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Nameless District ('Bugtown') Location: Coalition Victory Station, Kesteven 79 After the Nameless were exposed during the Incursion three Terran years ago, the enigmatic cyborgs had to face the reality that no one trusted them, even after several of them aided the fledgling Coalition during the fighting. But it soon became clear that, due to the insidious way they'd wormed their way into the very fabric of the Republic, it would be far easier to come to some sort of terms with them than try to root them out. One of the terms that was negotiated was that the Nameless had to turn over all the illegally obtained goods they'd acquired over the years, including any property held on any Lor worlds. Not every agent did this, of course, or they only turned over some and kept others hidden. But overall, the effect left nearly a thousand sentient creatures effectively homeless. When the Communion mothership was being converted into Coalition Victory Station, it was decided that an area should be set aside for their use, and so a large section was chosen near the waste treatment facilities. It was chosen for two reasons: one, the presence of so much decaying matter created large quantities of methane, the natural atmosphere of the Nameless pilots, and two, no one really liked or trusted the enigmatic creatures, so metaphorically sticking them in the ship's posterior seemed very appropriate. However, the Nameless don't really mind; as a hive species, they have no issues with cramped quarters, and being tucked out of sight and out of mind in a way gave them a lot of freedom. 'Bugtown', as this enclave is often called, is divided between three decks, locally referred to as 'the Market', 'the Lower Berths' and 'the Hives'; each area serves a specific function, and feels very different from the others. The Market is a maze-like area set aside for the Nameless shells to both stretch their legs and interact with other races; it features small nightclubs, restaurants, several legitimate businesses, and tucked away in the darker corners, a few 'specialty shops' with no names that offer illegal services. The Republic officially denounces this 'warren of vice and crime', while its elected officials often come here in secret. The Lower Berths are where the Nameless shells go during their downtime; each agent is provided a small individual berth, not unlike the Japanese capsule hotels, typically 2m x 1.25m x 1m, though the larger Tac shells often require special accommodation. While row upon row of 'cells' might seem confining to most Lor or humans, the Nameless do not find them so, especially since they spend most of their time in their berths either recharging in rest cycle or connecting with each other via telepathy or ShellNet, a powerful, private wireless network. Storage space for changes of clothing is provided in each berth, while shell cleaning and maintenance are done in large public sanitary stations. The Hives are kept far from the sight of other races; it is here that the Nameless pilots may come out of their shells to mingle freely among their hivemates in large, deep chambers full of methane gas. There are three sets of chambers here, but one currently goes unused, because the Third Hive went into hiding after the Nameless were exposed during the Incursion, though it still awaits them if they ever chose to claim it. The Tertians and their queen are currently in parts unknown somewhere within the Republic, posing a constant threat. The Hives are also used for reproduction and the rearing of the young prior to them receiving their first shell. The two queens who are currently in residence are under constant monitoring and protection for their own safety. Note: Nameless shells are not produced anywhere on CoVic Station; they are assembled at a remote facility somewhere in Lor space, the location of which is one of the most tightly guarded secrets in the galaxy.

Although tall by Lor standards and athletically built for a career politician, Diena Th'emme's commanding presence has little to do with the physical. Cool and unblinking under pressure she rarely needs to raise her voice; instead raising one aristocratic brow in enough to convince even staunch opponents to quiet down and listen. Unfailing composed, she has built a reputation for hammering out compromises between disparate groups and pushing forward plans of action with what passed for speed in the sprawling bureaucracy of the Lor Senate. She is equally known for coolly cutting opponents who stand in the way of that progress to ribbons with her acerbic wit. Those who know her well would be hard-pressed to call Th'emme kind but would be quick to note that no one was more responsible for the social reforms benefiting the common citizens of the Republic in the final decades of Lor-Van. Early Life Her original title was Lady Th'emme, daughter of a royal family that could trace its lineage back even before the Lor had achieved interplanetary travel. Though it has been more than a millennia since the royal house of Omgran'te were rulers by right of blood they remained figures of cultural significance and counted many philanthropists and civic leaders among their numbers. Even among the social elite of the Rupublic's capital world they were privileged and a young Diena responded to the perception that she had had everything handed to her by throwing herself into every aspect of her studies with determination that took even the best instructors money and status