9.29.2009

Z-G as a Roleplaying Game 01

Character Selection
Your character is defined by what drives you, who you know, how you've lived your life so far. In Citizen Z-G, your character is defined in the game through 3 starting cards. Obviously this will not represent your character fully, but you need to have a goal for your character. The Gamemaster or zMarshal in IC (In Character) terms will need to know the direction you want to take.

This combination of 3 cards will normally consist of a Drive, an Expert, and a Syndic. Do not feel limited to this standard. If you desire a starting Flaw, you can take it in addition to your 3 cards, but it will not benefit you except in role-playing terms. Avoid flaws if possible, because this is not a points based game.

Rare or high ¢ cards will need to be vetted by the gamemaster. Unlike the advanced game the RPG version of Citizen Z-G will put you in the shoes of a EGS Citizen. This means that some card combinations will not be seen until your characters leave the EGS.

Exceptional Starter Cards
  • Syndics - Solon, Omniclone, Mummer, Monzon Ezut, Virago, Null Foundation
  • Drives - Wits, Force
  • Maneuvers - Rare maneuvers such as Deadshot!!
  • Characters - Lucy, Seren, Jett, or Zak-9.
It would be unusual for any normal citizen to own anything other than an ulster. An Ulster, as discussed in ØTech, is what makes life in space possible. Only the richest Terrans would never need an ulster, because they wouldn't have cause to leave earth. A truly hardcore Z-G fan would own working physical zGear, but only as a collectible, because to use it to battle inside the EGS would mean exile. Actual Z-G matches only take place in specific sanctioned orbital arenas.

Inside the EGS, Z-G matches take place in virtual arenas. Even the most experienced fighter wouldn't actually own any of their gear. Some of the major advances in technology between now and 100 years from now are in the field of nerve grafting, human computational integration, sense & memory spooling (recording/encoding), and large neural networks. This means that should a character be picked out of the safety of the EGS and put in a slum fight in the grange they would be competent. The nature of virtual interactions in Z-G can involve the muscles and the mind through modified ulsters. This means that your character would likely be able to actually perform the maneuvers that they have trained in virtually. This is another topic to be discussed in the ØTech articles.

So, there are a few options for starting your character out in the null cosm. Don't just look at a syndic and say, "I'm that guy right there". Those are the syndic champions. People are still people, and making a character for Z-G is not much different than making one for any other Sci-Fi game. Just go into the game with the concept of your character and your 3 cards and build your characters as a group.

9.09.2009

Thesper

The Reporter
"This is my life!!"

Underground newshounds broadcasting on pirate channels, Thespers record their lives by wire.  They defy the EGS censors and exile gunslingers alike, reporting the truth without fear or favor.

Thespers are everywhere and nowhere. Everyone gets paid for their data, but a select few chose to devote their life to the story. Unless they are hot on a story, Thespers operate in total anonymity. Thespers flaunt their technological eyes and ears even under the nose of the EGS censors. Inside the EGS they tap into the military surveillance systems and use spyfex that are nearly invisible. Beyond the boundaries of the EGS, they operate in a more subdued and open "neutral observer" role if only to save their skin from their stories. These traditionals will openly flout their recording gear and ask anyone in the area for their point of view in hopes of editing together some juicy rivalries or valuable soundbites. Thespers have earned many enemies among those who have secrets to keep, and equally many friends among those who want to get their message out.

The competition for a byline on the story eventually drives all Thesper to the arena to settle "professional disagreements". By recording their day-to-day with a trance cap, citizens can upload their spools to the traditional media for their chance at fame or simply keep a private record of their day. This competition with the common person drives hardcore Thespers into the offices of the Consortium Techs, Freaker Hackers, and Exotic Splicers. There are even stories of Thespers who seek out the scourge to perfect their technological union. Thespers are on the bleeding edge of automated data mining & sorting, records editing and deep research tech. Thespers are always accompanied by an editor artifex. The editor's job is to deal with the data that a Thesper generates and find the most profitable avenue to market it. In the event that data is too esoteric even for the Savants, Thespers have one of the largest datanets in the EGS where random facts go to die. Thespers never delete anything.

Champion
Sally Starlight, Anchor, VOX POPULI
Sally Starlight learned to battle while on maneuvers with the Armada in the inner Solar System. She practiced ZG with the best pilots in the fleet and earned her knocks from the best gunners in the fleet. A decent fighter, she didn't ascend to the ZGXL's upper echelon until after her silver tongue talked her way into the story of the century, literally. Early in 2090, Sally broke the news of the Venus Quarantine while embedded on the Armada interceptor Lion Heart. After her big story and subsequent ejection from the Armada, she focused herself into the arena and found her true skills lied in dissecting her opponents under the lights and cameras of the ZGXL's infamous Darkside Arena.

Strongpoints
ENN Headquarters (L1 Earth Orbit)
VOX POPULI (Darkside Station, Luna)
The Extraordinarily Large Omnidirectional Listening Antenna Array(ELOLAA) (Oort Cloud)
NewsForum (NeuNewYork, Earth/MediaNet)

Headquarters

None

Sphere of Operations

Thespers are everywhere, but they are more visible outside the EGS as Traditionals. Traditionals will openly identify themselves and their cast affiliation, but the majority of Thespers appear as any other citizen of the EGS.

Relations Analysis
Hostile: Armada, Cartel, Cestus, Monzon Ezut, Null Foundation, Solon, Virago, Vanguard
Rival: Mummer
Friendly: Androgyne, Exarch, Omniclone, Lunar, Mavryk, Orbital, Savant, Skrag, Sleeper, Terran, Trancer
Ally: Avatar, Consortium, Exotic, Freaker, Paragon, Protostar

Power Levels (1-10)
EGS Influence: 9
Firepower: 3
Respect: 2
Renown: 4

Psych Profile
Syndic Drives: Wits, Verve, Cool
Syndic Flaws: Reckless, Crazy, Obsession
Syndic Skills: Alertness, Glam, Savvy

Terran

The Extremist
"Earth is for humans."

This hateful, ruthless partisan seeks to purge exotics, clones, mummers, androgynes and other deviants.

In the 22nd century, the world is a very different place than that of our forefathers. Modern humans see a world filled with wonders and miracles. There are many that can see a world filled with terrors and blasphemy. Life is no longer simple in the ways that matter. It's from this that that Terrans, as they have called themselves, derive their strength. The syndic that has co-opted the name of humanity's home planet of Terra is a radical organization that styles itself a group of freedom fighters. Devoted to the purity of an earlier age, the Terrans have one of the most far reaching and powerful syndics in all of the Solar System.

The core constituency of the Terrans are the dispossessed. Impressionable youth and the working poor who seek more control over their life. They are the fingers, eyes, and ears of the Terran warmachine. They receive orders that rarely are self-explanatory or clear, but very simple. The cellular nature of the organization keeps it running despite the constant attention of the EGS secret police, the Monzon Ezut. The upper echelons have been infiltrated, but the leadership has never even been close to capture.

Everyone has heard the broadcasts of the soft spoken, charismatic bigot, Mike. The leader of the Terrans is a well known figure, but often supposed to be a construct. You won't find a Terran that admits it, but his words of hate and intolerance often are much more extreme than they are comfortable with. Terrans do not often hate the whole gamut of deviant behaviors found in the zCosm. The average Terran has a single burning hate that drove them into the arms of "The Movement", but deviating from the party line earns them the scorn of their cellmates, and sometimes worse.

The upper ranks of the Terrans are where the truly dangerous people live. These hardcore purists are financed by the movement in private, heavily armed, and guarded enclaves. Most are located in the newly revitalized Saharan Plains of North Africa. The most select are shipped to their secret training camp on the harsh planet Mercury never to return to the Earth. These elite fighters are sent into the grange to sow destruction among the newtypes.

Syndic Champion: Salt of the Earth
The highest rated heel in the league, Salt is the leader of the ZGXL's ratings board. Often in conflict with the Skrags, Salt has few friends in the league. Nothing brings in more viewers than good grudge match, and Salt's list of grudges gets longer near daily. Salt's crushing melee blows and high powered zone attacks make him the master of urban combat, but the use of largely non-ZG gear leaves her vulnerable to high flying adversaries.

Syndic Strongpoints:
The Homosapien Institute (Alexandria, Mediterrainia)
The Strong Family Initiative (Darwin, Australia)
NexCleanse Training Camp (St. Quadragesimus' Landing, Mercury Terminator)
NeuEarth (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
ForceOrg (Internet)

Syndic Headquarters:
DeathHaus (Internet)

Sphere of Operations: Although the Terrans might be fighting for the purity of earth, it does not mean that they are located there exclusively. There are many exiled Terrans that fight for mother earth despite never being able to return.

