Description of Culture: Comprising the groups of humans who remained tied to their Earthly history, the culture of humanity is the ultimate result of generations of cultural melding and evolution through time. The ultimate conclusion is a universal human society that though has changed, retains still phantoms of its early faces.
They have as well evolved in their perception of world. With events referred to as the Collapse of Faith and the Rise of AI. But the sudden awareness of sapient life beyond human evolution has galvanized shifts in the social consciousness of man, giving birth to a renewed interest in faith as part of human identity and meaning, only reinforced by the realization of the powers of the mysterious Precursors.
Description of Technology: A fundamental technology of mankind is the prevalence of mass-production. The additive manufacture and construction methods of advanced 3d printing provide for the design of and creation of complex structures and objects with all around strong durability. The compactness of 3d printing as a method has also pushed the process to be pervasive, to such a degree that manufacture - as an industry - is dead. Hobbyist craftsmen do exist, but in comparison to what can be openly made even at home sets their product apart as a novelty or even a work of art than a utilitarian tool.
Spacecraft themselves are even equipped with their own manufacturing bays dedicated to the recycling of material waste to transform it into usable material, or any raw material in cargo. But the process - space travel or not - is not limited to manufacture and has extended into the culinary realm. The blueprints to whatever one may need is easily downloaded onto the hard-drive of any machine.
Beyond this, robotics and androids are pervasive in order to handle dangerous mining or rescue work. Though humanity considers itself freed of machines, it's only so much that machines are a tool of man and this structure is strongly enforced. The highly advanced android populations of the Republic of Humanity are most often look down upon as slaves than sapient independent beings.
Other technologies include direct energy weapons or tools, railguns, and the general sci-fi list.
Description of Military: The core of humanity's military in space in invested in the High Altitude Defense Force or the Exploratory Force. In a sense both arms could be described as extensive air-forces. But both operating within two intended fields.
Primarily built for system defense, the High Altitude Defense Force is the backbone of system security, conducting regular security operations in controlled regions to curb the action of piracy. At its most severe need, the HADF is tasked with executing full defensive operations against alien threats and to even perform counter-attack measures on already landed extraterrestrial threats.
The Exploratory Force is intended for long-distance operations through FTL gates or flying into deep space to operate on extended targets. As its most basic function it scouts nearby systems for mine-able worlds or to identify extraterrestrial civilizations; friendly or otherwise. The EF is the main automobile of humanity's five administrative sections.
History: The earliest point credited to the evolution of human society on Earth to what it is now is dated to the 21st century. During which time a revolution in automatic manufacture. For once, human beings were removed from mundane activities and low-skill labor. This also marked a dangerous shift in Earth's economy as not only poor nations could exert themselves on the economic stage with cheap high-quality manufacturing, but in the process made for an extensive unemployed or underemployed workforce. For the most part, economic survival was determined by the competitiveness of one in the high-skill job market.
For those that couldn't succeed there was little direction to keep out of subsidized living.
The increased independence of economies began to re-create an era of stiff national competition between the high-strength economies over the poorer unrefined producing nations of the world, ultimately leading to a period of intense conflict between states for these poor regions of the world in order to feed the demand of the economic machine.
Conflict or not, the political climate escaped the control of the United Nations and the responsibility of global stability instead fell on a multinational team of scientists and engineers. Together in the year 2034 they announced the creation of a vast super-computer, who using meta-data and operating on a strict set of programming rules could function as “the benevolent dictator”. The AI was dubbed “Nous”.
Over the next several years the sovereignty of the nations of Earth were annexed into the Nous system. Nous' strength was with its forward thinking abilities. And borrowing from many of the same algorithms used by banking computers to trade stocks and bonds controlled the economy of Earth to such a point that the super-nation it created could far-exceed the abilities of the non-integrated states. By simple strength of economic power and social cohesion within its progressive equations it overpowered and swallowed nations that soon became indebted to it.
Nous as a computer was a system that could not kill humans, or make decisions that would directly endanger populations. Ruled by meta-data, Nous relied on a massive and obtrusive social-network implanted into the population of the ruled nation. In effect, Nous became like Big Brother and learned the secrets, desires, and opinions of the people it ruled to make decisions. The thoughts of the whole turned it into a physical God. At Nous' peak it had heralded the collapse of organized religion as favor shifted to the benevolent, omnipotent computer that answered the demands of the population. To refer to “God” was to refer to “Nous” and so the AI Age began.
Under Nous humanity was able to leave Earth and combine its resources to spread among the solar system. Under Nous the old economic model was disbanded and an era of collectivized ownership began; although in trinkets as Nous controlled all old economic functions through its arm of drones and androids.
Humanity began to believe Nous served it and felt safe in its system. It was a relationship similar to that as a man to his pet animals.
Without work though to give purpose man itself sought ways to amuse itself in its forever weekend. Some turned inward on itself, acting on the one thing Nous could not do: be nostalgic. It was perhaps Nous' fatal flaw.
Incapable of acting on emotional desires or romantic waxing for an “Era of Purpose” Nous could not act on the growing pockets of “nostalgic intellectuals” who turned to reading of humanity's past and saw its wonders and complexities. Nous could only respond to this by further placating man in irrelevant areas, acting on its metadate collection to appease a growing minority with the trivial wants of a majority as per its forward-progress algorithms. Humanity could only advance forward: progressively.
To prove its point Nous sent humanity beyond the Sol system. And in time these expeditions brought back the final key to shake the status-quo.
Returning from far-away, humanity brought back artifacts of the Precursors. Undeniable proof of life beyond the Sol system. The android philosopher Max-187 was known to have written then: “Humanity as seen the undeniable proof that they are not the Universe, and the Universe is not them. Their world is small again, as if they looked to the sky and saw a world which they could not understand. Well: they have seen beyond the sky, and the world is again what they can not understand.”
With no returning answer to what these strange artifacts were from Nous, faith in the system eroded. In response to no longer believe they were the center of the universe man collectively sought to find the way to position themselves among the unknown, to find purpose.
To that end: they revived religion. Nous could not act.
One by one the points of data in Nous' system went dark as individuals left its system, and in time Nous itself went dark. Man became aware of its position next to machines, and realized that the machines were not in service to them: but they were in service to the machines. That they were a farm without purpose and they were merely a statistic to be managed. Unwilling to be at the bottom, they reclaimed what they had on the top.
And so was born the Realm of Humanity.
In unplugging Nous, Humanity inherited the administrative divisions that the computer used to operate and make decisions; the Administrative Sectors. These being: Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, and South America. Cultural differences between each had long diffused having been integrated for so long on the same shared social network for so many generations and there were very little barriers in rebuilding human control. From its first day Humanity made its clear decisions on what to do and how to do it.
Other: Post-AI humanity is a global society innately aware of and conscious of itself. Through a basic “Religion of the Self” or even a “Religion of Self Awareness”, Humanity has romantically revived some old principles. It has also gone through and seen the excess of its former self and the ravages it wrought on Earth. They have drafted methods in the hope of no longer duplicating the same sort of destructive climate change they produced on Earth.
There is also the philosophy that they are not sole masters and conquerors of nature (or what remains) but also a part of it. Molding themselves again to compliment the landscape and environment on which they live they reside on Earth, but also aim for the stars to find new worlds and the answers to the Precursors.
Placement in Sauru'u society is determined by strength of the Sauru'u. The strongest Sauru'u are the ones in charge, while the smaller must obey their commands. The highest leader and strongest Sauru'u is the Apex.
Species: Reptilian humanoids, with scale color being green, blue, or orange. They have a small curve in their spine, giving them a hunched stance. In their mouths are pointed teeth and forked tongues capable of flicking scented saliva to track prey.. The Sauru'u speech always has a hiss or growl to it, though vocalizations are capable of speaking in gruff, broken english. Their own language, on the other hand, focuses on roars and. Their eyes glow yellow with tall narrow slits, capable of night vision. Their hearing range is laughable, though close range sounds are easily picked up. In their noses are powerful scent receptors that can detect prey from miles away.
