The Earth 10 30th Century i.e. the campaign setting

First and foremost, the late 30th century of Earth 10 is an optimistic place. It draws on the same source material that informed early Star Trek, where humanity made it to space and didn’t screw it up. There we found other alien races and formed the United Planets, which serves as an equivalent to the European Union but with a stronger central bank so the economy doesn’t get whacked. The United Planets is not full of worlds of vice and decay – it has some worlds where the government is currently corrupt, but those worlds can be restored. There are lots of humanoid races who aren’t trying to kill each other, some of whom have species powers, and some of those form a team to improve the universe.

The universe is approached from a place of hope.

PAST INCARNATIONS of the Legion

Earth 1

Earth had a ‘great migration’ in the late 20th century where humanity built starships and went into space. Colony worlds had a millennium of history. Some colonists had used gene manipulation to give themselves species powers to survive on their new worlds. The universe was full of Sense of Wonder moments and instances of whimsy: the asteroid field where all the asteroids have been carved, Rushmore-like, into the heads of past people of note, teens getting powers by flying through comet tails, space Native Americans who fly the void with wings and pocket dimensions full of African descendants accessed by sonic wave portals in earnest-but-clumsy attempts at representation. The universe also held Khunds (brute force conquerors from high gravity worlds), Dominators (subtle, high tech conquerors with a strict caste system), Gil’dishpan (arrogant methane breathing slugs in encounter spheres) and other alien threats.

Earth 9

The aftermath of the 1990’s Invasion crossover where the Dominators mobilized the Khunds and other 20th century alien races (such as Hawkman's Thanagarians) left thousands of metagene humans seeded on various planets. These worlds stabilized over the last 1000 years, leading to dozens of planets with standardized species powers and limited memory of Earth culture. This universe, like all of Earth 9, is much darker: to give you a sense, the winged space Native American heroine gets her wings chopped off she becomes a gun-toting space bounty hunter, the Earth is destroyed, an attempt at a lighter reboot is revealed to be clones of the originals so there are now two of each hero floating around and Lord knows what else. (Yes, It’s the Python sketch where the Masons asked for a block of flats and the architect produced an abattoir.) The Earth 10 Legion is a response to that darkness.

THE UNITED PLANETS (UP)

The United Planets are the governmental body for close to 100 star-systems, each containing one or more colonized bodies. It has been a stable polity for more than 250 years, and the first Khund war required massive mobilization and resulted in considerable migration between systems, setting up a series of social connections between races that stays to this day.

The main things we need to know from a game perspective are

• that the UP is the supreme governing body, with a parliament and a prime minister. Individual planets refer to their governmental heads as Presidents (regardless of their actual political structure) or Kings/ Queens if they maintain a hereditary structure.
• that the UP Navy is the first line of defense against outside threats, is armed with top of the line ships but is being stretched thin with concerns of outside threats and growing issues of piracy and raiders.
• that the UP Diplomatic Corp does yeoman’s work trying to maintain the alliances between the core and the rim, between the rough and tumble majority and the socially prickly ‘polite worlds’ and are constantly looking for other sentient species that might be brought into the UP’s web of mutual defense treaties.
• The individual planets govern themselves within the baseline of UP law concerning individual human rights, commerce and regulation. There’s a sizable bureaucracy that maintains this
• The UP parliament meets on Charekesh, in New Metropolis, so the Legion will be pulled into things sooner or later. Eventually the Legion will become a linchpin of UP defense.

CHAREKESH SYSTEM

The star system has one planet in the habitable band and three gas giants and their moons – some of which have small outposts or colonies.

CHAREKESH

This is a 3:2 resonance world that contains a 'habitable band' that rotates around the planet. Three cities – Meridian City, Tropic City and Migration City – follow the habitable band, with Migration City being submerged. There are also three domed cities and other smaller domed communities that rest on the few landmasses on the planet, or resting on the ocean, or submerged in the ocean. The domes are required for the temperature variation of the long day/log night cycle, but Meridian City, Tropic City and Migration City rest in perpetual twilight (mitigated by moving further forward and back in the habitable band to modulate sunlight, coupled with artificial lightning) and comfortable temperatures.

This array of biomes means that Charekesh was the peaceful home to colonists of several different species (with different resource needs) prior to the formation of the United Planets. This, plus the relatively central location of the system in UP space, made Meridian City a prime shared/neutral location for the location of the UP's central government. It was named New Metropolis, but the name has problems sticking.

(The other two mobile cities became home to the UP bureaucracy, and had their names changed to New Hgegell and New Clade, after other key cities on UP planets; nobody remembers those names either.)

