Office of Mining and Core Purification (OMCP)

When a possible GIC mining or purification site has been spotted the OMCP send in surveyors and a small crew to evaluate the site. They send back a report to the GIC of estimated costs and projected return of investment. When and if mining or core purification begins the OMCP spearheads the operation. They estimate  needed security and also handle the transportation of the ore, minerals and raw coreanium. To make it short, OMCP is the heart of the GIC mining and planet harvesting operations.

GIC - Governmental Industrial Complex

Perseverance, Unity, Industry - This is the motto of the GIC. They are the ruling body of the Sirius galaxy. The core systems are shining beacons of civilization and safety. But the independence movement call it a dictatorship. A rule where only the illusion of democracy exists. However, free healthcare, a working welfare system and safety are things that many people find appealing.
In the core system most seem happy but out on the fringe they wonder...what right does one organization have to command a whole galaxy, its resources and the people?

In Stasis

Everything slows down and basically stops. Cell renewal is even affected, basically grinding to a halt and weeks or even months go by. Scientists can't explain it but you do dream in stasis.

Meet Alice LeDarm, a GIC operative specializing in assassinations. She's been suspended in stasis a couple of weeks on her way to a hit and the onboard computer is about to wake her up. As you can see she's not exactly the soft and cuddly type. As an avid practitioner of martial arts, weightlifting and parkour she's built for precision, strength and speed.

Drop Zone

Ah, another glorious day in the Border Guard. Low survival rate, the pay is a joke but at least you get dental and some rocket packs to play with.

The Border Guard is the cannon-fodder of the Governmental Industrial Complex. They're given basic training and sent into the field. Some get lucky and end up on a rather safe patrol rout while others are very unlucky and get dropped into a veritable meat grinder of violence.

But hey, those rocket packs do look sweet...And did we mention the dental?

Working Hard

We're planning to have the text for the core book proofed and ready sometime in November and at that point some more art should be pouring in. Our proofer and editor has been real busy lately with his studies and daytime job but it seems as his schedule is clearing up.

During the wait I've been able to finish up the text for Mission Control, a thirty page booklet which will be part of the GM-screen package. I've also worked about twenty five pages into Worlds, the book which details all the solar systems and their planets. This book is expected to land somewhere around two hundred pages.

We're also working hard on our pre-release free material. This consists of a twenty eight page full color graphic novel, a ten part video log youtube series and the fifty page quick-start which also contains a ready to play story. As you can imagine, we're quite busy.

The Sirius Galaxy

It's a vast galaxy and only a few systems have been made official, and even some of these are restricted. The Governmental Industrial Complex like to keep a lid on things. The Sirius galaxy offers a lot of opportunities but it's a perilous place. Months tick away as the crew travels through the ghost lines suspended in stasis. Raiders, rippers and even worse things can be found in the big empty.

The simplest of jobs can turn deadly out in the black. A distress call can take weeks or months to get through which also means it will take even longer for the help to arrive. Most deep space crews are on their own, left to fend for themselves. But that's the life...

Big thanks to the artists who have created the brushes and textures used for this image and thanks to the people behind the websites pulling them all together.  If I've for some reason missed anyone and you see part of your work here please give me a holler.  And of course, thanks to NASA for their public domain images.
 
www.brusheezy.com, PowerOfCreativity, MB-ArtisticSet-III, suztv, photoshoptutorials, Rebecca-Parker-Stock, crestfalleen, cvrgrl, webdesignerlab, www.obsidiandawn.com, texturemate, www.brushking.eu, Thomas Beal, Hitokiri147, crazykira-resources, DeviantArt

VPS - Void Psychosis Syndrome

No one knows what it is, or why it's spreading like wildfire. The infinitologists claim that it's the wrath of the universe while the psychiatric technicians says that it is a form of isolation sickness, feeding into the fears and mental weaknesses of the stricken. But no one knows.

Those who have been sucked into the maddening spiral of full blown VPS are a danger to themselves and others. Insomnia, paranoid delusions paired with homicidal and suicidal tendencies are just the tip of the iceberg.

Backwater & Speedpaints

So what is out there? Well, there is everything from the glistering steel towers in the core systems to the criminally operated space stations on the fringe. Mining operations, terraforming hubs and Ripper infested ships which sail through the void are but a small part of possible setting locations. The illustration below is one of my personal speedpaint favorites and shows the early stages of a mining colony set up on an un-terraformed world.

This next one shows how a group of exploring xenoarcheologists in the company of a scout makes a significant archeological find in the form of old alien ruins.

Ship Ahoy

This ship is a C-class Gargon model freighter. This particular one is the ship you will be flying in the ready to play adventure in the quickstart. So welcome to the Valhalla, in a couple of months you will be part of her crew. Trust me, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

What the hell is it?

Not friendly would be the short answer. This is a continuation of the creature design shown in earlier posts. We’re determined to keep at it until the antagonists in the C&D world are disturbing, nasty and deadly.

Science Researcher

In the world of C&D there is a great distinction between a scientist and a science researcher. The SR is seldom stationed for long as he is more inclined to find new angels and opportunities to turn into actual science. One can say that they’re the prospectors of the scientific world. They find new scientific materials and research, do the preliminary scientific work and sell the opportunity to their clients.

Scouts

The special training scouts go through allows them to handle the NETSS (Nano Environmental Tactical Stealth Suit), which renders them virtually invincible to the naked eye and most scanners. The mental strain of maintaining the stealth mode is extreme as the user has to actively interact with the interface, lining up environmental scans with his position. The outer skin of the suit consists of nanites which are capable of changing color and patterns as well as deflecting most scanners (such as IR and LIDAR).

Scouts are experts at getting behind enemy lines in order to obtain information or engage in sabotage with surgical precision. Their weapon of choice is a high-powered sniper rifle. 

The Core Harvesters

Mining, core harvesting and resource management is paramount for the continuation of the human species. In order to accumulate the vast resources needed to expand, the E-Class core harvesters were developed. These crafts are virtually cities of their own.

With a length of 2000 meters (about half the length of central park), a width of 500 meters and a height of 300 meters (about the height of the Eiffel Tower) they’re massive constructs. They contain approximately 30 decks and enough material to set up a large mining colony or several small ones. These beasts are out for months, carrying thousands of miners and engineers. We have our illustrator Henrik Karppinen to thank for this beautifully composed version of a Thor E-Class harvester. 

More Creatures

Recently we have begun to really get into the horror and creature aspect of the game. Our illustrator, Johan Fredriksson, have been working with some early black and white concepts which we’re quite happy with. Cold & Dark will have a nasty selection of inhuman antagonists. This bastard is not something you want to run into while taking a stroll down to engineering.

The Bridge

Here’s a conceptualization showing the bridge of an E-Class ship. These two kilometer long behemoths make out one of the most important parts of the mining industry.

More Freaking Packages!

What can I say? Working with Johan Fredriksson as an artist on this project makes the art direction fun! From the left: Scout, Site Engineer and the Prospector.