Offworlder Humans

Offworlder Humans

H. Sapiens / Human

Home System: N/A

Homeworld: N/A

Language(s): Tau Ceti Basic/Freespeak

Political Entitie(s): Scarabs

Overview

Referred to as anything from spacers, to drifters, to star-men and even just offworlders - Humans negatively affected by low gravity are a common sight in the Frontier. Various examples of these Humans are the majority of the Scarabs with large populations in the Nazar Flotilla in the Republic of Elyra, Spartan Station in the Empire of Dominia, around multiple satellites and stations orbiting the five planets of the Eridani Federation however they can be found across all regions of human space and beyond. Typically, the environments they are grown in take a massive toll on their body’s inner workings. They are often seen as atrophied giants with long, lanky limbs reaching heights of up to 7 ½ feet when reaching adulthood. They require bracing and various means of comfort and life support to sustain themselves for prolonged times in standard atmosphere and gravity, though have no issue surviving in either for hours at a time. These deformations have been achieved by hundreds of years of time in space within zero gravity, with over a dozen generations meeting similar issues. Augments, prosthesis and genetic modification have stemmed the effects of it, helping guide and shape, albeit a rather large, Human form.

The offworlders on board NanoTrasen stations are not a new introduction, but higher gravity stations have recently began to see workers descending from zero-gravity environments. This is due to the recent proliferation of the unique ESS modules thanks to NanoTrasen’s mass distribution of them to workers seeking alternative job routes. These ESS, or Exo-Stellar Skeleton modules, are RIG-like exoskeletons that assist in movement and comfort in a standard gravity environment. Though old inventions, their recent mass upgrades from NT has allowed them to meet health and safety standards for comfortable work, and has sparked a large immigration back into the Core Worlds from these afflicted Humans.

ESS modules are not mandatory for offworlders to survive in normal gravity, and alternatives such as RMT medical supplements, prosthesis or augmentation are highly sought after to remedy the long-term effects of exposure to zero-G.

Offworlder Humans are not whitelisted.

Heads of Staff

Offworlders are simply Humans and thus normally would be expected to be any head of staff. However, Offworlders cannot be Head of Security and Captain due to the prolonged necessity of both roles in high-gravity environments. This is claimed by NT to not be due to any particular discrimination and can simply be attributed to health issues barring them from such roles.

Mechanics

Low-gravity Humans can be expected to mechanically:

• Have much weaker bones, meaning their bones break easily.
• Have much weaker organs, meaning their organs take higher damage.
• Be much more susceptible to toxins.
• Be much more resistant to light and therefore flashes.
• Be much more resistant to low pressure and have a much higher threshold for lung damage.
• Only require bare minimum air to reliably breathe - somewhere around 15kpa ingame. (Not currently implemented)
• Require assistance to stand upright comfortably through various means listed below. Otherwise, they receive massive discomfort and physical slowdown.
• Bleed much slower than normal Humans.

RMT Pill Supplements

RMT (Regenerative Musculature Tissue) pill supplements are rampantly used by those seeking to remedy the effects of prolonged zero-G adaptations. Mechanically, these work by nullifying the discomfort message and slowdown. You spawn with these automatically as an Offworlder. They have no other effects but can overdose at forty units, causing muscle pains.

Prosthesis

Any form of prosthesis which encompasses both legs removes the slowdown and discomfort entirely.

The ESS

An ESS module sprite.

The Exo-Stellar Skeletons, or ESS for short, are the offworlder’s most unique asset. Utilized in much the same way as a standard RIG, it deploys into a tightly-fitting chest and headpiece. The headpiece operates like a normal helmet and mask while the chestpiece serves no purpose other than to hold specialized accessories. Neither are space-proof. These are equipped with very little universally, generally things to maintain and keep the offworlder alive and well during their time in the hostile environments other Humans call home.

The ESS is equipped with:

• An emergency injection system that, once the user exceeds a certain damage threshold, injects 5 units of dexalin and 5 units of Inaprovaline into the user’s bloodstream.
• An integrated vitals tracker that allows the player to scan their own body’s vitals and nobody else.

The ESS has no statistics of its own. There are zero armor values. The ESS does not splint broken bones. For convenience’ sake, the helmet offers welding protection. The ESS can only equip two RIG modules alongside the others. The ESS’ two default RIG modules can not be removed.

The ESS can not equip the following:

• Any weapon, including grenade launchers.
• Combat chem injectors.

Operating the ESS may seem overwhelming at first, but it's actually pretty simple. Once you spawn in as an offworlder, if the ESS is already on your back, you can toggle it on by using the "Toggle Hardsuit" verb found under Hardsuit Menu at the top right. If there are errors, such as overwear or a hat in the way, it will alert you in the chat. To remedy this, simply remove them. Once the RIG itself deploys, the visor should turn a bright transparent blue to indicate it is active. Do not move during the activation process, as it will restart it!

Once completely active, you can press "Toggle Chestpiece" or "Toggle Helmet" in the same tab to retract or deploy either freely, so you can place your hat/overwear back on.

In the "Hardsuit Modules" tab, you can access any installed modules on the ESS or activate the personal scanner using the buttons there. These can be activated from the Hardsuit Menu as well, by pressing the "Hardsuit Interface" verb.

Biology

Biologically, Offworlders have the same expectations of a Human being with various bodily functions affected by low-gravity. This has a myriad of effects on the body, many of which vary person to person. While the full extent of these effects can not be summarized easily, several traits are universal between them. Of these are most often heavy muscle atrophy or defined, strong muscles. There is little in between, as lacking intense exercise for very short periods of time can cause individuals to lose the entirety of their muscle mass. It is very difficult to gain this mass back, and thus simple things like sickness or oversleeping can wreak havoc on one’s life. Obesity is rarely an issue if at all due to regular exercise, however. Much lower blood pressure, lower bone density and spindly, lanky bodies are expected of Offworlders as well.