MERIDIAN CITY/NEW METROPOLIS

Meridian City follows the habitable band on an anti-gravity/hydrofoil platform. It tows a couple of annexes behind it, often places where dangerous experiments take place so they can be cut loose to separate them from the city if needed.

New Metropolis a cosmopolitan place, with some light industry, significant fishing and ocean based resource extraction, plentiful corporate offices designed to be near where the government is, lots of trade ships large and small coming through more because of its centrality than its governmental role and a sizable entertainment industry due to long-standing genres of UP Political Thrillers and Rogue Traders, plus the very filmable backdrop for romances.

NEW METROPOLIS ECONOMY AND NIGHTLIFE

The pay scale for the governmental staff is designed to give them a relatively low base wages coupled with subsidized apartments and large expense accounts. This drives a high degree of local liquidity as people need to go out to a lot of restaurants and shows or purchase locally sourced goods to maximize their effective income. This means lots of bars, nightclubs, lounge singers and theme events.

‘Meridian City is known for the breadth and variety of its nightclub scene, powered in part by an ordinance requiring a minimum of live entertainment for acquisition of a liquor license. This makes the UP capital a launch pad for any number of future interstellar acts….’ UP Tourist Guide, 2998 edition

• THE SOUND BODY: A club catering to the high energy, loud music crowd

• THE KITT-KATT: A family ice cream bar aimed at mid-20th century American kitsch.

MERIDIAN CITY UNIVERSITY

A decent-sized institute of higher learning, renowned for its biotech and political science departments.

“Meridian City University’s Biotechnology Department is a top tier research facility for comparing the various physiologies across UP Space. For practical reasons their access to specimens is limited, but Darvish Mal of Tellag has recently arranged a grant for the study of her home world’s fauna on one of the city’s trailing platforms, over the complaints of several concerned local citizens….” New Meridian Daily Planet.

• Darvish Mal: A Tellagi student of bio-engineering, Bubble Boy has a crush on her, while Hardo Sen was trying to secure her help for his condition.

THE CENTER FOR LAST CHANCE MEDICINE

A combination of super-high tech and ramshackle start up, the Center is on the bleeding edge of all aspects of medicine and technology in order to keep its wealthy patients alive just one more day.

“The Center for Last Chance Medicine exists solely on Charakesh due to the overlapping laws of the UP member species. More established medical providers consider the Center’s willingness to use treatment regimens of uncertain efficacy on the otherwise terminally ill to be an affront to medical ethics or perhaps an elaborate grift, but there are always desperate people willing to gamble, and the occasional patient of beats the odds, sometimes in spectacular ways….” UP Tourist Guide, 2998 edition.

• Dr. Plact: Dr. Plact, the administrator for the Center for Last Chance Medicine, a Wynathian man of extreme age. Of extreme age. He’s a brilliant, compassionate doctor, a canny bureaucrat and perhaps hiding a secret. A secret. And he has a distinct vocal tic. Vocal tic.

• Mons Wyla: A genius physicist working in the realms of ‘negative space’, Wyla was terminally wounded in an accident at his remote lab. He has been kept alive, if comatose, since then at the Center for Last Chance Medicine, where Miss Anima has been animating images of him to discuss his work with other scientists. The Legion is wary of this arrangement and is looking into who is paying for his treatment, and why.

THE UP DIPLOMATIC ACADEMY

Placed right near the seat of UP government, this institution trains the future members of the UP diplomatic corps, and some others….

“UP Diplomatic Academy: In addition to training more traditional diplomatic corps the Academy also has classes for citizens of the ‘polite worlds’ – whose social customs are markedly different from the other UP worlds – to train them as ambassadors for their people. Local authorities ask that younger tourists not go out of their way to offend these ambassadors in training…” UP Tourist Guide, 2998 edition.

• Professor Noah: A teacher at the Diplomatic Academy, he is in charge of the program for students from the “polite worlds”.

• Hlodor: A native of the dwarf star Robl, he is a reluctant student at the academy, afraid that his species natural territorial aggression combined with their enormous strength and gravity powers might harm those around him. Joining the Legion is the last thing on his mind.

• Jandar Cee: aka Dragon Maiden, Jandar takes drugs to prevent her species natural fight or flight reflex of breathing fore on people. She's reveling in the UP capitals nightlife and social scene to the neglect of her studies, but dreams of joining the Legion.

THE DAILY PLANET

Yes, it’s the United Planets’ capital’s paper of record.

• Oles Senn: Top reporter for the Daily Planet, he’s a contact of the Legion (Mr. Music and Bubble Boy, mostly…)

THE DAILY WHISPER

A ‘scandal rag’ known for its poor editing and conspiracy theories. Still, sometimes their wild theories can be useful clues.