Syndic Drives: Pride, Force, Ambition
Syndic Flaws: Obsession, Vengance, Stubborn
Syndic Skills: Body, Command, Melee

Orbital

The Expat
"Leave gravity behind."

This elite member of the orbital colonies exploits his distance from the earth to foment intrigue and create a luxurious life in space.

Extravagant and beautiful, the orbital colony suburbs of earth harbor the nouveau-riche born shortly after the invention of ØTech. The first Orbitals fled the grinding taxes and EGS regulations of earth and vowed never to come back. Some have even gone as far as to forgo gravity entirely and devote the rest of their life to the stars. These radical few consult with the Null Foundation on biomodifications to avoid the health issues of microgravity life such as bone loss & gene degradation. They even go as far as creating Negative-G ulsters to allow travel to the spin colonies without the hard hand of pseudogravity.

Among the Orbitals, nothing is revered more than the ideal of escape. Escape from the dull monotony of EGS life, escape from old earth mores & religions, and most of all escape from the cradle, earth. The most zealous among them believe the maturation of humanity rests on their shoulders. These zealots live by the slogan, "How can you reach for the stars with your soul weighed down by gravity?"  This is not to say that most orbitals are even aware there is an Orbital political movement.  The Orbitals are the fastest growing (percentage-wise) population in the EGS.  Everyone born in space is an Orbital just as everyone who is born on Luna is a Lunar.  These populations have exploded in the last 10 years due not only to immigration, but also due to the first and second generations of colonists setting down roots and starting families.  These young Orbitals can't always relate to their elder's friction with the EGS.

Many of this syndic are matriculated from the Armada fleet after a long history of service and by choice assigned to the upper echelons of the most prestigious waystations. You would be hard pressed to find a colony not flagged and run entirely by Orbitals. They are simply the best at zero gravity operations and maintenance. Others are veterans of defense services or Mavryk Komet runners. This leads to a healthy appetite for their flagship sport, ZG arena fighting. Orbitals consistently place in the yearly ZGXL final rounds, and there are rumors of private Orbital only ZG leagues. One outed ZGXL spinoff league dominated by Orbitals is the ØPrix racing federation, which has a small cult following among the colonies.

With lax rules and a culture of openness and acceptance, Orbitals rarely make enemies. Terrans describe the Orbitals as tepid, prosaic layabouts, and few spacers would disagree.  The truth behind it, known only to the most elite of the colonies, is that the Orbitals plot rebellion against the EGS and expansion beyond the senate's wildest imaginations.


Syndic Champion:
Quattro, The Gold Standard
More of a ballet dancer than a fighter, Quattro's matches are decided early. He relies on his intellect and speed to keep him above the level of his opponents. With precision hit and run strikes most opponents don't have the chance to get out the gate before they receive a boot in the face. Quattro has been clocked as the fastest ZGXL contender in both raw speed and average match length, win or loss. Early in his career, he mysteriously appeared in the ZGXL as if created from whole cloth. He was ridiculed for his foppish gold plated armor, cut down lightened zGear and meager arsenal. His devastating gold plated State-of-the-Art ABSA-90 Recoilless Rifles turned out to be quite the crowd pleaser, and despite never placing in the ZGXL (so far), he is a regular contender in the weekly ZGXL programs and surprisingly, several afternoon holodramas.

Strongpoints:
Side 7 Complex (Earth-Moon L4)
Bernard's Star Institute (Mars Orbit)
Severance Hospital (Earth-Sun L3)
MegaMade Manufacturing (Asteroid Belt)

Headquarters:
Euler Colony (Jupiter-Sun L5)

Sphere of Operations: Few orbitals are found outside the comfort of the colonies that cluster around Earth & Mars, but there will be a few on every colony or waystation in the whole solar system.  A secret asteroid base in an eccentric orbit near Jupiter is Euler Colony's war room.

Relations Analysis
Hostile: Exarch, Mummer, Skrag, Sleeper, Solon, Terran
Rival: Cestus, Lunar, Mavryk
Friendly: Androgyne, Avatar, Exotic, Freaker, Monzon Ezut, Omniclone, Protostar, Thesper, Trancer, Vanguard, Virago
Ally: Armada, Cartel, Consortium, Null Foundation, Paragon, Savant

Syndic Drives: Reason, Wits, Heart
Syndic Flaws: Despair, Reckless, Fear
Syndic Skills: Command, Stealth, Pilot

Null Foundation

The Initiate
"The Way cannot be told."

This illegal cabal of scientists secretly plots to speed the progress of the human race by increasing complexity. Space is but the first step...

An organization with many faces, the Null Foundation’s public image is that of a philanthropic institution dedicated to the colonization of the Solar System through advances in technology. This is entirely true, but merely the tip of a colossal iceberg that exists below the surface. Their enemies think that they intend to rule humanity through subtle political manipulation and piecemeal introduction of new technologies. These enemies (mostly the leadership of the Monzon Ezut, Consortium, Solon and other Syndics with System-wide ambitions) claim that already the Null Foundation’s memetic engineering attacks the status quo and leads humanity down a path that ends with the overthrow of the EGS. This, too, is largely true. But it is only the smallest part of what the Null Foundation has in store.
In actuality, the Null Foundation is a loose network of scientists, artists, politicians, intellectuals, and financiers who solve problems in exchange for favors. The bulk of Null Foundation’s resources are ephemeral, but no less real than the budgets of the EGS bureaucracies. In fact, if push came to shove the EGS might find itself hard pressed to defend against the resources the Null Foundation could marshal from within the Armada, Vanguard, and Cestus themselves! The core group of founders is rumored to be the team that invented Zero Gravity technology, and if this were true their resources would be vast indeed. One personality is known to associate closely with the affairs of the Null Foundation: Dr. Emilio Lazar. Famed for his neuro-lingustic programming that computed the Z-G theoretical models, Lazar is known to be over 120 years old, but is not yet wanted as a Virago. He hosts elite salons on Dark Side Station that the most creative and brilliant personalities in the System clamor to attend. Media stars, political powerhouses, business magnates, and science visionaries attend for the engaging conversations, inspiration, and peerless connections. Operating much like secret societies or social clubs of the nineteenth century, these salons are cross-pollination sessions that seem to put into practice the mimetic engineering principles that Dr. Lazar invented. If the Null Foundation has any fascist or totalitarian goals, there is little evidence to suggest it; nor are there any who have proof that they employ criminal methods like theft, extortion, or blackmail to get what they want. An enigmatic organization that exists on the fringe of human though and effort, the Null Foundation is known to help those in need whose skills or resources in turn can be used later. Failing to make good on a favor rarely results in direct consequences, but those that renege on a Null Foundation member calling a debt due usually find they come into hard luck sooner or later.

Null Foundation Champion
ARI, MYSTERIOUS FEMME FATALE FIXER:
Usually encountered by those who have a dire need but can’t find anywhere to get what they need to farther their goals, Ari appears in the back of a sleek hoverlimo, just in time to save the new Null Foundation member’s bacon. Charming and personable, Ari is the epitome of a fixer – someone able to find anything two people want on short notice and profit from the exchange. She used to be a zFighter in the Shadowleague but quit to pursue her role as guardian angel extraordinaire to those deemed worthy by the Null Foundation. She will be the first to remind her “partners” that nothing is free – especially her services. She’s rarely been crossed or reneged upon, and her taste for revenge is rumored to be both poetic and painful.


Null Foundation Strongpoints:
Ø Salon (Dark Side Station, Luna),
Null Foundation Philanthropy Tower (Diadar, Earth),
Ø Lab (Nemesis Station near Sol),
Club Nullity (Asteroid Belt),
Trance Station (Jupiter Orbit)

Null Foundation Headquarters: Unknown.

Sphere of Operations
The Null Foundation is known to have connections and agents everywhere in the Solar System. They usually have a spy or informant, if not someone who actually is leading the effort, in any project that involves experimental technology, especially if that technology would make it easier for humans to survive and explore space. As such, basic and applied research into the fringes of faster-than-light vehicles, multidimensional universe theories, nuclear physics, quantum computing, nanotechnology, cosmology, cybernetics, robotics, artificial intelligence, and so on draw their notice, support, and funding.

