Implosion turbines work according to the spiraling rhythmic motions of nature (bio-mimicry). The vortex inside is like a pump that is expanding and contracting by compressing the scalar wave-fields of the atomic elements centripetally as they pass through them and simultaneously expanding them centrifugally as they exit. These motions produce energy from water or air without chemically (explosively) converting either into inferior products like toxic waste or air pollution. The air and water that pass through the implosion turbines undergo a transformation of size from their normal wave-fields to extremely compressed ones at the turbine’s vortex center (the fulcrum point of the organic vacuum) and back again to normal size as they exit the turbine. This sets up an equal, but unbalanced rhythmic interchange of perpetual generation and regeneration, simulating the processes which power our Universe and give it, it’s form.

The temperature differences due to internal friction (the outer casing) in these implosion turbines and the much cooler vortex center, sets up more imbalance and the molecular sorting by weight due to centrifugal and centripetal motions adds more still, so that a rhythmical imbalance is ravenously seeking to balance itself by sucking in more air or water to relieve it’s excited condition of imbalance. There is also a process of atomic transformation which takes place as the atmospheric and aqueous elements interact with each other in this artificial environment of extreme speed and compression. This process produces enormous amounts of bio-magnetic levity (outward push) which streams upward in the opposite direction of the imploding vortices.

The rotational velocity of the longitudinal axis of the implosion turbine can be braked by a generator to produce electricity for conventional power distribution with far greater efficiency than exploding fuel to get a fraction of it’s potential energy in the form of usable power. The levity of the flowing bio-magnetism created by the implosion turbine can like wise be used to counter gravity’s inward pull and perform a staggering amount of work without creating any of the various forms of noxious pollution produced by academic methods. At the same time, an implosion turbine requires no combustible fuel as an energy source, because it uses it’s medium for the catalyst to produce energy, whether the turbine operates in air or water.

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 that 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 Valeth Unified Republic is the primary interstellar state of the lupine-humanoid race known as the Val. A young nation, the Valeth Unified Republic (VUR.), was founded a mere hundred and fifty years before modern time. As such, the nation’s success amidst their more established neighbors in the galaxy was borne upon the adoption of an almost religious-like pursuit of advancement and growth. With this mindset pulling the nation behind it, a churning engine of private-sector industry and free-trade quickly propelled the VUR into a status as a major player within their galactic region.

Much of the VUR’s success was achieved with large investments into physics and engineering, applied specifically to heavy industry and its use in intergalactic trade. The roughly 20 light-year in diameter region of space that make up the VUR is crisscrossed with some of the most efficient and reliable FTL freighters known to exist. Cutting edge robotics, coupled with advanced resource processing facilities, allow the VUR to produce engineering marvels and proprietary materials that are coveted commodities among their trade partners.

However, with such an early and intense focus upon private-sector growth, the VUR is woefully lacking in areas of defense. Enjoying a confluence of factors that allowed it to initially prosper without external threats to its sovereignty, the VUR spent little on military proliferation. Throughout most of its existence, the military has been almost solely focused upon the maintenance of peace and smooth operation of trade within the nation’s boundaries. Territorial expansion and defending against invasion simply were not a priority to the Val.

In recent years this glaring weakness in the VUR’s otherwise strong national makeup became a highlight issue for both the government and populace alike. This became especially true as outside factions began to show more interest in assuming control of VUR assets, rather than simple trade. Initiatives in military spending to right this reality were undertaken, and done so with the same unifying passion that first elevated the VUR in the first instance. Yet, even in spite of this, the VUR’s burgeoning military growth still often pales in comparison to its counterparts.

Home System—Qetesh
The home system of the Valeth Unified Republic is known as Qetesh. The star is an M2 V Red Dwarf, with a mass of 5.22x1029 kg, and a luminosity of 2.17x1025 W (.06 x Sol). Qetesh is orbited by six planets (listed in order of relative orbiting distance from the star):

-Pealara: Small, barren planet rich with several valuable metals and other elements. Following advancements in radiation and heat shielding, as well as robotics, the VUR were able to develop a reliable means to mine Pealara’s abundant precious metals.

-Zeni: Another relatively small rock planet with heavy volcanic activity. Where Pealara has high concentrations of usable elements, Zeni is basically devoid of them.

-Glissau: The Val homeworld, and the seat of the republic. Glissau possesses a radius that is 1.28 x earth. It has a period of 32.56 hours, and an axis tilt of 29.59°. Water makes up 68% of the planet’s surface, with another 9% covered in ice. Its average temperature is 23° C, and a large portion of the planet is forested. The land mass is grouped into three main continents. It possesses two orbiting moons; Flara and Einus. Both are inhabited. Glissau also has several large arrays of orbital platforms that are linked to the planet via space elevators. These platforms are inhabited, and generally used for industrial or scientific purposes, though there are scattered defensive structures spaced within them.

