Magnus Kuklōps, or the Grykians, are a bipedal species that typically colonize small planetoids with low gravity and poor atmosphere. The Grykians are a squat, muscular species with naturally strong bones produced by their planet's extreme gravity and deadly predators. A typical Grykian stands at around five feet five inches tall and weighs half a ton. Their skin is usually varying shades of orange. Grykians differ from most species in that they consume radiation for sustenance and strong concentrations of oxygen burn their skin. Because of this, Grykians typically wear protective suits when exposed to foreign atmospheres.

The Union are a xenophobic people. They fear and despise what they do not understand, and seek to destroy what they deem unholy or sinful. Extremely religious, Grykian culture revolves around the Holy Church of Haeni. Haeni is the goddess the people of Grykia worship as their sole deity and creator of all things. The Lunar Colonies are a group of united tribes, each guided by a chieftain. These chieftains form the Council of Twelve, the ruling body of the Lunar Colonies who follow the directives of the True Prophet. The True Prophet receives visions from the goddess and interprets them for the Council who wouldn't dare question the goddess or her prophet. Inter-tribe warfare is common in Grykian culture. The chieftains typically turn a blind eye toward the fighting as long as the people keep their squabbles contained to acceptable levels. Gladiatorial games are popular among the colonies as a means of satisfying the bloodlust of the common Cyclops.

The Grykian Union is made up of twelve tribes, with each tribe controlling the moons of a single planet. The star system is relatively normal, with an adequate number of habitable worlds surrounding a single yellow star. Each world is surrounded by multiple moons, which are used by the Grykians as their population centers. The Grykians use the planets to gather resources and for research purposes, however permanent settlements on any garden world are impossible due to millions of years of evolving on a dead planet. This dead planet is known as Tass, the birthplace of the Grykians and the alleged homeworld of Haeni herself. Millions of years ago, Tass suffered an apocalyptic level disaster that made the surface of the planet uninhabitable for almost all forms of life. The Grykians evolved from a group of hardy sea creatures that managed to adapt to the impossible climate change. A few other species stepped out of the disaster alongside the Grykians, and the planet lived on despite it's supposed death.

The capital moon of Grykia serves as the cultural and religious center of all of the Union. The entire moon is little more than a single city that takes up the entire mass of the moon. This is the primary seat of government within the Union.

The Keplan Gas Giant serves as the main source of Grykinium for the Lunar Colonies. Multiple space ports surround the gas giant, and use it as a place to refuel and mine for Grykinium within the Keplan Asteroid Belt.

The Grykian Union of Lunar Colonies is made up of twelve moon clusters. There are anywhere for five to a dozen colonies on a single moon, with each colony controlled by a mayor that is elected by that moon's governor. A moon and all of it's colonies are controlled by a single governor. Each moon cluster is controlled by a single tribe. These tribes are governed by a chieftain. These chieftains make up the Council of Twelve, the ruling body of the Union. The council possesses full executive authority over everything within the Union, with the exception for the High Church. The True Prophet serves as the voice of the goddess, and leads all things religious within the Union. The Council does not technically have to follow the advice of the prophet; however to do so would bring about great instability and rebellion, as the goddess is followed by all of the Union's population. So, in practice, the word of the prophet is law.

Society within a single tribe is split into multiple guilds. Each guild leader reports to the chieftain of their tribe. The guilds serve the greater good of the tribe, and the colonies as a whole. For a business to be successful, they must have the endorsement of their guild. Generally, Cyclopes are assigned to a guild at birth and must stay within the confines of the guild for the rest of their lives. The school system is split into different sectors with each sector assigned to a single guild. These sectors focus their efforts on teaching what will be relevant for a Cyclops' life within the guild. For example, a member of the political guild would learn about government and geopolitics. In contrast, a member of the economy guild would focus their education on mathematics. It is extremely rare for a Cyclops to switch guilds, especially later in their life cycle. The only reason a Cyclops might swap guilds is because they show signs of being naturally gifted in areas that would allow them to excel in another guild.

These are the average percentages of the population split into guilds:

Science Guild: 13%
Economy Guild: 15%
Political Guild: 5%
Military Guild: 25%
Religion Guild: 2%
Worker's Guild: 40%

Grykians are all members of a monotheistic religion called Haenism. The sole deity is the goddess Haeni, who made the universe and all that is within it. She voices her will through the True Prophet, a Grykian gifted with the ability to see and interpret visions from the goddess herself. The True Prophet writes all that he has learned down in the Holy Book of Ua. The Ua serves as the basis for all laws and culture within the Union. The True Prophet has no name, and has lived for millennium without aging a day. This is considered a miracle of Haeni due to most Grykians only having a lifespan of 200 years. There is not a single member of the Union whom does not follow the goddess. All members of society who have rejected her teachings have been labelled heretics and banished into the dark void of space.

