The Powers.
The Powers.			The Powers.
The Powers formed from the few technology-savvy survivors that didn't evacuate FBX; Few of these were incidentally left behind, most went into hiding to stay behind and fight the Supremacy. Their founder was Spacy Captain Johnathan PAOHERS (commonly spelt "POWERS"), a Galactic Information Bureau SOD/FI agent who 12 years earlier as a Lieutenant had spoken out about the dangers of trusting "irregular forces" such as "these ascension people." When the GIB put out a notice that they were looking for people interested in FBX Commander PAOHERS offered to resign his The Powers. commission to join that operation (his offer was refused but he got the assignment). About halfway through to deployment Commander PAOHERS promoted to Captain. PAOHER'S ancestor is a secret even from The Powers themselves; His paternal grandfather was a T'sentraedi warrior, his maternal grandmother an Atorian, both of which would make most candidates wary, even fearful.  Major Mathew MASTERSON: Major MASTERSON had been an Javinc Defense Forces ASF pilot during the fall of FBX. He was shot down and presumed dead; In truth he was alive and lost behind enemy lines. He survived the 15 years when Johnathan PAOHERS found him. Major MASTERSON expressed "severe dismay" at having been left behind but joined PAOHERS to strike back at Ascension Supremacy.  Together they formed a small cell of resistance fighters right under the nose of Ascension Supremecy and the drug lords. They jointly developed the Hawk Power Armor (though Major MASTERSON was the majority partner in its development). Particularly smart Survivors were sent to train under The Powers, who then refined their tactics based on failures of The Survivors and the drug lords.  The Powers typically launch extremely small (one or two man) raids on less well protected critical infrastructure targets (power transfer stations, rail junctions and bridges, etc.) forcing Ascension Supremacy to stop advancing to repair the damage usually resulting in Supremacy Army members being punished (often by Disengagement). However they can and have conducted joint operations mostly with The Survivors but occasionally with the drug lords as well to wrest cities away from the Supremacy. In these joint operations The Powers provide intelligence and air support usually striking the nearest air field first. This makes the most of their small numbers (rarely more than 12). With the Supremacy Army's air support lost the resistance fighters have much greater leeway to operate- Many a Supremacy Army solider has died at the hands just of the people when they know The Powers have neutralized the HK/A's never mind the much greater damage the Survivors or drug lords will do with their heavier equipment.  Unlike the Survivors or drug lords The Powers WANT prisoners and they'll take 'em. Most Powers don't know why they only know that the prisoners are transfer to the power base (a semi-mythical site they know exists but have never or rarely been to). Only the CO and XO know where this place is (an island about half-way across the planet's larger ocean of Minera). Here they're handed off to GIS agents, taken off world, and questioned intensely (the use of IT-O probe droids while strictly speaking illegal happens every damned time).  The Powers have also scored a few impressive coups though no one knows about it (at least not on FBX itself); The poster board Ascensions Army soldier and People's Force members are in fact deep-cover Powers operatives each somewhat on their own mission; They were given orders to develop their own mission parameters to strike Ascensions Supremacy "somewhere where it will really hurt or even cripple the empire." Both have turned their eyes to the capital one with the idea to blow up the main power plant the other with the idea to recover historic records proving the Supremacy's illegitimacy. In the mean time they've made "smaller" objectives" such as when an army patrol stopped along the border to heckle junkies (about 2 miles short of a river where Ascension people were attempting to escape); Or when a notorious Survivor "slipped out a back door" that nobody could find for three days (she showed him the secret door herself). He managed to make it back to friendly lines when she "surmised" he was heading back to his roost (she'd already told him to head south and don't stop his roost was north).  All members of The Powers train in the use of the Hawk Power Armor and most train in the operations of the Hawk Fighter.  Where Ascension Supremacy is corrupt but large and sophisticated and the Survivors Large but unsophisticated, The Powers are sophisticated but tiny. If the Power's technology were matched to the Survivors numbers Ascension Supremacy would fall in days- But that still wouldn't happen since Ascension Supremacy holds millions in the pods and neither the Survivors nor The Powers want to see those pods taken off line. Also even if the Supremacy were defeated the drug lords would remain and there is a real concern they would rise out of the ashes.  Everyone knows the UGC is supporting The Powers but only the senior most leadership (the CO and XO) knows the GIB is funding them or how. James "Metal Face" TALON And Executioner.  