Site Plot, Setting History, and State of the 'Verse

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SITE PLOT

Finding Serenity is set the 'Verse of the TV Show Firefly and the Movie Serenity.

The year is 2519 and a transmission was made showing that Reavers were created on the planet Miranda due to interference by what is believed to be the Alliance government. Very few know where this transmission came from and who sent it but the ramifications of the transmission are about to be made throughout the 'Verse. There are those who stick by the Alliance Government, those who want to rise up against it, and those that just don't care either way 'slong as they can make a living.

Our ships are caught in the middle of it all and who said one man or one ship could not make a difference? With every turn, every choice put forward and every decision made we are Finding Serenity


Each ship has its own episodic plots happening and the summary of this are listed in the Ships Forum Description.

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HISTORY

If you have never seen Firefly or Serenity here is a bit of the history of the 'Verse so you can understand our current setting.  Most of this was taken from the Serenity RPG Firefly Roleplaying Guide. The bits in quotations " " are direct quotes from the History section in the Guide.

The year is 2518 and a long time ago we abandoned Earth that Was.  We depleted its resources and just grew so large as a race that the planet and system could no longer sustain us even though we had terraformed the Earths Moon and Mars.  So we left in great ships called 'Arks' to a new system that had been found amongst the stars.  "At least one full generation was born, lived, and died without ever leaving the huge, contained ships that crawled through the black. Naturally, some folk expected to encounter alien life, but the only signals on the scanner were the natural static of the stars. So far as we know, mankind is alone in the 'Verse."  Some lost hope and some Arks were lost in the transition, "but for every person that lost hope there were hundreds there to keep it alive" till finally we reached the new system.  However even though we had reached the system the terraforming process still takes decades.

"The first two planets terraformed and settled were Londinum and Sihnon, and they became the center of culture and business throughout the system. The governments of these two planets took an enlightened view of civilization. They worked to maintain order, but also encouraged diversity of language, ethnicity, religion, and expression of thought."  However you know that saying the road to hell is paved with good intentions.  " Mankind is restless, always looking to find greener pastures somewhere else. Pioneers left the crowded cities and traveled out to the most newly terraformed worlds, hoping to build a better life for themselves.
As mankind spread out, he brought with him his usual miseries: greed, corruption, crime. Disagreement over resources, trade, and political influence led to general unrest among the planets."

And so the Alliance was formed, a unified government that would keep the peace and set up regulations, 'cause if you control a person from cradle to grave then surely you can make that persons life better, safer and more secure.  Of course when there is power to be had there is always those that want to grab it for themselves no matter the cost.  And also with more control comes the opportunity to meddle and 'make things better' through alternative and often secretive means.

"But the Alliance had another problem. They feared their core citizens were going to be corrupted by the bad seeds who lived on the wrong side of the 'Verse. The worlds on the Border and the Rim were self-governing, outside the limits of Alliance control. Each world had its own set of laws and rules that suited its own particular needs. Folk living on these frontier planets had been forced to be self-reliant in order to survive, and they had come to be free-thinkers who saw no need for a lot of government meddling. The Alliance considered such independence a threat to civilization. (They also considered that a lot of valuable resources and real estate were outside their control!) For the benefit of all people in the 'Verse, the Alliance decided that every planet in the system should come under Alliance rule, whether its people
wanted it or not."

This led to the Unification War.  The Alliance had been surprised when the border and rim worlds were not so eager to fall under the Alliance rule with the opportunity of 'bettering themselves' and instead came at them with weapons determined to fight for their independence.  What followed was five years of brutality and bloodshed. The battle "that brought about the end of the war, was fought on the planet Hera in Serenity Valley. This battle raged on for seven weeks before the Independent High Command surrendered. Even then, some of the Browncoats continued to fight on for two weeks after that. Those soldiers who continued to fight even after being ordered to lay down arms were captured and tried for war crimes.  Ultimately, the Alliance released the soldiers and officers as a peaceful gesture to those outer planets now under its rule. Some look upon those who fought in the Battle of Serenity as criminals. Others see them as big, damn heroes.

Since the battles were mostly fought on the Border and the Rim, the Core planets escaped unscathed. To this day, many outer planets still bear terrible scars. Shadow was effectively destroyed, and it remains uninhabitable seven years later. Major cities on Athens were bombed. Several key land battles were fought on Persephone. Moons that had no strategic value, such as Whitefall and Jiangyin, were untouched, but they still suffered as a result of the disruption of trade. Supplies had been hard
to get as it was, and the war made it harder. Almost every person living on those planets saw their homes leveled, their businesses fall into ruin, their loved ones killed or maimed—all in the name of making their lives better.  Small wonder folk are still bitter."

So now we come to today. "Life in the 'Verse has returned to normal— leastways on the surface. In truth, no one has forgotten and few have forgiven."  In reality the Alliance still only has main control of the Core planets though occasionally the do like to show their military prowess around the border and rim worlds.  While those in the Core live a life of luxury those on the Rim still struggle to get by.  If you can get a ship you can get work in transport and a couple of guns will help you keep the ship.  Just be wary of the Alliance and the Reavers as you go about your business.

[Cortex Mainframe]

CURRENT STATE OF THE 'VERSE

The following is for the interest of players and the aid of narrators. It should not all be considered IC knowledge.

3rd QUARTER 2519

As details of the Miranda Signal are more widely accepted on the Border planets as matters of fact, anti-Alliance and pro-Independent sentiments fester and boil. Things finally come to a fever pitch as a coordinated bombing attack committed by the extremist Independent terrorist outfit known as The Dust Devils rock the Newhall city of Heraklion, a rich and vibrant water-farming community heavily relied upon by the Union of Allied Planets as central to terraforming efforts. Whispers of a shadowy conspiracy funding the attack and widespread dissent abound...

With the terraforming of P/2028(White Sun)10 "Rubicon" completed, all Core Planets have been officially colonized. The milestone occassion is celebrated in the Core and by UAP loyalists across the 'Verse.

The UAP's "Miranda Affirmation" project has been initiated. I.A.V. Unification is commissioned to serve as the project's base of operations. Details of the project's purpose are classified at this time.

A call has been sent out for colonists with harsh environment experience and military background to assist with exploration and construction. Assignments considered extremely hazardous.

Terraforming of S/2180(Miranda)01 "Caliban" resumed. Fast-tracked, utilizing new techniques pioneered at Ita. Tentative completion set for 2530. The Alliance is commissioning a great number of transports to assist in the supply of an unprecedented amount of resources chartered for the effort.