Entertainment in the Union is very physical. They are not known for their art or music. Grykians prefer the art of combat. The most popular sport within the colonies come in the form of Gladiatorial games in which fighters are pitted against challenges that they must overcome lest they die. To be allowed to participate in these games is considered the highest honor, and gladiators are considered the most prestigious and famous celebrities in the entire solar system.

Other forms of entertainment include Anti-gravity ball, single combat (not to the death) and virtual reality simulations.

Entertainment, however, is not the main focus of Grykian society like many other species. No; Grykians are known for dedicating themselves to their work. Be it in any field, a Grykian prides himself on his contributions to the betterment of the colonies. Competition between rival guilds are common. These competitions are usually harmless or even helpful, causing Grykians to work even harder than usual to out do their peers and thus increasing profit. However, these competitions can spiral out of control and bitter rivalries are formed. Espionage, assassination, and kidnapping are quite common in guild life.

Grykia is the center of the Lunar Colonies cultures. It is also home to the headquarters for most major businesses and organizations. This city is considered the holiest relic of Grykian culture. Each Cyclops must make a pilgrimage to Grykia at least twice a year lest they be labeled a heretic. For an alien to step foot on the city's holy ground is considered the highest insult against the Union and it's goddess, and is considered an act of war.

The Grykians speak what is known as Yat Sodel, the common tongue. Dialects vary between tribes and colonies, however these dialects are not so different that Grykians from very different Lunar Colonies would not be able to communicate. Different dialects usually use their own slang terms for different things, and might have slightly different spellings for certain common words. This is usually the extent of

Religion Guild/The Holy Church of Haeni: Led by the True Prophet. Serves as the moral and cultural center of the Union. Men are usually given positions of command, while women (nuns) serve as the church's main body of manpower. Priests lead a single congregation. Bishops lead all of the churches on a single moon. Archbishops lead worship within their entire tribe.

Military Guild: (See military organization)

Science Guild: Led by Lady Hara Nabam. Serves as the technological and research portion of the Union's working class.

Economy Guild: Led by Secretary-Treasurer Jal Mauyen. Serves as the traders, business leaders, and tax collectors of the colonies. Controls the market and the supply and demand.

Worker's Guild: Led by Lord Yar Gapp. Serves in all positions of menial labor. Provides labor for agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and small businesses. Makes up the majority of the population.

Political Guild: Led by the Council of Twelve. Each colony appoints a Mayor, who reports directly to the Governor of the moon. Each governor reports to their chieftain. These chieftains make up the twelve leaders of the entire Union, and have executive control of the nation.

Describe the history of your nation prior to its transition into the True Vacuum universe.

The True Prophet has declared this a sign from the goddess herself. A new universe, surrounded by new aliens and cultures? It's obvious, in the prophet's eyes, that this is a command from Haeni to go out into all the universe and spread her name. For too long has her love been squandered and hidden away. All nations and all peoples should know of the great goddess and her deeds! They will all bow before her, offering their praise and worship in exchange for life in the glorious Union.

This is one of the only controversial visions the True Prophet has given. Grykians are xenophobic and steadfast in their beliefs. Now their goddess wants them to spread the truth of her name to other, lesser species? The Council of Twelve have taken it upon themselves to interpret this sign in a way that does not contradict the prophet yet pleases the people who doubt. The Grykian people are to spread the word, yes. But the goddess never specified how they should spread this word. So the council has decided that they shall spread the word through conquest and war. They will force the love of the goddess on others, or they will perish under Grykia's mighty sword. Long live the Union! Long live Haeni!

Anti-gravity implants: Devices designed to allow flight for an individual. They work by creating a small bubble around an individual's body which negates the gravity of the nearest celestial object, allowing the user complete 360 degree flight control at subluminal speeds

Armored Skin: The Grykian pride and joy. Armored Skin is the term used to describe the process all Grykians go through after birth where they are genetically enhanced with exponentially stronger bones and skin, and their nerves are clipped to increase pain tolerance. These enhancements allow a Grykian extreme environmental survivability, super strength and unparalleled durability. The Armored Skin is applied using powerful nanobots to further improve the Grykians already imposing frame. Extensive use of wonder materials and powerful liquid metal alloys are made throughout the procedure.

Energy Converting Implants: The means of which Grykians survive. You see, as a species, Grykians do not eat or drink. They absorb energy directly through their skin. These implants are designed to allow a Grykian to drastic increase the amount of energy they gain from the sun, as well as background radiation. This allows the Grykians to have increased endurance and require less rest than without these implants.

