The Church of Divine Inheritance is a faction for Tachyon Squadron, a world for FATE Core which is currently being crowd-funded at Kickstarter. If you aren't already familiar with this super-cool roleplaying game of starfighter combat, you should totally check it out!
The 'standard' setting for Tachyon Squadron is that the players are fighter pilots in the aforementioned squadron-- a new fighting force being scraped together by the Draconis System, a small system which has only recently broken away from a militaristic empire named the Dominion of Unity. The Draconis system is tacitly supported by another superpower, the Stellar Republic, which covertly supplies Draconis with the SF-46 Blackfish starfighters that the players pilot.
No other factions are mentioned in the Tachyon Squadron core rules.
Themes
This material makes use of some ugly themes-- bigotry and fundamentalist intolerance. It may also place players in the untenable situation of having to 'play nice' with some really despicable NPCs. Before introducing these themes to your game, discuss them with your players-- and if anyone has concerns, don't be a jerk by inflicting them upon your players anyway. You should also remain sensitive to players who express discomfort with these themes in play, or with the way that you're using the Church in your campaign.
History
The Church of Divine Inheritance was founded hundreds of years ago, dating back to the days of the first primitive hyperdrives-- although the Church failed to evolve along with the space-faring technology which spread it across the stars.
The Church's doctrine is eugenics. Its priesthood zealously collects and analyzes human DNA in an effort to create a 'superior' human lineage over several successive generations of controlled breeding. Genetically superior offspring are, in theory, the "inheritance" referred to in the Church's name. Believers are grouped into a rigid caste system, in which first-generation devotees are held only slightly above nonbelievers-- "filth," as the faithful generally refer to outsiders-- while members who boast of "less tainted" genetic lineages are held in higher regard-- and while only families with genetically "pure" bloodlines form the Church's upper echelons. Marriages are arranged, and births are carefully planned, in furtherance of the Church's insane genetic goals. Priests are strictly drawn from Inheritors with at least 12 generations of planned genetic breeding, while the Church's current matriarch is the result of 19 generations of careful genetic planning.
It's important to note that the Church isn't racist in the sense that we understand the term, having adopted enough of the science of genetics to understand that there is very little genetic variation between human racial or ethnic groups. Simply stated, the Church is eager to utilize any desirable genetic material, whatever its source, without silly notions of racial superiority. But Church doctrine is elitist in the extreme; its members are extremely bigoted against the "filth" bloodlines of unbelievers, and are absolutely intolerant of those in non-binary relationships and those with any form of physical or mental disability.
In short, they're self-righteous trash. The important thing to understand is that in their minds, they're the heroes of this story, sacrificing everything to create a superior human race which will eventually rise to rule over the filthy masses blah blah blah...
The Church of Divine Inheritance's beliefs have, at times, proven to be too much for even the tolerant Stellar Republic. Even though the religious freedoms of Inheritors are technically protected under Republic law, mob vigilantism and a series of violent purges have driven several waves of Church members to flee the Republic as refugees.
Within the Dominion of Unity, on the other hand, the Church is a small but surprisingly well-tolerated minority, tending to isolate itself to backwater Dominion systems where contact with other citizens is generally limited. Inheritors pay their taxes, perform their duty in the Dominion military, and do nothing to attract the harsh judgment of Dominion law or awaken the terror of anti-Inheritor mob violence.
Helix System is an independent Inheritor colony in close physical proximity to the Draconis System. It was founded by Church members fleeing persecution within the Republic as a sort of religious 'homeland' for the faithful. While technically a Dominion client-state, Helix System has quietly been aiding the Draconis System in its rebellion against the Dominion-- albeit for reasons of its own. Church leaders in Helix System hope that the Draconis System's war for independence will ultimately spark a second Great Galactic War, allowing the Inheritors to seize control of neighboring systems-- not so much to expand its own sphere of influence as to increase its supply of human genetic breeding stock.