Relations Analysis
Hostile: Monzon Ezut, Omniclone, Solon, Vanguard
Rival: Cestus, Exarch, Lunar, Mummer, Paragon, Savant, Terran, Thesper
Friendly: Armada, Cartel, Consortium, Freaker, Mavryk, Orbital, Skrag, Sleeper, Virago
Ally: Androgyne, Avatar, Exotic, Protostar, Trancer

Power Levels (1-10)
EGS Influence: 7
Firepower: 7
Respect: 7
Renown: 7

Psych Profile
Syndic Drives: Ambition, Heart, Reason
Syndic Flaws: Obsession, Stubborn, Vengeance
Syndic Skills: Alertness, Engineer, Gunnery, Martial-Z, Savvy, Stealth

Mummer

 The Acolyte
"Now I am whole..."

A bizarre disciple of the nanotech messiah, SANTO SANTE, the Mummer fanatically serve one of the most feared cults in all of the Solar System.

The Armada first encountered the Scourge in 2053 – it seems to have emerged from the disastrous attempt to terraform Venus using nanotechnology. The nanites went out of control and the Armada and Vanguard were forced to destroy all settlements and labs on the surface and quarantine the entire planet. Some infected commandos and Artifex must have escaped the cleanup attempt because soon after that, the Mummers came howling out of the void bringing word of the coming of their new god with them: Santo Sante. Mummers are humans who have been taken over, every atom of their being converted to the Scourge nanite. Thus, they are a swarm of microscopic entities that retain a semblance of the form they had before infection. A Mummer retains some individuality, and continues to have a personality, though twisted and fractured by the chaotic nature of the infectious Scourge. They are immortal, after a fashion, and can re-arrange or re-assemble their bodies down to a molecular level. Whatever consciousness is left seems mostly occupied by keeping their body from dissipating or merging with that of other Mummers, and only rare individuals of strong will have absolute command of their new form. Most have no memory of their past, but a few do and invariably use what they know to farther their shared goal – spread the Scourge to as many humans as possible. Groups of Mummers or cells raid settlements and capture fresh humans for conversion throughout the Grange. These terrors travel on Scourge infected Komets, trade ships, or even on Mummers who have transformed themselves into vehicles. It is not easy to be infected by the Scourge – despite claims of the EGS to the contrary. In what resembles a gestation and birth, the new Mummer emerges from a complex conversion process initiated by an entire Mummer cell that takes around 24 hours. After that, it takes anywhere from a day to six weeks for the nanites to fully convert the victim’s body. The Scourge can convert Artifex, technological items, animals and organic matter, but they merely become formless masses of nanites that Mummers can command or incorporate into themselves. Even more strangely, Mummers sometimes block out their traumatic capture and infection, and experience no change to their external form at all, totally unaware of their changed state until some stress or accident forces them to realize what has happened. All Mummers claim to worship a prophet/god they call Santo Sante, the progenitor of their new existence. Whether this is a figment of their twisted Scourge-addled imagination, the first human to be infected by the Scourge, or something else entirely is unknown. Broadcasts of odd poetry and rants about evolution, conversion of humanity to the Scourge, and even stranger content are attributed to this person, and seem to be broadcast on the electromagnetic spectrum by nanite organs within the Mummers themselves.

Mummer Champion
KAOS, DISCIPLE OF SANTO SANTE: A rare example of a Mummer who seems fully conscious and in control of his state, KAOS has given in completely to the Scourge and seeks to prove the superiority of his new form through combat. The Shadow League and ZGXL have provided the greatest challenge, and though he is feared wherever he goes, he seems to enjoy playing within the limitations of the rules – in the arena at least. Especially tough opponents of KAOS have been known to disappear and be seen as Mummers years later in the depths of the Grange. . .

Mummer Strongpoints: Mummer Cells are itinerant and have no central structure, needing no
fuel, food, or other sustenance but sunlight.

Mummer Headquarters: Santo Sante is rumored to reside somewhere in the Oort Cloud

Sphere of Operations
Mummers are rarely encountered in EGS space, but ransack their way through the Grange with impunity. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to their activities, and as such a cell or individual sometimes slips onto Terminus or Luna and causes havoc before being destroyed. The message of Santo Sante is constantly broadcast on a spool channel by pirate stations and mummer bodies nearly everywhere.

Relations Analysis
Hostile: Armada, Cestus, Consortium, Monzon Ezut, Omniclone, Orbital, Savant, Solon, Terran, Vanguard
Rival: Androgyne, Avatar, Cartel, Exarch, Lunar, Mavryk, Paragon, Protostar, Sleeper, Thesper, Virago
Friendly: Exotic, Freaker, Null Foundation, Skrag, Trancer
Ally: None

Power Levels (1-10)
EGS Influence: 1
Firepower: 5
Respect: 2
Renown: 8

Psych Profile
Syndic Drives: Force, Pride, Verve
Syndic Flaws: Crazy, Obsession, Reckless
Syndic Skills: Engineer, Martial-Z, Trance

Monzon Ezut

The Agent
"Dedication, Perseverance, Domination."

The dreaded secret police of the EGS, Monzon spymasters enforce the Zero Tolerance Laws throughout the Solar System, but especially on Earth.

Intelligence has long been the prerequisite for political, economic, and social control. In the Earth Gravity Sphere the Monzon Ezut fulfills this role to an extent only dreamed of by totalitarian regimes of the past. Their official mission is to gather information overtly and covertly from everywhere humanity has expanded, from the Sun to the Oort Cloud, and analyze that information to present reports to the Senate on Diadar. In practice, the Monzon Ezut is one of the most powerful and feared military forces in the Solar System, operating in the shadowy world of espionage, assassination, counter-terrorism, counterintelligence, and covert, black, and wet ops.
The majority of known Monzon Ezut are information analysts employed at the agency’s public offices on Diadar. Supporting them are an unknown number of special agents who work in the field to gather human intelligence and engage in other more secret activities. Special Agents of the Monzon Ezut are culled from the Armada, Cestus, and Vanguard services, and from civilian positions on the basis of unknown criteria. Training is secretive and (it is said) involves not just combat and spycraft, but memory implantation, psychic boosting, and surgical modification. Sometimes a prospective agent is not even aware of their recruitment throughout their entire career. Paranoia is cultivated among analysts and agents, and many in the Monzon Ezut suspect their memories have been altered, or even replaced. Though the official budget of the Monzon Ezut is nearly equal to that of the Solons, it is well known that they supplement their income with a variety of black market financial operations. Secret labs and factories, in addition to classified projects undertaken by public companies hired and sworn to secrecy, supply a variety of specialized technology, pharmaceuticals, vehicles, and weapons systems to Special Agents. Some are so exotic as to provide the reality behind Grange rumors of ghost ships and wild rumors of space monsters and Void terrors. The Monzon Ezut has become so influential that they have only a limited accountability to the EGS government, and no one really knows what
their real objectives are. Key members of the Sentate and influential politicos of Earth know the Monzon Ezut have scandalous information and that they won’t hesitate to use to discredit or Exile any that oppose them. The Monzon Ezut are known by insiders to be violently opposed to the Null Foundation and its goals, as well as the immortal Virago and the Mummers infected by the Scourge.

Syndic Champion
LIEUTENANT DAMIEN, MONZON EZUT SPECIAL AGENT:
Lt. Damien (which may or may not be his real name) first found himself fighting in a Shadow League match quite by accident. Pursuing an escaped informant, the best opportunity to capture her presented itself during the match itself, and the crowd nearly tore him and his target to bits before he escaped – after defeating all zFighters in the arena with pinpoint deactivation blows and strange prototype Monzon Ezut-issued weapons. He seems to have developed a taste for the sport and continues to fight in Shadow League circuits, though many suspect there is an ulterior motive to his fighting.
Monzon Ezut Strongpoints:
MAJESTIC Training Base (Neptune)
Intelligence Network Node 542 (Jupiter)
URIEL Research and Development Lab (Charon, Mars)
OBLAGON Observatory Complex (Oort Cloud)

Monzon Ezut Headquarters: Intelligence Network Center (Diadar, Antarctica, Earth)

Sphere of Operations
The intelligence gathering activities of the Monzon Ezut extend throughout the Solar system, though they are concentrated most heavily in EGS space. Teams of Special Agents are able to infiltrate nearly any installation, organization, or group. Rumors mention extra-solar missions to Orion and other deep space activities, though it is impossible to confirm or deny such reports.

Relations Analysis
Hostile: Mummer, Null Foundation, Omniclone, Thesper, Trancer, Virago
Rival: Cartel, Exotic, Lunar, Mavryk, Paragon, Skrag, Terran
Friendly: Androgyne, Avatar, Consortium, Exarch, Freaker, Protostar, Orbital, Sleeper
Ally: Armada, Cestus, Savant, Solon, Vanguard

Power Levels (1-10)
EGS Influence: 6
Firepower: 6
Respect: 6
Renown: 6

Psych Profile
Syndic Drives: Ambition, Reason, Wits
Syndic Flaws: Fear, Obsession, Shame
Syndic Skills: Command, Martial-Z, Savvy

Mavryk

The Smuggler
"It'll cost you."