Quantum Entanglement Communication: When a pair of quantum-entangled particles is separated, a change to one particle will affect the other instantaneously, wherever it lies in the universe. QECs exploit this effect to transmit binary data any distance. Two pairs of entangled particles are necessary for transmission and reception. While QEC technology is extremely expensive and difficult to produce, it offers two enormous advantages. First, it allows instantaneous communication over any distance without reliance on the network of comm buoys, which is limited due to the sheer volume of space. Further, destruction of buoys hampers a foe’s military intelligence; comm buoys are the first targets of raiders in wartime. Second, quantum communications cannot be intercepted between source and destination, allowing no "wiretaps."

This division is charged with protecting the Lunar Colonies and the entire Solar System from invasion and attack. The Defense Division is led by High-General Hery Jakyr, a veteran military officer and strategic genius. The Defense Division is split into twelve brigades, with a single brigade protecting a single moon cluster. The brigade is strictly made up of tribe members from the moon cluster it is defending. These brigades are led by Sentinel-Generals who during times of peace usually assist the Political Guild with policing the tribes and enforcing the law.

When war is declared, the Defense Division usually moves into strategic positions at space stations near the edge of the Solar System. These positions are equipped with jammers that are designed to force the enemy to exit FTL travel surrounded by an entire defense brigade. These ambushes are the first line of defense in protecting the Union, and usually are the only defense needed.

However, when the enemy is prepared for this ambush and manages to overcome the defense brigades, they face the next line of defense: the population of the entire Union. While members of the Military Guild are trained to use their enhancements to maximum effectiveness, all Grykians are equally as powerful. Meaning that, any invading military force could find itself fighting a united militia numbering 42 billion strong.

The final defense is a last resort weapon developed by Grykian scientists. Hundreds of bombs filled with a deadly, evolving virus created by Grykian scientists centuries ago. These bombs are spread throughout the solar system, and exist as a means to wipe out all usable natural resources within the Union's territory and kill invaders who have defeated the Grykian people completely. Only the True Prophet knows of their existence, and is the only creature capable of triggering these stationary bombs.

The Offense Division serves as the sword of the Union. When the Council of Twelve declares war on another species, the Offense Division is called up and put into action. The Offense Division is led by High-General Ragg Huem, a relatively young officer who was promoted to this position when the old High-General disappeared along with the False Vaacum of the old universe. Ragg Heum is yet to prove himself as a competent replacement for the old leadership, and is eager for war to show that he is more than capable. The Offense Division is split into twelve brigades, with each brigade representing a single tribe. These brigades are led by Champion-Generals who report directly to High-General Ragg Heum. During times of peace, the Offense Division serves mostly as explorers who send out teams to scout nearby star systems for anomalies or other civilizations.

When war is declared by the Council of Twelve, the Offense fleets currently on exploration missions outside Union space are contacted via quantum entanglement communicators. These are far more efficient than the communication buoys used by Union Lunar Colonies in the context of communicating across the vast reaches of space. Each exploration fleet has two or three capital ships equipped with a QEC linked directly to military command. These fleets are ordered to converge near enemy territory, surrounding the opponent with multiple attack groups while the main offensive force, which comes from Union space, attacks the enemy directly. The fleets then come in from all sides and attack the enemy with incredible ferocity.

Grykian brigades only use two or possibly three capital class ships to transport their army over long distances. These ships lack any sort of offensive capabilities, and their shielding is only adequate. These ships exist as mobile command and control centers, having powerful engines, sensors, communication arrays, and warpdrive technology.

Grykians fight naval engagements very differently than more conventional races. The Grykians do not use large, cumbersome ships to lob shells at extreme ranges to win battles. Naval combat is fought by the Grykians using their flight and ability to survive in a vacuum. The infantry fly in squadrons and attack the much larger enemy ships and conquering them through boarding. The infantry can't stand long under the intense fire of a starship, but they're able to use their small size to evade the enemies largest guns and force their way aboard through airlocks and the like. These infantry use a variety of weapons to mow through these starships' crews and defenses, relying on their insane durability to muscle past anything the enemy can muster.

The Supply Division exists to serve the Offense and Defense Divisions. Generally, Supply exists to man the capital ships and protect and maintain supply lines. Supply also services communication buoys during wartime. Being assigned to the Supply Division is usually considered a punishment by servicemen.

A species of hideous slug-like aliens covered in strange extremities that experienced a sudden surge of social and scientific growth when the Voyager-1 space probe collided with their homeworld--surviving thanks to a near non-existent atmosphere and gelatinous envelope that surrounds the planet.