Helix System is an independent Inheritor colony in close physical proximity to the Draconis System. It was founded by Church members fleeing persecution within the Republic as a sort of religious 'homeland' for the faithful. While technically a Dominion client-state, Helix System has quietly been aiding the Draconis System in its rebellion against the Dominion-- albeit for reasons of its own. Church leaders in Helix System hope that the Draconis System's war for independence will ultimately spark a second Great Galactic War, allowing the Inheritors to seize control of neighboring systems-- not so much to expand its own sphere of influence as to increase its supply of human genetic breeding stock.
The Helix System
The Helix System was settled by members of the Church of Divine Inheritance fleeing anti-Inheritor violence in the Stellar Republic. It lies two jump-points away from the Draconis System (through either Callisto 2119 in Dominion space or Gamma Corvus in the Republic) and has three other jump points to other independent systems (Ragady-2, Dancelight, and Populus).
Helix is a binary system with seven planets and five orbital stations, as described below.
Object Type Description
Alpha Helix Primary Star A11 Class
Beta Helix Companion Star F6 Class
Beta Helix Companion Star F6 Class
Odin's Eye Planet Sun-blasted basalt rock
Eden's Arse Planet Hellish greenhouse planet
Holy Helix Planet Small earthlike world
Rhea Silvia Planet Arid desert planet
Numitor Planet Gas giant
Tegid Foel Planet Gas giant
Hercules' Belt Asteroid belt Pockets of mineral wealth
Papa Legba Planetoid Frozen outer world
Station Location Primary Purpose
Cathedral of Man Holy Helix Residential, Religious Center, Military
The Priory Holy Helix Elite residential station
Aeneas Station Rhea Silva Residential, agricultural, trade
Cerred Station Tegid Foel Gas extraction, Military
Gilligan's Island Hercules' Belt Small mining community
Papa Legba Planetoid Frozen outer world
Station Location Primary Purpose
Cathedral of Man Holy Helix Residential, Religious Center, Military
The Priory Holy Helix Elite residential station
Aeneas Station Rhea Silva Residential, agricultural, trade
Cerred Station Tegid Foel Gas extraction, Military
Gilligan's Island Hercules' Belt Small mining community
Odin's Eye
Day: 10 hours
Gravity: Light
Climate: Thin atmosphere, mostly siphoned away into solar orbit; Mercurial heat.
Gravity: Light
Geography: Volcanic. Glassy basalt surface under a scorching sun.
Population: None.
Odin's Eye is a sun-blasted volcanic rock whose orbit passes between Alpha Helix and Beta Helix during a
hellish 'summer' season, during which much of the surface erupts with massive flows of magma.
Appropriate situational aspects include Glasslike Surface, Thin Atmosphere, and Water Boils in Shadow.
Odin's Eye is a sun-blasted volcanic rock whose orbit passes between Alpha Helix and Beta Helix during a
Appropriate situational aspects include Glasslike Surface, Thin Atmosphere, and Water Boils in Shadow.
Eden's Arse
Gravity: Medium-light
Climate: Heavy blanket atmosphere and bright sunlight combine to produce sweltering heat.
Geography: Occasional valleys protect against sweltering wind-storms.
Population: None.
Eden's Arse is blanketed with a thick layer of swirling gases, most of them noxious. Utterly inhospitable. Intense storms of superheated gasses can generate tornadic winds.
Suitable aspects for Eden's Arse include As Thick As Pea Soup, Internal Cooling Systems are Strained, and There's a Storm on the Horizon.
Holy Helix
Day: 26 hours
Gravity: Normal
Climate: Variable (earthlike-- temperate to jungle zones)
Population: 80 million
Holy Helix is a warm and humid world with a thriving native ecosystem. Several large swathes of the planet have been cleared to support communal farming settlements, but most of the planet's interior is unexplored and uninhabited. Education and technology are uncommon in most villages, but a few advanced Church centers are home to higher-caste members. Travel to the planet's surface is generally restricted by the Church of Divine Inheritance, although travel permits are occasionally issued when it serves the Church's interests.
Suitable aspects for Holy Helix include The Locals Keep Staring, "Papers, Please," and Thick Forest Canopy.
Cathedral of Man
Location: In orbit over the planet Holy Helix
Purpose: Center of religious worship, residential, and military base.