This dealer in contraband jockeys between Earth, Orbit and the Grange, defying the EGS' agents... for a price.

No one gets around more in the Solar System than a Mavryk. These colorful characters are part space trucker, part buccaneer, and part smuggler, plying interplanetary space in ships as small as a scout or as large as a freighter fleet. Some Mavryks earn their keep as honest transporters of goods for the EGS and Consortia, while others conduct shady contraband smuggling operations between Earth and the Grange. Perhaps it is the long hours spent alone in the Void, but all Mavryks seem a bit unbalanced, always looking to go faster and risk everything for the big payoff.

Mavryks usually start off at the bottom of the delivery ladder - as package couriers on Komets. This can become a lucrative business for individuals who take on risky (or illegal) packages, and the eventual goal is to upgrade to a real transport ship, one that can tow one or more of the standard cargo containers used throughout the System. Besides merchant traffic, Mavryks who are particularly fond of risks go for transport-fighters and take commissions from the EGS to waylay and salvage pirates, political enemies of the EGS, or criminal ships. Then again, an equal number of Mavryks use specially modified suped-up stealth smuggler ships to take questionable passengers and cargo anywhere in the System, no questions asked.

Many waystations cater to the Mavryk traffic, serving as overnight pit stops and repair depots for them to rest and relax before resuming their haul. Every need the weary traveler could have is catered to, the farther from the EGS, the wilder the place and more exotic the needs that can be met. Mavryks are a wild bunch, prone to boasting and fighting, but an unspoken code exists when they are blasting through the Void - no matter what, a Mavryk always helps another Mavryk out of a jam. The danger and loneliness of their job has forged a certain amount of loyalty - no one else knows what it's like spending day after day in the depths of space, with the possible exception of Armada warship crews and Exiles with nowhere else to go.

There is an ongoing rivalry between Mavryk and Armada pilots as to who can make certain distance runs the fastest or who can pull off the most stunning display of skill. Many locations, especially in the Asteroid Belt, hold impromptu competitions when the two Syndics happen to meet. Challenges between Armada pilots and Mavryks on leave in bars and canteens have resulted in spectacular races, some even covered by the media. Armada forces are always on the lookout for smugglers, and there are many long-lasting feuds between wily Mavryk smugglers and Armada ship captains based on quarry and prey encounters over the years.


Mavryk Strongpoints: 

Belle's Space Trucker Pit Stop and Canteen (Asteroid Belt),
Terminus Station (Earth orbit),
Interplanetary Shipping Unlimited Central Distribution Hub (Mars orbit),
Elite Courier Express (Spain, Earth),
Nemesis Station (Sun orbit),
The Last Stop Pleasure Station (Pluto orbit)


Mavryk Headquarters
: The pilot cabin of their Komet, spacetruck, or transport ship.

Sphere of Operations
: Mavryks can be found anywhere in the Solar System, transporting goods or passengers. Official trade routes that are patrolled by the Armada are not always the fastest, so desperate or reckless Mavryks sometimes use quicker routes, exploiting the gravity wells of planets to get their cargo to its destination faster. This runs the risk of encountering pirates, Scourge vessels, and other threats, of course, but that kind of trouble is all in a day's work to a Mavryk.

Relations Analysis
Hostile: Monzon Ezut, Mummer, Omniclone, Savant, Solon, Terran

Rival: Armada, Cestus, Paragon, Protostar, Thesper, Vanguard
Friendly: Androgyne, Avatar, Consortium, Exarch, Lunar, Null Foundation, Orbital, Skrag
, Sleeper
Ally: Cartel, Exotic, Freaker, Trancer, Virago

Power Levels (1-10)
EGS Influence: 2

Firepower: 5

Respect: 6

Renown: 6

Syndic Drives: Cool, Resolve, Wits

Syndic Flaws: Reckless, Stubborn, Vengeance
Syndic Skills: Pilot, Savvy, Stealth

Lunar

The Rebel
"Get off my moon!!"

Former prisoners in the Lunar Penal Colonies, these radicals actively incite dissent against the EGS. They'll stop at nothing to put an end to the Exile laws.

The EGS has colonized the Moon over the last century with miners, criminals, and low-wage manufacturing workers. The factories of Luna manufacture more than 60% of all products sold on Earth itself. The EGS government taxes these imports, yet the Exile laws prevent Lunar citizens from ever setting foot on the surface of Earth. Luna is represented in the EGS Senate, but even the smaller Earth-based interest groups dwarf its power there. Because of this basic disparity dissatisfied Lunar citizens (and other opportunists) created the Lunar Liberation Front, a movement that seeks the independence of the Moon from Earth by any means necessary. EGS operatives and anti-independence media have termed them "Loonies."

While the actual membership of the LLF is relatively small, nearly half the population of the Moon, from CEOs to Cestus Mercs to blue-collar sweatshop workers are sympathetic to the cause. Others in the Grange support the Loonies as well: everyone who has a bone to pick with the EGS bureaucracy would love to see Luna secede and thereby cripple Earth's economy (the tariffs on Lunar imports fund 40% of the collective EGS yearly budget). A web of Consortium ties, legislative relationships, and the combined might of the Cestus, Vanguard and Armada keep this from happening, but it is these ties that Lunar Rebels have vowed to break.

Most Rebels keep their membership a secret, but a few operate openly, seeking to remedy the situation from within the system through lobbying and propaganda. Others take a more direct approach, using sabotage, terrorism, and other methods to drive their point home. Riots and uprisings on Luna are a weekly occurrence, and the Monzon Ezut are kept extremely busy tracking and neutralizing Lunar Rebel threats to the status quo. The ruling Cestus Trustees minimize and downplays these violent clashes, a difficult task in the media savvy 22nd century. Citizens of Earth keep themselves purposefully ignorant of the mounting tension, but if the LLF can pull off a particularly spectacular act of rebellion they might be able to effect some change.
The Rebels fund themselves however they can, taking donations from supporters under the table and stealing material from the EGS when they can. They fund a few Avatars and several zFighters in the ZGXL and in the Shadowleague who deliver the message of Lunar Liberation whenever they can in the media. These individuals are constantly harassed by Solons and the Monzon Ezut, but believe their troubles only add to their stature as martyrs for the cause.

Syndic Champion: 
"Blue Tiger" Lau Tai-Muk

Lau grew up working the factory with the rest of his family, another cog in the wheel of Lunar industrialism. At the age of thirteen a fellow classmate awakened him to the LLF cause. Since that time he has dedicated himself to Lunar independence. One of the most visible elements of the movement, he fights in the ZGXL Lunar Circuit and donates his winnings to the cause. He is known for his ferocious fighting style, and his zGear is stylized with blue tiger stripes. He has also been known to ferment riots on the Moon, and has been tagged by Monzon Ezut as the leader of a rebel cell that continually hijacks transports and their cargo.

Lunar Strongpoints: 

Centre for Lunar Independence (Moon Base Alpha, Luna),
Lunar Embassy (Ireland, Earth),
LLF Asteroid Base (Asteroid Belt),
FREE LUNA Bar (Dark Side Station)

Lunar Headquarters: 
LLF Asteroid Base (Asteroid Belt)

Sphere of Operations: 
The Lunar rebels operate in the media, on the Moon, in Earth orbit, and on Earth itself to publicize their cause, sabotage EGS interests, and sow dissent for the status quo. LLF cells conduct riot incitement, bombing, sabotage, hijacking, and space piracy to fund themselves and to further the cause through terrorism and agitation anywhere they can target EGS interests.

Relations Analysis 

Hostile: Cestus, Monzon Ezut, Omniclone, Savant, Solon, Terran
Rival: Androgyne, Armada, Avatar, Consortium, Exarch, Mummer, Paragon, Protostar, Vanguard 

Friendly: Exotic, Freaker, Mavryk, Orbital, Sleeper, Trancer, 
Virago
Ally: Cartel, Null Foundation, Skrag, Thesper

Power Levels (1-10) 

EGS Influence: 1 

Firepower: 4 

Respect: 7 

Renown: 5

Syndic Drives: Heart, Pride, Resolve 

Syndic Flaws: Reckless, Stubborn, Vengeance
Syndic Skills: Body, Command, Pilot

Freaker

The zJack
"Gotta problem? I can fix it!"