This in turn fostered a certain fanaticism for these benefactors from beyond the stars and the species became enamored with human culture, to the point of emulating it where applicable. Obsessed with showing off just how 'ennobled' they've become and 'humanizing' the less civilized species the come in contact with bitumans are actually pretty meddlesome as far as space fairing nations are concerned; even if they're damnably polite about it.

Bituman territory is developed in a repeating pattern. In the center lie decadent civilian systems sanctioned for pleasure seeking and artistic pursuit. Next we find more industrialized systems where materials are refined and produced. Lastly a shell of 'border systems' protects the previous two, housing a higher concentration of peacekeeping forces and security measures. Of course bleed over exists from one cross-section to the next, with trade and commerce connecting them (Think of it a spherical venn diagram) This sequence repeats over and over to the very edges of the Adipicracy's sphere of influence.

Moreover, nearly the whole hundred systems of Bituman space are bathed in the vibrant emissions of a massive nebula

Home System - The unimaginatively designated Bornthere system houses a series of high volume, low density planets orbiting a magnitude 12 binary star nearly four times as luminous as earth's sun. Firsthome is the third planet from this star and has a swampy almost gelatinous texture to the soil and an oxygenated envelope of something best described as jell-o holds most of the world's water. The remaining six planets either grow larger, lighter and drier as they approach the star or smaller, wetter and colder with distance. Of note Cantland, the closest planet to their sun has such low density that it would float on water and much of its atmosphere escapes in a comet-like tail.

Capital System - The Voyager's Grace system benefited a bit more from post-probe naming convention and is highly urbanized. Chosen mainly on the merits of beauty this system became the seed from which organized expansion grew. Voyager's Grace houses three worlds in total, Johnny B, Cascabel and *Whalesong noises*. Planetary 'triplets' they orbit their star at the same approximate distance approximately equidistant from each other. For sixty percent of any one planet's trip around the sun inhabitants may observe a nearby hypercompact stellar system in the night sky. The surface of these worlds could be considered a superstructures, since they have been built up, colored, carefully maintained (and on more than one occasion orbitally bombarded) to present a pictorial record of bituman achievement.

Adipicracy (rule by fat) A quasi-religious meritocracy where the largest (best) examples of their race occupy the most desirous positions. These primarchs form a democratic body where each individual is weighed at the time of a vote. It is the total weight of the voters, not the number of votes cast in favor or against that determines if a motion is passed. It's surprisingly efficient.

Bitumeno sapiens sapiens, bitumanity or just bitumans if you prefer resemble nothing so much as large, hairy slugs when they are born. These 'hairs' are actually fleshy electroreceptors through which they map their environment, so sensitive as to provide a sort of 'electrosonar'. In the thick, jell-o-like ooze of their homeworld this allows for individuals to monitor their neighbors rather precisely, a habit that's earned them an entirely justifiable reputation for being nosey. Four sensory tentacles protrude from their face--such as it is--these stalks being matched pairs of mechano- and chemosensory organs. If one could say they 'see' electric fields than so to do they 'hear' smells, their language based largely on chemical emission and detection. Uniquely this allows for any member of the species to leave 'messages' as a chemical footprint, which in turn gave rise to scent graffiti; their bathrooms are horrible.

Initially on the low rung of the evolutionary ladder and far end of the food chain a fluke of nature cemented their dominance. While lacking a proper brain they do possess knots of nerve cells capable of processing a myriad of sensory inputs and the larger a bituman grows the more numerous these knots become. The importance of this ties into their prehensile inner workings, which they may use to 'hermit crab.' bits of the recently slain onto themselves. Originally a survival mechanism for reattaching sections of themselves or graft to a mate appropriating the advantages of other fauna allowed for a level of predation and safety their species sorely lacked. Over time these new extremities are assimilated, taking on the same soft, seemingly fragile but surprisingly robust consistency as the rest of their host and grow a layer of electroreceptors. More importantly they gain control of the new appendage which serves to house new nerve clusters. Socially this means that bitumans associate smallness with stupidity and are much happier to interact with fat diplomats.

Technically genderless they give 'birth' by grafting onto a mate and the two dividing into several juveniles. As such they again associate size with virility. Beyond that they share many of the same peculiarities of terrestrial slugs, including an extreme susceptibility to water loss through osmosis.