NOTABLE RESIDENTS

The Legion has already made some powerful allies in their development as a super-hero club.

• RJ Brande: Potentially the wealthiest man in the UP, Brande, among other things, engineered the breakup of Cosmos Construction Corp 20 years ago, revitalizing moribund the ship design and construction industry in time to ramp up to face the Dominator threat. The Legion saved his life during their first action together. He calls them his “young lions”.

• Solicitor De Greyn: A Faeruni lawyer and politician, he has considerable political clout. The Legion saves his life and the life of his wife during their first action together. He is a story proponent of the Legion and acts as their free legal advisor.

THE NEW METROPOLIS SCIENCE POLICE

The Science Police are the UPs interplanetary law enforcement arm, akin to Interpol or the Federal Marshals + FBI. Most planets have their own local police forces, but the Legion will deal mostly with the SPs, in part because of where they are located and in part because of who the Legion are. The Science Police are capable in that way where they don’t necessarily need the support of the team of teenage supers but they don’t not need it either. Crime is subtle on United Planets core worlds, becoming overt further out to the rim. Not a surprise, since the SPs are more numerous on the core worlds and less so out on the rim.

Despite the ominous undertones of their name to a contemporary audience, the Science Police are unabashedly the good guys. They are an early 60’s white suburban teenager’s view of the FBI and the Ness Untouchables. Except they really are that: their internal cultures are spotlessly maintained in the ethos of serving and protecting the entire UP population without prejudice or preference, rewarded enough in compensation and public support to resist criminal temptations, trained enough to be able to handle situations from hostage-taking criminals to talking down domestic disputes. In the 30th century that we wish to have the Science Police are the best imaginable law enforcement arm.

They are not, however, omnipresent or omnipotent. There are still plenty of things where the young Legion can make a difference, and the SPs will welcome their support.

• Sergeant Zendak: A Science Police officer who has worked with the Legion.

• Officer Siobhan Erin: A Science Police officer who has worked with the Legion. The Legion doesn’t know it, but Siobhan is a Terran.

NEW METROPOLIS CRIMINALS

Yes, it's a nigh-utopian society, but people are still people

• THE COSMOS CLUB: The Legion are uncovering that Ande Liel, a former executive in Cosmos Construction Corp ruined when RJ Brande drove that monopoly out of business 20 years ago, is running the New Metropolis underworld from inside his nightclub. Liel is employing a clade of Wynathian mercenaries (perhaps his cousins or siblings based on appearances), and a mercenary explosives expert named Detona, in various crimes: the attempted killing of RJ Brande that brought the Legion together, the diverting of Davesh Mal’s shipment of Tellagi animals to Bat Island to steal them for his menagerie and an ambush to kill Hardo Sen, another Tellagi who had been investigating the animal theft. He might also be bankrolling White Raptor to recreate CCC. Recently he was deposed and Hardo Senn took control of his organization. His fate is unknown.

• MONSTER BOY: The Legion knows that Hardo Senn is a Telagi native who lost full use of his Force Fields during an accident while in the Tellagi wilds but gained the power to dominate animals. They also know he is a bit of a jerk who really dislikes Bubble Boy. After the Legion halted his attempt to destroy New Metropolis with Gamera (dragon turtles) he is presumed dead, knocked into the sea by one of Miss Anima’s creations. They do not know he was rescued by agents of the Cosmos Club, or that he quickly used his powers to depose Ande Lael and take control of his menagerie. He will doubtless return leading the Legion of Super-Monsters.

• WHITE RAPTOR: This Ganderian youth was working as a thief in New Metropolis, using his wings and camouflaged armor to gain access to inaccessible skyscraper apartments. White Raptor spent months stealing ship components designs from major corporations. The Legion caught him while making his hand off to Cosmos Club agents, and they know via Miss Anima’s Uncle Landon’s telepathy that he made a prior sale of the same data to women at the spaceport. It’s likely that he was selling the data both to Lael (to reform the Cosmos Construction Corp.) and some space pirates.

UP SPACE THREATS

The vast reaches of space afford ample opportunity for wrongdoing

PIRATES AND THE PIRATE KING

Inside UP space the biggest issue right now are pirates with warships left over from the last major war with the Dominators 15 years ago. These ships are outdated by the UP Navy, but not obsolete and pose a threat to shipping lanes. Future Boy’s incessant news trolling indicates that there may be an individual, a sort of Pirate King, uniting the individual ships into a more coherent force. It may be that White Raptor is working for this Pirate King, with the plans revealing weaknesses to vessels.