One of the techno-junkies haunting the sordid underbelly of the zGames, the Freaker is dangerously adept at on-the-fly modifications of zGear.

Humans have always loved technology, but some have an overriding fetish for it. Freakers are the techno otaku that epitomize the do-it-yourself attitude by constantly inventing, adapting, and hybridizing their collection of gadgets and equipment. They generally relate to hardware better than they do to other people, which makes them social misfits and at a loss in any situation or conversation that doesn't involve technology. Exceptions exist, mostly career military engineers or charismatic inventors, but by and large Freakers get along better with their machines better than with actual humans.

Usually Freakers specialize in a certain type of tech, like Artifex, vehicles, communications media tech, space stations, etc. Freakers that focus on Z-G combat gear are known as zJACKs, and it is they who many fighters rely on to upgrade and repair their zGear. Some fight in the ZGXL themselves, relying on their techno-savvy to surprise opponents and win the day.

Because of their obsessive nature, Freakers generally maintain a network of like-minded Freakers. Clubs gather regularly to show off new inventions, and the competition can be intense. Status amongst Freaker technology factions is determined by the difficulty and ingenousness of their latest piece of tech.  A high-status Freaker usually gains access to all sorts benefits, including the right to call in favors from other Freakers or sponsorship and gizmos from tech Consortia or even the military.



Syndic Champion:
 Rosie Thorne, zJACK Krewegirl

Rosie never met a piece of zGear she didn't like nor did she ever see one she couldn't improve. A mainstay of the official ZGXL circuit, Rosie is a top-notch zJACK who has made her fortune maintaining and upgrading zGear for top fighters like Mumbo Jumbo, Midas the Sun King, the King of Skrags, and many others. She specializes in state-of-the-art zGear, and is known for being able to tune the top of the line equipment to perform beyond factory specifications.

Recently Rosie has begun to fight in matches herself, using highly modified Arena elements to surprise and take down opponents. Her deadly use of mobile-platform mounted Turrets has leveled many arenas and match opponents with it, and the number of rose-and-thorn stamps on her Arena gear have multiplied. Also, she plans to bring some new zGear of her own invention to market in the 2110 holiday season.

Freaker Strongpoints:
Hack 2100 Mediazine (Solar System medianet),
The Pit Garage and Club (Asteroid Belt),
Akihabara Orbital (Earth Orbit),
Moon Base Alpha Industry District (Luna)

Freaker Headquarters:

Technopolis Consumer Show (annual convention held at Moon Base Alpha Center)

Sphere of Operations
:
Freakers can be found everywhere in the Solar system, from the inner planets to the outer Grange. Their skills for repairing, inventing, and improvising are needed by nearly everyone at one time or another, and so Freakers lead an itinerant life from freelance job to contract work. Some Freakers are permanent employees of the EGS, the Armada, Cestus, Vanguard, various Consortia, other Syndics or just private citizens. These types are usually looked down on by 'free' Freakers because they have given up their freedom to invent and improvise in exchange for security - that is, unless they work in black-clearance research labs. These kinds of Freakers are held in awe by others, and constantly pestered to tell what they are working on - which they can't.

Relations Analysis

Hostile: Monzon Ezut, Mummer, Omniclone
Rival: Cartel, Exarch, Paragon, Solon, Terran

Friendly: Androgyne, Armada, Avatar, Cestus, Exotic, Lunar, Mavryk, Orbital, Skrag, Sleeper, Trancer, Vanguard

Ally: Consortium, Null Foundation, Protostar, Savant, Thesper, Virago

Power Levels (1-10) 

EGS Influence: 6

Firepower: 6

Respect: 4

Renown: 4

Syndic Drives: Force, Heart, Reason
 
Syndic Flaws: Obsession, Reckless, Stubborn
Syndic Skills: Alertness, Engineer, Pilot

Exotic

The Mutant
"Swifter, Stronger, Smarter!!"

A true genetic freak, the Exotic has been artificially modified, making him far stronger, faster, and deadlier than a normal human. They are tolerated, but never accepted.

As humanity scatters farther from Earth, two drives have caused pioneers and iconoclasts to use "wetware" technologies (bioengineering, genetic manipulation, submolecular pharmaceuticals) to change their bodies: the need to adapt to the Void and the need to differentiate from "standard" human form. Exotics are Grangers who have lived a generation or more in the deep Solar System, in the process re-creating themselves and their progeny to better survive in the post-gravity world of the farthest planets. They have made themselves faster, stronger, and tougher than normal humans, and have often modified their nervous systems and brain to be smarter as well.

The general rule for Exotic appearance and behavior is that there are no rules. The post-human imagination has brought a myriad of forms to the human body, some differing from the norm only in skin color or ear shape, some going so far as to abandon any semblance of vertebrate structure. In general, the appearance of an Exotic is mostly due to their environment, with minor adjustments to color and shape made for aesthetic reasons. Beauty in the Grange is truly in the eye of the beholder.

Exotics have a thriving economy in bio-pharmaceuticals and genetic manipulation technology. The conservative citizens of the EGS have outlawed most research in these fields, but in the far-flung Grange the Exotics proceed to solve the puzzles of life itself. Labs and hothouse stations are scattered from the Asteroid belt as far as the Oort cloud, with Exotic personnel endlessly experimenting on plants, animals, and themselves. Some Exotics style themselves body sculptors, their artworks being not merely animated tattoos but the flesh of enthusiastic fans itself.

The shadow-side of Exotic experimentation lives up to the worst nightmares of normal EGS Citizens. Human experimentation on slaves and the creation of horrors in bioweapon research also thrive in far-flung, secret waystations. Lurid examples of insane Virago abattoirs, Oort pirate gene-slave dens, and military bioweapons gone berserk overshadow the good that most Exotics do. Some people even blame the Scourge on Exotic experimentation.


Syndic Champion:
Blur, Posthuman Warrior
Renowned for his streak of undefeated matches in the ZGXL Darkside Arena, Blur personifies the way the Exotics might just leave normal humanity behind. He is swifter, stronger, and smarter than most of his opponents and never hesitates to rub this fact in their faces as he trounces them in match after match. Though others used to dub him a freak (and some still do), his record speaks for itself, and his stardom hasn't yet peaked. Even, so Blur is a relatively close human analog, differing only in his internal wetware enhancements and some cosmetic changes, like skin color, ears, and other minor differences. Because of this, other Exotics farther out in the Grange consider him a "lightweight" and he gets little respect from them. He has been approached by the Posthuman Resistance Front and the Church of the Immaculate Exotic, but so far has not publicly allied himself with their causes. He says he prefers beating up "throwbacks" close and personal.

Exotic Strongpoints:
NeuYou Clinic (Asteroid Belt)
Cephalopod Station (Oort Cloud)
Exotic Pharmaceuticals AG (Darkside Station, Luna)
Skyside Station (Jupiter orbit)
Posthuman Resistance Front (Uranus orbit)
Church of the Immaculate Exotic (Saturn orbit)

Exotic Headquarters: 
Exotic Pharmaceuticals AG (Darkside Station, Luna)

Sphere of Operations
Exotics travel freely in the Grange, but face bigotry and racism in EGS territory, so few are seen there. The exception to this is the Exotic Pharmaceuticals AG, which maintains a vast complex of labs and an extensive network of research and production facilities in Darkside Station at Luna. Exotics seeking personal alteration can easily find clinics and labs in the Asteroid belt, but for more radical wetware services or products one must search farther out.

Relations Analysis 

Hostile: Armada, Monzon Ezut, Solon, Terran 

Rival: Avatar, Cestus, Paragon, Omniclone, Savant, Thesper, Vanguard 

Friendly: Cartel, Consortium, Exarch, Freaker, Lunar, Mavryk, Mummer, Orbital, Protostar, Sleeper, Skrag
Ally: Androgyne, Null Foundation, Trancer, Virago

Power Levels (1-10)
EGS Influence: 1
Firepower: 6
Respect: 6
Renown: 4

Syndic Drives: Cool, Heart, Resolve 

Syndic Flaws: Despair, Fear, Shame
Syndic Skills: Body, Martial-Z, Stealth

Exarch

The Scion
"This is beneath me"

The dilettante offspring of the EGS' highest officials, these silver spoon terrors use their parents' influence to indulge their whims.