A repressively civil society bitumans of all walks of life value little so much as manners, bearing and of course their own personal standing--and those that don't are remarkably good at keeping up the pretense. Perhaps one of the only species to make use of edible currency those driven enough to 'make it big' do so literally, for in the adipicracy girth equals worth. Ruled by a council of primarchs, selected from a monthly census as examples of the biggest (thus best) citizens; this system guarantees that only the most worthy are elevated to positions of power. While political parties are strictly outlawed for the sake of impartiality there are two accepted schools of thought on national policy: focusing on how aggressively uncivilized space should be 'humanized.' One end of the spectrum suggests leading by example and encouraging others to emulate them, the other preaches a doctrine where 'savage' species are actively sought out and reformed, whether they wish it or not.

Furthermore bitumans tend to specialize themselves as they mature, acquiring the experience, knowledge and not least of all anatomy necessary for certain career paths. Essentially the 'Mr. Potato Heads' of the universe for their ability to assimilate freshly acquired body parts an observer can usually get a good feel for an individual's interests and field of expertise with a cursory examination. This leads to anatomy being treated as personal property in the eyes of the law, and thus subject to confiscation if misused. Likewise body parts are regulated like any other commodity and make up a respectable portion of their markets.

Very much a people defined by the arrival of voyager-1 and its golden record they've modeled themselves in the enlightened image of humanity that the probe depicts, having barely invented a technology analogous to the phonograph beforehand. Where once recreational senses like sight and hearing had been niche interests the wealth of things to see and hear within the object sparked a planetwide phenomenon that persists to this day. Since then they've fostered their own artistic growth and have arguably surpassed all others in this endeavor--from cities to starships, clothing and cuisine beauty abounds. It has to, as the absence of such constitutes a finable offense.

Conversely their architecture ranges from difficult to impossible for bipedal organisms to traverse, designed around the ability to adhere to sheer, smooth surfaces. As such they tend to design tourist tracks for any such visitors--keeping certain areas inaccessible for the sake of privacy or peace of mind.

What is the history of a nation to outsiders but the same tired play they've seen before performed by actors they've never heard of? Regimes that come and go, nations that rise and fall, the tides of war and peace pitted with the death and rebirth of knowledge. Etc. Etc. ad nauseam. Like all superpowers it started with a single planet and an unlikely animal making the impossible possible one thought at a time. Not much of note could be said of those early eras, they were a pragmatic people but needed a kick in the ass. The universe obliged.

Now each culture has that defining moment. One event so relevant to how they evolved socially that history gets chopped into pre and post right then and there. For the bitumans it was receiving a message in a bottle by way of the voyager space probe, which just so happened to coincided perfectly with the invention of the phonograph and thousands of years of not giving a hot heck about outer space. Somehow between one half the witnesses rushing over to worship the thing and the other thinking they were under attack someone with a few thoughts to rub together gets ahold of it and sees the thing for what it is. Hard not to looking back, considering how much trouble those that built it went through when making the instructions. That golden disc may as well of been handed down by some almighty for how it effected people--it wasn't just like looking at another world it was like staring into the future and what might be accomplished there.

It's damned impressive what enough people can do when they set their minds to the same goal and let it be said there wasn't a single mind didn't want to see what other secrets the probe held. In time they had it all, even disassembled voyager and reverse engineered it. Culture bloomed, science took off by the seat of its pants and the old divisions of race and nationality began to fade. But hey, that's that story we've all heard before isn't it? Regimes that come and go, nations that rise and fall, the tides of war and peace pitted with the death and rebirth of knowledge. Etc. Etc. ad nauseam. Just moved the show to a bigger stage. So the era catches up with folks and they need that second boot to come around, well don't it just suit whomever's watching to kick a little harder this time. The universe obliged in a big way.

See that thing about pre and post awhile back has a way of repeating itself (and with history ain't that just the way?) So if someone were to ask about bituman history they'd get a simple question in return:

Where should we start? Pre-True Vacuum or after?

Officially the populace is to keep a stiff upper pneumostome about the whole affair, as it ill behooves them to get their wigglies in a twist over the sudden displacement. Oh it's all well and fine to be irked surely but now is the time for actions not hysterics. At the end of the day there's an awful lot of unfamiliar dots on the horizon and someone's going to have to sort that out before all the good names are taken.

Surely given the previous breadth of creation the adipicracy is unlikely to be the only system-spanning space power to have survived relatively unscathed, a notion that's somehow less comforting than being the sole inheritors of an empty Eden. But this does bring a small measure of hope that there may yet be time for that momentous first contact between themselves and humanity, assuming they too endured this cataclysm.

Lastly the improbable cookie-cutter cordoning of their territory into the true vacuum seems to point towards this being a deliberate action, some of the more eccentric thinkers suggesting the nation was 'pulled' here at the behest of powerful aliens. But then, decent folk don't lend much credence to these crackpot theories.

