ICA

The Independent Civilian Advisory (ICA) is a faction in The Cycle.

Game
The Independent Civilian Advisory is a pseudo-political organization present on many permanent stations and settlements across Federal space. It exists with official recognition and support by the Federation to help set up civilian institutions and associations independent from any major companies or nations.

Officially, it's a non-profit organization that answers to the Federation and to the nation it operates under to ensure basic needs and freedoms for populations without interference by corporations. Less officially, it's the government in areas where there is no official, or effective, government.

The ICA's equipment offers a good mix of power and speed, making them well suited for any range of challenges on Fortuna III.

Lore
The Independent Civilian Advisory, more commonly known as the ICA or simply “civies”, is a pseudo-political organization present on many permanent stations and settlements across federal space. Created early on during humanity’s expansion into space, it originated from the need for organization after an environmental catastrophe crippled a growing colony, which was subsequently abandoned to its fate by the major corporations, without the infrastructure to support itself until the Federation could arrive to provide assistance.

The Federation officially recognizes and supports the ICA in its mission to help set up civilian institutions and associations, independent from any major companies or nations. In most situations this revolves around setting up workers’ unions, assisting new settlers, setting up necessary organizations, monitoring growing infrastructure, and so forth. Officially, it’s a non-profit organization that answers to the Federation and to the nation it operates under, to ensure basic needs and freedoms for populations without interference by corporations. Realistically, it’s the government in areas where there is no official, or effective, government.

On Prospect Station the ICA runs several companies and businesses needed to keep the station community healthy and acts as an interface between the official station owners, the corporations, the Federation, and Prospectors. Due to the precarious nature of life on Prospect Station, the ICA holds much greater relative power than it would under normal circumstances. In essence, it’s solely responsible for keeping the non-corporate population on the station alive and well. It’s not above ignoring the laws or dealing with criminal elements either, as long as this is in the interest of the station’s population or its continued semi-independence.

While the ICA has the responsibility to report to the federal authority, since the Federation provides it with legitimacy and limited support, on Prospect station it values freedom from the more “oppressing” facets of the Federation, the nations, and the greater corporations, and thus limits itself heavily.

Though it may not report the flaunting of many of the Federation’s laws and rules, it will not hesitate to raise the alarm if the corporations (or other entities) threaten the safety of the station population. This is something the other factions are keenly aware of, particularly given there are ICA affiliated agents embedded everywhere on Prospect; many in an official capacity (overseeing proper O2 and food distribution, deck/living-quarter representatives, etc.), but most being “normal” station civilians, station personnel, and lower tier corporate employees that simply have a perfectly legal interest in bettering their community.

"Independent Civilian Advisory",This should sound as boringly official as possible.
 * Dev Note

On Prospect station, the ICA is headed by a committee representing the various interests on the station: heads of districts, small business representatives, union heads, spiritual leaders, etc. The people that compose the ICA (as in, work full time or are heavily invested in it) primarily come from the first wave of settlers in the initial expedition – They are the people who lived on the planet itself and have been on the station long enough for it to truly be their home or even their place of birth. These people know better than anyone how to utilize the planet’s unique resources, and are best adapted to life on our fringe station.

The ICA is the oldest faction on Prospect, having been present on Fortuna III since before the Cycle began. Once the evacuation took place, the ICA changed its goals from establishing a colony to keeping the peace and assuring sustainability on Prospect station. They were the first to start hiring Prospectors to retrieve resources or perform small objectives while on the planet.

After years of relative stability on the station, ICA heads have shifted their focus to maintaining the status quo; the relative lawlessness is profitable for their pockets, and most people staying on or coming to the station want the frontier life, away from the Federation, nation states, or megacorps…

Weapons
ICA weapons are designed and made on the station, using what materials are available. They might be two common weapons combined and modified in order to use a different energy source, salvaged ship parts converted into a weapon, or perhaps a rifle that uses the properties of a planet-specific resource to charge itself. They have a distinct individual look, as they are not mass produced, even if they may use factory-made parts. The signature blue of standard edition ICA weapons, is thanks to one of their base materials: Blue Wood harvested from the trees found on the surface of Fortuna III.

LACERATOR
Building on the ICA’s own Shattergun, this battle rifle is tuned to discharge the crystalline shards it uses as ammunition in a more controlled and accurate burst.

Though less powerful than other rifles, the Lacerator is still a capable and accurate weapon at most ranges, boasting a decent fire rate, accuracy, and handling.

VOLTAIC BRUTE
Made of parts built on Prospect station with material from the surface and combined with salvaged components from power tools meant to build star ships, the “Brute” more than lives up to its name.

It offers high damage and a high rate of fire, but also suffers from significant recoil. While it can be difficult to control and loses power over range, few weapons are deadlier at close range!

HAZE LAUNCHER
While developing a velticite-powered plasma cannon, ICA scientists discovered that High Amplitude Zender Emissions had an effect remarkably similar to that of the energy field known as “The Cycle”. However, due to the rapid decay of the plasma fuelling them, these H.A.Z.E. fields are thankfully much shorter lived than the anomaly enveloping Fortuna III.

The Launchers projectiles create one of those highly dangerous fields upon impact. The operator can fire additional rounds into it in order to counteract the H.A.Z.E. field’s decay and even grow it, greatly increasing the area it affects. If the field reaches critical mass, it will explode in a devastating release of energy.