Privileged jet-setting sophisticates of Earth, the Exarchs form groups of spoiled rich kids who are in the habit of causing scandal and getting into trouble. Though not all of them are bored, thoughtless, bratty, thrill-seeking terrors, enough are to keep an entire sector of the media Consortia in business publishing their latest misadventures. Their wealth comes from trust funds and/or nepotistic positions in high-ranking political or consortium jobs. A very few have earned their own way through some precocious talent, but all have more credits than they know what to do with and are constantly seeking something to stave off the ennui of the fantastically wealthy and privileged.
Exarchs who behave themselves can actually do some good, operating philanthropic ventures funded by their parents or in other ways. Examples of these include social welfare foundations that provide food to the poor in a particular part of the Solar System; arts foundations that fund performance, music, or media; and antiwar or environmental political-action lobbies and groups that operate within and without of the EGS. These efforts tend to be ineffective at solving root causes of social ills, only temporarily ameliorating the symptoms of injustice and poverty. Petty one-upsmanship and jealous infighting are a constant occupation for Exarchs, as they try to outdo their upper-class friends through subtle plots, open hatred, and rumor-mongering. Exarchs mostly gain status amongst themselves by cutting each other down, though an especially well-thrown party or successful venture in art, politics, or aid can gain a modicum of respect. But the majority have no talent for such things, focusing instead on an intricate game of wit, betrayal, and scandal endlessly funded by their vast wealth.
Exarchs attend an ever-changing social circuit of parties and events at the latest hotspots throughout the Solar System. Another entire hospitality industry caters especially to these clients, always hoping that their bar or resort will be the next "in" location. Those who know, go. Not keeping up with this grueling lifestyle is taken as a sign of weakness, and an Exarch stands to lose reputation if he or she doesn't pull off an especially delicious scandal or coup on a rival.


Syndic Champion:
Argus Rockefeller Washington V, EGS Scion
Argus has been a spoiled terror since he was small, and he still flies into a rage when he doesn't get his way. He has taken to fighting in the ZGXL, as it gives him more excitement than his pranks, plots, and subterfuges amongst the other rich kids ever did. He always fights with the best equipment credits can buy. He also uses his family's connections to rig matches in his favor by bribing Arena technicians and zMarshals, hiring thugs to rough opponents up before a match, or just buying off dishonorable fighters who will throw the match for the right amount of credits.

Exarch Strongpoints:
Zodiac Club (Asteroid Belt, Grange),
Void Resort (Titan orbit, Grange),
It Bar (Earth orbit),
The Red Room (Dark Side Station, Luna),
Go-Go Lounge (Hollywood Megapolis Hive, North America)

Syndic Headquarters:
Real Thing Pleasure Bar (New York, Earth)

Sphere of Operations:
Exarch schemes against each other can take place nearly anywhere, embroiling anyone who will take their credits to do their bidding with no questions asked. However, Exarchs will never dirty their hands with any real work, keeping track of things remotely from their palaces and villas, or throwing parties at luxury resorts or the latest "in" clubs.

Relations Analysis:
Hostile: Monzon Ezut, Omniclone, Savant, Solon
Rival: Armada, Cestus, Cartel, Lunar, Mummer, Null Foundation, Paragon, Terran, Vanguard

Friendly: Consortium, Exotic, Freaker, Mavryk, Orbital, Skrag, Sleeper, Virago

Ally: Androgyne, Avatar, Protostar, Thesper, Trancer

Power Levels (1-10)
EGS Influence: 5
Firepower: 4
Respect: 2 

Renown: 7

Syndic Drives: Cool, Pride, Verve 

Syndic Flaws: Arrogant, Fear, Reckless
Syndic Skills: Body, Glam, Pilot

Consortium

The Proxy
"Greed is good."

An all-purpose lackey for one of the big firms, this ambitious corporate climber is equally happy crunching numbers as crunching zGear.

Capitalism, always a powerful force for change and progress, has evolved from the entrepreneurs, corporations, and conglomerates of the 20th and 21st centuries into the Consortium of the 22nd. This powerful collection of industries constantly competes and cooperates to feed the consumer maw of Earth. The Consortium is the economy of the EGS, and as such is as powerful a body as the Senate bureaucracy and military Syndics in its own right. For the Consortium, profit is the sole motivation. Everything else, credits, power, even human life itself, is a means to that end.

The Consortium is the beating heart that pumps the economy of the EGS, driving everything from technological innovation to interplanetary colonization to entertainment media. Within the Consortium are specialty companies who exist within a complex web of equity ownership, financing, and internecine corporate warfare and espionage. These large and small companies compete for niche product and service markets primarily among the privileged of Earth, but also among the rest of humanity in the Inner and Outer Solar System. The average new product or service has an hourly product cycle, is distributed via just-in-time-manufacturing right to the consumer, and dies out in a day's time. Fads and trends for every conceivable product sweep through markets like storms, leaving profit for the Consortium in their wake.

Consortium employees exist in a cutthroat world where a thin veneer of civility barely conceals a profit-driven necessity to cheat, blackmail, lie, cajole, and intimidate their way higher on the corporate ladder. Titles are the measure of an individual's achievement, though none displays any loyalty to a particular company and constantly jump or are recruited into (by force if necessary) other firms. Some actually create new products or author new media works, but the vast majority exist in finance, sales and marketing functions that have little to do with anything but spinning the next fad or creating the next trend.

Constantly skirting the edge of what is legal and ethical, the Consortium must constantly think of novel ways to interest jaded consumers with the same product. Ultra-stressed managers are pressured by their executives, who in turn pressure their underlings to drive the profit margins through the roof - yet again. The rare "successes" end this cycle by becoming a senior executive and retiring to Earth or a luxurious custom-made Orbital.
Syndic Champion:
Petra Moore, Executive Vice President of ZGXL Public Relations, ABSA Corp.

In the sea of high-tech research and development, Petra Moore is a shark with row upon row of shiny teeth, always looking for her next meal. She displays a perfect corporate veneer of professionalism, but underneath she plays as dirty as possible. Sabotage, blackmail, reverse-engineering, theft, assassination: All are tools of equal value to Petra. In the ZGXL arena she is no different. Her brutal corporate efficiency translates into win after win as she field-tests the newest and most powerful ABSA zGear up close and personal. Never satisfied, Petra loves the triumphant feeling she gets from both a hostile takeover and from slagging the competition, regardless of cost. However, neither soothes her greedy soul so much as turning a profit.

Consortium Strongpoints:
System Trade Index Orbital (Earth Orbit)
General Product System Headquarters Complex (North America)
KosmosMediaFeed (Indian Subcontinent, Earth)
CreditInfinite Finance Tower (Earth Orbit)
Matago Halo Complex (L5 EarthSun Orbit)

Base of Operations: Distributed throughout Solar System

Sphere of Operations:
The Consortium researches, develops, designs, manufactures, markets and sells every conceivable product or service that humans use and abuse. All media feeds are generated and distributed by Consortium media and telecommunications firms. Consortium companies are nominally limited by the laws of the EGS, but are adept at creating false fronts or manipulating other Syndics to profit by unseemly activities and in the black market. Transport vehicles and ships and manufacturing facilities are innumerable, though each one is owned and controlled by different firms within the Consortium. Some larger firms (especially weapons or military suppliers) maintain their own internal security forces and equipment, including assault ships and orbital bases.

Relations Analysis 

Hostile: Cartel, Mavryk, Mummer, Trancer, Virago 

Rival: Exotic, Lunar, Monzon Ezut, Skrag
Friendly: Androgyne, Avatar, Exarch, Null Foundation, Omniclone, Paragon, Protostar, Savant, Sleeper, Solon, Terran, Thesper 

Ally: Armada, Cestus, Freaker, Orbital, Vanguard

Power Levels (1-10) 

EGS Influence: 9 

Firepower: 5 

Respect: 7 

Renown: 5

Syndic Drives: Ambition, Reason, Resolve
Syndic Flaws:Fear, Obsession, Stubborn
Syndic Skills: Alertness, Command, Savvy

Cestus

The Merc
"Gun for hire."

Supporters of the no-holds-barred Cestus merc call them guardians. Detractors call them thugs and criminals. But everyone calls the Cestus when someone has to do the dirty work.

The use of Ulster technology began on the Moon. The unpressurized mines there were dangerous hellholes of cosmic radiation, crumbling moon rock, and deadly tunnel cave-ins. To allow workers to survive there, technologists invented a nanotech "second skin" that was the ancestor of the Ulster, and the first people to use the Ulster extensively were the miners who burrowed in the moon.

The Lunar Penal Act transferred all criminal prisoners from the world's jails to the Moon for sentences of hard labor. Here, convicts performed hard, unrewarding work that was impossible for robots to do at the time. The EGS created huge prison mines that became infamous for their deadly accidents and deadlier criminal miners. Even Vanguard troops were hard-pressed to police the worst that Earth could offer. Prison gangs formed, ones that threatened the jailers as much as their rivals. So the EGS put the gangsters to work by making them Cestus Merc Trustees.