could provide by surprise. She wielded her family's influence as a scalpel rather than a club and forced her detractors to acknowledge her with the sheer weight of her accomplishments. She earned degrees of distinction in galactic history and anthropology even while she focused on the political sciences. Senate Career As an adult her ambitions earned her a seat on the Republic Senate, among the youngest to hold that office. She cultivated the minor celebrity her name granted her, becoming a public figure recognized even amongst those Lor less concerned with the day-to-day political process. She built relationships with visiting diplomats, masterminding several high profile and mutually beneficial agreements between planetary governments in a process which had historically been slanted almost comically in Lor-Van's favour. She earned the position of Senator-Prime, one of a few dozen senators based on the capital world and directly advising the Imperator. The media styled her as the princess of the underdog, an infantilization to which she vocally objected. It might have been more accurate to say that Th'emme loathed small mindedness and short term thinking. In particular this meant tearing down the legal and social barriers for citizens of the Republic not genetically Lor - though it was only after the Incursion that she explicitly expanded this mandate to include the clones who make up significant portions of the Lor military and science corps. Ever pragmatic, she saw a culturally and biologically diverse citizenry as the only reasonable path toward strengthening and advancing the Republic and famously stated that the failure of the system to provide for a single one of its citizens represented the failure of the system as a whole. Incursion and CoVic Station Th'emme was one of only a handful of Senators who were present on Lor-Van during the Communion's attack and survived. Within a stellar cycle of the planet's destruction she had become the ad hoc leader of the convoy of fleeing city-ships and later the voice of the Republic amongst the loose council of Coalition leaders. Her talents for decisive action and timely diplomacy proved vital during the Incursion. The horrors she witnessed during the war had a profound effect on the senator, though her outward composure rarely faltered. Questions of fair wages and opportunities for education became questions of survival. More than ever she came to believe that the greatest threat to the Lor was their own antiquated sense of superiority. If they were to rebuild, if the fires of galactic civilization were to be saved from being extinguished, it would be as partners with their neighbours, sharing resources and combining strengths. To that end she took on the role of Ambassador for the Republic on CoVic Station, the ideal petri dish for this new order. She has gradually worked toward winning over her peers on the station who might be wary of Lor imperialism, proving herself an ally to the burgeoning Grue Individuality and groups splintering away from the Khanate but at the same time remains wary of those who would seize the opportunity presented by galactic upheaval. She will not see her people lose another home and more than ever she considers all sentients to be 'her people'. Family and Associates Th'emme is married to Scientist Evets Th'emme née Vort're, an environmentalist and 'professional volunteer'. Lantern jawed and given to stony silence Evets is considered imposing by Lor standards but in truth is simply soft-spoken and introspective. He was at their family's home on one of the orbiting city-stations during the Communion's attack on Lor-Van and survived the planet's destruction. He has since been involved in terraforming efforts geared toward finding homes for the massive numbers of refugees displaced by the Incursion. They have one daughter, Iana Th'emme. Technically a 'lady' by virtue of her bloodline, because of her mother's prominence Iana is frequently bestowed the title of 'princess' with vary degrees of respect or irony. Kidnapped by pirates as a child she was rescued by the combined efforts of Captain Myshel Czak of the Flarerider and a group of Terran heroes, notably including the baseline human Arrorwhawk and two founding members of the Interceptors. Now a teenager, Iana has developed a fondness for Terran culture and what might be charitable termed 'larger-than-life personalities', recruiting the Flareriders and Interceptors again years later to rescue her own parents when they were briefly taken hostage. An accomplished fencer and strategist who has begun to display strong leadership skills, after surviving the destruction of Lor-Van Iana served with Captain Shepherd-07 during the Incursion as a quartermaster. Upon assuming her post as Ambassador on CoVic Station Th'emme was assigned clone soldier Jilinson-08 as a bodyguard. Though it was traditionally uncommon for clones to be given assignments of such relative prestige Jilinson-08 had distinguished himself on Garron-9 during the Incursion. Though he demonstrates some of the inflexibility for which the Jilinson series is known, Jilinson-08 has shown a knack for unorthodox tactics which he attributes to working with mercenaries and bounty hunters against the Communion. In the process of helping to settle disputes on the Station he has garnered a reputation as something of a detective, much to his chagrin. Unusually for a clone who has seen active service he prefers his full batch registration over any nickname. Particularly 'Jibby'.