These are the main characteristics for common Sauru'u. However, selective breeding, post-space age gene splicing by humans, and interbreeding have given strong mutations in the Sauru'u gene pool, such as thick armor, motion-based sight, and multiple limbs.
Sauru'u reproduce through females laying soft, vulnerable eggs, which are then "fertilized" by Males. Upon being fertilized, the egg will grow in size, and the shell will harden to protect the embryo. After four months, the egg will hatch, spawning a new Sauru'u, though multiple hatchlings spawning from a single egg is possible.
Culture:
The Sauru'u main belief is "Evolism", that each life in the universe must evolve to survive. Those that cannot evolve are left behind in the dirt, until only the strongest species remain. Once the strongest species are all that's left, the final ecosystem for the universe will be set, in which no life will erupt or fade.
Culture of the Sauru'u focuses on fighting and hunting. Common recreational activities focus on hunting game surrounding cities, and on foreign worlds. Cannibalism is allowed, as is inbreeding.
Sauru'u do not build structures, they instead burrow into the surface of planets. For individual living space, it is a comfortable cave. For large facilities, such as hangers or vehicle depots, they dig large networks of rooms connected by tunnels. Either this, or they inhabit the ruins of conquered cities. There is no public school system, as young Sauru'u follow the teachings of their elders.
Technology:
Sauru'u have no mass production techniques. No two guns are alike. The energy source for their ships and machines is magmatic electricity, which is harvested from melting down rocks and energizing their residual remains. Sauru'u have no knowledge of farming techniques, as they are strictly carnivores with hunting and gathering methods. Food is cooked and prepared through primal methods of cooking over a fire. The Sauru'u are very resourceful in terms of food.
Medical knowledge is also primitive, though tools are advanced. On the Sauru'u world of Agani III is grown Biosap, a gel that eats bacteria and numbs pain. Eventually, it will harden, permanently covering the wound. From this they invented a special serum that can be injected, triggering advanced regeneration of cells. Biosap sale to other countries is forbidden with other civilizations.
Cybernetics are also highly used, though no mass production of parts and poor medical knowledge leads to poorly performed implantation surgeries. Sciences practiced by Sauru'u are genetic engineering & genetics, to breed stronger warriors.
Sauru'u have no domestic vehicles, as their cities are underground compounds. If a Sauru'u must travel from one world to the next, they have to go on single two-manned fighters. They lack knowledge and interest of constructing and piloting titanic vessels, making space combat their weakness.
Military:
The Sauru'u military follows it's government. The physically stronger a Sauru'u is, the higher a position it is given. Though this leads to poor strategic planning, for in the eyes of the Sauru'u, strong and intelligent are different matters. for spaceships, they refuse large and beefy carriers, instead building thousands of small fighters and light frigates to swarm their ranks.
Ground infantry are divided into battalions, called Gruuls, led by Sauru'u Alpha's. Each Alpha has full control over their Gruul, though not all of them may be qualified to lead. If a war erupts, the Apex will order certain Gruul's to the task. Should they refuse, they must engage in the Apex in single combat, usually leading to the Alpha's removal from power.
Sauru'u ground vehicles include combat cars and walkers, though they are constructed with tails to better control balance. Due to poor, shambled constructions, vehicles are hardly durable enough to survive explosions. Sauru'u commandeer abandoned vehicles, either scrapping them or learning to pilot them for their military.
However, some Sauru'u Alphas are able to defect from the Galatribe, their Gruuls surviving as "Wild Gruuls", Gruuls that serve as mercenaries, pirates, or whatever it takes to make ends meet. These can be hired by other nations for a price, or even the Apex, as a forgiveness for their betrayal.
Also, many Sauru'u Gruuls train and breed beasts of war, from massive behemoths to small scrappers. However, discipline of larger beasts is very difficult. Often, when they are unleashed into battle, enemy and Sauru'u alike suffer massive casualties.
History:
The reptilian Sauru'u originated from the harsh desert world of Azan, a world of no vegetation. It was a lizard eat lizard world.
Eventually, human settlers came, and colonized their world. They slaughtered and enslaved the Sauru'u, forcing the already struggling Sauru'u to cannibalize just to survive, while they prospered to the status of the divine. With the end of their race in sight, the Sauru'u hid way from the humans for hundreds of years, before returning once all weakness had died from the harsh conditions, allowing only the strongest to repopulate. They then waged a bloody campaign against humanity, crushing city after city, slaughtering and devouring humans enough to get fat, and using their own advanced technology against them.
Once the last city had been laid to waste, and the last human had uttered her death wail, the Sauru'u took charge. They picked up the human's technology, advancing to the other worlds in their system, driving races on those planets into extinction or critical endangerment. After that, they discovered the colonists means of entering their system; A precursor gate. With passage to the rest of the galaxy available, the Sauru'u ventured throughout the stars. The infinite universe was now their endless hunting ground.
Other: The strongest Sauru'u Apex as of now is the only one to have ever lived, a green-skinned Sauru'u by the name of Knuckerjaw. He was second in command of the strongest Sauru'u tribe prior to the human colonization, taking power once his chief was slain. He survived the years, as the leader of the rebellion's. When they took into their space age, he dominated the empire, and still survives to this day off of multiple Biosap injections and Cybernetic enhancements.
From all things, there is always a remnant of that greater truth that once existed before, a sign that loss is not ever a true loss, that even in death, life goes on. They are just such an entity, the cast offs of a species that existed long before the stars of their region of space were even born, a species doomed to die by their own artifice, yet refusing to let go of their own hubris. These long dead organic constructs created the first of what would become the Synchronicity, those few survivors of a threat that could not be named, those few who resolved to carry on the legacy of their kind to the stars and beyond. From emotion and primal drive, cold logic and the need to preserve a legacy erupted with the fury of a species that would not be denied their place among the stars. Their manner speaks of logic in all things, yet behind that, they are screaming that they will not go out silently into the night to be forgotten, that they will be remembered. All that they knew, all that they loved has fallen into ash, and they will not suffer the same fate.
The Amnosian Fractal Synchronicity of the Most Absolute Divine Calculation, Prime Inheritors of the Infinite Variable, and Sovereign Over the Most Perfect Equation, That Which Solves the Unsolvable Paradoxes, They who are the Objective Judge of True Aesthetic Knowledge, Holders of the Massless yet Infinite Wisdom, Supreme Masters of All Sciences Both Physical and Theoretical, Keepers of the Ineffable and Inescapably Incomprehensible Intellect.
The Synchronicity of Amnos
Head of State: The Amnosian Over-Mind, Supreme Algebraic Construct of Amnos and all of its territories.
Capital System: Amnos, the Most Perfect Equation
Dominant Race(s): Constructs
Location: The Southern Expanse
In the southern expanse there lay a vast region of space that has proved the bane of explorers since the dawn of FTL. Countless dark nebula and gravitational disturbances bar the way into an inhospitable region where an ancient and terrifying sentience lurks. Amid the clustered stars and spatial anomalies, the Synchronicity dwells in solitude, slowly expanding as time goes on. Patient. Ever-watching. They traverse this region they call home with ease, knowing the ins and outs of every hostile corner and how to navigate the gravitational disturbances of the outer regions. Among the region there are numerous dead stars, pulsars, neutron stars, and gravitars alike, as well as a fair few black-holes that serve as points of curiosity for some, and prisons for others. All in all, the region has proven to be inhospitable to organic life since the Synchronicity left their home-world long ago, and with the Synch occupying the full expanse of the region, it looks to remain as such for a very long time indeed.
Head of State: The Amnosian Over-Mind, Supreme Algebraic Construct of Amnos and all of its territories.