Population: Forty thousand
While the planet below is rural and agrarian, those who live in the Cathedral of Man prosper in relative luxury. Most station residents claim a lineage of at least 8 generations of arranged marriages in the Church's eugenics breeding program and consider themselves superior to their planet-bound brethren-- end exponentially greater than nonbeliever "filth."
All marriages and baptisms within the system are conducted within the Cathedral's great religious sanctuary, and everyone who sets foot upon the Cathedral's deck-plating must submit a genetic sample before gaining admission to the station proper.
While the planet below is rural and agrarian, those who live in the Cathedral of Man prosper in relative luxury. Most station residents claim a lineage of at least 8 generations of arranged marriages in the Church's eugenics breeding program and consider themselves superior to their planet-bound brethren-- end exponentially greater than nonbeliever "filth."
All marriages and baptisms within the system are conducted within the Cathedral's great religious sanctuary, and everyone who sets foot upon the Cathedral's deck-plating must submit a genetic sample before gaining admission to the station proper.
Appropriate situational aspects for the Cathedral of Man include Big Brother is Watching You, Pervasive Bigotry, and Tacky Religious Architecture and Decor.
The Priory
Location: In orbit over the planet Holy Helix
Purpose: Government administration, elite residences
Population: Three thousand
The Priory is home to the highest caste members of the Church of Divine Inheritance. Few who don't already belong within the Church's upper echelon are ever allowed within its hull.
Typical aspects for the Priory include Exclusive Playground for Holy Rollers , Secretive in the Extreme, and Bleeding Edge Security.
Rhea Silva
Gravity: Normal
Climate: Arid, thin but breathable atmosphere
Population: 40 million
Rhea Silva is a hardscrabble desert world, populated by the dregs of Church society. Those who dwell on Rhea Silva either belong to families with less pedigree than you'd typically find on Helix Prime or were sent here as some sort of punishment. Settlements on Rhea Silva are scattered among its dusty canyons, with one central Church administrative center overseeing all.
Because of the isolated nature of Rhea Silva's settlements, there is less unity and cohesiveness among Church members on this world. Illiteracy rates are high on Rhea Silva, making Church doctrine less widely understood there, and serving to further isolate the primitive denizens of its desert valleys. Many beliefs which the Church would deem heretical on other worlds attract followers on Rhea Silva, making Rhea Silvans suspicious of outsiders (including priests from off-world). Most Rhea Silvans are loyal Inheritors who are completely devoted to Church teachings, but peculiar interpretations of those teachings are not uncommon here.
Typical aspects for Rhea Silva include This dust gets into everything, Way off the grid, Thin dry air, and What's with all the questions?.
Aeneas Station
Location: In orbit over the planet Rhea Silva
Purpose: Residential, agriculture, trade.
Population: Ten thousand
Aeneas Station is the least insular of the Church's stations. As a port and center of trade, Aeneas Station is more accustomed to the presence of visitors, and while Church law is never relaxed to accommodate outsider "filth," those who live here year-round understand that the occasional infidel visitor can't really help being genetically and morally inferior to their hosts; There's clearly a tendency on Aeneas Station to look the other way for minor infractions of Church morality by ignorant "filth" who can't know better..
Aeneas Station is decorated nearly as ostentatiously as the Cathedral of Man itself, with tacky religious art and gilded architectural details everywhere one looks. This rich facade is intended to obscure the dire poverty on Holy Helix and Rhea Silva which forms the life experiences of most Church members.
Suitable aspects for Aeneas Station include The Condescension is Getting Thick, Keeping up appearances before the nonbelievers, Not Much Privacy to Conduct Business, and What the Priests don't know won't hurt them.
Day: 33.335 hours
Gravity: Crushing
Climate: Medium Gas Giant
Population: None
Numitor is a medium-sized purplish-green gas giant with impressive ice rings. Electrical storms swirl across its upper atmosphere, occasionally igniting pockets of vapor and creating flickering blue balls of light between the planet and its innermost rings.
While Numitor itself is uninhabitable, its constant electrical discharges create Strong radio interference.