RIMBOR

A planet nestled safely inside UP space, Rimbor is proudly and actively not a UP member state. Instead it is an all but lawless island inside the UP's sea. Imagine a space Tortuga crossed with Sigma Iotia II from A Piece of the Action [1] and you'll get the idea. The UP lets this slide generally as long as there isn't any slavery on the planet, and most people who land there have bonds set aside with the UP to cover their getting off. Rimbor knows that if they violate these unwritten rules the UP can and will crush them.

ROXXAS, THE STARFINGER

While the pirates and their possible king confine themselves to attacking ships in flight, Roxxas is the leader of a large group of raiders who attack planetary outposts and strip them bare, leaving the colonists to survive without supplies and the hope of UP rescue. A former UP Navy Officer in good standing he suddenly went rogue, taking command of the raider ship he was meant to be capturing, abandoning his UP crew on an asteroid and assuming the mantle of the most wanted man in the UP. Roxxas is the nightmare story that central world parents use to scare their children, and rim planets don’t say his name out loud lest they summon him, instead using the sobriquet “Starfinger”. There are rumors he has an alien artifact of great power.

MERCENARY COMPANIES

Technically the Science Police, local law enforcement and the UP Navy provide all the security needed for civilization. However, some people want to hire people for extra muscle or security and turn to various Mercenary Companies. These Companies, while technically legal, are inevitably corrupted into a criminal element because people only hire them when they want to skirt the UP. Narratively, these are the dark mirror of the Service Organization model that the Legion follows.

• THE TAURUS GANG: The best example of this is the Taurus Gang, which started as a mercenary company to defend planets on the rim of the UP, then morphed into a protection racket, and then into a multi-system criminal cartel. The Science Police broke the Taurus Gang up 3 years ago, though some of their members, such as the criminal Black Mace, escaped. The Taurus Gang excelled because it had several enforcers from non-Wynathian Worlds, giving them an array of powers to draw on, and some strategically clever leadership. That leadership is all behind bars, so there is little chance of the Taurus Gang re-emerging as a threat….

• THE LEGION OF SUPER-THIEVES: [More Information Is Not Available At This Time]

The Entropy Monks

Renegades from the Space Monks of Cosmic Harmony, the Entropy Monks use their powers to spread chaos and disunion, with the goal of hastening the end of the universe.

ENEMIES OF THE UNITED PLANETS

Of course, there are always other empires outside their borders.

KHUNDS

Khunds are the setting’s big strong aggressive conqueror race – they are the Klingon or the Kzin equivalent. Pink skinned bipedal humanoids, broader and more muscular than humans, the Khunds have an ethos of (and economy driven by) expansion via conquest bred into their bones. Technologically equal to the UP, they excel in Bionics, and wounded warriors will replace lost organics with metal enhancement regularly. (Culturally you can’t just opt for bionics – you only get them as a result of action in combat; as such, heavily bionic Khund are also experienced.) The Khund have been expanding away from UP space, but UP strategists are sure that a push is coming soon.

It is speculated that Robot Boy's creators home planet is inside Khund space.

Species Power(s): Body Power – Dense Form: +2 Size, +4 Strength and Endurance; Bionics.

DOMINATORS

Dominators are the settings' subtle manipulative conqueror race – they are the Romulans or Puppeteers. Citrine skinned of lanky build, they are bipedal humanoids possessing fanged teeth in lipless mouths, long fingers with precise sharp claws, and bright red caste marks on their foreheads, Dominators make do with keen intellects, slightly superior technology and rigid discipline since their species doesn’t have mutation incidents. This serves them pretty well, as they are master manipulators – it is theorized that the original Cosmos Construction Corp was guided into existence by the Dominators to tie up UP ship and weapon design in moribund rent seeking, which let the Dominators widen the gap in respective technology in advance of the attack 20 years ago. (And if not for RJ Brande it would have worked even better!) That’s how far in advance and how deeply rooted Dominator planning is. They are species that has been doing this for so long than their original species name is lost and replaced with a descriptor of what they do.

Species Power(s): Heightened Intelligence A, Natural Weaponry +1/+1d2

GIL’DISHPAN

These are the wild card race, where the Legion is more likely to encounter individual threats than massed armies. The Gil’Dishpan are methane breathing slugs with single arms ending in club-like masses that can extrude delicate manipulators. Despite this unassuming appearance they are highly technologically adept, developed spaceflight despite being from a methane-covered gas giant and have been expanding ever since. The Gil’Dishpan cultural trait is arrogance – they don’t need to conquer or kill other species because the other species just aren’t worth it. They’ll ally with bipeds from time to time, but never without lording their superiority over people. Gil’Dishpan are also very prone to mutation events, so when you encounter one committing a crime they will have a power you didn’t expect.

Species Power(s): Life Support Device (their environment spheres), likely another power.