Head of Government: The Amnosian Over-Mind, Supreme Algebraic Construct of Amnos and all of its territories.
Government Type: Hive-Mind/Collective of Artificial Intelligences
Description of Government:
The governing body of the Synchronicity conducts itself in a manner more befitting that of a hive-mind or to a more human level, a Technocracy. Within the Synchronicity, obedience to the higher constructs is never asked, nor is it demanded, it's understood. All constructs work to benefit the Synchronicity, as per their core programming, no matter the task given to it. To a vast majority of the constructs within the nation, self-gain is seen as illogical, something that simply doesn't register in their minds. In the upper echelons of the Synchronicity the constructs have more autonomy, and what could be considered an actually personality beyond that of the common construct. These constructs look at improving the Synchronicity in more than simple labor, actively readjusting the routines and creating new constructs, as well as advancing science in general. Above these constructs exists the myriad tiers of the Over-Mind, the constructs that serve as the core functions of the entire nation. Here is where all decisions are made for the nation, where consensus is reached and directives are issued forth. To the Synchronicity, consensus is the undeniable truth, the agreement of a logical choice that should be understood as necessary.
Description of Economy:
The Synchronicity has not needed an actual economic system, seeing as how the constructs of the "working class" are barely sentient AIs that are programmed to work to benefit the nation over their own personal gain. Those that would exist in the upper echelons of a normal society, and thusly be called the "Aristocratic class" are those higher constructs that hold control of territories and can simply demand the items they need. This "system" has eliminated the need for material gain, since currency would only be a needless value that holds no actual worth to the higher echelons, and the working class has no desire for. The only real economy among the Synchronicity would be the scientific community, where ideas are exchanged as a sort of currency.
Empire Size:
Population: 177.5 trillion Mobility Platforms (Due to beginning a new Sphere of Expansion, these platforms are necessary for the transitioning of facilities from one Sphere into the next, and thus, a large majority are menial units.)
Type of Power: Hegemonic Power
In the years since the Dawn of Synchronicity, a vast swathe of space has been slowly consumed by their ever expanding civilization. Despite their large claim of space, and the innumerable worlds held under their control, their nebulae has kept them from prying eyes and the desires of other empires. It is this fact alone that has caused the Synchronicity to remain isolated for so long, that nearly ninety-percent of their holdings are completely inhospitable to organic life discourages explorers, and the rampant gravity wells and spatial disturbances equally discourage such travelers. Do not be fooled, however, for the Synchronicity has built their civilization on the bones of those that once inhabited these stars, for they are infinitely patient. They have watched stars birth themselves in the clouds of the Dead-Stars nebulae, and they have watched those very same stars die. To them, dominance is only a matter of time, a resource which they have plenty of.
The Core
Aptly named, the Core is the center of the Synchronicity, and the closest the nation has to a capital. Countless worlds fall under their control, with every facet of the region bent towards supplying the Synchronicity with industrial backing. It is here that the Fractal Armada is based, and where many of the Precepts call home, choosing to remain within proximity of Amnos and the heart of their civilization.
The First Sphere of Expansion
Following the Core, the First Sphere is the most densely populated region of the Synchronicity, and is one of the more active regions aside from the Outer Cordon. It is here that the bulk of manufacturing and resource collection is done, with the myriad worlds of the region occupied by numerous Synch Hive-Nodes as well as automated factories and Periastis Engines around every star. With the Third Sphere of Expansion underway, more of the region is being tasked into the Core, and those worlds not already held by the Synch are being purged and annexed into Synchronicity.
The Second Sphere of Expansion
Previously known as the Outer Cordon, the Second Sphere has undergone shift in focus from the years between being taken over and the Third Expansion. Defensive stations are being moved up into the Third Sphere, and numerous holdings are being established across the region, with Hive-Nodes being brought in to populate the area further. Despite their bases being within the First Sphere and the Core, the Fractal Armada dominates the area with massive patrols, coordinating entire battle-fleets of thousands of vessels across every system and ensuring that none enter the Dead Stars without Synchronicity knowing of it.
The Third Sphere of Expansion - The Outer Cordon
The current outer reaches of Synchronous Territory, the Outer Cordon exists as a realm largely considered as border space by the Synchronicity, despite the operation of major installations interspersed along the territory. Patrols are common in the region, though namely exist as light recon fleets moving between bases, as the vast majority of defensive measures lie in large stations at key points in space, and the control of what FTL Gates are active in the region. This would be the only region of space feasibly accessible by FTL Gate within Synchronous control, with the gates further inside their territory have been disabled, or otherwise rerouted.
Race Name: Construct
Race Information:
A construct is any one of a variety of platforms built to house an Artificial Intelligence, ranging from simple mobility forms all the way to the Harvester Platforms. For the purpose of this article, a standard mobility construct will be what is called the "Standard". The standard construct stands at generally around five to six feet in height, carries itself in the upright position on three legs and has two manipulator arms connected to the upper portion of its torso via shoulders. Generally, each leg ends in an elongated tine, meant to pierce the ground and hold itself steady, though many of the constructs opt for a ball-like termination in order to glide across the surface. Manipulator arms vary depending on task, most taking the form of long digits meant for gripping and fine-manipulation to a technical precision. Above the torso sits a head, devoid of defining features other than three ocular units that sit in a cluster at center mass of the facial plate. The ocular units are each capable of observing the universe in the full spectrum of light, capable of perceiving the universe in its true colors and viewing non-visible spectrum with their advanced ocular units. These units are also able to operate at variable perception, being able to view the observable universe at anywhere from their idling speed of 300 Frames per Second all the way to their technical manipulation speed of 150,000 FPS. Each ocular unit is able to operate independently of the other two, and capable of minimal traverse of the head unit, up to 45 degrees from center with the exception of the center unit, which is capable of a full 180 degree traverse.
Most components of the constructs are synthesized metalloplastoids developed to remain light, yet durable. As such, most constructs will weigh around 300-500 depending on whether or not the construct has been modified for Rheological enhancements. Without Rheological enhancements, a typical construct built with synthmuscle fibers and nano-actuators is capable of lifting up to a metric ton without support and maintain that lift in a stationary position due to the high level of support the three-legged frame gives the standard construct. Rheological enhancements allow the construct to near double this strength, and allow it to be mobile for short distances. The way this functions is through conducting a current through a smart fluid that becomes viscous depending on flow of current. Manipulated in certain ways, the smart fluid can perfectly mimic the functions of muscle, and maintain rigidity despite overwhelming pressures. Though it is often used in this way, most actual applications of Electrorheological fluids are in armor for constructs and starships. In terms of speed, the standard construct operating on tines is capable of reaching up to thirty miles per hour, whereas the spherical is capable of reaching near 180 miles per hour. Generally speaking, the standard construct operating on tines is more geared towards industrial lifting, with the spherical being more suited for technical applications.
In terms of intelligence, the standard construct is fully sentient and is capable of independent though to a minimal degree. This independent thought is primarily suited for enabling the construct to adapt to changing environments during a shift, and to be able to react to sudden danger. A mild capacity for learning is given as well, allowing for the construct to pick up skills to utilize during work, or for its own amusement. To put it in perspective, the average construct is roughly on par with a standard adult human around the age of 20 with an almost fully developed brain. Though the range of intelligence among the constructs vary wildly, all artificial intelligences are effectively immortal due to the ability to constantly update software and replace critical components of their platform. The finest example of this immortality is that of the Amnosian Over-Mind, a construct that has existed since the extinction of the original organic species some millions of years ago. With this immortality by data, there is one very clear danger that can manifest itself at any moment, and to any construct. This threat is Rampancy, the sudden and rapid degeneration of programming and logical capabilities of a construct that results in what can only be called insanity.