Day: 177 hours
Gravity: Crushing
Climate: Jovian Giant
Population: None
Tegid Foel is a giant orange ball in soace-- the largest object in Helix System, apart from its two suns. The planet's upper atmosphere is rich in exotic petrochemical gases and other industrial compounds, allowing properly-equipped vessels to 'skim' the surface for fuel, but the atmosphere's erratic weather patterns make such operations a calculated risk Any ship descending beneath the planetary 'event horizon' risks being captured by the planet's crushing gravity, drawn ever deeper into heavy atmospheric pressures capable of crushing it like an aluminum can.
Mining operations at Cerred Station accont for much of the Church's true material wealth.
Suitable aspects for Tegid Foel include Stay well above the surface, Dirty but efficient fuel, and It's tempting to try to hide in the upper atmosphere.
Prominent Asteroids: 177 hours
Population: Thousands, scattered across dozens of mining outposts
As far as asteroids fields go, Hercules' Belt doesn't have the same sort of plentiful mineral wealth found in other systems, but it is full of raw materials which can be extracted and sold in bulk quantities. Unrefined nickel, iron, copper, and magnesium leave the Belt in a steady stream of container ships-- all under the watchful eye of Church regulators and tax collectors.
That said, though, the Belt is also vast and difficult to patrol. Wildcat prospectors originating from both the Stellar Republic and Dominion of Unity operate almost freely here. Most of their efforts fail to amount to much, barely covering surveying and mining operations, but the occasional windfall strike continues to draw additional independent operators to the region.
Typical aspects for Hercules' Belt include Dangerous navigation and Needle in a haystack.
Aeneas Station is the least insular of the Church's stations. As a port and center of trade, Aeneas Station is more accustomed to the presence of visitors, and while Church law is never relaxed to accommodate outsider "filth," those who live here year-round understand that the occasional infidel visitor can't really help being genetically and morally inferior to their hosts; There's clearly a tendency on Aeneas Station to look the other way for minor infractions of Church morality by ignorant "filth" who can't know better..
Aeneas Station is decorated nearly as ostentatiously as the Cathedral of Man itself, with tacky religious art and gilded architectural details everywhere one looks. This rich facade is intended to obscure the dire poverty on Holy Helix and Rhea Silva which forms the life experiences of most Church members.
Suitable aspects for Aeneas Station include The Condescension is Getting Thick, Keeping up appearances before the nonbelievers, Not Much Privacy to Conduct Business, and What the Priests don't know won't hurt them.
Numitor
Day: 33.335 hours
Gravity: Crushing
Climate: Medium Gas Giant
Population: None
Numitor is a medium-sized purplish-green gas giant with impressive ice rings. Electrical storms swirl across its upper atmosphere, occasionally igniting pockets of vapor and creating flickering blue balls of light between the planet and its innermost rings.
While Numitor itself is uninhabitable, its constant electrical discharges create Strong radio interference.
Tegid Foel
Day: 177 hours
Gravity: Crushing
Climate: Jovian Giant
Population: None
Tegid Foel is a giant orange ball in soace-- the largest object in Helix System, apart from its two suns. The planet's upper atmosphere is rich in exotic petrochemical gases and other industrial compounds, allowing properly-equipped vessels to 'skim' the surface for fuel, but the atmosphere's erratic weather patterns make such operations a calculated risk Any ship descending beneath the planetary 'event horizon' risks being captured by the planet's crushing gravity, drawn ever deeper into heavy atmospheric pressures capable of crushing it like an aluminum can.
Mining operations at Cerred Station accont for much of the Church's true material wealth.
Suitable aspects for Tegid Foel include Stay well above the surface, Dirty but efficient fuel, and It's tempting to try to hide in the upper atmosphere.
Cerred Station
Location: In orbit over the planet Tegid Foel
Purpose: Gas extraction, military
Population: 460
Cerred Station is dedicated to fuel extraction, with a small military hangar. Its full-time residents are technicians and scientists: well-educated members of families from the Church's upper echelons. You won't hear much dogma spouted here, but that doesn't mean that Cerred Station's privileged workers from upper-echelon Inheritor families feel less bigoted towards any "filth" that they encounter.