Coalition Victory Station (CoVic Station) Location: Kesteven 79 Following the defeat of the Communion and the end of the Incursion, the massive Communion mothership lay derelict near the wormhole now present in the system. The Coalition of worlds that had fought together against the Communion declared the station a neutral ground, renaming it Coalition Victory Station as a symbol of the cooperation that had stopped the Communion. With so many sentients displaced by the Incursion, many of their worlds destroyed or cyberformed by the Communion, millions made their way to CoVic Station, as it came to be known. Engineers from the Lor Republic and hundreds of other worlds worked to convert sections of the station into habitable zones, along with industrial factories, shipyards and other facilities. Embassies began to sprung up, as the station became the ideal location for the former members of the Coalition to attempt to continue to build on the cooperative spirit that had allowed them to achieve victory. While the Lor Star Navy had a presence at the station, a corps of independent peacekeepers from all the Coalition worlds was established to maintain order on the station. In addition, the Praetorians, who had returned to the galaxy in the early days of the Incursion to help fight the Communion once again, chose to establish their headquarters on the station. Currently several large areas of the station have been converted into city sized habitable zones, with several large archologies dedicated to food production established as well. But the bulk of the former Communion mothership is still uninhabited and deserted. Key Locations: The Main Plaza Located on the upper level of the largest habitable zone, the Main Plaza houses the embassies and other governmental buildings that had been established on the station. Several large open plazas and artificial parks line the center of the Main Plaza, with the various governmental buildings surrounding them. The Council Chambers Located at one end of the Main Plaza, the council chambers of the station was built to house the various members of the Coalition Council to conduct their business and debate important issues. While neither as large nor opulent as the senate chambers of late Lor-Van, the arched ceiling of the chambers is high enough to make the average sentient dizzy. Great round disks of burnished metal were laid into the curving walls, each broad enough for half a dozen humanoids to stand on with room left to move about. The platforms were layered in several rows moving up the walls, spaced so as to afford each of them a view of the empty space in the middle of the chamber. The Praetorian Headquarters The Praetorians selected a section of the station that begins along the edge of the Main Plaza and extends out to the exterior of the station. In addition to living quarters, training areas, laboratories and other amenities, the headquarters includes a separate hanger for the Praetorians’ spacecraft. The Spinal Core Beginning along one edge of the Main Plaza, the Spinal Core is a hundred-meter-wide shaft that descends well over a mile into the lower levels of the largest habitable zone. The engineers had not tried to alter the shaft during conversion of the station, instead setting up artificial gravity generators along the entire interior surface of the Spinal Core. As a result, two or three story buildings had been built down the entire interor of the Core. The Spinal Core had quickly developed as the central market place for the station, nearly every building filled with business, shops and cantinas. While there had been an initial attempt to set out orderly and symmetrical lanes between the buildings, expansion and additions, as well as numerous stalls place wherever possible had created twisting and curing avenues. Brickstown: One of the lower sectors of the main inhabited zone, Brickstown is a manufacturing hub that is home to a large number of the station’s independent Grue. Threads: Uncertain Liberty Revanche: At the Point of a Sword Revanche: Under the Sword Far From Home

Mater Vyrdna Alien engineer who fused with a spaceship, becoming capable of controlling machines in the process, and joining the order of the Praetorians. Playlist Mater Vyrdna Theme Song (I am a Praetorian): Air Man (Rock Remix) Haunting Memories: Good Fight Tension: Alien Champion Dogged Pursuit: Keep Moving Proud Fight: Kisei Unrestrained Struggle: Nazo Space Dogfight: Hanran-gun History Vyrdnaya Solnys-Kori Milareth was born into a relatively wealthy family in the Akarnia Planet of the now long gone Delaztri Empire. Despite having had all comforts available to her, Vyrdnaya had nevertheless managed to grow into a responsible young woman, and through her studies, she quickly developed an interest in engineering. While she'd frequently have arguments with her parents, who were far too oldfashioned for her liking, she held them both dearly. After graduating from college, she decided to enlist in the Delaztri Empire's military, wishing to join the exalted ranks of the Praetorians. Unfortunately, she couldn't meet the recruitment standards for the Praetorian guard, and instead was enlisted as a regular military personel instead. Service in the military wasn't easy. An unfortunate short-lived affair with a fellow officer left her pregnant, and her parents, who weren't very supportive of her being a lowly military officer, forced her a choice; either marry Jihiskh