In order to protect member worlds, the Alliance created the Human Defense Force. Each member world contributes soldiers and equipment, but the force is commanded and maintained by the Alliance as a whole. The Alliance lacks much of the advanced technology of the Conduits and their followers, such as Battle Armour and gene-mods, and instead relies on using rapid deployment, heavy artillery, and sheer numbers in combat.
As the Alliance became established in the Sirius Sector, both as a diplomatic and military force, humans were gradually accepted as just another species within Sirius. Human worlds grew prosperous and even branched outwards, claiming and settling new worlds. However, rifts are starting to form in the Alliance now that the immediate threats of Sirius have subsided.
Disputes over resources, settlement, and expansion have led to more prosperous planets demanding more influence, while smaller worlds continue to demand autonomy. A delicate balance between the numerous interest groups within the alliance is maintained by those dedicated to ensuring its survival, but some fear that separatism or even a civil war may loom on the horizon.
How will you defend humanity’s new home in the stars?
History
Civil War
Humanity arrived in Sirius as a fleet of survivors who sought to escape a devastating Civil War. This fleet brought together several diverse groups with the common goal of escaping the war.
Arrival
The remaining refugee ships, having survived assault by the God King’s pursuing forces before becoming lost and scattered by the wormhole, attempted to settle wherever they could in this unfamiliar world.
Fledgling Worlds
The remaining colony fleets hurried to settle suitable worlds. Many of these colonies faced unexpected hardships, including discovering their world had already been claimed by other factions native to Sirius. Conflicts soon arose, and it was clear that the human survivors would have to work together to thrive in Sirius.
The Alliance
The Great Human Alliance, or GHA, was formed as a defensive alliance by a number of human settlements, in order to protect themselves and represent their interests to the other factions. These worlds set aside their differences and worked together to help ensure the safety of humanity’s new home in the Sirius sector.
Peacekeepers
In order to protect member worlds, the Alliance created the Human Defense Force. Each member world contributes soldiers and equipment, but the force is commanded and maintained by the Alliance as a whole. The human fleet that arrived in Sirius was not outfitted for war, they were not equipped with the advanced Battle Armour and Genetic manipulation of the Battle Brothers. As a result, the Human Defense Force has developed doctrines based on the use of rapid deployment, numbers, and heavy artillery in combat.
Prosperity
As the Great Human Alliance became established in the Sirius sector both as a diplomatic and military force, humans were gradually accepted as just another species within Sirius. Human worlds grew prosperous and even branched outwards, claiming and settling new worlds.
Fragments in the Alliance
As immediate threats of Sirius subsided, rifts soon formed within the GHA; some more prosperous planets demand more influence, while smaller colonies try to assert their independence.
Society
The Human Defense Force, or HDF, represents the military wing of the the Great Human Alliance, drawing their soldiers from the professionals, volunteers and sometimes conscripts of each member world. Little can be said about the overarching culture of the GHA without notable exceptions as a consequence of the diversity of cultures which the alliance contains. This has led to some internal tension, as member worlds constantly struggle with each other for additional autonomy or influence within the alliance. For the time being, however, the GHA has maintained a delicate balance between its members to maintain its alliance.
A Massive Organisation
The Human Defense Force is the military arm of the Great Human Alliance, the most powerful force in the Human Cluster. Most of its soldiers are there as part of a mandatory service required of every Alliance planet. The army is a melting pot of human cultures, and one reason the Human Alliance has remained relatively united, as those who serve in it go back to their planets with a sense of kinship with other humans that they might not have if they had never left their world. This diversity also has a downside, because managing such a force is a very complex organisational challenge. The hierarchy and bureaucracy overseeing the army is very large and labyrinthine. Orders arrive late or wrong, missions are unclear, resources are mislaid. A lot of soldiers learn to repair and modify their equipment with what is available locally when logistics fail them. While ever present, these problems are not insurmountable; many administrators work very hard to make sure that supplies and reinforcements are properly routed to those who need them.
Pragmatic Soldiers
The Human Defense Force manages to be relatively efficient, considering the diversity of its member worlds. Despite the complexities and logistical challenges, they have been largely successful in defending the interests of the Great Human Alliance’s interests. Often this involves moving their massive armies relatively quickly to where they need to be.
While the soldiers of the HDF rarely fight with the fanatic determination of the Battle Brothers, but they make use of this through solid combined arms tactics and a strategically applied reserves. Their commanders generally make use of every advantage they can get, from picking the field of battle to cut enemy supply lines, or simply retreating, if the battle is not worth the cost. The typical HDF soldier hopes to do their duty, survive and go home once their service is over. They will fight hard, especially if their comrades’ lives are at stake, but they won’t usually try to become martyrs.
Diverse Equipment
While a vast majority of the Human Defense Force has a standardised outfit and equipment, outliers exist. Some corners of the cluster can become isolated for a long time either through Jumpgate trouble or enemy encirclement. They will have to rely on local resources to produce their equipment, which can lead to some difference in arms and even uniforms. The same goes for regiments that specialise in specific fighting conditions, as well as smaller forces raised to handle a local conflict. Planets in the Human Alliance may even raise their own regiments from local veterans if they need to rapidly respond to a threat.