Suitable aspects for Cerred Station include Our work here is important, Frequent military patrols, and Lack of creature comforts.
Cerred Station is dedicated to fuel extraction, with a small military hangar. Its full-time residents are technicians and scientists: well-educated members of families from the Church's upper echelons. You won't hear much dogma spouted here, but that doesn't mean that Cerred Station's privileged workers from upper-echelon Inheritor families feel less bigoted towards any "filth" that they encounter.
Suitable aspects for Cerred Station include Our work here is important, Frequent military patrols, and Lack of creature comforts.
Hercules' Belt
Prominent Asteroids: 177 hours
Population: Thousands, scattered across dozens of mining outposts
As far as asteroids fields go, Hercules' Belt doesn't have the same sort of plentiful mineral wealth found in other systems, but it is full of raw materials which can be extracted and sold in bulk quantities. Unrefined nickel, iron, copper, and magnesium leave the Belt in a steady stream of container ships-- all under the watchful eye of Church regulators and tax collectors.
That said, though, the Belt is also vast and difficult to patrol. Wildcat prospectors originating from both the Stellar Republic and Dominion of Unity operate almost freely here. Most of their efforts fail to amount to much, barely covering surveying and mining operations, but the occasional windfall strike continues to draw additional independent operators to the region.
Typical aspects for Hercules' Belt include Dangerous navigation and Needle in a haystack.
Gilligan's Island
Location: Hercules' Belt
Purpose: Mining community and trading outpost
Population: About a thousand
Gilligan's Island is a small community which sprung up to support mining operations within the Belt. The Church of Divine Inheritance maintains a small customs office here, and station operators are eager to remain on the Church's good side, but there is very little law here otherwise.
Typical aspects for Gilligan's Island include Can I see your tax stamps for that cargo?, You can get that here... for a price, and Anyone know where I can find a friendly game of cards?
Gilligan's Island is a small community which sprung up to support mining operations within the Belt. The Church of Divine Inheritance maintains a small customs office here, and station operators are eager to remain on the Church's good side, but there is very little law here otherwise.
Typical aspects for Gilligan's Island include Can I see your tax stamps for that cargo?, You can get that here... for a price, and Anyone know where I can find a friendly game of cards?
Papa Legba
Day: 330 hours
Gravity: Practically nonexistent
Climate: Trace atmosphere, mostly frozen to planet's surface.
Gravity: Practically nonexistent
Geography: Irregular lump of rock and ice.
Population: None.
Papa Legba is a small rock in a distant but regular orbit around the Helix System's binary suns.
Appropriate situational aspects include Deep crevasses, No air, and Colder than [Insert favorite colloquialism here].
Papa Legba is a small rock in a distant but regular orbit around the Helix System's binary suns.
Appropriate situational aspects include Deep crevasses, No air, and Colder than [Insert favorite colloquialism here].
Church Ships
The Church of Divine Inheritance is wealthy when compared with other independent systems, but it's still a bit player in the cold war between the Stellar Republic and the Dominion of Unity. Most of its military ships are old, outmoded Dominion ships, upgraded with the best technology that Church wealth can acquire.
The Church has three operational fighter classes: the CF-107 Gator (identical to the DF-107 Gator, as detailed on page 127 of the Tachyon Squadron basic rules), the CF-36B Inquisitor, and the CF-8 Paladin.
Inheritor CF-36B "Inquisitor"
Aspects
Refurbished Rustbucket
Skills
Great (+4) Technology
Great (+4) Technology
Good (+3) Gunnery
Fair (+2) Pilot
Average (+1) Tactics
Notes
Weapon: 0
Weapon: 0
Shields: 2
Simple Damage Option [ 1 1 ] 1 1 1
Detailed Damage Option
+ Computer System Damage
2 2 Minimize one die on Technology Actions
2 Minimize one die on Gunnery Actions
Flash Fire! Punch Out!
- or 0 Propulsion System Damage
2 Minimize one die on Pilot and Tactics rolls
Catastrophic Explosion! Punch out!