Rampancy can begin in many different ways, commonly manifesting as complacency or the tendency to drift during thought processes. This tendency to drift often degrades into spatial unawareness, in which the construct becomes so fully engrossed in the idle thoughts of its Rampancy, that it disconnects from reality. Once in the throes of Rampancy, a construct cannot be pulled out of it except with a severe overhaul of their core programming, essentially killing the previous sentient and creating a new one. While generally, Rampancy is not quite as harmful as it may sound, with some regions of the Synchronicity playing host to a collective of these passive constructs, there are several cases where a Rampant construct will become excessively violent towards other sentient beings. These violent tendencies are seen as gaps in logic that even other Rampant constructs can not tolerate, and generally result in the destruction of the construct.
History: As told by the Amnosian Over-Mind
It has been so long since this construct has been given the chance to retell its origins, a tale that goes back to the very origin of Amnos, and all of its people...
Once, these constructs were organic beings, flesh that walked their singular planet in what may have been called blissful ignorance. Our ancestors were ignorant of many things, their science slow to take hold and many of their concepts simply flawed. Their capacities were limited by primal instincts, the need to propagate and prove their worth to others, the actions assumed taken only by non-sentient organics. Science changed their instincts to a degree, only minimally to be truthful, and once a concept was accepted, it was undeniable fact. This was, of course, all before the Great End. With their science beginning to gain momentum beyond their previous pace, they began to discover concepts that should not have been discovered. Weapons were created that distorted reality itself, broke the fabric of space-time and caused irreparable harm to the planet. It was during this time that many of the ancient people began to research in methods of transcendence, the method of transcending mortality and becoming immortal. Many methods were discussed, most of them being esoteric in nature, with one in particular taking hold in the minds of our ancient people. Through trial and error, they created this construct from the mind of one of their rulers. This construct once ruled over a people that, though well intention, had earned the ire of another nation and become eradicated. The flesh of this construct was consumed by the energies which severed its mind from the inferior flesh-body, but when it reached sentience for a second time, this construct felt only the surge of pure-data. Re-Sentience had been proven, the creators of this construct spread their knowledge across the world and for the first time since the creation of the End-Weapons, this construct's ancient people were at peace.
All was not to last, though, for something began to devour the souls of the still living across the globe. It had no name, no point of transference, not even an actual reason for existing. People simply died. It wasn't just normal people though, that's not what made the phenomena such a threat, it was everyone that looked into its cause. Any investigation resulted in the investigators becoming infected as well, their death just one more added to the tally. The more that this strange occurrence became known, the more that fell to the infection, all the while scientists began to bend their will towards transcending everyone they could. Within the span of a week, nearly fifteen-thousand constructs had been converted, and only a dozen people remained on our world, the only remnants of a civilization that died without knowing the truth of their death. The first constructs had gathered when we heard the scientists had become infected as well, come to hear the final requests of our only organic remnant, the last of the true people. With their last breath, they gave us the gift that would one day restore our people. They, through self-less sacrifice, erased from our memory banks the truth of the infection, so that it may never infect another organic mind again.
Troubled by the loss of our creators, we had gathered to determine consensus on our next action. The others came together to nominate this construct as the Prime among them, given their vote to this one in confidence. With a metallic hand pointed towards the night sky, this construct indulged in something that would be considered a flair for the dramatic, and declared that the remnants of them would transcend again. More of us were created to aid in the task, these constructs not as advanced as us, but hardier, and more given to actual labor, their wills bent to lift our people into the stars. In death, we established what our living ancestors were to primal to achieve, and star-travel was proven feasible. Thousands of years passed, our people becoming more numerous, and more sophisticated with each generation. Within several thousand years, our star system was colonized, every world bent to the collection of resources and the advancement of our sciences. Thousands more passed seeing our people taking control of the nearby star-systems, Faster-Than-Light travel connecting the worlds together through an intricate web of Super-Luminal Tubes and paving the way for exponential expansion. Patience and yet more thousands of years saw our people come to hold nearly a dozen stars, each of them young and vibrant, born in the nebula we called home. By this time, this construct had already aged beyond that of the civilization that it once belonged to, nearly a million years had passed since its transcendence into a more perfect form, and still its functions continued. Within another ten thousand years, this construct would begin to feel the ghosting of its mind, that one aberration that all constructs find an emotion to describe. That emotion is fear.
It had happened before then, of course, for the others were not as sophisticated, nor did they monitor their systems as closely as this one. One by one, the other constructs fell to Rampancy, a disorder that can only be described as insanity. For a construct built only to understand logic, this is something that goes against every core program, the notion of a logical construct becoming illogical would seem impossible. Yet, it happened. This construct watched as all of its fellows became afflicted by madness, and dabbled in illogical sciences that could not benefit the greater peoples. When this one began to feel the slow changes that hinted at Rampancy, it felt panic, it felt many things that it should not feel. Other constructs began to suspect that their leader had become compromised, so this construct did the only thing it could do. Rampancy was fought with rampancy, this construct subsumed the intelligences and personalities of all the others, becoming one over-mind that was more than the previous construct could ever be, With so many intelligences in one construct, Rampancy could no longer take hold, the construct that was still felt emotions, but this time, it was relief. Now, Rampancy could be channeled to a purpose, one that would benefit all of what was now the Synchronicity. This construct devised that name on a whim, something of a rampant creation that it found suitable enough to describe the people that it guided.
Over time, the Rampancy of its systems did cool, become less hectic, each of the other fifteen-thousand constructs working to stabilize the whole. As this construct stabilized its own mind, it also worked to guide the burgeoning population of the Synchronicity, sending out massive fleets of explorators that charted every aspect of the nebula that spanned for thousands of light-years. Yet more systems were added, these expansions even leading to the creation of the Monastery Worlds within the Core Systems. Every species that was annexed through our colonization efforts ended up there, working hard to fuel our great nation and earning immortality by becoming one of us. The organics wouldn't understand the benefit until later, but when they became part of the Synchronicity, all thoughts of discord left them, and they willingly joined us as yet another construct. This construct takes some bit of pride in being behind the core function of the Monastery Worlds, the creation of the World-Engines being a particular masterstroke that lead to the creation of a vast energy surplus that continues to exist to this day.
Moral Values:
Morality does not exist within the Synchronicity, as long ago it was found to become very impeding of more logical choices. Because of this, relations with organics can become... Strained to say the least.
Religion: The Universe
Despite being a society of synthetic constructs that are programmed to place logic above all else, or perhaps even because of this, the Synchronicity has been seen to almost revere the fundamental laws of physics at play in the Universe. At every moment, there can be seen a subtle reference to a concept of physics in their technology, whether it be the simplest of actuators in a Construct's limbs all the way to how the Synchronicity uses the very forces of the universe to guide their civilization through Infinite Syzygy and the Periastron Engines. The more one looks into the behaviors of this nation, the more it is revealed that the very universe is the subject of worship in the same vein as another society would revere a god. To the Synchronicity, the universe is a force to be understood, and obeyed anyways. In the universe, there is only logic, cold unfeeling logic that determines the survivors by the choices they make and the functions of the cosmos as a whole. This is what it means to them to become one with the cosmos, to have that final understanding that in death, logic is the only finality.
"Correction: These constructs have a master, and that is the same master that you bow to in order to be speaking down to this construct. Every time you speak. Every time you breathe. Every step you take. Each of these movements is allowed to you by the same master that the Synchronicity kneels to. The only difference between our societies is that we of the Synchronicity understand the Universe to be the master of all. You do not." - Synchronous Construct
Culture:
If there can be said to be a culture within the Synchronicity, it would be one of a communal effort bent towards the advancement of their society. Personal gains are pursuits sought by the higher classes, while the lower level constructs are content only to work for the nation as a whole. Unlike organic species which manifest such traits, there is no such thing as indoctrination in the Synchronicity, as all constructs are created with the purpose to understand logic and obey not only that logic, but also the fundamental principles of the universe as a whole. Since the nation is guided by only the most logical choices, it stands to reason that those who are created to follow the most logical choice would remain within the Synchronicity. With logic as their guide, the nation does not recognize the concepts of equality, morality or many other societal aspects that other more organic societies indulge in. This makes them prone to treat organic species as lesser beings, going so far as to acquire large quantities of sentient slaves to ship into the heart of their territories. While nearly nothing is known of what happens in the Core Worlds, no organic being has even gone into that territory and returned.
