We'll start things off in an interesting way with something from mods, the 1.3 update, and the beta days of yore: the USCM.
The Good Old Days
I have been playing and enjoying the expansive Frackin' Universe mod (FU for short) for almost a year at the time of writing. In addition to adding things such as new weapons, planets, resources, and dungeons, a feature often not mentioned is that it (or some other mod it consumed along the way) adds back content that was cut from the game for some reason or another. The most prevalent are old dungeons, such as the atmospherically-pleasing Floran Hell (which is probably the only actual dungeon) and my personal favorite, the USCM Bunker.
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| Originally from Starbounder |
Anybody who played the beta for prolonged periods will immediately remember this dungeon, filled with quirky robots, military personnel logs, pulse rifles, and soldiers who wanted to kill you for some reason. I fondly remember stumbling upon one on a frozen moon and not knowing how to go down it without removing all the platforms (I didn't know the "S" key would move you downwards). As I mentioned, it always was my favorite, and I was very sad when it was removed in 1.0 when the Terrene Protectorate was introduced and did away with the human lore and the USCM.
By now, anyone not familiar with pre-release Starbound will be wondering what the USCM actually was. The United Systems Colonial Marines was essentially humanity's military; other than that, little was described of it in the game's lore--so expect some speculation from here on out. It's reasonable to assume it was charged with protecting the human race and the planet Earth before the Great Tentacle Corruption destroyed the latter and exiled the former out into space. After that, it probably adopted an isolationist policy and set up penal colonies on remote worlds to deal with escaping criminals (who later rioted, killed the guards, and took control). These penal colonies also were untouched by the 1.0 update and kept around while the bunkers were removed, making things a little confusing.
As I mentioned, these bunkers were restored in Frackin' Universe or a mod it incorporated, but no changes were made to the lore surrounding them (in fact, an update in mid-2017 actually restored the old lore logs you could find) or interactions/relations with the Terrene Protectorate. I filled that plot hole in by still assuming the USCM was a military organization that later joined with the Protectorate to protect and patrol its space (i.e. Earth/ the Sol system), and everything was great... until v. 1.3 came.
Everything Changed When 1.3 Attacked
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| The inside of a derelict USCM freighter. |
Naturally, it's impossible to reconcile these profiteers with the gung-ho beta/FU-restored USCM of old for multiple reasons (although without FU, the new USCM works to a degree). After trying to see how they could be the same, I have recently decided they are indeed different... to a degree. Here's what I think happened...
A History of the USCM
As humanity began to use FTL travel and set forth from the planet Earth, an increasing number of corporations decided to use this new technology to mine planets for resources and profit, as well as trade with the other races inhabiting the galaxy. Unfortunately, these traders found themselves beset by pirates, both alien and human. In addition, corporate miners often needed protection from the horrific monsters occupying many resource-laden planets. The initial solution to these problems was to hire mercenaries to protect ships and miners, but eventually it became too expensive and started digging into profits.
However, some corporations did manage to get enough funding to start their own private militias, and these would eventually merge into the Universal Space Corporate Military, or USCM. This independent military service initially pledged itself to protect its sponsors and their assets from harm, whether from space pirates or aliens. Their starships were state-of-the-art for the era, and their soldiers had years of military background.
This continued for decades until the sponsor corporations went bankrupt or otherwise became less dependent on the USCM for protection. The hardy personnel of the USCM decided to strike it out on their own and become independent of Earth, even developing aspirations to expand humanity's reach beyond their home planet and the Protectorate. Like the corporations they once sponsored, the USCM became obsessed with the pursuit of profit and exploiting whatever their ships and soldiers came across, no matter how dangerous it might be.
After a few years of success, the USCM began to face serious difficulties with money and personnel. Disgruntled soldiers began to mutiny and turn to space piracy to do what the USCM could not, prompting the establishment of penal colonies on remote worlds to both detain mutineers and keep everyone else in line. Around this time, the Miniknog took notice of the USCM and its nature, and began making preparations to eliminate it before it could threaten their interests. They decided to destroy it from within by entering into a research agreement to develop bioweapons to raid ships with. The final design, Project Parasprite, ended in disaster for the USCM as several prototypes "accidentally" got loose and killed everyone aboard. Finally, lack of personnel and funding prompted the organization's disbanding, though its abandoned starships and mutinied soldiers still can be found in remote systems today.
