When Titans Fall

Humanity lives in the deepest reaches of explored space in a vast region known as "The Frontier". It contains many well-known and inhabited solar systems, but many more worlds remain uncharted. Most people will never travel this far away from normal civilization, but for pioneers, explorers, mercenaries, outlaws, and soldiers - the Frontier offers both adventure and opportunity. The Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation originally funded many expeditions to the Frontier, promising veterans of their military campaigns in the "Core Systems" - the region of space containing the IMC's inhabited worlds (including Earth) - free land and other benefits in return for starting up businesses and colonies on the Frontier. Eventually, the IMC withdrew this support for several reasons, leaving the colonists stranded without outside assistance for more than one hundred years. Over time, life continued on the Frontier largely independent from the Core Systems. However, when the IMC returned hundreds of years later to claim eminent domain over the Frontier's land, people, and resources, the people of the Frontier united as the Frontier Militia, utilizing guerilla and terrorist actions to further their cause. Eventually, this led to the Titan Wars, a series of conflicts involving usage of the "Titan" platform - the ultimate evolution of modern-day powered exoskeletons. The war ended in a (presumed) IMC victory, solidifying their presence on the Frontier. For fifteen years, the IMC would relentlessly hunt down the Militia and push them to the verge of extinction. Titans are between 15-20 meter tall robotic exoskeletons that can operate autonomously, but work best when their user, the "Pilot" is manually controlling them from inside their cockpit. Titans are humanoid in shape, carrying a variety of weapons based upon their selected chassis and loadout. Titans are functionally sentient, with their own personalities, and build relationships with their pilot in order to become a more effective machine of war. There is no magic, everything in this world is based on technology. The Titans are not allowed into any enclosed space, meaning any area with a ceiling less than 8 meters. Titans can work independently, but are built to follow the lead of a Pilot, meaning that without their pilot they are at a disadvantage. Every Pilot should have ONE Titan, and every Titan has ONE Pilot. If a Pilot loses a Titan, the Pilot needs to find a way to build another. Only the IMC can build Titans, meaning that if a Militia pilot loses a Titan, they need to gain control of an IMC factory to build another. They can also work with a shadow organization, but that may come with a cost. All Titans have a "personality core" inside them. If a Pilot ejects from a Titan, leaving the personality core behind will cause the Titan to be killed. However, if the Pilot makes sure to secure the personality core before ejecting from a Titan's chassis, only the chassis will be destroyed. The Titan's personality and memories will live on in the handheld core, which can be inserted in another Titan chassis.

There are dozens of different worlds within the small galaxy that the IMC and Militia are vying for control in. The IMC has control over a majority of the galaxy, while the Militia is simply fighting to survive. The IMC controlled world "Demeter" controls the jump-gate in orbit around that world. Without that gate, the IMC will not be able to bring any reinforcements.

All IMC and Militia forces are human, fighting alongside their giant robotic creations; the Titans. There are feral alien species on certain planets, but nothing truly sentient.

The IMC and Militia are at war, and there are countless mercenaries working on both sides to make a profit. There are also shadow organizations with their own motives working within the galaxy.

There is no magic in this galaxy. The bond between a Pilot and a Titan does border on supernatural, though. Pilots and Titans connect through neurological communication, meaning they can feel what their partner is doing/about do to before it happens. Pilots and Titans can only verbally and textually communicate through heads-up-displays, though. Meaning without a helmet, the Pilot cannot talk to his Titan.

The IMC is testing new bombs with the capacity of causing the destruction of a whole planet. These bombs have enough force to shatter time and space around the point of detonation, meaning that no one knows what could come out of them.

The Militia were simply settlers for decades before the IMC arrived. By the time the Militia was formed, the IMC had already dominated the system. There are also alien ruins on certain planets, with possible advantages to be found, but no one knows who they were or where they came from.

The galaxy used a "Credit" based currency. Meaning physical credits. 1 credit is worth 1 crown. All planets use spaceship travel trade routes, which are vulnerable when not guarded.

Each planet has its own personal culture, who treat crime and punishment differently. The IMC controlled planets use IMC laws, which lean more towards imprisonment rather than death. Most planets treat mercenaries with neutrality, yet IMC planets will hunt Militia members, and Militia planets will treat IMC members with a restrained hostility. Solo Pilots and Titans are uncommon, but not looked down upon, as it usually means that the Pilot or Titan has lost their partner in battle.

There are shadow organizations in the galaxy that work to their own ends, constantly working to bring about their own realizations. No one knows how many there are, or what their goals are. They interfere in both IMC and Militia operations, but in such a way as to not give away their presence.