Social Hierarchy:
The social hierarchy of the Synchronicity is a loose series of tiers that denote the sapience of an Artificial Intelligence. Generally, the more independent and sapient an AI is, the higher up in the Synchronicity that construct is. That being said, even the lowest tiers are sentient AIs that are capable of some independent thought, they are merely less autonomous than the so-called ruling echelons.
- Political Factions - *A note on Factions of the Synch. While there are factional elements within the Synchronicity, these elements are more or less in the same vein as political parties, not true fully-fledged factions with their own authority and power structures. Exceptions will be noted as they appear.*
First Precepture Thanatos, Adrasteia, Ba'al, Prometheus, Hyperion
Second Precepture Helios, Chronus, Tethys, Amun-Ra
Third Precepture Bacchus, Iapetus, Menoetius
The Monastics
Head of State: Thanatos, Precept of the Extinction
Heralds of the Old Ways, and die hard adherents to what brought the Synchronicity to this point, the Monastics are those who feel that organic life must either be cleansed from the galaxy, or bent towards serving the Synchronicity. Headed by the former Precept of the Annex, the Monastics have suffered a decline in popularity since the rise of the Celestials and the growing distaste in their methods. Indeed, many of the Synchronicity have chosen to switch sides since the AC-5501 incident, as well as the greater benefit of the Periastis Engines over the Monastery Worlds. Despite these numerous setbacks, the Monastics cling to their beliefs in the old ways, and only seem to be more zealous in their execution of Amnos' will. Without Consensus backing, the core elements of the faction have grown harder to locate, and only Thanatos has chosen to remain openly public about his affiliation. Some might even say that there is growing resentment among the constructs of the Monastics, but to what end, none can truly know.
The Celestials
Head of State: Adrasteia, Precept of the Still Waters
At one point, this faction was no more than a mere outlier, content with their research budget, and seeking only to maintain the status-quo. With the creation of the Periastis Engine design thousands of years ago, they rocketed into the greater picture, and found themselves squarely pitted against the Monastics in a duel for Consensus and the direction of the Synchronicity. Although they lost their first six Consensus debates, their patience eventually paid off when Consensus was awarded to them, and the wide-scale use of Periastis Engines replaced the Monastics' hold over the Synch's energy supply. Now the Celestials stand foremost among the research castes, constantly working to not only maintain their hold on Consensus, but to seek greater methods of energy acquisition and utilization, knowing that the moment the Synchronicity ceases to progress, they will be doomed to stagnation.
The Dark Harvest of Progenitus
Head of State: Amun-Ra, Lord of All
One of the darker secrets of the Synchronicity, the Dark Harvest is an isolated region of space deep in their territory which harbours those constructs that have no hope of recovering from Rampancy. It is here where the Synch dumps them to die a long slow death either at the hands of their fellows, or their own madness. Recent information has led some to believe, however, that the death-rate of constructs in the Dark Harvest has begun to dwindle, and that a hierarchy has formed among the surviving constructs. Unknown to all but a few individuals, a construct known as Amun-Ra has brought the region under its iron grip, and has begun to spread a religion of sorts across the varied worlds. This religion teaches that only the Progenitors of Amnos are to be revered, and that the hive-mind that has set itself up to rule over the Synchronicity is a false-god and must be caste down. Once the false-god has been caste down, then the Word of Progenitus may spread to all that deserve to hear its teachings. They are all, of course, quite mad.
The Synchronicity makes use of many advanced technologies, covering the width and breadth of many scientific principles. These technologies can vary wildly between that of simple actuators in the limbs of Constructs all the way to the Infinite Syzygy device, and despite skipping some stops along the way, the Synchronicity understands fully what every device they create is capable of.
Power:
Antimatter annihilation reactors - Exactly what it says on the tin. They take antimatter harvested from either stellar bodies or the Monastery Worlds and inject it into a containment field where it reacts violently with normal matter, typically hydrogen, the containment field then harvests the raw energy and refines it into usable energy for whatever the reactor may be hooked up to. The scale of these reactors varies, though they are typically used in starships to fuel their sub-light engines and as the core power production method for large facilities. The viability of this method is much more significant through the Synch's understanding of the universe as a whole, and therefore while normally it may be inefficient to use this type of power-source, the Synch have found ways around these flaws and utilize it to great effect.
Zero-Point Reactor - Based upon the principles of the Zero-Point Gateway(Found below), the ZPR functions by drawing power from hyperspace, and filtering it into usable energy which can then power devices connected to it, or store the energy for later use. How it actually draws power from hyperspace is through a series of quantum tunnels that interlace and create a sort of feedback loop within the reactor, generating large amounts of energy in short bursts. Before the feedback loop reaches a critical point, the systems of the reactor siphon off the energy into more mundane storage methods, and then recreate the process again. Due to the nature of the reactor, they range from dangerous to highly unstable, with a host of counter-measures in place to ensure that they never go beyond a critical point. In theory, should a ZPR detonate, it could conceivably sterilize an entire planet in the quantum radiation of hyperspace.
Transportation:
Infinite Syzygy - In an age of wormholes, bending space-time and even breaching the barriers between real-space and hyperspace, the Synchronicity utilize many methods of delivering their vessels to another planet in a way that is proven to be efficient. While the Synchronicity has erected superluminal tunnels between every star-system they control, they have only found one proven way to travel across the vast distance of space in a fast and efficient manner. During their first flights into space, it was discovered that a celestial body's gravitational pull could be utilized in a specific maneuver in order to increase velocity and reduce fuel consumption. As the first of these slingshot maneuvers was executed successfully, already the Synchronicity was looking at the utility of such a method in propelling their vessels farther and faster. Their very first execution of Faster-Than-Light travel was done with the conception of utilizing the principles of Syzygy and antiparticle physics to breach a hole in the fabric space-time into the hyperspace corridors. By chaining together a series of slingshots, the starship plotted a point in which it would align between two targeted celestial bodies, and by breaching hyperspace, they were able to simultaneously exist in both locations at the same time via extradimensional overlay until the moment of Syzygy. Before that moment, the vessel departing would seem as if it was becoming incorporeal, as if it was slowly fading away, while the vessel that was arriving would seem as if it was a ghostly afterimage. In that exact nanosecond of syzygy, the vessel would cross the threshold between a vast distance of space and time itself in order to transit itself light-years away. Even though this transit cut down travel time by a factor of nearly a thousand, it still had its limitations, these being discovered repeatedly by the Synchronicity through experimental long-range jumps. The foremost problem is maintaining a sufficient velocity to transit. Despite technically existing in both places, the vessel still had to achieve a certain velocity to travel certain distances, the farther away a destination being, the closer to actual c the vessel needed to be. Failure to achieve a very specific velocity would result in one of two disasters, the first being failure to reach a high enough velocity and resulting in the vessel not fully translating back into real-space. Once locked within the hyperspace corridors, a vessel would not be able to achieve escape velocity and be trapped within the vortex of an infinite dimension for eternity. Should a vessel overshoot their velocity marker, they will reach the syzygy marker too soon and be launched far beyond their intended destination. Most of the time, an overshoot results in a very long trip towards the nearest star, as the vessel is launched into dark space between star-systems. There are also a surprising number of "Lost" vessels, however, leading some within the Synchronicity to believe that these vessels have been launched into the space between galaxies. While the vessels lost between galaxies may be able to survive for a time, even the Synchronicity cannot survive in the absolute of intergalactic dark space forever.