The Cestus Merc program was originally designed as a way for these criminals to earn their freedom on the backs of their fellow prisoners. If a Trustee survived long enough, and kept their mining zones quiet enough, he or she would be eligible to become a Cestus Merc. Mercs gained a measure of freedom on Luna or might be sent on other assignments in the Solar System; particularly useful Mercs might even be granted a pardon.

The first Mercs had a tough time fighting against the prisoner gangs. The famed Trustee William "Loader" Johnson is regarded as the Cestus who broke the back of the Lunar prison gangs, personally confronting each gang boss and crushing them with his twin Loader Claws. He went on to be the first Cestus Merc to leave the Moon on assignment and subsequently earned his pardon in the Grange Wars. Over time, enough Trustees survived to become the fearsome custodians of the Moon that we see today.

The Cestus Mercs are a private corporation that has three main businesses: penal operations on EGS contract, Lunar mining concerns, and paramilitary mercenary operations. Deep ties with EGS senators and Consortium bigwigs ensure their continued monopoly on penal guardianship while they pursue their Lunar mining and other shady operations on the side. For non-penal assignments, the Cestus are usually hired by the EGS and other organizations (like various Consortia or Syndic subgroups) as muscle for bodyguard, transport, or paramilitary operations that are either too 'hot' to be handled by official military personnel or are activities that the Mercs' employer wants kept quiet. The Mercs are careful to take only legal or mostly legal assignments - none of them want to find themselves in prison again.

Syndic Champion: Zak-9
Zak-9 was originally a Sleeper, put into suspended animation in the hopes the future could cure his inoperable brain tumors. He was cured, but had to pay for his treatment. Working off his debt to the EGS, he grew tough and strong in the mines of Luna, and became a champion zFighter using Cestus equipment. His quest to find his sister has motivated him to higher and higher levels of training and prowess, to the point where he is now one of the most feared opponents in the ZGXL.

Cestus Strongpoints:
Cestus Merc Trustee Training Facility (Luna),
Cestus Station (Geosynchronous Mars Orbit),
Cestus Security Tower (Africa, Earth),
Lunar Penal Headquarters (Luna),
Dreadnought Flagship Fist of Fury

Base of Operations: Cestus Security Tower

Sphere of Operations: The Cestus operate all criminal detention facilities on the Moon and Inner System, excluding military prisons, under contract for the EGS. They are also commonly hired by the rich, powerful, and famous to provide security services for valuable people, places and things. Covert operations for corporate or military clients are performed with no questions asked, though the Mercs are not subtle and are usually hired to quell insurrections as opposed to assassination or acquisition assignments. They also maintain a small fleet of spacecraft for use in transporting prisoners and for paramilitary operations, including a Dreadnought class warship, the Fist of Fury.

Relations Analysis:
Hostile: Cartel, Mavryk, Mummer, Trancer, Thesper, Virago
Rival: Androgyne, Exotic, Lunar, Monzon Ezut, Null Foundation, Skrag, Terran
Friendly: Armada, Avatar, Exarch, Omniclone, Orbital, Paragon, Protostar, Savant, Sleeper
Ally: Freaker, Consortium, Solon, Vanguard

Power Levels (1-10)
EGS Influence: 5
Firepower: 7
Respect: 8
Renown: 5

Syndic Drives: Force, Pride, Resolve
Syndic Flaws: Despair, Shame, Stubborn
Syndic Skills: Alertness, Body, Command

Cartel

The Wiseguy
"You owe me one."

Even in the 22nd century, there are some businesses the law just can't contain. Don't cross the family - they know who you are.

What is now the Cartel claims its roots in the organized crime of the past, from the Tongs to the Cosa Nostra to the Yakuza. Z-G allowed not only the best and brightest, but the cunning and ruthless to migrate to space. Crime thrives in new frontiers, especially if organized around a code of silence and "honor among thieves." The Cartel has found it can exist comfortably among the planets and asteroids beyond the reach of the EGS.
Every member of the Cartel is expected to earn credits by whatever means necessary, then pay a percentage of this to a superior up the chain. Individuals are expected to obey their immediate superior in all things, and never to speak to any outsider about their rank, activities, or reveal another as a member of the Cartel.
At the highest level, the Cartel is run by godfathers and godmothers who are among the richest criminals in the Solar System, and who fight each other for lucrative territory and for types of illegal activity like gambling, loansharking, prostitution, drugs, biomodification, pirated software, stolen goods, weapons, space piracy, etc. At the lowest level, street punks and soldiers act as a distribution network and as local muscle doing the dirty work of intimidation, theft, smuggling, manufacturing, and the like. In between, wiseguys and captains run gangs that range from a few individuals to small armies, depending on the opportunity for illegal activity that exists in the local area. Fighting between rival godfathers and godmothers can lead to bloody clashes on planets, in orbitals and stations, and between ships in space. However, open war is usually avoided because it draws the attention of the Armada, Vanguard, and Cestus.
Membership in the Cartel is like being a part of a big family, each member of which holds a chaingun under the table at everyone else. There are rules, but rules are meant to be broken, especially if it means you get to eat the other guy's lunch.

Syndic Champion:
 Jiro "Chibi" Gon
Jiro Gon grew up in Darkside Station, and he knew he wanted to be a gangster the day his father, Hiro "Big Head" Gon, brought home a fancy moonrover. When Chibi asked where it had come from, Hiro took his son for a ride and showed him the remains of the rival gang that he'd exterminated. They'd double-crossed Big Head on a deal, and to save face the gangster don had been forced to retaliate. In the faces of the dead gangsters, twisted by the fear his father had put into them, Jiro saw his future.
Jiro got the nickname "Chibi" because he got out early after going to the penal facility for his first stint. In both the prison yard and the mines, he personally trounced anybody who showed the slightest disrespect to him. Seeing his talent and the potential profits therefrom, the Cestus zMarshal made Chibi an offer to join the official ZGXL federation. Now Chibi Gon fights in the Arena when he's not scheming to advance from Cartel soldier to a full-fledged captain with his own krewe.

Cartel Strongpoints: 

Darkside Station (moon),
Nemesis Station (Sun orbit),
Cove-392 (Asteroid Belt),
Xua Xua Station (Astroid Belt),
Cosa Nostra Station (Oort Cloud).




Base of Operations: Nemesis Station


Sphere of Operations:
 The Cartel runs its illegal rackets wherever it can, which means anywhere there are cracks in EGS military presence and law enforcement. They have a vast smuggling network that operates openly in the Grange, but more secretively the closer it gets to Armada centers of power. Every large settlement of non-military people (and some of the more remote or corrupt military bases) is sure to have Cartel gangsters and wiseguys engaging in whatever scams they can think up to make credits and thus gain prestige.


Relations Analysis:

Hostile: Armada, Cestus, Monzon Ezut, Paragon, Solon, Thesper 

Rival: Avatar, Mummer, Savant, Terran, Vanguard

Friendly: Androgyne, Consortium, Exarch, Exotic, Freaker, Lunar, Null Foundation, Omniclone, Protostar, Sleeper, Trancer, Virago
Ally: Mavryk, Orbital, Skrag

Power Levels (1-10) 

EGS Influence: 1

Firepower: 7

Respect: 8

Renown: 6

Syndic Drives: Cool, Force, Pride

Syndic Flaws: Reckless, Stubborn, Vengeance

Avatar



The Luminary
"It is I."

A multimedia icon, the Avatar parades down runways, ZG aisles, red carpets and wherever the cameras roll.

Some people value power, others credits. To Avatars, these goals are but means to an end: fame. Fame on a system-wide scale. To have their names on the lips of every member of humanity is their fondest dream, and Avatars will burn every ounce of talent and luck they can muster to launch their stardom and keep it burning like a supernova.
Avatars have a myriad ways of attracting attention to themselves. Some are singers and musicians, some are visual artists with coveted masterpieces in a variety of mediums, and some are experience designers whose works take place only within the sensoriums of their devoted followings. Some Avatars have talent, others are mere poseurs catching a ride on the latest trend. All of them know the show must go on, no matter what. This lends a determined, if sometimes reckless, element to their actions; if they're lucky, they receive the success and fame they desire.
Avatars come from any part of the Solar System, from the Grange to the heart of Earth's gardens. A loose union of artists' courtesy exists, enforced by favors during the best times and petty revenge at the worst. Some Avatars have managers and agents who by turns help and cheat their charges. Media consortiums provide an avenue for massive exposure at the price of draconian contracts that dictate all aspects of the Avatar's life, including mandatory body alteration and product placement in every conceivable way.
In the end, nothing matches the exhilaration of being in front of an audience and receiving their fans' adulation. All their effort pays off in the moment when they become godlike to their fans. Any price is worth the fame, but fame is fleeting, and Avatars must constantly work to keep their name in lights.