Allies  The Powers have an alliance with the GIB but a far more important one to them is their alliance with The Survivors, a band of rough survivors from the original collapse. It is from The Survivors that they get most of their support in fact; Surviors make up the majority of their ship's crew and the two groups work together often and VERY well, so well in fact that The Powers have a standing offer to The Survivors for a full permenant union without making major cultural shifts (an offer that's beieng declined for the time being).  A rough spot in their alliance with The Survivors is The Powers occcasional alliances with The Drug Lords; The simple fact is the drug lords and The Powers have a common enemy (Ascension Supremacy), but the drug lords also prey upon the people that are The Survivors and this makes for awkward party talk at times. Once AS is gone The Powers won't even try to stop The Suvivors from exacting revenge on the worst of the drug lords, but they aren't going to help either.  General Information  Name: The Powers.  Colors: Blue On Gold.  Symbol/Crest/Banner: A circle with two square "wings" at 45° of center.  Owner: The GIS.  Commanding Officer: The Power Master; The leader's title is "The Power Master" referencing both their founder, Johnathan POWER, and the fact that their leader's main consideration is managing the power plants of The Powers.  Executive Officer: The Hawk: The Executive officer is referred to as "The Hawk" referencing both their first XO Major Mathew MATERSON, an REF Veritech pilot who's call sign was "Hawk." Major MASTERSON was the primary developer of the Hawk PA.  Tactics: Precision strikes against particularly critical infrastructure are their preferred method; A second lesser preferred method is to provide material and air support to other groups to make large-scale strikes on Ascension Supremacy holdings; to date the drug lords have done so a few times but only for their own benefit, the Survivors have on a few occasions merely to injure Ascension Supremacy.  Size and Orientation: Free Company (145)  Features:
A: Sponsorship:	B: Outfits:	C: Equipment:	D: Vehicles:
Secret (UGC Front), which also accounts for their "better than average" numbers.	Utility Outfits (5); they don't even have much for disguises when the need them.	Electronic Supplies and Good Gear (5) Medical Clinic (20)	Specialty Vehicles (30); The Hawk Power Amor, Hawk fighter, and the POWERS.
E: Weapons:	F: Communications:	G: Internal Security:	H: Permanent Bases:
Advanced Weaponry (20); Their limited number (in terms of types) of weapons belies the relatively powerful nature, which are all designed for one shot kill.	Secured Service (10); Ascension Supremacy hear the transmissions but it doesn't help (even the GIB can't decrypt the messages) and can't fix their positions.	None (0); Who they gonna tell? There are no traitors, since the members are STRONGLY vetted; These aren't Ascension Supremacy turncoats.	Partial Headquarters (2); A SEAQUST-Class DSV, the POWERS, serves as their home, workshops, training facility, and etc.
I: Intelligence Resources:	J: Special Budget:	K: General Alignment:	L: Criminal Activity:
Scout Detachment (5; other factions); EX-filtration Network (50); Taking prisoners for integration off-world.	Big Bucks (45); They can GET a lot of money but they can't use it themselves; The GIB generally does it for them by supporting their mission.	Scrupulous and Principled (8); Only the MOST scrupulous and principled, but don't let this fool you- They'll kill you however they have to.	Cyber-Doc (10) Safecracker/Locksmith (25); Thy get advanced training from GIB agents.
M: Reputation/Credentials:	N: Salary:	Personnel:
Hunted (0); At least by FBX terms. Off world, their reputation, when it's known, is excellent.	None (0); They have no money TO give, and looting is discouraged since Ascension Supremacy uses that to track enemies.	The Powers is a very SMALL operation, with rarely more than a dozen total members.  Their main "rank and file" comes from other groups that they cooperate with such as The Survivors even on occasion the drug lords.
Weapons And Equipment
The Powers can't fight AS without weapons and other equipment, which the UGC is all too happy to supply to them even if this sometimes means they're passed along to the drug lords and The Survivors.  It was immediately understood by all concerned that the equipment the UGC gave them had to be equipment they could conceivably create themselves; As a result the GIB arranged for an Interdiction Ghost to crash land where The Powers could get to it easiest. Stuffed into the craft were blueprints for the H-1100, R-35, and M-6. The GIS then loudly announced the arrest of a non-existent person for espionage after having sold militry firearms secrets to anti-UGC forces. All of this set a stage that allowed AS to believe The Powers had stolen blueprints, even though they could have legally obtained them (the GIB's cooperation with The Powers isn't a secret). They also have one of the very few spacefold capable ships not in UGC control to get past the interdiction fleets undetectably; A dangerous maneuver, but a possible one if they really need to. Shipments are typically carried to the planet on courier variant F/ID-3,000 Ghost drones; The logic is actually pretty simple, the interdiction balls are maintained by Ghosts so another one moving in and out of the rings doesn't draw all that much notice. Once the courier has moved beyond AS's horizon they can drop to the planet, drop their cargo, perhaps take cargo on, and then return to orbit unseen (or at least minimally).
UGS POWERS (DSV-18).