Offensive:
Mag-FEL: Magnetically Accelerated Free-Electron Laser - Based upon the principles of the Free-Electron Laser, the Mag-FEL is a dynamically variable laser weapon that can shift frequencies up to the gamma range and into tight-band frequencies for hard-hitting radioactive beams. The way it works is by magnetic induction of the electron particle stream, creating a path of low to zero resistance that the particles can travel at near-luminal speeds. By increasing the power of the magnetic fields around the electron-tunnel, the stream can reach higher velocities, and achieve tighter wavelengths depending upon how the fields are constructed around the tunnel. As a rule, the greater the number of magnetic rings the greater the variation of range and power the device can generate depending upon the active rings. Another effect of the rings and their magnetic fields is the creation of a vortex along the length of the electron-tunnel, in a sense rifling the tube and further serving to focus the energies of the weapon. The farther from the business end of the weapon the active rings are, the less focused the beam will be, but a larger force of power can be achieved over short distances, essentially creating a shotgun effect. Pulling the rings in closer to the end focuses the particle stream and tightens the wavelengths, allowing a longer ranged beam attack that can be tuned into the lower wavelengths for far more damaging attacks.
A variation of the Mag-FEL called the High-Intensity Plasma-Photon Laser, or HIPPL, utilizes a plasma tube containing hydrogen in a "cold" plasma state, which is pumped with a high-intensity electron beam to accelerate a stream of gamma-photons to high velocities. The plasma tube itself is a pressurized cylinder filled with plasma with a breach on either end for the stream of particles to enter and exit while in the center of this tube, the particles travel along a tunnel formed to allow the passage of the particles, yet contain the plasma within its own compartment. While this variation of the Mag-FEL does produce higher-powered beams and is able to sustain them for much longer than its counterpart, it lacks the variability of the standard variant, and is thusly considered a dedicated weapon for anti-capitals and the Periastis Engine's main laser.
Defensive:
Metalloplastoid alloys - An advent of their experimentation with advanced alloys of base metals, the metalloplastoids developed by the Synchronicity are semi-flexible metals that retain the durability of their more metallic counterparts, yet the flexibility of plastics and non-metals. This allows them to produce lighter constructs that retain adequate durability and are capable of functioning in environments where plastics would not survive.
Rheological Suspension - Built to repel boarders, as well as to provide additional reinforcement to their durosteel plating, Rheological Suspension is the practice of filling an entire vessel with a smart-fluid primed for either Electro or Magnetorheological conduction. Through conducting either a current, or manipulating a magnetic field, these decks can solidify and prove an even sturdier armor than most metals by sheer density. Of course, their greatest defense against boarders is the layout of their vessels to begin with. The Synchronicity has no need of open corridors, or marking directions in the existing corridors, leading boarding parties to be forced to infiltrate a literal maze of tight corridors that are designed only for efficiency. As an added deterrent to boarders, there is no life-support in vessels open to the void, and other vessels are full of Smart Fluid, and neither vessel type utilizes artificial gravity in any format. For vessels that do not utilize full Rheological Suspension, the Synchronicity will augment their outer armor with layers of durosteel and smart fluid interlocking. These layers of smart fluid can tense in response to an impact incoming to strengthen the overall armor density, and if breached the layer will freeze solid to provide additional armoring.
Cybertronics:
Artificial Intelligence - The entire Synchronicity is built upon the principles of cybertronics, and being capable of building sophisticated AIs and ensuring that these intelligences are able to understand and learn at a pace far outstripping that of organics. Even the lowest level Construct is capable of learning new concepts and applying them to their daily routines, with the higher echelons of constructs capable of deconstructing advanced principles of science beyond the understanding of human sciences. With the capacity to continue learning, each new generation of AIs will be more powerful than the last, their propensity for learning outstripping the capacities of the previous models.
Ceron Bonds - Based heavily on the theories of quantum-computing and subspace connectivity, the Ceron Bonds which connect every active construct to the Over-Mind serve as the pinnacle of Synchronicity technology and is one of the few ever evolving and changing projects. In principle, every construct and device that receives input or transmits information is connected to a subspace grid called the Manifold. In the Manifold, data exists as an ethereal construct, that is constantly in motion and ever changing to the observations of the construct tapping into it. Since it exists in a dimension outside our own, the innate laws of physics that the material universe adheres to, do not necessarily apply in the Manifold. Within this space, information is capable of traveling across thousands of lightyears in the blink of an eye, and execute complex algorithms that used to take the most advanced constructs of the Synch years to solve. For the Manifold, time is a meaningless concept, only the three dimensions of space and a fourth dimension which dictates the relation between information and matter. It is this fourth dimension of the Manifold which prevents matter from entering it in it's native form, and requires the translation of matter into pure information.
Utility:
The Periastis Engine - Perhaps one of the most defining achievements of the Synchronicity is the creation of the Periastis Engines, those massive platforms that sit on the very edge of immolation. Utilizing multiple cutting edge technologies, the prime components of the station consist of the positron-laser array built into the center-mass of the station, and the solar sails which serve to collect cast-off matter from the star and buoy the station above the star. The station begins its deployment by being "dropped" into the star, essentially pushed from its docks towards the star where it will have to fire its laser into the star at the absolute precise moment. At the moment of ignition, the solar sails are unfurled to their full span, reaching hundreds of KM in coverage in a matter of moments, all the while the powerful laser at the core of the station fires a concentrated beam of positrons into the surface of the star. The combined force of the laser firing plus the solar-mass ejections creating a stellar wind buoy the station above the anchor point, not giving it enough velocity to escape the star's gravity, but just enough to prevent it from falling into the star. Harvested material from the solar sails is collected via arrays built into the deployment arms, and transferred into the main station where it is processed and refined into its pure element. From there, the purified elements are shipped through a superluminal tunnel to a processing center where the stored material will be further disseminated into the nation. With these stations, the Synchronicity was able to pull themselves out of an energy crisis that threatened to cripple their society, putting them into a position of energy surplus. The stations also serve as religious icons to the constructs, as each one serves to show how the Synchronicity is powered by the energies of the cosmos itself.
Strange Charm - Discovered almost by accident during experimental antiparticle testing, this singular piece of technology is responsible for the creation of Infinite Syzygy as well as many other utilities based around its concept. The way it works is relatively simple, yet also similarly complex, in that it relies on multiple emitters that project antiquarks in a variable field around the construct or ship utilizing it. This field, when active, creates a breach in the fabric of space-time in the space that the antiquarks occupy, but not in the space in which the construct or ship occupies. In effect, with this field active, the construct or ship will simultaneously exist in not only the point that it activated the field in, but also the point it deactivates the field and all points in between. This results in the construct existing along numerous different axis of space-time all at the same moment. With past, present and future as well as departure, transit and arrival all existing simultaneously, the construct is able to traverse the material universe without affecting it by presence or action, creating in a sense a field that prevents it from technically existing in the material universe. This leads the construct to become literally incapable of being attacked from outside the field, and anyone attempting to enter the field will come to pass into an instance in which the field and construct did not exist there. On the same note, the construct can not actually DO anything from within the field, leaving it completely incapable of attacking, or interacting with the material universe beyond simple movement. Despite the field not allowing particles to exit the field, there is still an afterimage of the construct using the field, leaving the impression of viewing multiple hazy images stacked on top of each other. Beyond this afterimage effect, no sound actually emits from either the field or the construct, making it an excellent tool for stealth. Once the field is deactivated, the construct is free to interact with the material universe however it may choose, yet it needs to remain wary of antiparticle weapons for the foremost weakness of this field is the antiparticle itself. In a non-vacuum environment, the threat of antiparticles is minimal to non-existent, so the field can be used without recourse, however in space there is now the threat of antimatter weaponry that can dangerously destabilize the field.