Offworlders tend to have trouble finding comfort in standard gravity, atmosphere and lighting. With ships built for the long-term often being more akin to metal tombs, little exposure to light and highly regulated atmosphere causes them to be very specific of their needs and dependencies at all times. While some may find room temperature of planetside facilities in Mendell to be acceptable, others would find it excessively hot or even cold.

Social

Space travel and total isolation are common for Offworlders, and as such basic conservationist ideologies have been deeply ingrained in their culture. The stories of each generation lived among the stars are written out in deep detail, and the importance of not repeating simple mistakes are stressed beyond all else. In EVA, small oversights are the difference between life and death. They can be seen as cautious and perceptive due to this, usually seeking the safest alternatives to every given situation be it for convenience or survival.

In Human biology, loneliness is crippling and in segmented, large space faring vessels, one can go weeks without seeing another on the regular. Social contact to many in disproportionately populated vessels is a luxury, whereas most coordination occurs through vessel communications. In more crowded vessels, situations grow alarming as they teeter on the brink of starvation so long as they do not split apart. These are chaotic self-contained communities whose social climate routinely spirals out of control, where power shifts in mutinies and disease with no external forces to police the events on board.

In orbital installations, another unique situation unfolds. Here, resources are devoted to the expansion of these installations to progressively support a rising population. Construction or the support of it are focal points on an artificial satellite teeming with life.

Planetside, Offworlders - more specifically Drifters in this regard (explained below) - are subject to few of the same plights. However, low-gravity Frontier worlds they find themselves upon typically have new or otherwise stunted development. Infrastructure here is hesitant to grow, but exotic commodities like fauna, materials or luxury goods can quickly fling Drifter establishments into an age of wonder. Many are short-lived, leaving ghost towns in their wake, but some like the colony of New Julapol have remained for a century.

Culture

Offworlder culture revolves heavily around the importance of luxury and the exploration of finding it. In an environment as hostile as space, daily routines mostly consist of work, exercise and comparatively little rest. The ability to strike a balance between this, and things such as socialization or entertainment, or even the presence of proper meat contributes greatly to an Offworlder’s wellbeing. A rationed, conservationist lifestyle dominates their culture as a result.

For the most part, Offworlders are seen exploiting two major sources of sustenance. The first being exploitation of gargantuan hydroponics farms interwoven with and overtaking their facilities and vessels. From this, food, but also an enormous drain upon the water supply so greatly cherished. The second are genetically modified insectoid subspecies, generally giant spiders, beetles and alien species such as yithians. Beetle milk, materials from spider silk and slugs eaten whole are commodities used to their greatest extent in these strange worlds. Non-insectoid meat, fruit juice, condiments of any sort or alcoholic beverages are seen as grand luxuries above most all else due to their rarity and impracticality in the setting of an Offworlder’s life.

The unique exploitation of mutated native Earth insects is demonstrated in everything from Offworlder cuisine to fashion. Form-fitting, cozy spider silk one-piece suits and a particular inclination to include graphics of insectoid shapes throughout their art and representation. Instead of herding cattle, one may assume they herd six-foot-tall beetles and harvest materials from domesticated giant arachnids. The vessels that nomadic Offworlders reside upon rarely have enough space to see this in mass, however, and planetside assets are frequently used to carry out vast harvesting operations for years at a time.

Though most Offworlders are similar, four varieties commonly occur across space.

Spacers are perhaps the most ubiquitous, dwelling primarily in orbital stations or any sort of interstellar vessel. Numbered in the billions, their highly varied upbringings permit a vast selection of character backgrounds. An excellent depiction of the Spacers are the Scarabs.

Drifters are those that choose to live on low-gravity planets or asteroids, often being seen herding Hahkma or other such insectoid fauna. Free spirits and individuals that live off their land, they are commonly landowners whose ownership of such was passed down through generations. Bluespace travel has led to more and more worlds sold off centuries ago being populated by these “drifters” in the millions as they set out to inherit the property of the land their ancestors purchased.

Heavily augmented workers in close proximity to the scorching rays of stars are aptly referred to as Star-men. Usually with a very literally scorched and saturated, dark skin tone, they are exposed to a variety of hostile environments from ludicrous pressure to blazing heat. Although modern suits have permitted the ever-closer venture into a star’s lowest orbit, they are incapable of fully protecting any Human from the harsher conditions known. As a result, Star-men are subject to some of the harshest space can throw at them, and are usually augmented accordingly.

Lastly, Belters live primarily in asteroid belts. Usually referred to as “Hoppers,” they are mostly the lowest of the low. Without any capacity to venture out of their confined asteroid belts and wholly reliant on imports and whatever water they can find in the void, they are in their entirety composed of downtrodden and forgotten people. Many are leftover generations passed down from the Interstellar War, who were left after the sudden end of the conflict floating in the abyss and left to their own derelict devices for survival.

History

The origins of Offworlders and all their offshoots are varied far beyond simplicity. Like all Humans, Offworlders see great freedom in character creation, being widespread and located from the farthest reaches of the Frontier to the core worlds of the Sol Alliance itself. Most Offworlders are the product of generations of zero-G living, but as the side effects seen mechanically can manifest in only the span of a few years, they are easily capable of having originated in the age of bluespace. Artificial gravity itself only began to appear in the early 2420’s, becoming widespread and kickstarting a separate era of the space age from the nearly three centuries of weightlessness space travelers experienced before.