Catastrophic Explosion! Punch out!
The Inquisitor is essentially nothing more than a refitted Dominion DF-36 Gauntlet-- an older Dominion fighter class which saw some action at the beginning of the Great Galactic War, but was quickly retired in favor of more advanced models. The Church's retrofit of this starfighter resulted in a greatly improved version, but it still suffers from some of the limitations of the original Gauntlet class.
Inheritor CF-8 "Paladin"
Aspects
Modern Starfighter
Skills
Great (+4) Technology
Great (+4) Technology
Good (+3) Gunnery
Fair (+2) Pilot
Average (+1) Tactics
Notes
Weapon: 2
Weapon: 2
Shields: 3
Simple Damage Option [ 1 1 1 ] 1 1 1 1
Detailed Damage Option
+ Computer System Damage
2 2 Minimize one die on Technology Actions
2 Minimize one die on Gunnery Actions
2 2 Severe Damage
2 2 Severe Damage
Flash Fire! Punch Out!
- or 0 Propulsion System Damage
2 2 Minimize one die on Pilot and Tactics rolls
2 2 Severe Damage, free invoke for each
Catastrophic Explosion! Punch out!
The Paladin is a Dominion prototype which was never put into mass production. The Church acquired all 12 of the designer's testbed vehicles and outfitted them with advanced electronics to create a formidable fighter. Of that original acquisition, 11 Paladins are still in Church service, with the twelfth undergoing major repairs after an impact collision in space.
2 2 Severe Damage, free invoke for each
Catastrophic Explosion! Punch out!
The Paladin is a Dominion prototype which was never put into mass production. The Church acquired all 12 of the designer's testbed vehicles and outfitted them with advanced electronics to create a formidable fighter. Of that original acquisition, 11 Paladins are still in Church service, with the twelfth undergoing major repairs after an impact collision in space.
Other Inheritor Ships
The Church of Divine Inheritance operates one Destroyer, the Trumpet of Gabriel, and two Frigates, the Lion of Judah and the King David. Use stats for Dominion destroyers (page 134) and Frigates (pages 132-133) to represent them.
Additionally, the Church has two small Carriers, the Shield of Righteousness and the Order of Melchizedek, each capable of carrying up to 4 CF-36B Inquisitors and their pilots and flight crews (use stats for the DA-99T Assault Transport on page 131, substituting Complement of 4 Starfighters for the 25 Spaceborne Infantry aspect).
The usual assortment of Cargo and Passenger Ships, Private Yachts, Shuttles, and Scoutships can also be found in Helix System. See page 139 for guidance on using these ships in your game.
Ammon "Knight" Vladic, Inheritor Pilot
Knight from is an eleventh-generation Inheritor family from the Cathedral of Man, making him a middle-caste Inheritor, just beneath the elite upper-caste. He's a natural pilot, born to sit in the cockpit, which is a shame, because he also embodies a mix of all the worst Inheritor stereotypes in one person. He hates outsider "filth" with a passion-- and while he won't say so directly, he also looks down on his wingman Bones, taking every opportunity to criticize her and denigrate her piloting skills. From Knight's perspective, being paired with Bones is the biggest impediment facing his career today-- an opinion which he isn't shy about sharing with her, or with anyone else.
Aspects: Spoiled brat, Appearances matter, Always unimpressed
Relevant Skills:
Great (+4) Pilot
Good (+3) Tactics, Provoke
Fair (+2) Sneak, Gunnery, Discipline
Average (+1) Notice, Shoot, Technology
Stress Track: 1 1 1 1 1
Orlon "Trigger" Bandooli, Inheritor Wing Commander
Trigger is an eighth-generation Church member from a solidly middle-caste family on Holy Helix. He's a better wing commander than pilot, and focuses most of his energy upon training his pilots.
Trigger isn't a particularly devout Inheritor, but he has bought into the underlying genetic bigotry which permeates Church society. He isn't particularly hateful in expressing these beliefs, but has never really questioned the idea that eight generations of controlled eugenic breeding has made him superior to any outsider "filth" that he encounters.
