Tajara Space Capability

Space Flight

At the time of their discovery, the Tajara thought of spaceflight the same as we might think of cold fusion. However, with human first contact, these mental barriers were not dismantled but rather blown apart. All at once, apathy, shock, joy, and existential dread resonated through the entirety of Adhomai. Many were overjoyed; beings from outer space had come to usher in a new age of enlightenment and knowledge. They were swiftly corrected. Now, fifty years later space flight had become somewhat mundane. All three governments have implemented strict spacing laws, materials are frequently carried in and space exports are made on a daily schedule. Still, the Tajara people remain the most divided in their opinions of space flight. Many see it as the beginning of the hard times, others recognize it as a simple business and a few more know it’s their only way off of this planet.

History of Space Flight

Shortly after the first contact, multiple offers were made by the royal houses to purchase human vessels, however, all were rejected. While no records of negotiations have survived to this day, it is assumed this was done to lessen the impact of Tajara on galactic politics.

After the first revolution and the establishment of the new federal government, President Rhagrrhuzau Hadii put much effort into ensuring the PRA would be provided a vessel and trained personnel. Eventually, after months of negotiations, the new PRA was provided the Freighter "Ruka" alongside 20 trained human astronauts, and blueprints of the ship. With blueprint in hand, president Hadii's anti-imperialist rhetoric sharply increased, souring his relationships with NanoTrasen and Sol.

With these new materials, the first Tajara satellites were launched into space. The rapid advancement of technology ensured that eventually, a Tajara would reach space without the assistance of a human vessel. After the first trip to space, next came visits to other planets, Raskara was first on the list, and while many religious folks protested against it the mission was successfully completed. After all of these successes, the pinnacle of Tajara engineering was completed and launched into space: an advanced (for the time) orbital platform known as The People’s Space Station, crewed only by Tajara.

This “space high” wore off rather quickly after the assassination. The few trained space captains and their vessels remained loyal to the PRA, being high ranking party members themselves. However, their crews were of a different opinion, and after a myriad of mutinies and sabotage, practically the whole fleet was unusable for the first half of the war. Eventually, PRA managed to manufacture its first fully militarized ship, the PNA Retaliation as well as restore their civilian crafts. Soon, many more decommissioned and outdated human ships would be purchased, and alongside the PNA Retaliation, they'd spend the rest of the war attempting to cut off smuggling supply lines of the DPRA and NKA.

Now peace reigns, but the PRA space navy still reigns supreme in the S'rand'marr system. Neither the DPRA nor NKA are capable of competing with the PRA, and still rely mostly on human contractors and illegal smugglers. This has led to both factions having a much smaller presence in galactic politics and their citizens usually have to make traveling purchases out of their own pocket. However, the recent acquisition of Gakal’Zaal and its spaceport has been a major shakeup in the space politics and it could spell the end of the PRA supremacy.

Civilian Ships and Installations

Civilian and foreign ships are a common sight around the resource-rich Adhomai. The SCC, CoC, Elyria, and independent contractors frequently fly in and out of Adhomai to trade or mine resources. The Federation has also been a more frequent sight due to their recent, relatively positive, interactions with the PRA.

In the past, ships owned by Tajara who were not citizens of the PRA would be confiscated by the state and the owner arrested. Now in times of peace, it is only PRA citizens who are not permitted to privately own a space vessel, however, they can function as government contractors and be lent a ship, provided they're a loyal party member. This doesn't mean NKA and DPRA Tajara have it easy, due to PRA's dominant supremacy all NKA and DPRA ships are searched if caught, any illegal goods they find are then immediately confiscated and sent to the PRA. The two other governments find it difficult to protect their citizens in this matter, their recommendation is to simply not get caught or become a government contractor, as PRA ships won't touch those out of fear of provoking war.

Freighter

Tajara designed freighters are similar in design to any other freighter, with the exception of added crudeness and a certain amateurish touch. There is one specialty, which is the emergency ejection system. Most Tajara freighters are capable of ditching their entire cargo load within seconds; leaving the goods for the pirates while the ship itself survives another day. Few captains use this system to make quick drops into hostile territories. This tactic is unpopular as very little cargo, or those supposed to receive said cargo, survive the impact.

Transport

Civilian transports of Tajara design are a rare sight, but they do exist. Built for survival in dangerous space, these ships boast both extremely thick plating and large, powerful engines. Making them some of the safest ships in The Badlands. This of course comes at the cost of comfort, the plating and engines leave little room for effective heat dispersal and during long and intense chases, passengers can even "cook alive" inside their cabins if they're close to the engines.