The wider galaxy assumed this was the end of this troublesome group of humans, but in fact it was an opportunity for them to turn over a new leaf. Surviving generals came together and proposed the foundation of a new USCM, devoted more to military service and defense rather than profit. Now calling itself the United Systems Colonial Marines, it pledged to defend all worlds and systems with a significant human presence. The new USCM managed to catch the attention of the Terrene Protectorate, and it wasn't long before negotiations began. Eventually, the USCM agreed to function as a security division of the Protectorate. While most high-ranking USCM personnel did establish a command post on Earth, the vast majority of the USCM's forces were deployed to bunkers and bases established on remote worlds, for rapid response and to allow it to continue functioning in the event that something happened to Earth.
This did indeed occur when the ancient might of The Ruin was unleashed upon Earth, crippling the Protectorate and killing untold billions. With the landscape of the galaxy massively changed, the USCM outposts became highly isolationist until USCM leadership could be located and devise a plan on what to do next.
However, some corporations did manage to get enough funding to start their own private militias, and these would eventually merge into the Universal Space Corporate Military, or USCM. This independent military service initially pledged itself to protect its sponsors and their assets from harm, whether from space pirates or aliens. Their starships were state-of-the-art for the era, and their soldiers had years of military background.
This continued for decades until the sponsor corporations went bankrupt or otherwise became less dependent on the USCM for protection. The hardy personnel of the USCM decided to strike it out on their own and become independent of Earth, even developing aspirations to expand humanity's reach beyond their home planet and the Protectorate. Like the corporations they once sponsored, the USCM became obsessed with the pursuit of profit and exploiting whatever their ships and soldiers came across, no matter how dangerous it might be.
After a few years of success, the USCM began to face serious difficulties with money and personnel. Disgruntled soldiers began to mutiny and turn to space piracy to do what the USCM could not, prompting the establishment of penal colonies on remote worlds to both detain mutineers and keep everyone else in line. Around this time, the Miniknog took notice of the USCM and its nature, and began making preparations to eliminate it before it could threaten their interests. They decided to destroy it from within by entering into a research agreement to develop bioweapons to raid ships with. The final design, Project Parasprite, ended in disaster for the USCM as several prototypes "accidentally" got loose and killed everyone aboard. Finally, lack of personnel and funding prompted the organization's disbanding, though its abandoned starships and mutinied soldiers still can be found in remote systems today.
The wider galaxy assumed this was the end of this troublesome group of humans, but in fact it was an opportunity for them to turn over a new leaf. Surviving generals came together and proposed the foundation of a new USCM, devoted more to military service and defense rather than profit. Now calling itself the United Systems Colonial Marines, it pledged to defend all worlds and systems with a significant human presence. The new USCM managed to catch the attention of the Terrene Protectorate, and it wasn't long before negotiations began. Eventually, the USCM agreed to function as a security division of the Protectorate. While most high-ranking USCM personnel did establish a command post on Earth, the vast majority of the USCM's forces were deployed to bunkers and bases established on remote worlds, for rapid response and to allow it to continue functioning in the event that something happened to Earth.This did indeed occur when the ancient might of The Ruin was unleashed upon Earth, crippling the Protectorate and killing untold billions. With the landscape of the galaxy massively changed, the USCM outposts became highly isolationist until USCM leadership could be located and devise a plan on what to do next.
Final Thoughts
That's my little write-up on the USCM and the reconciliation between its beta/FU and 1.3 versions. One notion I came up with is that the beta takes place after version 1.0, since the Protectorate doesn't exist and the USCM is the sole representation of the human race.
Regarding the lore itself, there probably are some things I overlooked and forgot about. I suppose that's okay since this was never meant to be the definitive account and just my personal speculation/headcanon. Feel free to make your voice heard.
Next time: Who actually runs the Letheia Corporation?