Predictive Imaging - A joint effort of the late, great ultraprimarchs Elderrime and Oddtallow the predictive imaging technology of today is owed much to the 'prognostication theorem' of their colleague and rival Ser Drywort Deeptang. The theorem posits that due to the deterministic nature of creation an observer of sufficient intellect can accurately predict its future state via analysis of present conditions. Much as one might deduce past events in a similar manner. Deeptang's body of life's work then was a algorithmic compendium of 'shorthand' for this process, therein allowing one to simplify the equations and become 'minutely omniscient'

In practice the device takes a detailed 'snap-shot' of a region of space using a sophisticated and prohibitively expensive array of sensors then feeds that raw data to its operator. This prognostitian then immediately begins to ply their trade, attempting to sort and 'solve' the information it's been given at a fast enough pace to prove useful. Inherently they cannot account for interactions from outside the 'cropped' area, and thus produce a larger margin of error the more time elapses between each 'blip' of the array. Likewise communicating the predicted state and acting on this foreknowledge 'fouls' the equation by inserting new factors. Finally any object 'escaping' the analyzed region can no longer be calculated accurately.

All of the above means that the only effective military application of this technology is in a manner similar to sonar, providing a brief 'ghost' image of where something will be a scant few seconds before it gets there. Still, this results in the bituman navy having superior 'leading' on their weapons when compared to other regional powers, so long as they can protect the prognostitian and his vessel.

The Centerpiece Initiative - An ongoing effort by bituman society as a whole the centerpiece initiative demands not only minimum standards of beauty by law, but enforces a certain editorial control via the ultraprimacy. This means that not only does every facet of their culture a exude a certain artistic merit but fits carefully into the overall composition of Adipician space. Through the careful vetting and occasional excisement of available sights and stimuli this creates a web of subliminal influence designed to have broad appeal and personal draw. In other words it is almost impossible for a creature of above animal intelligence not to have at least a cursory appreciation of bituman art--and the longer one is subjected to it the more receptive they become to integration.

Advanced Time Dilation - Bitumans have developed a type of surprisingly inexpensive, yet power intensive emitter capable of projecting fields of sustained time dilation. Positive emitters cause effected objects to move the same speed over a much shorter period of time whereas negative emitters cause the reverse, acting as 'stasis fields'. While more widely seen in civilian use (Accelerated crop yields, the indefinite preservation of perishables, scientific observation) The bituman military eschews standard shielding in favor of so-called 'dilative armor'--a fancy way to say they intercept enemy fire via imposing a thin stasis barrier between it and themselves. While able to take more of a wallop than conventional countermeasures the associated energy costs prohibit protecting an entire vessel this way, making them much more vulnerable to flanking. This also means that to avoid taking the full brunt of fire accumulated on a shield a ship must either carefully reposition itself or make precision use of point defense systems before disengaging stasis.



Substandard Healthcare - Bituman's are really quite resistant to mundane sources of injury, able to knead themselves back together given the necessary respite. As such they prefer to excise sickness rather than treat it, and tend to prescribe 'eat more' over anything even remotely akin to medicine. Hospitals are a rarity in space they control, existing mostly as a way to quarantine the ill and hope they tough it out, with the smallest bitumans being the most susceptible.

Absent A.I.s - Given that size is a direct measure of bituman intelligence they've never had a real need for advanced artificial intelligence, as any that would be in a position to make use of one are generally on par with what technology could provide. Certain subversive elements would have you believe this to keep the inprocerian masses over-reliant to the adipician minority.

The Aid Division - The most upright and adored daredevils this side of the Archon cluster the aid division risk their lives to clear disabled ships and shuttles from the crossfire, piloting sleek interceptors armed solely with stasis emitters and tow lines. Their heroism is legendary, with reports ranging from ramming disabled vessels clear of the battleground to deliberately steering their own ships into missiles.

PIEs - Predictive Imaging Equipment is deployed at the most protected point of a fleet, usually the rear or center-rear. Unarmed, unarmored and unshielded this is a delicate probe and communications relay manned by an equally inexpendable prognostician. PIEs act to enhance the leading of fleetwide weaponry not directly engage them and are appropriately defenseless.

Fleet Composition - The Bituman Peacefleet believes in safety through deterrence and to that end relies heavily on spinal mounts--fixed forward facing weaponry that each ship is built around. These designs favor a long linear profile and allow even smaller vessels to bring a big gun to the fight. Due to the larger target bituman vessels present to flankers the peacefleet begins engagements at ranges that could only be considered extreme and co-ordinate their patterns of fire to 'herd' opponents.