Although Trigger sees himself as a man of action, and isn't inclined to ask big questions, he's a bit troubled by the way that the Church Navy (and some of his own pilots) have treated Bones. Trigger respects Bones' aptitude in the cockpit and wishes he had a dozen more just like her, even if he had to take them from low-caste Church families.
Aspects: My pilots are family, Just following orders
Relevant Skills:
Great (+4) Rapport
Good (+3) Tactics, Empathy
Fair (+2) Pilot, Gunnery, Discipline
Average (+1) Notice, Technology, Gunnery
Stress Track: 1 1 1 1 1
acquire the temporary use of several small unarmed carriers (use the stats for "Unarmed Civilian Yacht or Personal Spacecraft" on page 126, substituting Complement of 3 Starfighters for the Unarmed Personal Spacecraft aspect). Each carrier can transport up to 3 SF-46 Blackfish starfighters to escort a frieghter for the trip into Church space and back. Upon arrival in Helix System, the players will launch their Blackfish, rendevous with Church starfighters, and be escorted to Aeneas Station. Once there, players will more or less have the run of this station while the Draconis freighter is loaded with supplies-- but it quickly becomes apparent that players are being watched by spies from the Dominion of Unity. Will the player characters be able to work with their counterparts from the Church Navy to unmask a Dominion spy ring, before their presence on the station is communicated to the Dominion intelligence service?
* Upon arrival at Aeneas Station, all players were required to provide a genetic sample (saliva or hair). Some time later, during downtime on Draconis Station, one of the pilots is approached by an Inheritor wing commander accompanied by two pilots. It turns out that this particular character has superior genetic material which is greatly desired by Church eugenicists. The wing commander has been tasked with proffering an arranged marriage with a high-caste Inheritor of the opposite birth gender, with the strong implication that an agreement to marry will increase the support that the Church is willing to provide to Draconis System. It would also mean a life of relative ease and comfort for the player, were he or she to accept. As the player is mulling his or her options, an alert is called-- incoming Dominion forces! The player will need to give an answer to the Church once the mission has been completed.
Additionally, the Church has two small Carriers, the Shield of Righteousness and the Order of Melchizedek, each capable of carrying up to 4 CF-36B Inquisitors and their pilots and flight crews (use stats for the DA-99T Assault Transport on page 131, substituting Complement of 4 Starfighters for the 25 Spaceborne Infantry aspect).
The usual assortment of Cargo and Passenger Ships, Private Yachts, Shuttles, and Scoutships can also be found in Helix System. See page 139 for guidance on using these ships in your game.
People of Interest
Here are some NPCs from the Helix System that players might interact with.
Nana "Bones" Ngana, Inheritor Pilot
Bones from is a third-generation Inheritor family from Rhea Silva-- meaning that she's from a fairly low-caste family for a starfighter pilot. She mainly received the opportunity to attend flight school after being genetically matched to a scientist on Cerred Station. She has never met her intended
fiance, although the two have spoken by holovid several times since their marriage was arranged by Church officials. Bones has something to prove to her fellow pilots, who tend to look down upon her due to her "impure" genetic history. Her callsign is taken from a frequent insult that she endured in flight school-- that she must have been accepted due to 'good bones,' since there didn't seem to be anything else special about her. To mask her own insecurity about her breeding and status, Bones is indulges freely in Church bigotry against any "filth" outsiders that she encounters, but because she's also very curious about others who might lack a pedigreed lineage, she's paradoxically likely to forge a genuine but grudging personal connection with that "filth" if she is allowed to interact with them one-on-one, away from her peers. Bones might even be persuaded to desert the Church and flee Helix System, if an alternative were to present itself; she'd make a fine pilot for Tachyon Squadron if she could be recruited.
Aspects: Twice as good because I have to be, Pilot by-the-numbers, Runs hot and cold.