The SEAQUEST-Class DSV is a unique breed; Designed for underwater use but with inter planetary missions in mind, they are equipped with an FTL drive and Charonina-7 Re-entry Kit. They can launch into orbit on their own, and can transfer throughout a given galaxy on their own, but their orbit maneuvering characteristics leave much to be desired.  Captain PAOHERS actually requested the UGS WITCHHEAD (DSV-03), since she was decommissioned but not scheduled for scrapping, but the GIS instead bought a whole new hull, the UGS PAOHERS (DSV-18), which the captain himself insisted had to be changed to the POWERS since that would reveal his heritage (he was already savvy enough to understand how FBXer's think).  She remains submerged at all times, using the same dissolved air recovery system that others of her class do, but more so; The POWERS hasn't seen daylight in decades now. Using the POWERS The Powers are able to strike Ascension Supremacy while LOOKING LIKE they've attacked from off-world or at least very far away.  The boat was fitted out with everything The Powers might need for a base of operations- Full factory equipment, smelters, etc.
Hawk PA		Hawk Fighter
The Hawk Power Armor is a basic armor covered exoskeleton suit with flight capabilities. Despite it's simplicity it's far more advanced than the Ascension Army's AA-XXI Armor in every respect. Off world it'd be the low end of police and fire fighter PA or the high end of private security. Despite appearances the wings can slide down to fit into a Hawk Fighter. 99% of the Hawk PA's are actually made off-world by contractors for the GIB.		The Powers needed a fighter they could smuggle in consistently, yet could pass for locally manufactured; The ancient Agonian Hawk fit the bill pretty well and with minimum modifications they were able to convert them to submersible configuration.  There are actually two types, though the 1 or 2 man fighter is most commonly used; A 4 man bomber version is available but only one, and The Powers don't see an opportunity to use it in the near future.
H-1100/R-53		M-6 Laser Pistol
The basic weapon of the REF, the Gallant H-1100 rifle started being delivered when The Powers demonstrated the capacity to make the guns themselves. The Powers also make their own scope, the Lj-3A which automatically links to their HUD and recording equipment and as a recital on the display. Since The Powers H-1100 hs made with an R-53 already attached and side-mounting bayonet lug is used to mount an MT-261 bayonet. The H-1100 has a fifth setting that completely drains both power cells in one shot, giving it limited armor penetrator capability (the beam is so powerful that it creates a bolt of lighting that shows as a glowing green blue line in the air). Each use of AP will cause a 2+(1 per shot)% chance of damaging the gun unless it's allowed to cool for 1 minute (4 melees). 100 to give REF personnel a little additional firepower by injecting a small amount of gas into the charging chamber, charging it with one set of electromagnets, then pulling it down the barrel by another series of electromagnets that give it additional charge. By intentionally aiming a little wide of the target, the effect of a stun grenade can be achieved in an open air setting.  The UCG standard MT-261 can be affixed to the H-1100.		This was the UGC's standard Infantry Sidearm for over a century; Even The Survivors can make these in house (though not with as clean lines), and with literally 1 billion guns and e-clips sitting in warehouses taking up space the GIB started smuggling these to The Powers who smuggle them to The Survivors and various drug lords (one of the major diplomatic roadblocks between the two groups).
		MT-261
		Purpose: Self-Defense. Weight: 5 lbs. Damage: 2 settings: Stun or 2D6 MD.	Rate Of Fire: Standard Effective Range: 700 feet. Payload: 15 shots per E-Clip. Can be used with E-Cables.
		A vibro-bayonet/trench knife, can be used as a knife OR as a bayonet and issued at completion of basic training. Intended for use on the right side of the M-18 or M-25. It can also be used as a brass knuckle (3× normal damage, SD or MD), though the grips are primarily intended to protect the fingers of the wielder. The blade can be folded along the barrel when not in use. These are available on the open market, but stolen cases and knockoffs often show up on the black market. Buyer discretion is strongly advised, especially as this is not a restricted item in any fashion.
Purpose: Offense. Damage: Rifle: SD: 2D6; MD: 1D4 Plasma Launcher: 5D6 M.D. per shot. Range: Rifle: 600 feet. Plasma Launcher: 2000 ft (610 m).	Payload: Rifle: 200 rounds. Plasma Launcher: 24 shots. Magazine And Ammo Availability: N/A; The Powers make them themselves. Weight: 12 lbs.	Purpose: Defense Weight: 1¼ lbs. Damage: Knife: Normal: 2D6 SD; Powered Up: 2D6 MD; Bayonet: 6D6 MD. Attacks per melee: Normal.	Effective Range: Reach (+rifle length if used as a bayonet). Payload:  Knife: 5 hours.  Bayonet: Hooks directly into the rifle's power systems, drawing 1 shot, which will last it all day (whether the rifle has power or not).