Mavon-Kuros Ainour (an old university colleague of Vyrdnaya who was making rounds in the field of interconnectivity), or refuse to give her any further support, lest she decided to quit the military. Caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place, Vyrdnaya aqcuiesced to the marriage, after reaching an understanding with Jihiskh, who was also being forced to the marriage by his own parents. The marriage finalized, the two returned to pursuiting their respective careers, and Vyrdanya eventually gave birth to Solmav. Despite all setbacks, Vyrdnaya's engineering talent didn't take long to shine through, and she was being steadily promoted in rank, eventually becoming Lieutenant Commander. Things were also looking up for her, vis-a-vis her marriage, as Vyrdnaya and Jihiskh found themselves warming up to each other, and eventually falling in love. Their newfound relationship led to the births of Triinareti and Tormug, and the five enjoyed the next 15 years, not as strangers who happened to be together out of necessity and convenience, but out of love and understanding. During this time, Vyrdnaya was eventually transferred at the ship that she would serve, remaining there for three years, before the Communion attacked. During the climactic battle, the Warp Engine of the Delaztri ship was severly damaged. Vyrdnaya ordered the other engineering crewmembers to evacuate the engine room, while she stayed behind to ensure that it would remain operational. A sudden explosion caused the warp to go haywire, and Vyrdnaya got caught in the surge of energy that teleported her inside the fusion engine. This was a death sentence... or it should have been one. Instead, Vyrdnaya's body was infused with the ship, deep inside its engines, and her consiousness was left wandering the ship's network, with no way to escape or interract with the outside world. Until one day, the Praetorians, not long after being revived in the present, discovered a strange subroutine that was running in the background of their ship. After a few Giga Cycles (roughly months, by Terran calendar standards) of trainning in combat and in her powers by the senior Praetorians, Vyrdnaya joined the latest battle against the Communion, in an event that would be known as the Incursion. Having adopted the monicker "Mater Vyrdna", and as an honorary Praetorian, she would help the allied forces to storm the Communion Mothership, and shut down its communications systems, dealing a massive blow to the Communion Hive-mind. With the Communion's destruction, the allied forces would go on to establish the Coalition, and the Delaztri survivors would go on to reinstate the order of the Praetorians, electing Paradigm as their Imperiatrix, and formally inducting many new recruits, Mater Vyrdna among them. Ever since, Vyrdnaya has found herself a new home, and a new purpose; to honour her fellow Praetorians' faith in her, and to ensure the protection of theirs and their ideals. Costume and Appearance Mater Vyrdna's body has been fused with random mechanical parts, with various patches of blue colored flesh serving as proof that she once had been a purely organic lifeform. Especially standing out, half side of her kneck, and the upper-left part of her head, are comprised of machinery, while her fin-like ears and her blue tail betray her heritage as an Akarnian, and a Meso-Akarnian at that. Her medium-lenght hair is coloured Hazel Green, same as her eyes, and it is tied in a knot. She dons a pair of glasses, mostly out of habit. Mater Vyrdna's form, and specifically, the mechanical parts of it, is often subject to change, depending on the situation, such as materialising wings, transforming her limbs into weapons, or even her entire body melding into an external machine. In fact, most clothing she is often seen sporting are fabricated from the same techno-organic substance that her body is made up from, and fashioned into shape by her own will. Powers Mater Vyrdna can control machines. This includes, but is not limited to, reconfiguring and transforming machines at the merest touch, granting them sentience, and exerting mental control over them. These powers apply even to her own body, allowing her to shapeshift her limbs into rayguns, hammers, laser swords, rocket launchers, drills, etc. She is able to meld with machines, allowing her to transfer her body through them. Finally, she can directly communicate with machines. Allies The Praetorians are Mater Vyrdna's foremost allies. They are in fact the closest thing to a family to her, especially the ones hailing from the fallen Delaztri Empire of 2000 years ago. Of those, special mention goes to: Paradigm, who is the elected Imperiatrix, the highest ranking Praetorian. Firm yet reasonable, Paradigm has taken quite well in her new situation, and often strives to help Vyrdnaya in her adjusting as well. The Traveler, who played a pivotal part in helping Vyrdnaya by reassembling her consciousness, helping her materialize a body, and helping her in adjusting in her current life, powers, duty, and all that entails. Moon-Moth, Elite, Kharag, and Dragonid, Senior Praetorians who take an active role during missions alongside Mater Vyrdna. Magnetar and Seresk, Senior Praetorians Since the reestablishment of the Praetorians, many new individuals have joined the group's ranks. Mater Vyrdna's stance towards them is more ambivilent, given that they lack the connection to the Delaztri Empire that she and