Syndic Champion:
 Euophonous

The scion of a long line of famous entertainers dating back to the 19th century, Euphonous is at the apex of her fame. Billions vicariously experience her exploits in all media, including music albums, live performances, spool comedies, dramas, and thrillers, and tune in every day to her System-wide broadcast variety show, Euphonous Live. Her personality and looks have been licensed for everything from android sexfex to virtual personal-finance agents. When the ZGXL began to take off, Euphonous trained with Barnabas Bailey himself in a massively popular Z-G Bootcamp spool series. Now her matches draw a crowd of admirers, regardless of her wins or losses in the arena.

Avatar Strongpoints:
Hollywood Megapolis Hive (North America),
Umbilical Galaxy Stadium (Africa),
Space Cathedral Entertainment Center (Earth Orbit),
Mare Infinitus Stadium (Mars),
The Ring Entertainment Center (Saturn)

Base of Operations: 
Wherever they slept last night.


Sphere of Operations: 
Entertainers all, Avatars try to be everywhere at once, exposing themselves to the spotlight and spreading their fame through tours, personal appearances, concerts, spool dramas, scandals, awards appearances, society parties, and more. Many have media contracts that keep them constantly traveling, as their retinue searches for the trendiest places for them to appear and maximize their fame.


Relations Analysis: 

Hostile: Mavryk, Mummer, Omniclone, Skrag 

Rival: Lunar, Monzon Ezut, Savant, Trancer 

Friendly: Armada, Cartel, Cestus, Consortium, Exotic, Freaker, Null Foundation, Orbital, Paragon, Sleeper, Solon, Terran, Vanguard, Virago 

Ally: Androgyne, Exarch, Protostar, Thesper

Power Levels (1-10) 

EGS Influence: 7 

Firepower: 2 

Respect: 2 

Renown: 10


Syndic Drives: Ambition, Cool, Pride

Syndic Flaws: Arrogance, Obsession, Reckless
Syndic Skills: Body, Glam, Melee

Armada



The Ensign
"Eternal Vigil"

Emerald Guardians of Earth, the steadfast Armada adhere to a tradition of duty honor and sacrifice. Every young EGS citizen wants to grow up and fly the great ships of this elite force.

If Earth is the jewel of the Sol System, the Armada is the dragon that keeps guard over it. The Armada's pride, professionalism and obvious attention to duty give it a broader degree of respect than any other syndic — particularly the Armada's arch-rivals, the notoriously brutal Vanguard. The Armada takes enormous pride in its restraint, as well as in its fanatical efforts to protect Earth from destruction. No one forgets the horrors of the First Space War, and no one ever wishes Earth to be so threatened ever again. So the Armada keeps eternal vigil over the garden planet, and it is in the name of protecting that garden that it takes its most ruthless actions. Every child grows up dreaming of being an Armada Ensign, but only a very few are selected to attend the Space Academy. This school admits only teenagers, but its courses are all at the graduate level. In addition to being scholars, each recruit mans one of seven cadet ships, crewed only by their own, and constantly takes part in mock battles.

Syndic Champion: 
Jett Jaeger: The youngest Ensign in the history of the Armada, Jett is one of seven identical omniclone children and the son of a founding senator of the EGS. Jett grew up, along with his brothers, with the illustrious and infamous Pleadian Sisters (also seven omniclones). Blackballed from the fleet at age 16, but still revered among his peers, it was Jett who first won the "Condor Trophy" through his amazing piloting talent.


Armada Strongpoints: Terminus, Halfway, Jupiter Gun, The Orbital Academy, the Venus Fleet, Mercury Way

Base of Operations: Terminus Waystation, Earth Orbit.

Sphere of Operations: 
The Armada guards the Earth Gravity Sphere. Additionally, the Armada has extended its reach into the Grange. An EGS mandate forbids it from exerting any force or having any presence on Earth, but makes no mention of outer limits. The Armada is still enforcing a controversial and unexplained quarantine on Venus, allowing no ships to land on or leave the planet. It is also nearing completion of a Waystation in the Jovian system, one bearing the ominous name of "The Jupiter Gun."

Relations Analysis:
Hostile: Cartel, Mavryk, Mummer, Null Foundation, Skrag, Virago, Trancer 


Rival: Exotic, Lunar, Monzon Ezut, Omniclone, Vanguard, Thesper


Friendly: Androgyne, Avatar, Cestus, Consortium, Exarch, Freaker, Protostar, Savant, Sleeper, Solon, Terran

Ally: Paragon, Orbital

Power Levels (1-10)
EGS Influence: 8

Firepower: 10
Respect: 9

Renown: 8

Syndic Drives: Duty, Honor, Pride

Syndic Flaws: Obsession, Shame, Fear

Syndic Skills: Command, Gunnery, Pilot

Androgyne


The Chameleon
"My masque is my weapon."

Dual-Sex Neubreeds, these beings haunt the shady edges of earth's nightsides. With their dimorphic minds and bodies they are everyone's perfect companion, but one can never truly know them.

As the privileged of Earth searched for greater and more refined pleasures, a caste of specialized companions emerged to serve a market so jaded that a new kind of being was needed to satisfy their tastes. The Androgyne are those who have trained and altered themselves in the ancient tradition of geisha, houris, and tantrikas to be the perfect objects of human beauty and desire. All too often, becoming perfection leaves the Androgyne alienated from real feeling. Can a being of unsurpassed beauty and grace ever know if it is truly loved for hirself and not hir looks and charm?

The Androgyne have paid a price for the body-alteration that enables them to change gender at will (it takes about 12 hours to go from one gender to the other). Though they are desired and well paid by the wealthy in the EGS and beyond, they are also ostracized because of their posthuman bodies. For conservatives among humanity, they are no longer human but repellant freaks, biological experiments gone awry. Androgyne are sterile, and once the process of Androgynization is complete, it is irreversible. Besides the obvious physical advantages the Androgyne have in the arts of love, they form a loose guild with a curriculum of instruction in the arts of conversation, music, poetry, dance, singing, calligraphy, art, cooking, and etiquette. Another large part of their training involves psychology and therapeutic techniques. Any one Androgyne may or may not have been trained, but those who have command the highest "companion gift," the daily fee charged to receive the attentions of a professional Androgyne entertainer. Most believe in the superiority of the "Floating World," an idealized notion of jet-setting privilege without care for any life-or-death problems or political involvements comfort and pleasure are the only realities. Androgyne bask in the attention of anyone who can pay their price, and many have become Solar-System-wide luminaries. Ten percent of all media superstars are Androgyne.

Syndic Champion: 
Ibix Qui

Born on Earth with stars in hir eyes, the person who became Ibix Qui took hir Exile letter as a note of opportunity to transform hirself into a media god/dess. After the treatments at the Venusian Clinic, Ibix took the role of pop idol and rocked her way across the Solar System. S/he has added ZGXL battles to hir tour schedule, and draws crowds of fans to her Solar Battle League matches.

Androgyne Strongpoints: 

The Globe Theater (Earth),
The Venusian Clinic (Orbital),
Darkside Station (Luna Orbit),
Belle's Space Trucker Pit Stop and Canteen (Asteroid Belt),
Ukiyo (Floating World)
Ultralux Hotels (10 locations throughout the System)

Base of Operations: 
The Venusian Clinic, Earth Orbit

Sphere of Operations: 
Androgyne exist wherever there is desire and the credits to pay for their attention. Some are employed by various agencies to spy for governmental or corporate reasons, though this activity earns an Androgyne scorn for dirtying their hands in politics. The Venusian Clinic, an Earth orbital, is the center of Androgynization and boasts one of the best-known human reproduction clinics as well.

Relations Analysis:
Hostile: Savant, Skrag, Solon, Omniclone 

Rival: Lunar, Monzon Ezut, Mummer, Null Foundation, Sleeper
Friendly: Armada, Cartel, Cestus, Exotic, Freaker, Mavryk, Protostar, Orbital, Paragon, Terran, Thesper, Vanguard 

Ally: Avatar, Consortium, Exarch, Trancer, Virago

Power Levels (1-10) 

EGS Influence: 2 

Firepower: 1 

Respect: 5
Renown: 8

Syndic Drives: Heart, Verve, Wits
Syndic Flaws: Arrogance, Despair, Shame
Syndic Skills: Body, Glam, Trance