason that the Pocket has remained relatively free of the barbarism and lawlessness plaguing much of the rest of Wild Space is the massive catalytum mines on Stardust. It is the catalytum that has allowed the Pocket to survive and prosper: because of this wondrous mineral, an Allied military force is based at Stardust Naval Aerospace Station, commanded by Fleet Admiral Choi Sun-shin. Choi’s primary concern is the catalytum mines, and to do so he has extended the protection of the Allied fleet over Stardust’s key trading partners and the Pocket’s major trade routes. Moreover, the armed convoys that haul away the catalytum also bring crucial supplies to the Pocket.
 

The Front Yard

Surrounding the Pocket lies an area known as "the Front Yard" or, simply, "the Yard," containing more than a dozen known settlements. With the notable exception of Buccaneer’s Den, most of these colonies are much smaller than their counterparts in the Pocket. They also tend to be newer and less well established.

This area is safer than most of Wild Space, but only marginally so. Runners, refugees, and settlers mix and live side-by-side. The Fleet does patrol this area, though only intermittently. Consequently, the majority of space pirate activity in the Tangent occurs here, with outlaws seeking to capture booty before inbound ships reach the relative safety of the Pocket or outbound ships make it past the pirate’s zone of operations. Free Traders working the Yard face much greater risks than in the Pocket, but also reap correspondingly greater rewards.
 

Points of Interest in the Tangent

Stardust

Stardust is a barren dustball of a world that would be of little interest or value, save for its massive catalytum deposits. The planet is home to Stardust Naval Aerospace Station, the headquarters for local Allied forces, which represent the major military power in the Theater. Defending the catalytum mines is the Allies' top priority, and Stardust is constantly very-heavily defended. Would-be invaders have tried to divert forces from Stardust by ravaging nearby colonies, but the Theater Commander has consistently allowed those colonies to be destroyed rather than compromise planetary defense.

As a result of dozens of attacks, Allied forces maintain a constant state of readiness and exercise extreme prejudice. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed within 1 million kilometers of the planet. Trespassers are given one warning, then immediately destroyed.

Harkon

Harkon is home to the largest and best mineral deposits in the region. Its proximity to Stardust, coupled with its large natural resources, encouraged the megacorps to build large, automated factories on the planet in expectation of a growing market in the Tangent. Harkon also possesses the region's only shipyard. As such, it is the second-best defended world in the Pocket after Stardust. The megacorps have their regional trade offices on Harkon, and the Mercenary and Bounty Hunter Guilds maintain embassies here as well.

Poseidon

Aside from a small continent in the southern hemisphere and several archipelagoes, the surface of the aptly-named Poseidon is almost entirely covered by a primordial freshwater ocean. Anticipating that the Tangent would be a rapidly developing region, the megacorps built a major spaceport, and seeded the ocean with aquatic life. As such, Poseidon now provides the majority of water and almost all of the seafood for the Pocket, earning the nicknames "The Well" and "Sushi."

Thoth

At the start of the Second War, Thoth was largely uninhabited save for a contingent of scientists trying to use the planet as a wildlife reserve to build up the populations of various endangered species. After the War cut off the Tangent from the Core, Admiral Choi realized the region faced a serious "brain deficit" and offered the protection of the Allied fleet in exchange for setting up badly needed facilities, including a major hospital and university. Thoth also has a growing number of farms and light manufacturing capability.

Buccaneer's Den

Originally the colony of Clovis, the planet was renamed Buccaneer's Den after space pirates overran the settlement. Realizing the value of a permanent base in the region and a neutral ground for various outlaw factions, Viceroy Wesley Roberts managed to restrain the pirates from destroying the colony. Since that time, the Den has become a buzzing hive for scum and villainy, with a thriving market for rumors and various illegal goods, and a notorious red light district.

Located just beyond the Pocket, Buccaneer's Den shares an uneasy co-existence with Stardust NAS. It is the home base for pirates that plague the Tangent's trade routes, and, consequently, is a constant source of ire for the Theater Commander. Allied forces are strong enough to destroy the Den, but are loathe to do so, as it would cause problems by incurring the wrath of the Pirate King. Thus, BD remains scrupulously neutral in the region's power politics and both sides try to steer clear of each other.

Bannockburn

The temperate world of Bannockburn is the oldest colonized and most heavily populated world in the Pocket, with sizable settlements on all three of its main continents. The people of Bannockburn are hardy, frontier folk with a fiercely independent streak. Thus, it is unsurprising that there is an increasing sense that the central government on Valkyrie is out of touch with life on the Frontier, and, in any event, is unwilling to do devote any time to addressing their issues. This dissatisfaction has spread offworld, both generally in the Tangent and, to a lesser extent, in the Pocket.