-Lioter: A gas giant, roughly the size of Jupiter, with four orbiting moons. Lioter is one of the most important economic hubs of the VUR, as it links Glissau with the outer rim planets and asteroid cloud where the majority of resource mining within the Qetesh system takes place. Two of the four moons possess atmospheres—both of which the Val have terraformed for permanent habitation. Several large private conglomerates call the moons of Lioter home, and the local politics of the area have great influence on Glissau, and the VUR as a whole.

-Ocreon: Another gas giant, made notable by its vast orbiting asteroid cloud. These asteroids are heavily mined by ships based out of the moons of Lioter. Though it possesses no habitable natural satellites, Ocreon is home to a major mining and naval outpost named Rift Station.

-Caglilia: A small ice planet located 4.1 AU from Qetesh. There are no permanent settlements or regular excursions to the planet by the VUR, however several automated research vessels were placed in orbit around Caglilia as a means to search for further celestial bodies to mine from within the system.

System II—Crion
Crion was the first star system colonized by the Val. It is located 4.2 light-years from Qetesh, and was the first system to join with the Val homeworld to form the Unified Republic. The system possesses two companion stars: Crion and Eridani. Crion is a K7 5 Orange Main Sequence star, with a mass of 1.78 x 1030 kg, and a luminosity of 1.02 x 1026 W (0.27 x sol). Eridani is a M0 V Red Dwarf star, with a mass of 8.77 x 1029 kg, and a luminosity of 1.41 x 1025 W (0.04 x sol). These stars are orbited by two planets (listed in order of relative orbiting distance from the stars binary axis):

-Espion: The seat of the VUR government in the Crion system. This ringed planet has a radius 1.18 x earth. It has a period of 48.84 hours, and an axis tilt of 6.21°. No liquid water exists naturally on the planet, though nearly 35% of it is covered with ice. It’s average temperature is 8° C. Espion has no moons. The VUR have invested heavily in terraforming the planet to more resemble Glissau. Of the nodes of Val civilization, the most notable are the orbital shipyards operated by the Extron and Unitis Corporations. The vast majority of modern FTL ships within the VUR fleet—both military and civilian—are produced at these shipyards. Due to its economic significance, Espion is home to one of the largest naval fleets within the republic.

-Boecury: A relatively small rock planet most notable for being a waystation for mining and shipping vessels operating in the asteroid mining colonies located between Boecury and Espion. It was once a haven for Val outlaws and privateers prior to the formation of the Unified Republic.

System III--Kadesh
WIP

System IV--Maw Frontier
WIP

Tier 1—Intersystem Level
Senate: The senate is comprised of two elected bodies: The Pillar of the Commons, and The Pillar of the Wards. Legality of legislation is regulated under the Valethian Constitution, and individual bills must pass in both bodies before they are sent to the Premier for ratification.

The Pillar of the Commons represents the will of the Val population most directly, as this body of the senate expands with the population of the Val itself. Its elected officials, known as Senators, are appointed via direct election from within individual system-wide districts.

The Pillar of the Wards represents the interests of the star-systems that make up the VUR equally, as there are only a set number of officials appointed from each system, regardless of that system’s population. These officials are known as Wardens, and they are elected from among the local system senates. No direct elections are held for their appointment, except in the rare case of Referendum—a process by which the population of a local system can recall a Warden from service if that individual is deemed unfit by a supermajority of the citizenry.

Premier: Executive power lies with a single Premier, which is directly elected by the entire population of the VUR. The Premier is granted powers of enforce laws passed by the Senate, and is also considered the Altos, or Supreme Commander, of the armed forces. Premiers are elected to single ten year terms, and can only be removed via impeachment or the process of Referendum. Once an individual has served as a Premier, they are banned from holding any further office at any intersystem level in the VUR.

Coalition of Courts: Judiciary power resides in a group of judges appointed by the Premier. These judges make up a total of five courts, all of equal “rank.” When a trial reaches the intersystem level, the trial is held simultaneously with all five of these courts. During the trial, these courts have no contact with one another, and they observe the trial proceedings anonymously via electronic proxy. Once each court has reached a decision, a final decision is delivered based solely upon a simple majority of the five individual decisions made by the courts.

Tier 2—Systems Level
Local governments are comprised almost identically to that of the intersystem level of the republic. Systems are governed by senates, as well as a governor’s office. Systems hold sub-sovereignty status, and can act on their own accord as long as it does not interfere with the Valethian Constitution, or established intersystem law.

