This is a mod for StarSector https://fractalsoftworks.com/
Check out my mod on the forums: https://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=18251.0
Overview:
Red Legion is a faction mod intending to add another polity faction to the game that is fun, represents a mid-level faction built on top of an original pirate force, and fits within the game's lore and vanilla balance. I intend to use this as a means of learning to make ships, weapons, a reasonable faction, integrate with Nexerelin, and even make some custom intel items and missions. In the end this will become a functional post-pirate force in a hotbed of interesting conflict systems.
My goal is to not only add some fun additional content, but explore a faction which could achieve the same small tech-powered nation-state the player can in mid-game to early late-game when they've established colonies and are trying not to be overwhelmed by jealous neighbors.
Features (To Be):
Mid-sized aggressive polity X new ships, X refits, X weapons, X hullmods 4 star systems, 3 of which are contested with other vanilla factions. Integration with Nexerelin Integration with Vayra's Integration with Commissioned Crews Boss Fight with the leadership of Red Legion - or take out their enemies as a commissioned officer in a series of Boss Fights against pirates, the Hegemony, and the Pathers
Dependencies: Requires LazyLib and GraphicsLib and MagicLib
Fluff:
Bandits roam about looking for the vulnerable who have something valuable. They take these to sustain themselves, but like an early hunter-gatherer this is inefficient for long term growth or survival. In time, a bandit will discover a place which provides them with everything they need. They set up shop, using their predilection for violence to protect their new home. These stationary bandits become kings, lords, and despots. Now they cannot flee from trouble - they must protect their investments and so they create laws and alliances. Now they are a polity. They create civilization.
One such bandit mercenary is Sable Crimson. After taking an impossible contract and completing it, the independent world which hired her could not pay. Instead, she took their planet and began exploiting it for her own needs. In time pirates former associates came seeking their cut, and conflict ensued. Seeing such terrible troubles, Lady Crimson ventured out to the rim in search of answers. In this time her husband, Frederick, was nearly killed and much of the Crimson Guard was destroyed protecting what little was theirs. Nigh upon the hour of their defeat did Lady Crimson return with a terrible and unknown warship. She crushed the fleets of the invaders and setup a new government. Her military oligarchy, the Red Legion, was formed from her former Crimson Guard with herself and her husband at the head. They struck out at once to conquer near-by worlds and even settle a few new ones. They roamed far to strike pirate outposts for the materials needed to establish basic infrastructure and their well-guarded freeports attracted immigration.
Hegemony Intelligence has long suspected the Red Legion has been using AI to bolster their administrative capabilities, and their ship production clearly involves a nano-forge with newly recovered blueprints. The invasion began after only a cycle of intelligence gathering. During this time the Red Legion used its special flagship and supporting fleet of advanced ships like a wrecking ball. With so many threats, the Hegemony was forced to adopt a more passive "wait and see" initiative for an opportune chance to strike.
The Red Legion expanded to encompass 4 star systems. They began to trade technology with corporate interests such as Tri-Tachyon. They continued to funnel material and ships into pirate and independent forces through free ports. They attracted a lot of Pather interest. They even located an old orbital ship-yard from the Domain-era. This was the time for the Hegemony to strike - with so many fronts open and the Red Legion stretched thin they pushed in to seize the ship-yard. Even now, the battle rages on.
The Red Legion represents a considerably useful faction. Be it a stronghold to conquer to strengthen your own realm, or a source of new technologies and plentiful salvage from their many conflicts. Perhaps you're looking for a new job? The Red Legion has room for new commissioned officers.
Details:
Ships:
Ships are broken down into a couple of design sets. The Red Legion has
Red Legion Ships - these are built from the presumably new blueprints they found and a few high-end refits. They are high tech ships with supplemental tech to make up for missing components and parts from the blueprints. Essentially they're mid-tier weapons and systems on high-tech hulls with some high-tech mods and abilities. They represent the bulk of the Red Legion ships and fleets and are the cutting edge of their "Strike Hard, Strike First" policy. Red Legion Auxiliary - these are the pirate ships, junk ships, refits of refits, and other low-tech and scav-tech ships which would normally make up desperate militias and pirate forces. They round out the additional roles and the rest of the Red Legion fleets. They make up the bulk of manufacturing outside of the capital, Argon. Without more advanced ship-yards or a nano-forge, most planets make due with supplementing their Red Legion Ships with these auxiliary hulls. Crimson Guard - these represent the old, custom ships of the elite forces which used to make up the mercenaries formerly known as the "Red Rangers". They have had numerous upgrades, custom refits, and additional tech loaded onto them. These are the elite guard built from the old world - lots of low-tech and pirate-tech bases with new equipment. Most of these ships are built as duelists and generalists in much the same way a StarFarer might build them. The few custom hulls are not produced directly, but are after-market upgrades applied and sold through the Red Legion orbital yards. Hell - Any ship design with "Hell" prefixed is a special after-forge design. These are upgraded, tuned, modded, and otherwise "premium" versions of the core Red Legion Ships. They are high-tech with high-cost addons. Expect these ships to be fancy and top of the line, but with often crippling costs. These are useful for the Red Legion because they can be used directly around the shipyards and perform short-range defensive strikes and home-fleet operations. For anyone else... well you'd better have quite the budget and be careful with these expensive High-tech ships. Crimson Dragons - Flying a pair of custom ships of an unknown design, it is possible you may encounter the Lady and Lord Crimson, or their mysterious friend, Drakas, in one of the 3 Crimson Dragons. Each represents a boss-like end game fight with the hopes you may salvage their ship. These unique modified ships are based off some prototype developed right around the collapse. Note, if you should ever conquer Argon Prime by taking the White Citadel (Nexerelin only) you will be able to recover the fourth Dragon they are building. This is a "fail-safe" way to end up with the ship for your own playthrough if you have the force of arms.
Systems:
Argon is the capital of the Red Legion. Contains their star-fortress, The White Citadel, their homeworld (formerly an independent planet) Argon Prime, and two supporting colonies providing organic and mineral wealth. Dawn is the hopeful expansion of new colonies that brought challenges to the Red Legion's control. A moderate independent world was conquered to offer a strong base, and a second planet has recently been terraformed and colonized, representing the technological capabilities the Red Legion has recently come to possess. This has attracted both pirate and Pather presence who have setup bases in the Dawn system. Gale is remarkable only because of the domain-era ship-yard discovered in system. The Hegemony has setup a pair of starbases to establish a foot-hold and claim the system. In response, the Red Legion has setup a starbase and colonized two small moons to provide material support in-system. The ship-yard appears to have become active, and has produced a small defensive fleet of autonomous defenses - in direct defiance of previous laws and doctrines! Tradewind is the fourth expansion which provides trade routes out to the rest of the sector, and ample ruins for tech-mining. A major freeport colony has been setup at a gas-giant, and Tri-Tachyon has established a light presence in system to establish easy trade access. However, sensing the "evils" of both groups, the Luddic Church has dispatched forces to establish a foot-hold in the region to disrupt both polities ongoing operations. With so many ruins in this system, it is clear the Luddites plan to "cleanse" them, but the Red Legion and Tri-Tachyon would prefer to exploit them.