Bannockburn was the one of only a few worlds in the Pocket to send troops to fight in the Second War, raising five regiments of volunteers for the Army of Akasha. Unfortunately, incompetent leadership at the division and corps levels decimated the Bannockites, greatly increasing their homeworld's disillusionment with the Republic.

Nova Maximus

Nova Maximus is the headquarters of the renegade Terran general turned warlord Alexander Aurelius. Unable to accept the Blue Planet's surrender, Lieutenant General Aurelius left the Core with his entire command to, in his words, "continue the fight". The general displaced the local warlord on the Maximus, the self-styled King Mondain I, to acquire the already existing infrastructure. Moreover, NM's substantial gold deposits provide him with a large, steady source of income.

The sudden appearance of such a large, powerful, and disciplined military force in the Tangent is a considerable headache for the Theater Commander, the size of which makes it impossible for Allied forces to dislodge without exposing Stardust to attack. Moreover, Nova Maximus lies in a disputed area of the Tangent which the Terran Military Order also claims, and any significant Akashan military action could be considered an Act of War.

For the present, Aurelius has not made any hostile moves toward the Pocket, concentrating on solidifying his current position. However, this may quickly change, especially as the ranks of his outfit continue to swell with ex-Federal Forces flocking to his banner.

Return to Top

Return to Top

Fleet Admiral Choi Sun-shin is the senior military officer and Theatre Commander of the Tangent for the Armed Forces of Akasha. A calm, steady leader, the Admiral is a dogged idealist but also practical and pragmatic. In order to prevent a dictatorship, he believes that military and civilian spheres should remain separate, though he has been pulled into various emergencies. With a quiet yet forceful personality, Choi conveys more with a glance than most others do by kicking and screaming. Despite rarely ever raising his voice, the men and women under his command are a disciplined, efficient unit.

Choi's first command of note was the ADV Pegasus, the pathfinder of her class. He then served as CO of the ADV Pauling, a Copernicus-class explorer, on a five-year mission. Upon returning to Valkyrie, Choi was promoted to Commodore and appointed Deputy Commander of Stardust Naval Aerospace Station.

With the outbreak of the Second Unification War, a large portion of Stardust's garrison and attendant fleet were immediately recalled to the Core, including Rear Admiral Leslie Hayes. Choi appointed Acting Commander of Stardust NAS, a post he fills to today. Although he would have preferred to return to the Core many years ago, the Admiral has a strong sense of duty and honor and continues to serve with distinction.

A self-made billionaire, Tony McShane is the richest person in the Tangent. A gifted showman and entrepreneur, McShane is clever, calculating, ruthless, and charismatic. Utterly amoral, he has no qualms about using violence and brutality (including torture and murder), and blackmail to further his goals. McShane's wrath is terrible to behold. Those who cross him rarely live to tell the tale, and he usually manages to stay at least a step ahead of his competition.

McShane made his first fortune during the massive gold strike on Francisco colony. After hordes of gold-fevered miners descended on the planet, McShane went out to the prospectors and convinced them that he owned the land they were working, while, in fact, this was not the case. He "allowed" them to stay as long as they gave him 1/3 of whatever they found. He then leveraged his new wealth into a variety of other lucrative enterprises, both legal and illegal.

Recently, McShane acquired all the water rights on Poseidon, establishing a monopoly over drinking water in the Tangent and jacking up prices 900 percent. With thousands facing death by dehydration and riots breaking out all over the region, Admiral Choi forced McShane, at gunpoint, to relinquish the water rights. Since that time, McShane and the Admiral have had a running feud.

Trixie Starr is the madam of Sugar & Spice, the most famous and infamous bordello in the region, in part because she rules it with an iron fist and always seeks to put the client's interests first. Offering many different kinds of services, Sugar & Spice is a high-end establishment on Buccaneer's Den frequented by many of the most powerful and prominent individuals in the Tangent. As a result, she has unprecedented knowledge of the region's goings-on.

A successful attorney, Starr ended up with the cathouse after her accountant swindled her life savings and saddled her with debts and failing businesses, including Sugar & Spice. Facing financial ruin, Starr originally ran the bordello to attempt to recoup at least some of her losses. However, since her influence peddling opportunities became obvious, she now runs it for different reasons. Starr has established a strong set of political alliances to protect her power.

At the time of his disappearance, Buju Hammond was one of the most popular reggae singers in the galaxy. For the next ten years, despite a massive search effort, Hammond's whereabouts and activities remained a mystery, although disquieting rumors of his involvement with a bizarre cult from a farflung colony were whispered. Then, just as abruptly as he disappeared, Hammond resurfaced five years ago, claiming no recollection of the past decade.