the Senior Praetorians have. As such, she is often cold, dismissive, or aloof to them, a deliberate attempt on her part to disassociate herself from them, to not form attachments with them, and to ensure the safety and well being of the Delaztri Praetorians. However, when duty calls, she is willing to set aside her differences with the new Praetorians, and work with them in order to accomplish their given objective. As a side effect of that, she seems to have formed a great deal of respect, and a good working rapport, with the following non-Delaztri Praetorian allies of hers: Cavalier, bounty hunter, Star Knight, and eventual Praetorian, his professional demeanor and take-charge attitude quickly won over Mater Vyrdna's respect, and she always relies on his tactical insight. During battle, they frequently end up watching each other's back. Corona, fellow Praetorian and Lor citizen. Corona and Mater Vyrdna initially exhibited an initially antagonistic behavior towards one another, due to their respective partiotic loyalties. Overtime, however, they've both come to trust one another on the battlefield, and even enjoy their confrontational rapport with one another, which has evolved into more of a friendly ribbing contest. Queenie and Huhunu, fellow Praetorians Galvanic, Tempestian intergalactic superhero. Galvanic is a conduit for wild and, at times, barely restrained electrical energy, and as such, poses a constant risk to Mater Vyrdna's health and well being. As such, Vyrdnaya tries to keep her distance as far as possible from Galvanic. Upon Galvanic officially joinning the Praetorians, those efforts grew increasingly unsuccessful. (Sidekick, HQ, Etc) Timeline 2014 Autumn Ghost in the Machine: The Praetorians Paradigm, Traveller, and Moon-Moth, are enjoying a rare instance of peace and lull amidst the Incursion aboard their ship, the Devotion, when a consciousness that has been trapped inside the ship's network starts making its presence known... 2015 Spring Incursion: Only Hope: Mater Vyrdna, Seika, Moon-Moth, Temperance, and Citizen, are planning an assault at the Communion Mothership. Their goal, to shut down its communication systems, and critically cripple the hive-mind the Communion operates under. Praetorians: The Deadly Dozen: The Incursion had ended, the Communion was no more, and the Coalition between the Lor Republic, the Grue Unity, the Star Knights, and the Terrans had been forged, to usher the surviving worlds in a new era, an era of peace and prosperity. In its wake, the Delaztri surviving Praetorians, under the blessings of the Coalition, reinstated their order, with a newfound purpose, and an influx of new members. Paradigm, elected as the Imperiatrix, the highest ranking Praetorian, and fellow Praetorians Traveller, Moon-Moth, Cavalier, Mater Vyrdna, Dragonid, Kharag, Corona, Huhunu, Magnetar, and Seresk, all head off to the Dreeda system, on their first official assignment; capturing 12 of the deadliest criminals known to the galaxy, a group of Lor Republic's convicts who benefited from the Incursion and escaped captivity. Autumn Praetorians: Sovereign Right: Praetorians Cavalier, Moon-Moth, Mater Vyrdna, and Seresk, aboard the vessel Kavaca, head to the Galor System, to investigate the increasingly aggressive actions of Pirate Dovox, self-styled "Sovereign", an opportunist who claimed himself a piece of the pie that was the Stellar Khanate, after the weakening of the Star Khan during the Incursion. The planet Galor III soon finds itself under siege from one of the pirate's warships, but to the pirates' surprise, the planet does not stand unprotected; the Praetorians are joined by local superhero Shell, as they tackle on the forces of Dovox in a fight taking place on both the surface of the planet and in space. 2016 Spring Praetorians: Zealots: For months, the Praetorians, allong with their Coalition allies the Star Knights, have been hunting down the Spectrum Knights, sworn enemies of the Star Knights. Having lost key parts of their leadership, the disarrayed Spectrum Knights proved a disjointed, if yet persistently hostile group, requiring the Praetorians to expend increasing amounts of resources and manpower to apprehend the rioting villains in the 14 corners of the galaxy. Currently, Praetorians Corona, Mater Vyrdna, Elite, and Magnetar, are joined by the newest Praetorian recruit, Earthling superhero Queenie, to investigate the sighting of Spectrum Knights in the Vanor System. However, things aren't wont to turn out routine, as the Spectrum Knights may be beaten, but they are not defeated! Revanche: At the Point of a Sword: As the Revanche is about to commence, Ambassador Draan Raal, an envoy of the Star Khan, arrives at Kestevan 79, the heart of the Coalition, requesting an audience with the Coalition Council. Weakened though the Star Khan may be, both in physical stature and in hegemonial power, the Lor officials nevertheless suspect foul play from their long-standing enemies, but are nevertheless willing to humor them, at least until they can get a good picture of the situation. To that end, they employ the aid of the Praetorians Paradigm, Corona, Elite, and Mater Vyrdna, currently stationed at the CoVic Station, in order to safely escort the Khanate ambassador, safely, that is to say, for all parties involved. Additionally, the Tempestian intergalactic superhero Galvanic joins the escort mission as well, on Paradigm's request. The sword has been unseathed!