Mining Jacks

A skipjack would usually be seen in the hands of smugglers but Tajara have developed an ingenious way of mining. Instead of using a large ship to land on an asteroid and deploying a mining crew, these small, one-pilot Jacks simply cut away a part of an asteroid and take it back to a mining station. There it is processed while the skipjack flies off to the asteroid again. This also means that the crews are on their own, and if anything goes wrong they'll end up stranded and without any immediate help.

Scrapper

A frequent sight in Tajaran space are Scrappers. Crewed by three or five Tajara, these horseshoe-shaped ships use their electromagnets to latch onto other ships, after which they either two the ship into a nearby spaceyard or offer repairs on the spot. This service is free for PRA ships and used frequently, while foreigners often prepare to repair their own ships. Scrappers also frequently engage in "debris cleanup", towing unsalvagable ships or satellites into spaceyards to be scrapped and re-used. An urban legend persists that certain Scrappers tow healthy ships into scrap, hoping to steal other ships' contents after they are dismantled alongside the crew.

Smugglers

From the first revolution to the most recent Gakal’zaal uprising, smuggling has always played a large part in Tajara history. The DPRA in particular harbors very good relations with smugglers, keeping them more as a permanent asset rather than a quick hire. While the PRA would love to get rid of these smugglers, many arrive to Adhomai under legitimate corporate interests or at least masking as such. Giving them an uninterrupted way in and out.

People's Republic of Adhomai

Realizing that ship-combat is utterly different from naval or ground combat, the PRA developed a unique doctrine titled “The Blizzard”. It is defined by quick hit-and-run attacks of smaller interceptors while larger ships stand back as fire support. This has led to the Tajara fleets being very effective in eliminating pirates, but rather fragile in any other sustained combat. The PRA's Orbital Navy is led by an appointed Chief Naval Commander.

Organization of the PRA space forces.

Fang

Fangs are piloted interceptors with zero shielding, low armoring, unguided rockets, and ballistic machineguns. Their design is based on outdated alliance corvettes, reduced in weight so that they can fit onto carriers in large quantities. Fang pilots range from fresh-faced recruits to grizzled veterans, however, it is rare for a pilot of a Fang to reach his middle-age crisis.

Snowstorm

The newest addition to the Tajaran fleet, the Snowstorm is a small spacecraft. Operated by a pilot and a hacker, employing a wide range of signal disturbing, hacking, and intrusive technologies. These ships are capable of completely disabling even a destroyer, provided they are close enough. Hackers tend to shave the fur on body parts not covered by their jumpsuit, to prevent damaging the delicate electronics.

Icelance

A perfect reflection of Tajara doctrine, these ships are akin to artillery. Magnetic accelerators along the whole length of the ship fire titanium rods at supersonic speeds. Impossible to shoot down by gunners due to their thin profile, undetectable by conventional point-defense make these rods a deadly projectile. However, with a low fire rate, no armor, and slow speeds they are easy pickings for faster ships and other long-ranged ships.

Icelance GC-2 (Glacial Worm Type 2 variant)

The Icelance GC-2 differs in one thing, the main weapon. With advancements in technology PRA scientists have perfected the art of frost, thus the GC-2 variant comes equipped with a molecule retarder commonly known as a “Freeze Ray”. It is capable of instantly stopping engines, collapsing energy shields under their own weight, and blinding enemy pilots. This design also strains the battery much less, giving it a higher rate of fire.

Headmaster

The heaviest ship created by the People's Republic of Adhomai. As of now, it's the lightest heavy ship ever designed, barely staying above the classification of a cruiser. This makes the Headmaster very effective in resisting anything pirates can field while being able to keep up with the rest of the fleet. However, they do not stand a chance in a prolonged fight against anything its size. Recent bigger designs have been entering the testing phase, possibly opening the Tajara to larger-scale galactic operations.

Sentinel

A carrier ship, designed to ferry Fangs and assist with recharging the Icelance and Snowstorm class ships. It is the largest and bulkiest ship in the Tajara fleet, it was assumed that the Sentinel would be the primary target of enemy fire, in response the government spared no expense on this design. Boasting high armor, impressive shielding, point-defenses, and even Bluespace Disruptors purchased from Epsilon Eridani. Piloting this kind of ship is an honor of the highest degree and often left only to the most skilled of captains and pilots. Of course, the ships are also slow and expensive to upkeep and so many crewmembers jokingly call them “moving space stations”.