Since that time, his musician days behind him, Hammond is now the frontman for a wandering troupe of entertainers known as the Carnivàle. Primarily a collection of freaks, in addition to a mysterious and macabre atmosphere, most visitors to the Carnivàle also report a slightly sinister ambiance. Perhaps not coincidentally, visits by the Carnivàle often correspond with unexplained disappearances of local people and objects.

Patriarch Gen Avanno's daughter and secret heir apparent of the House Avanno, Yenish seems a spoiled, promiscuous wastrel. She often appears inebriated in public, and is a favorite target of the paparazzi. However, this is merely an affectation of Lady Yenish to discourage assassination attempts by her jealous siblings. In reality, she is a keen political operator, having played an important role plotting her father's ascensions to House Patriarch and to the leadership of the Congress of Great Houses.

Lord Avanno appointed Yenish to manage the House Avanno's business and political interests in the Tangent, far from the deadly political labyrinths of the Federation, to further keep his daughter out of harm's way. Or, at least, that's what her father told her.

Capable and magnetic, Wesley Roberts is also a brilliant visionary. Roberts is currently in the fourth year of his second tenure as Viceroy. Roberts' origin is shrouded in mystery. He first came to the attention of authorities while the First Mate of "Black Jack" Turner, the infamous pirate captain of the SS Fortune. When Black Jack later became a Viceroy of the Space Pirate Guild, he gave the Fortune to Roberts. During a five-year rampage, Captain Roberts proceeded to outstrip his mentor to become the most dreaded pirate in the Known Sphere. Supposedly, he captured twenty-two ships at once. Roberts also eluded all attempts at capture. For example, at the Battle of Hattan, the Fortune destroyed two Akashan frigates, while a third bravely ran away.

After Viceroy Turner's murder, the Pirate King appointed Roberts to fill Black Jack's post. Upon assuming his Viceroyship, Roberts turned the Fortune over to Black Jack's son and namesake, Jack "The Dagger" Turner II.

During his first three-year tenure as Viceroy, Roberts pushed for and implemented many changes in the Guild, making it a more efficient, effective, and influential organization. Naturally, as he received the lion's share of credit for making the Guild a more powerful institution, this produced much jealousy, but Roberts survived numerous duels and assassination attempts.

After his first tenure as Viceroy ended, Roberts spent the next eight years as captain of the SS Trinidad, reclaiming his title as the most feared pirate in the Known Sphere. He is widely expected to become the next Pirate King.

A supremely talented, adept, and charismatic military leader, Alexander Aurelius rose rapidly through the ranks of the Federal Army to command the elite Terran Fourth Corps, becoming the youngest corps commander in the Federal Forces. Although dubbed "the Boy General," Aurelius quickly discredited his critics by repeatedly proving himself one of the finest field commanders in the Known Sphere, leading the Fourth time and again with great distinction throughout much of the thickest fighting at the end of the Second War.

A dogged idealist, the general was aghast to hear that the Terran Command Council had sued for peace. He was unable to swallow this outcome and instead opted to continue to prosecute the war. Aurelius attempted but failed to persuade his friend, Baden Strong, to join him. Nevertheless, following the Treaty of Algari, Aurelius left for Wild Space with his entire corps. He has been tight-lipped about his plans and intentions, causing Admiral Choi much consternation, but Aurelius' men have the utmost faith in their commander.

Return to Top

Adventure Seeds

• Throw Mama From The Train: A train that the party is travelling on is boarded by Roy Gunns, the local bandit king, and his gang of sixty gunmen. After robbing and executing the rest of the passengers, Roy gives the party a choice: either hunt down and kill another group of adventurers in the next town, or be bound and flung from the speeding train with a live grenade stuffed in their pants. If the party accepts the job, they find out where the other party is staying, and that they were hired to hijack a gold shipment but backed out after learning that the money was meant for disaster relief. Roy also sends, Big Mikey, his toughest and most vicious thug, with the party to keep an eye on things.
   
• A Fistful of M-Creds: The party has dropped by town to visit a dear friend/relative. However, much to their chagrin, they find him/her in police custody in the local Sheriff’s office, waiting to be hung in three days for horse theft. The Sheriff is willing to let their friend/relative go if they can settle a fierce dispute between the two most powerful families in the region that has already left six people dead before hanging day.
   
• The Devil in the Dark: A psychopathic killer is marauding trough the massive deep subterranean mining camps on Harkon, and the party is hired by the megacorps to track him down, getting a close up tour of the really horrible conditions in the settlements. As fear and hysteria floods the community, the murderer is aggravating an already sensitive powderkeg. The party needs to stop him before the miners, already riled by their living situation, riot and plunge the camps into fire and chaos.