The Val are a lupine-humanoid species with physiology akin to earth’s mammals. They breathe oxygen, and metabolize energy through the ingestion of other living organisms. The species is a generally strong and lean one, wherein an average male stands 2.1 meters tall, and weighs 140 kg. Females average 1.8 meters in height, and 112 kg.

The musculoskeletal system is relatively strong and resilient, though not naturally suited to zero-gravity. Val are viviparous, and offspring are produced in litters of 1-4 cubs following a gestation period of six months. Though exceptions exist, the physiological tendency is for Val to mate for their entire adult life.

The Val possess excellent hearing, smell, and eyesight. Their immune system is also hardy, and naturally responsive to many classifications of microbial. A harsh evolutionary crucible during the formation of the species has developed this trait.

Modern Valethian culture has varied greatly from the warlike clan/family ethos that existed for the majority of the species’ existence. Prior to the Val expanding beyond their home planet, and even into the first iteration of Valethian intersystem governance, this primitive structure held sway. However, as the universe continued to expand for the Val, the adherence to the cultural pillars of the past proved more and more at odds with the success of the species. In response to this reality, a period of Valethian unification and rebirth occurred, where many of the ancient customs and schools of thought were cast away, and the species coalesced into a more singular body.

This paradigm shift dovetailed directly with the adoption of the republican form of government for the Val, and a vigorous pursuit of individual freedom and prosperity. To the Val, the future was bright and promising, and they were going to achieve their best destiny with force of will. Interest in science, mathematics, engineering, and technological fields exploded, and a fresh wave of philosophical renaissance griped the populace. Quite literally, the Val viewed their potential amongst the stars.

However, in spite of this unprecedented shift in culture, the Val still retain many of their core traits from their more primitive and violent past. They are a dogged, and often stubborn species. The bonds and associations of the ancient clans still exist, thought to a lesser extent, and Valethian politics often reflects this tradition. The Val can often be quick tempered, and violent. This is especially true in areas of the republic far from the civic-minded beacon of Glissau, where many of the shadows of Valethian history still caste their silhouette.

The New Star Party: The most prominent of the political parties formed during the fledgling days of the republic. Members of this party still hold most of the offices within the system and intersystem governments. Generally, New Star members identify with ideals of individual liberty and decentralized government.

The Quinring: An organization and political party that represents the more traditional culture of the Val. While no direct link has been as yet proven, many believe the Quinring sponsors domestic radicals in acts of terrorism and sabotage against the republic.

The Extron and Unitis Corporations: These massive private companies own and operate the most advanced industrial conglomerates in the VUR. From robotics, biosciences, heavy industry, and chemical production, Extron and Unitis have their hands in it all. They hold huge political sway, so much so that some call for sweeping anti-trust legislation as a means to ensure fair and free markets.

Maleth Rokulval: An extremist organization of Valethian dissidents and terrorists that strive to return the Val to their ancient clan system. Their name translates roughly to “The Soul of the True Val.” Many Val that identify themselves as members of the Quinring, are also Maleth Rokulval sympathizers.

WIP

Following the True Vacuum event, or Quantum Spacetime Anomaly (QSA), as it has most commonly come to be known amidst the Val, the VUR found itself a reeling nation, but one that maintained general law and order. The state of the economy fell sharply in the immediate aftermath of the QSA, but as the weeks passed, it rebounded to a state yet far from normalcy, but one where the functions of society and the republic could be sustained.

The scientific community is still unsure of what exactly happened, but the general consensus is that some form of rift or anomaly forced a dramatic shift in the fabric and arrangement of spacetime. While the search for scientific answers continue, the current state of affairs vis-à-vis the VUR’s relative proximity to unknown factions of sentient beings has wholly consumed the attention of the nation. With the armed forces well-equipped, but woefully lacking in size to repulse a full-fledged invasion, the republic has initiated a drastic shift to a wartime footing.

Initiatives ranging from dramatic calls for increased recruitment into the armed forces, the implementation of mandatory convoy protocols for merchant shipping vessels, to the commissioning of an unprecedented level of capital-class naval vessels, have all taken place in the wake of the QSA. Thus far, the Valethian people have responded with a unified determination to the new demands of their place in the universe, but all is not as balanced as it once was.

Shortly after the QSA, there was a drastic increase in dissenter agitation and terrorism within the outer systems of the VUR. Groups like Maleth Rokulval attempted to seize the opportunity for an uprising. Though no attempts to overthrow VUR governmental bodies were successful, the audacity of the attempts shocked the populace. Garrisons and security forces across the VUR are on high alert for domestic threats.

Diplomatic contact with factions near to the VUR have been initiated, and envoys from Glissau have been dispatched to attempt peaceful détente agreements before war comes to a head.