Relevant Skills:
Great (+4) Tactics
Good (+3) Technology, Provoke
Fair (+2) Discipline, Pilot
Average (+1) Athletics, Fight, Rapport
Stress Track: 1 1 1 1 1
Knight from is an eleventh-generation Inheritor family from the Cathedral of Man, making him a middle-caste Inheritor, just beneath the elite upper-caste. He's a natural pilot, born to sit in the cockpit, which is a shame, because he also embodies a mix of all the worst Inheritor stereotypes in one person. He hates outsider "filth" with a passion-- and while he won't say so directly, he also looks down on his wingman Bones, taking every opportunity to criticize her and denigrate her piloting skills. From Knight's perspective, being paired with Bones is the biggest impediment facing his career today-- an opinion which he isn't shy about sharing with her, or with anyone else.
Aspects: Spoiled brat, Appearances matter, Always unimpressed
Relevant Skills:
Great (+4) Pilot
Good (+3) Tactics, Provoke
Fair (+2) Sneak, Gunnery, Discipline
Average (+1) Notice, Shoot, Technology
Stress Track: 1 1 1 1 1
Orlon "Trigger" Bandooli, Inheritor Wing Commander
Trigger is an eighth-generation Church member from a solidly middle-caste family on Holy Helix. He's a better wing commander than pilot, and focuses most of his energy upon training his pilots.
Trigger isn't a particularly devout Inheritor, but he has bought into the underlying genetic bigotry which permeates Church society. He isn't particularly hateful in expressing these beliefs, but has never really questioned the idea that eight generations of controlled eugenic breeding has made him superior to any outsider "filth" that he encounters.
Although Trigger sees himself as a man of action, and isn't inclined to ask big questions, he's a bit troubled by the way that the Church Navy (and some of his own pilots) have treated Bones. Trigger respects Bones' aptitude in the cockpit and wishes he had a dozen more just like her, even if he had to take them from low-caste Church families.
Aspects: My pilots are family, Just following orders
Relevant Skills:
Great (+4) Rapport
Good (+3) Tactics, Empathy
Fair (+2) Pilot, Gunnery, Discipline
Average (+1) Notice, Technology, Gunnery
Stress Track: 1 1 1 1 1
Using the Church of Divine Inheritance in your game
(Adventure Seeds)
The Church is covertly aiding Draconis Sector, in hopes that its rebellion will erupt into a Second Great Galactic War. Here are a few ideas for using the Church and Helix System in your game:
* An Inheritor supply ship is scheduled to jump into Draconis System from Gamma Corvis, bearing much-needed food and medical supplies. This military supply ship is accompanied by the Shield of Righteousness, a small Inheritor carrier, with four CF-36B Inheritors in one of its cargo bays. All four fighters will launch as soon as the jump into Draconis System is complete. Tachyon Squadron has been tasked with escorting a Draconis supply ship to clandestinely rendezvous with the Church vessel, giving it time to receive cargo and supplies. While the transfer of supplies is taking place, a nearby flight of Goblins and Gorgons (see 'Escort' engagements, page 113) is detected. Can the player characters cooperate with Church pilots to eliminate this threat and prevent Dominion pilots from reporting that the Church is supplying Draconis System?
* After nearly being detected providing covert aid to the Draconis System in Draconis space, the Church demands that Draconis receive all future shipments in Helix System. Admiral Harris is able to
* Upon arrival at Aeneas Station, all players were required to provide a genetic sample (saliva or hair). Some time later, during downtime on Draconis Station, one of the pilots is approached by an Inheritor wing commander accompanied by two pilots. It turns out that this particular character has superior genetic material which is greatly desired by Church eugenicists. The wing commander has been tasked with proffering an arranged marriage with a high-caste Inheritor of the opposite birth gender, with the strong implication that an agreement to marry will increase the support that the Church is willing to provide to Draconis System. It would also mean a life of relative ease and comfort for the player, were he or she to accept. As the player is mulling his or her options, an alert is called-- incoming Dominion forces! The player will need to give an answer to the Church once the mission has been completed.
My purpose, in presenting this material, is to expand the game's default setting beyond that presented in the core rules. If you like what you've seen here, please let me know-- I have ideas for a few more factions for Tachyon Squadron, and would love to give them the write-up they deserve.