Kosmostrelki

People's Republic of Adhomai propaganda poster for the recruitment of the Kosmostrelki.

The PRA has always been known for substituting quality with quantity. However, this sentiment had to be tweaked for space combat as their ships, cheap as they are, are still hard and expensive to replace for the government. This makes the Kosmostrelki some of the best-trained troops in the PRA roster. The Kosmostrelki are usually trained in the martial art of Baghrar, both to instill discipline and help with their balance. They are also capable sharpshooters, understand advanced first aid, and are drilled in the repair and upkeep of the spaceships they inhabit. While there are specialized medics and engineers, all Kosmostrelki are expected to know how to improvise their way out of any emergency.

There is a rumor among other troops that the Kosmostrelki have a high amount of deserters. Due to how easy it would be to run away into space. However, these claims are unsupported.

Republican Defensive Robots

Most heavy Republican ships carry a detachment of very outdated combat robots brought from Solarian military surplus. They are equipped with forward-facing shielding, a power-saw, and various ballistic armaments. These robots operate with a team of 4 Kosmostrelki who are responsible for its continued operation and are only deployed in boarding actions where no hostages are expected. These robots have a rudimentary AI and can perform only the most simple tasks outside of combat.

The People's Republic was once unable to manufacture the defensive robots, relying solely on maintenance to make them sustainable. This changed in 2463 with the opening of the first Hadiist self-sufficient robotics factory. The PRA can now produce these automatons without external help.

Okon 001

The first observation post built on the moon, originally constructed by the Jargon Federation and named Site B2134. Its original purpose was to observe the Tajara people, but after their rapid ascension to space-age technology, the observation post was abandoned and sold to the PRA for a suspiciously low price. It was subsequently renamed to Okon 001, which translates to "Eye" in Siik'maas.

Afterward, it remained unused for several years due to a lack of trained Tajara scientists to operate it, leading to its disrepair. During the second revolution, it was manned by forty crewmembers, finally getting some much-needed maintenance. During this time it was used to spy on the enemy activity as well as reporting possible pirate and smuggling activity. This is the longest known official Tajara space deployment, lasting from the beginning of the second war until the end. Afterward, all forty-one crewmembers were inspected, and outside of the expected bone elongations, slight muscle entropy, and audio-visual hallucinations all were declared perfectly healthy.

Okon 001 is still in use, manned by much smaller crews of five who are rotated out every month and have varying skill levels depending on the mission they’re carrying out. Janitors, engineers, doctors, scientists, and even common miners have been part of Okon crew. Regardless, all Okon's crews modify their suits with lights, each one wearing a different color to recognize each other without having to use the radio. Many choose to keep them afterward.

Democratic People's Republic of Adhomai

The Democratic People's Republic of Adhomai's presence in space relies solely on the large fleet of smugglers sympathetic to the Al'mariist cause. However, projects to create some kind of military presence is currently underway.

Free Gakal'Zaal Station

Gakal'zaal station has been a very recent addition to the DPRA space capability. This addition has been heralded as a stepping stone to the first DPRA fleet, with its spaceyard capable of manufacturing up to medium-sized ships. The Free Gakal'zaal Station, originally known as Makar Castle, is an orbital station floating around the planet. The facility was built by the Unathi to serve as their seat of power; it was abandoned after the planet joined the Democratic People’s Republic. The facility was taken over by the Tajara and turned into a spaceport. It has also become a smuggler's haven, as thanks to them, the large-scale transports of men and materials were possible. Now they enjoy a degree of immunity from the authorities, creating a large black market on the station.

New Kingdom of Adhomai

The New Kingdom of Adhomai has the weakest grasp on space of all Adhomian factions. The Kingdom has made some progress in amending this issue by purchasing civilian ships from megacorporations.

Her Majesty’s Mercantile Flotilla

Established in 2463, the Her Majesty’s Mercantile Flotilla is a conglomerate of Royalist companies involved in intergalactic trade. Since the end of the Armistice, the New Kingdom has been purchasing civilian ships from NanoTrasen and Hephaestus Industries. These spacecraft were then sold to the Kingdom's national companies, under the condition that they would join a trading company under the government's supervision.

While the Mercantile Flotilla may bring wealth to the New Kingdom, it has further increased the economy's dependence on Megacorporations. Due to the lack of a proper space military force, the defense of the fleet is entirely dependent on protection contracts signed with extranational entities - such as the SCC. The New Kingdom is also unable to build ships; the Mercantile Flotilla relies solely on foreign corporations for repairs and acquiring new spacecraft.