Like the Eym Bitumans make use of meson weaponry, with the caveat that their spinal mounted 'space artillery' are too high yield for short range engagements. For those unfamiliar with the mechanics of this:

Pi neutral mesons (created by the collision of an electron and a positron) are subatomic particles that pass through normal matter with very little interaction, similarly to neutrinos. However, the also have a very short life span, decaying with a burst of gamma rays, which reacts much more substantially with material substances. A meson gun accelerates pi neutral meson particles to near-lightspeed, where time dilation slows their rate of decay. If done with precision, the mesons can be timed to decay at a predetermined spot, and if packed densely enough in the beam they can unleash a tremendous amount of energy, approaching the level of nuclear bombs.

In general the peacefleet if fairly good at maintaining distance, preferring a tactical use of FTL if pressed into spitting distance and bristle with point defense for when missiles or fighters try to slip around their guard.

Special Use Weaponry - Again, it cannot be stressed how much bitumans like to distance themselves from the thick of a fray. Any significant fleet to fleet police action will see the use of FTL missile platforms, their strikes co-coordinated via comms buoy. Usually repurposed superfrieghters these platforms rarely cost as much as their payload and function under skeleton crews on the off chance a formation breaks off to engage them.

SAPs - Bitumans prefer to launch aerial air denial systems during ground engagements than engaging in dogfights (where there are considerably less non-lethal options at their disposal) As such Seek And Protect systems are engaged on mass, agile drones that attach themselves to aircraft and sap their energy to the point of a forced landing. These mobile minefields lack machine intelligence and give chase in a purely reactionary manner.

SADs - The second line of defense, gnat sized Seek And Destroy drones that pepper anything in the air with micro explosions. Small enough that a pilot must continue to sustain damage (willfully endangering himself) to be shot down. Even larger vessels can succumb to a death by a thousand cuts should the SADs make their way into air intakes, engines or interiors. These mobile minefields lack machine intelligence and give chase in a purely reactionary manner.


Should this two pronged attack not force a withdraw from aerial forces AA gads are deployed, usually more than enough to slice through the weakened airforce.

The Inprocerian Peacekeeping Corps - The rank and file of any planetary engagement these officers don distinctive shell-like armor in much the same way as a snail. With more in common with mobile turrets than traditional infantry they act area denial, able to provide overwatch from any surface they can stick themselves too.

Though heavily armored for a foot soldier such defenses fall short against heavy infantry, powered armor, vehicles and grenades.

Inprocerian Peacekeepers come equipped with triangular weapon (Integrated into their armor) that fires either non-lethal pellets of foam which expand and harden on impact or a high penetration 'particle needle' as the situation demands.

The Adipician Honor Brigades - A special levee from the lower end of the adipician social totem the honor brigades are a self-equipped, fully autonomous organization deployed in a support role alongside general peacekeepers. A combination of size, skill and flair sets them apart from their lesser comrades, eager to the last to turn combat into art

With the approximately stature of moving vans they shoulder a greater burden then their hippo sized inprocerian counterparts, favoring outlandish designs on their exterior armor. Though modest wealth affords them greater personalization two stipulation cement their role:

*They must have a means of effectively dispensing non-lethal foam
*They must be able to engage enemy armor

Since its inception the brigade has seen foam dispensed in every way imaginable (from sprays, bombs, scattershot and cannons to an impractically close range 'net' rigged with pellets) and vehicles destroyed with everything from heat rays to anti-tank hammers. Hovering on a cushion of air seems to be the favored mode of transport but the alternatives are no less eccentric.

Gadabouts - Spherical transports that can climb uneven terrain via intermolecular bonding of the exterior. The concession being that damaging the outer armor can make that section lose its 'stick' and limit driver maneuverability. They range from civilian models and personal transports to heavily armored APC variants, ball tanks and 'pop-out' artillery. All gads are submersible, able to act like rolling bathyspheres.

The Unity of C'ran is a heterogeneous state, therefore being more varied than some nations but less diverse than others. Before the collapse of the False Vacuum, C'ran was an isolated power, having never encountered any other civilizations in its vast galaxy, leaving the three species of the nation alone in a sea of stars. With the emergence of the True Vacuum universe, C'ran seeks to assert itself, utilizing the developed infrastructure of their territory to further expansion into the stars.

As a whole, C'ran is a rather peaceful and cooperative nation, although having no prior experience with any other intelligent life for millenia leaves them naive as to international relations. However, records of interactions with the Grecians and Drones upon their discovery is studied to recall possible protocols for encountering new nations in the universe.

Densely populated and inhabiting a wide array of planetary environs, C'ran expands slowly but effectively, harnessing vast amounts of resources and personnel to secure and develop colonies before advancing forward. However, expeditionary units travel among the void, establishing control over nearby star systems so as to ease transition and prevent any possible outsiders from claiming C'ran's future territory.