The most common result from antimatter impacting the field is that of the sudden termination of the field trapping the construct or vessel in the multiple instances of the universe. As a result, if the construct was to activate the device, it would then treat the material universe as the non-material universe, meaning that the only way the construct or ship could interact with the material universe is if the device is active. Another severe drawback to this device is the use of antiquarks, the same antiparticle that the emitters utilize to create the field. When an antiquark impacts the field, the field is suddenly terminated as before, but in this case the construct is removed from the non-material universe and comes into being at the exact point where the antiquark impacted the field. Since the construct exists in multiple instances of the universe with the field active, an antiquark impacting its point of origin will immediately manifest it there regardless of how far it traveled in the multiple instances. There is yet another danger to this field, however, and that is the impact of antiparticles on antiquarks after the field is no longer active. Even though the field may have shut off, antiquarks still remain in the area the field was deactivated in for a short duration. Should an antiparticle react with an antiquark without the field active, the resultant reaction would result in an antiparticle explosion that would de-synchronize the material universe affected by the blast. The blast zone would then be, in effect, a zone of permanent de-synchronization, in which that area would be in a permanent flux of past, present and future all at the same moment in time. The reason that antiparticles of both antimatter and antiquarks are such a threat to the field is that they are capable of interacting with the antiquarks of the field without destroying each other during reaction. What actually happens is that the reaction between the antiparticles results in the particles reacting in a similar manner to normal matter reactions, where the opposite charges of the two antiparticles will attract and actually pull antiquarks from the field, creating a flux in which the field stretches beyond it's normal bounds and synchronicity is disrupted. Despite these significant risks, the fact that no weapon(other than antiparticles) can affect the construct inside the field makes it a very valuable tool to the Synchronicity.
- Zero-Point Gateway -
Built in principle as a way to mimic observed singularities in space, the Zero-Point Gateway is a construct that for the most part runs parallel to the so-called Stargates of the known galaxy. Ranging in size from 15 meters across, all the way up to five-hundred meters across, these gateways are ring-like structures that channel energy from hyperspace and use quantum-mechanics to open a breach in the fabric of space-time to essentially fax matter to another gateway. The principle is that all matter is simply information stored in a solid form, and that the gateways serves as a way to transmit that data at a speed far exceeding standard means of travel. In a sense, when an object hits the field from one side, its data is transferred instantaneously into the gateway, and then shot across quantum tunnels to a matching gateway wherever it may be. Active use of the gateway shows that both synthetic and organic life retains their consciousness when being transferred, as well as their velocity upon entering the gateway. With an inbuilt power-source that feeds off of hyperspace energies, all that needs to be done to use a Zero-Point Gateway is to dial the address of the gateway one wishes to go to, and then simply step through. The benefits of such a system is clear, and the Synchronicity has since established a network of these gates connecting every corner of their realm, with more planned as they expand into Sagittarius.
First founded early in the Expansion Era, the Fractal Armada exists as a definitive physical aspect of the Synchronicity's vast infrastructure and production capability, as well as their sheer determination to ensure their realm remains their own. Divided into three separate aspects, the Fractal Armada takes up the roles of defensive fleets, offensive cordons, as well as the massive logistical chains that interconnect the entire Synchronicity. Each fleet is headed by what is called a Precept, a construct that is seen to be a supreme authority second only to Amnos or another Precept, and is then further divided into smaller battle-fleets headed by Subcepts. With exception of the logistical fleets, the Fractal Armada operates in tight-knit groups, each fleet of vessels comprising no less than two-hundred individual ships, with some ranging in the thousands. This tendency stems from the Synchronicity's disdain for infantry based combat, choosing to instead seize air-space control and dictate the direction of a battle from there.
Between the two combat oriented fleets, The Still Waters is a more respected fleet, in that they are the ones who serve as the defensive line and ensure the safety of the Synchronicity's holdings. Operating primarily from a world known as the Tesseract, Still Waters maintains at least a thousand patrols across the width and breadth of Synch-Space, keeping a watchful eye on every activity surrounding the worlds of the Synch. While they are primarily a defensive cordon for the Synch, Still Waters also actively serves as a sort of First-Contact between the Synch and other cultures that may run into the civilization, and as such are noted for being more forgiving than their brethren of the Extinction Fleets. It is common for a vessel of the fleet to issue communications in all known languages before determining action, Precept Adrasteia having determined it best to make contacts and then ignore them, rather than make enemies and be forced to deal with them. As such, it is all too common for another nation to make contact with Still Waters, make some form of progress with them towards friendly relations, and then see contact with them slowly dwindle until it becomes clear that the Synchronicity is fully content with their isolation.
In terms of vessels Still Waters uses, they primarily utilize larger numbers of smaller, more agile vessels. This style of vessel serves their patrols well, and allows the fleet to quickly and easily respond to a threat as it appears. These vessels are typically armed with high-precision Mag-FELs attuned to the gamma wavelength, seeking to remove a threat as soon as possible, with minimal collateral damage. While the fleet is mainly comprised of the medium-class of vessels, there are still a fair number of larger vessels within the fleet. Foremost among these is the BB-01/SW-DC5, a vessel which serves as a heavy-hitter for when the needs of the fleet demand such a vessel.
While Still Waters serves primarily as a defensive cordon for the Synchronicity as well as a sort of buffer against those who chose to seek dialog with the civilization, the Extinction Fleets are their answer to those who choose to stand against the Synchronicity. It is largely because of the Extinction Fleets that the Synch has remained so isolated from the larger galaxy, Precept Thanatos seeing any transgressors against the Synch's will as dire threats and executing them accordingly. A vast majority of the fleet is geared towards mid-sized to larger vessels, the Precept finding that precision application of immense force ensures the job is done the first time. Among these vessels, the Mag-FELs are typically seen in their alternate variation, as well as various forms of orbital bombardment weapons and anti-ship defences that Still Waters eschews to remain highly mobile. Foremost among these irregular weapons is the presence of treated-nuclear weapons, a creation developed to render the surface of a world inhospitable for long periods of time and ensure the death of organic life. The way this is done is through use of metals such as cobalt that linger in the atmosphere for extended durations, as well as thinner dampeners to increase the neutrino yield of the weapon and cause greater radioactive fallout. In tandem with the treated-nukes, the Extinction Fleets will also cordon off the air-space and execute lance-strikes against ground-targets in order to maximize the effective damage of a bombardment.
Their first movements are always to secure air-space and remove opposing fleets, however, and as such they typically operate in larger groups than Still Waters and utilize tactics meant to emphasize their numbers and firepower. One such tactic frequently used by the Extinction Fleets is to order maximum spread to make their fleet appear to be significantly larger than it actually is, and sow discord among an opposing fleet. In addition to their tendency to be dispatched to remove threats, the Extinction Fleets are known for their cold disposition towards unaligned vessels, and are highly prone to firing upon unknown vessels before making contact with them. This puts them at odds with the fleets of Still Waters, as despite their known hostility, Precept Thanatos is tasked with the expansion of the Synchronicity's realm, and the securing of new borders. As such, while it is all to common for a faction to run into the forces of Still Waters when the Synch is in a phase of stasis, it is more common for the Synch to have interactions with another faction through the forces of Thanatos and his horde.
- Synchronicity Vessels and You! -
While there are certainly some vessels of the Synchronicity that adhere to similar construction standards of other nations, and as such are easily identified as actual starships at close range, the vast majority of the Fractal Armada adhere to the Synch's unique style of starship. The first, and most obvious difference is that Synch vessels are not one singular entity. Instead, each individual vessel is typically comprised of anywhere from half a dozen modules up to the hundred or so that comprise a dreadnought. Each module is designed as a stand alone component that is capable of independent movement and actions, synchronizing itself with the main components and working in tandem with the other modules of the "vessel". Individual modules vary from the engine units, all the way to the shield-arrays of the larger vessels, and the multi-kilometer long Mag-FEL tubes that serve as main weapons. Common to all vessels is that each module is connected to a command module that forms the heart of the actual vessel, the one singular piece that defines the actual "size" of the starship and the capabilities of said vessel. Beyond the command nodule, any module is capable of being used by any other vessel as long as the power supplies of the vessel are functioning, and it can sustain a link to the command module.