-Tetra Matrix Polymers: The Val’s enormous leap forward in prosperity was quite literally built with Tetra Matrix Polymers. Using a proprietary process of quantum-level manipulation, Val physicists were able to perfect an atomic matrices that allowed for precise construction and adhesion of materials that were traditionally thought impossible to bond. With this technology, the Val are able to produce a near limitless combination of materials for application-specific uses. From highly durable crystal-laced ceramic ship armors, to paper-thin sheets of radiation deflecting shrouds, the Val enjoyed the most diverse and effective synthetic materials when compared to their former intergalactic trade partners. These polymers are widely used in both civilian and military applications.

-Tachyonic Particle Tunneling: Another Val innovation that was achieved to further the growing economic engine of intergalactic trade, Tachyonic Particle Tunneling, or simply Tac Tunneling, has all but replaced older FTL drives within the VUR. Using a combination of drive core that utilizes the unique nature of tachyon particles, coupled with the principle of quantum tunneling, the vessel is able to achieve speeds many magnitudes higher than that of light.

However, the physics of tachyon particles that allow for Tachyonic Particle Tunneling in the first instance, are also the source of the drives primary weakness. Since tachyon particles increase in speed as their energy decreases, Tac Tunneling cores must keep these particles highly energized when FTL speeds are not desired. In rare cases, vessels equipped with Tac Tunneling cores have accelerated out of control as a result of a catastrophic loss in primary and secondary power.

-Tachyon Burst Communication: A technology developed alongside with Tachyonic Particle Tunneling, these special transmitters utilize bursts of regulated and focused tachyon particles to transmit data across great distances. While not instantaneous when data is to be sent across hundreds of thousands of light-years, it is possible for reliable bursts to be sent a small magnitude faster than a Tac Tunnel equipped vessel could travel.

The military of the Valeth Unified Republic is proportionally small for an equivalent nation of similar size and economic stature. As mentioned in the Overview section, several external and independent factors during the birth of the republic allowed for the VUR to exist and flourish without substantial threat from outside entities. That being said, the VUR military apparatus is well-funded, well-supported by the populace, and very well equipped. This is particularly true in the aftermath of the True Vacuum event.

There are three main branches of the armed forces: the Navy, the Systems Corp, and the Republic Commerce Corp.

-Navy
The Navy is by far the largest of the three branches, having the responsibility of patrolling and defending VUR space in both atmosphere and vacuum, maintaining the ability for offensive operations outside of VUR space in both atmosphere and vacuum, as well as operating as the transportation apparatus for the Systems Corp. The Navy also maintains the VUR’s main intelligence gathering division, the Fleet Intelligence Office. The VUR’s largest and most versatile infantry section, the Republic Marines, also fall under the navy’s umbrella.

The organization of the navy falls into fleet classifications. Fleets are traditionally organized by the systems to which they are assigned to patrol and defend, though there are plans for a fleet that operates on a solely intersystem basis, and would be the VUR’s primary force for missions outside of friendly space.

1st Fleet—
Based out of the VUR capital world of Glissau, 1st Fleet maintains the largest number or warships, marines, and auxiliary vessels within the navy. It also operates one of the VUR’s three super-capital class battlecruisers, the VRS Praetor. 1st Fleet has also been tasked by Fleet Command to operate as the primary offensive flotilla should war come to the VUR.

2nd Fleet—
Based out of the star system of Kadesh, 2nd Fleet is the smallest of the navy. Often 2nd Fleet is utilized as a tempering ground for new naval officers and ship commanders.

3rd Fleet—
The second largest of the naval fleets, 3rd Fleet is based out of the Crion system. It maintains an important vigil along with its other duties—that of defending the strategically important Extron and Unitis orbital shipyards around the planet Espion. As such, it operates the remaining two super-capital class battlecruisers of the navy: the VRS Roost, and the VRS Obsidian.

4th Fleet—
Tasked with patrolling the Maw Frontier, the Val of the 4th Fleet receive the most duty missions, in proportion to their size, of any fleet in the navy. As the Maw Frontier holds the largest percentage of pirates, radicals, and political extremists within VUR controlled space, it has a very real prerogative to maintain vigilance.

-Systems Corp
The Systems Corp operates as the main military force for operating in atmosphere. It maintains forces for traditional waterborne navies, atmospheric capable aircraft, infantry, and innumerable other in-atmosphere equipment and material. For transportation outside of atmosphere, the Systems Corp relies totally on naval support.

-Republic Commerce Corp
The RCC is the second largest of the military branches. It is tasked with operating and securing public spaceports and spaceborne commercial hubs, enforcing trade laws, patrolling established shipping lanes. They are also the only policing force that has jurisdiction across all VUR systems. The RCC operates no capital class vessels, and must rely on naval support for operations that require such resources.