C'ran was fortunate during the collapse of the True Vacuum, seeing their entire territory transplanted into the new True Vacuum universe unlike some other nations. Before the Collapse, C'ran held forty-two systems and approximately sixty-four colonies of varying size, most fairly developed, although some are little than mining and extraction stations. In addition to these colonies, there are thirteen territories administrated by C'ran that are not completely integrated into the Greater Unity.

Separate from the held territories are several extra-Unity systems patrolled by C'ran military units, scouting potential colonies and forming a front against possible encounters with other nations.

C'ran's home system, Marukesh, hosts a main sequence star of approximately 2 solar masses with eight orbiting planets. Of the eight, only three are inhabited. The first of three inhabited planets is Allaris, a volcanic world of two Earth masses toxic to most creatures that are not adapted to the conditions of the surface. In addition, it is the home world and former capital of C'ran.

Second of the inhabited planets is Sarok, a world very similar to Allaris. Approximately one earth mass, this planet now serves as the capital of the Unity of C'ran with a majority of the civil structures built away from the most active regions. The fourth most populated planet in C'ran, most habitations are built below ground although a significant presence is still maintained on the surface.

The final inhabited planet in Marukesh is Narth, a world more akin to ones inhabited by other human-like races. 1.2 Earth masses, the planet is home to a majority of the non-Sakari that inhabit the Marukesh system as the volcanic planets are usually viewed as too hostile for extended stay by the other species of the Unity. Much of C'ran's military research occurs on Narth and Allaris due to their centralized and heavily guarded location.

Semi-Elective Oligarchy: The government of the Unity controls a medium number of societal functions, primarily that of healthcare, public services such as transportation, and general regulation/law-making. A council of twenty-nine members oversees the overall management of the nation. Three of the seats are permanently given to the Etharias Consortium, who can assign the seats in whatever manner they desire. The remaining twenty-six seats are initially chosen by popular election and subsequent terms maintained in such a manner. However, the Council members may decide to appoint a member to a position arbitrarily if a majority of the current Council agrees with the proposed member.

The thirteen administered territories are home to the Drones, not fully integrated into the rest of the Unity. Treaty maintains that the semi-independent territories may govern themselves, but are subject to oversight by Council-appointed officials and hand over all military and extra-national negotiations to the Council. Full union was never achieved after a short yet bloody war between the Unity and the Drones in which Unity forces accomplished nothing better than Pyrrhic victories, causing them to seek a compromise of peace with the Drones. Despite earlier conflict, the Drones seemingly serve the rest of C'ran well.
Special Subsidiary Bodies
The Inspectorum: Part Internal Affairs and part Inquisition, the Inspectorum oversees the other branches and conducts the clandestine operations of the Unity. They have the power to do whatever is necessary for the greater good of the nation, no matter the cost in lives or resources.

The Extranus: Responsible for commerce and some foreign policy, the Extranus is unique in that half of the branch is composed of members from the Etharias Consortium.

Tell us about important Social and Population demographics and dialectics. Castes, classes, social hierarchy, standards of living, cultural norms, that sort of thing. Give us a broad overview of society as a whole and a bit of a more personal look at the life of the individual.

The Etharias Consortium: The Etharias Consortium constitutes the largest non-governmental organization in Unity space, a massive conglomeration of companies under one banner that is responsible for a vast number of day-to-day functions within the Unity. Despite their size and power, they do not supplant all smaller businesses due to restrictive laws set in place by the Council.

The Church Vaterni: A religious organization originating within the Grecian species, a significant minority of the Unity- both Sakari and Grecian- follow the Vaterni Church and it's teachings of supremacy, creating a slightly xenophobic tension within the Unity.

Describe the history of your nation prior to its transition into the True Vacuum universe.

For a majority of the public, the collapse of the False Vacuum has been nothing if unnoticed. No pretense at secrecy was made by the government of the Unity, officials revealing the sudden and unexpected change in the surrounding universe in a rather blunt manner. Some worry about possible encounters with overly-belligerent species, causing a slight spike in military production and activity which currently continues. Others see the creation of this new universe to be a wonder, allowing unprecedented opportunities, especially for trade and expansion. Concern is generally limited to the higher-level officials. A rise in subscription to the Church Vaterni has been noted following this event, the Collapse being viewed as a holy event.

Describe important and noteworthy technological innovations here. You can either describe everything in this one hider or, if individual bits and pieces are particularly long/important, you can stash them all in multiple hiders. Military technology, while important, is not the only thing that should be covered. Show us technology as it is used throughout your civilization.