Background: Insert personal history.

Influences: Capt. James T. Kirk, original Star Trek, Lt. Worf from Star Trek: the Next Generation, Teal’c from Stargate SG1, Jayne from Firefly/Serenity, Tayla (fighting sticks) and Ronon from Stargate Atlantis

Space marines in “Vortex:” Each continent and regional state of Earth in “Vortex” participates in the military of the Union of Solar Nations (U.S.N.; formerly the United Earth Authority). The North American Aerospace Marine Corps (see Aliens, Space: Above and Beyond, and Starship Troopers) is Denver’s contribution. It follows the traditions of the U.K. Royal Marines and the U.S. Marine Corps and is a branch devoted to “boundary movement” between sea, land, air, and space. Capital ships in the Terran space navy usually have a contingent of marines for boarding and landing actions.

Space marines are highly trained, motivated, and equipped but are often looked down by members of the other military branches as dumb, suicidal “jarheads.” There’s of course some truth to the stereotype, but like U.S. Navy Seals, Army Rangers, or other special forces, marines go ahead of regular troops devoted to holding, not taking, territory.

Many personnel in the relatively small U.S.N. Army are of East Asian and Martian descent, while U.S.N. naval officers tend to be from Latin America and the Asteroid Belt. Air Force pilots are drawn from Europe, Oceania (including undersea colonies), the Lunar Free State, and the L-5 orbital cities. The Venusian Finance Union contributes materiel and logistics.

Interplanetary Patrol officers (think U.S. Marshals in the Old West) are drawn from across Earth’s teeming megalopoli and the scattered colonies of the outer Sol system. Because of relatively recent tensions with the Mars Confederacy and Jovian Commonwealth, those two entities are less well-represented in the U.S.N. armed forces.

At the time of open and official First Contact between the Sol system and interstellar societies, the U.S.N. military has been quietly preparing. Once trade is opened with the Ru’ulok trade guilds and Olvar Star League, the Aerospace Marines are among the first to benefit from advances in propulsion, weapons, and other technologies. Noteworthy bases include Fort Olympus Mons on Mars, shipyards in the Asteroid Belt, Camp Alpha near Alpha Centauri, and Base 12 at Wolf 359.

After the crews of the Blackbird, Appomattox, and Gryphon warn authorities about the threat posed by the Zurmiz Krott/Harbingers of the Righteous Order of Submission (and their cannibalistic madness-inducing nanites), the Marine Corps prepares for combat against the biomechanical probes of the approaching Zarkonian Armada….

Contacts:

• Anna Morales — female Terran human, Union of Solar Nations signal officer from the Manitou, assigned to the Ilokar battlee group; communications expert; girlfriend (see images of Kate del Castillo)

FATE 3e “Vortex” space opera Player Characters

Crew of the experimental scout ship Blackbird:

• “Lt. Sebastian Growlick” [Bruce K., secondary ]-male Felinoid “Synth” (“Uplifted” lion), elite soldier and acting commander of the refitted Blackbird

• “Tela” [Sara F., secondary ]-female Tharian (gargoyle-like alien), escapee from the Encegulans (slug-like slavers), fond of humans; engineer with boyfriend Kedar

• “Tariq Asrad Saladin” [Beruk A., secondary ]-male Terran “near-human” (mutant) wanderer with a past, investigator

• “Lord Wallace Tubbington” [Josh C., secondary ]-male Olvar (arboreal, mammal-like alien) swashbuckler and diplomat for the Kharvamid Alliance

• “Brun” [Geoff C., secondary ]-male Martian Ursoid “Synth” (“Uplifted” bear), former wrestler, pilot

• “Sgt. Nathan A. Jessup” [Byron V.O., secondary ]-male Terran human, gung-ho member of the North American Aerospace Marine Corps

• “Enkidu Aristheon” [Dexter V.H., secondary ]-male Seranen (pale empathic humanoid alien) exile, wilderness survival expert curious about Terrans and the Zarkonian threat; with sphinx-like companion Glaucon

Crew of the yacht Pina Colada:

• “Cmdr. Jasmine” [Sara F., primary ]-female Martian Felinoid “Synth” (“Uplifted” tiger), former pit fighter and crewmember of the Appomattox, now captain of the Pina Colada searching for a homeworld for her people

• “Hector Chavez” [Beruk A., primary ]-male Terran human, former spy and crewmember on the Appomattox, cautious engineer and communications expert

• “Chris McKee /Agent Prometheus” [Josh C., primary ]-male Terran human, former assassin for the eugenicists at Black Box Security Co., sniper and seeker aboard the Blackbird and Pina Colada

• “Orion Starchaser” [Geoff C., primary-male Pomuyan (blue telepathic humanoid alien), irrepressible mystic and thrill-seeking galactic hitchhiker

• “Dr. Srinu Pahul” [Byron V.O., primary ]-male Terran “near-human” (genetically modified) xenobiologist, curious and confident planetary patriot; with robots MEGAN and PEPE

• “Capt. Kevin Reese” [Bruce K., primary ]-male Terran “near-human” (cyborg), former Interplanetary Patrol officer and member of the “Blackbird” and “Dauntless” crews; defender of the homeworld

• “Chiron” [Dexter V.H., primary ]-male (secretly android) pilot, assigned to assess and protect humanity

See other records for the previous crews of the Blackbird, Appomattox, and Gryphon.

The FATE ladder:

• +8: Legendary
• +7: Epic
• +6: Fantastic
• +5: Superb
• +4: Great
• +3: Good
• +2: Fair
• +1: Average
• 0: Mediocre
• -1: Poor
• -2: Terrible