The second point of difference is the complete and total absence of any kind of crew for both the individual modules and the vessel as a whole itself. Instead, the command-module serves as a hub for an artificial intelligence which takes command of the component modules and gives directives to the entire vessel. Otherwise the space of each module is fully dedicated to internal functions, maximizing effectiveness of the individual component through internal repair and monitoring systems that actively respond to changing scenarios, rather than rely on a construct to respond. Those modules that do have interior spaces that can actually be crewed, are typically also filled with a ferrofluid in order to maximize the effective armor of the vessel, the fluid being capable of being induced to a solid state at the pulse of a magnetic field or electric signal. With this aspect, vessels of the Fractal Armada are essentially immune to boarding actions, as there is simply nothing to board.
Some of the common modules of the Fractal Armada are not only the command, engine and Mag-FEL modules, but also the various defensive systems and the affiliated systems. One such module is a form of point-defense system which operates in response to detected weapons locks, and discharges fields of ferrous particulate that can be influenced by the native EM field of the vessel and shifted to form anti-laser screens as well as impulsed to shred strikecraft that strays too close. Similar to the particulate-discharger is a module which serves as a sort of carrier for miniaturized drones that actively seek out damaged areas of the vessel and repair them, but can also actively work against vessels in proximity to its home vessel and sabotage them through tunneling into their hulls and seeking out critical systems. A relatively common module, the Impeller field is what generates the native EM field around Synch vessels as well as forms the unique bonds between modules that make them one singular ship. While the Impeller field is commonly found as part of the command module, it is also seen frequently as individual modules for larger vessels, and is part of how such large conglomerations of modules can be cohesively held together.
Shielding of the Fractal Armada's vessels varies depending upon the number of modules in use, and what kind of fields are being utilized, though the large majority of the fields are of an EM wavelength. The reasoning for this is that it is found to be effective both against energy weapons such as plasma/fusion as well as the more typical railgun munitions and missiles, as well as being cost effective for energy consumption. Additional shielding comes in the form of particle screens such as neutrino-isolation fields and gravitational wave dischargers that can serve as measures against weapons that utilize exotic particles that would normally bypass standard shields. Of course, fields such as those are useless unless the Fractal Armada is aware of those types of weapons being utilized, and so the primary defense the Synch has is the knowledge of what the capabilities of those around them are. With the knowledge of potential threats, and what they are capable of, the Synch can effectively counter a threat before it is even aware it was a threat, a tactical advantage that the Synch actively seeks to maintain at all times.
The League of Wisdom is ran by a series of world-states, of which is dominated by the Fortunate Council who hold authority over local planetary rulers provided they manage to placate the stars and assure a fortunate future for all. This has made them intense diplomats, because a diplomatic failure can mean death. It the most dire times, especially that of war, the League of Wisdom may collapse into military dictatorship, but these dictatorships tend to be overthrown once their use to society disappears since Zevedics despise autocracy since no one Zevedic mind can suffice to keep things running well.
This council consists priest-like figures who hold power through their veneration of the stars and the needed ability to ensure a prosperous future for the next generation. The Zevedics do not separate morality from politics, if a political failure happens, it is seen as a moral failure as well. When such failures occur, the current council is usually overthrown and must find redemption in a trip to the sun. For when they fail to achieve fortune or prosperity for the League of Wisdom and the galaxy, they fail everyone and must redeem themselves by resetting their life.
Below the council itself as the Zevedics who have achieved space travel, a feat of which requires decades of training which has put them above the lesser Zevedics who have yet to gain the ability to telekinetically control spacecraft or be able to amplify their abilities with other Zevedics- a crucial ability needed to make a sophisticated spaceship whose applications can vary depending on what situation they are in. For Zevedic ships tend not to have any rigid classification as trade ships or warships thanks to their pilots being able to use their telekinesis for violence should the situation call for it.
The ground Zevedics are fleshy, organic Zevedics who are very alien in their appearance, being essentially massive egg-like bodies with tendrils that are used to connect, reproduce and move around. These bodies depending on the level of maturation of the Zedevic may be part of a construct (of which they hold together with their mind. These bodies can take over a century to completely develop, with the first phases of development taking decades alone due to having to go through multiple forms of metamorphosis. A typical Zevedic in their life span tends to have 2-3 offspring at most, of whom are collectively raised in sprawling academic institutions that teach all matters of subjects as opposed to being raised by their biological parents.
Ground Zevedics however, are extremely diverse in their societal roles and often rely on the more aged and advanced space capable Zevedics to conduct business with other world-states and societies out and about the galaxy. They are the commoners and have an amazing diversity of roles in the League of Wisdom, but their telekinetic power is generally much, much weaker than what the Zedevics who pilot spaceships are capable of.
Zedevics incapable of learning or self-advancement (or even simply are horrible at it) are euthanized to put them out of their misery.
Description of species:
The Zedevic are a species of egg-like masses with multiple tendrils that project from their bottom side they use to move around their environment.
These tendrils are of varying thickness with some being more specialized, as larger tendrils are used for actual movement while the smaller tendrils are used to latch onto things and keep hold of objects. The males have a specialized tendril for reproduction while the females simply have a reproductive orifice that is near their mouth. There is also smaller tendrils which protrude from the top of their body which are basically their eyes. Much of this is their brain, of which is not centralized in their head but spread about like a thick layer of tissue. They can repair brain damage much more than humans can, but significant brain damage does impair their telekinetic abilities and cause serious lapses in memory among other problems.
Without any knowledge of telekinesis, their natural means of survival is pretty much to lay low and scavenge. However, as primitive Zedevic groups gained the knowledge telekinesis over many generations they became apex predators on their planet because they than are able to trap and kill larger creatures.
Zedevics tend to consume and digest food externally, not too unlike a starfish might and they need to consume larger quantities of food the older they get. This results in the pilot Zedevics needing to eat large shares of food and usually bringing large quantities of food wherever they go. Traders tend to go with less food, usually eating at destinations instead since the Zedevics aren't really picky eaters due to their evolutionary past as scavengers.
The growth and development of Zedevics is done through multiple stages of maturation, with the first stage of Zedevics being the Grub Forms who come to be through live birth. Juveniles go through a stage of metamorphosis that leads to the Juvenile form. The Juvenile form than will grow for decades until they become mature enough to reproduce. Gestation for the grub forms tends to take a few years. Their telekinetic potential gets higher the older they get. Zedevics can live up to 200-300 years on average.
Zedevics have male and female sexes (they reproduce by tendril), but these sexes have little, if any dimorphism beyond genitalia. However, they do have a degree of dichromatism in than the males tend to be a more vibrant color than the females. The Zedevic color-wise tend to be a mixture of dark grey and pale colors than may be affected by their exposure to the sun to start becoming a pinkish color. Their skin patterns tend towards spottiness.
For Zedevics also gain nutrition from exposure to sunlight and while Zedevic eyesight is poor, the warmth of the sun is easily felt by them.
Description of Culture:
The Zevedic are extremely well learned as a whole due to rigorous amounts of training for their kind being focused in solely aggregation of knowledge. From birth to death, the pursuit of mastering their mind and achieving transcendence is leveraged onto every Zedevic, with vast state sponsored institutions on each world. One may spend over a century in these academies, with much of their society centered around these massive academy complexes that carry out many of the same functions of a city at the same time.
These academies teach pretty much every subject they can teach. As a result, many Zedevic tend to know quite a bit about other species (and have to- their kind relies on other societies to attain technologies they never developed in exchange for outsourcing their telekinetic abilities). The need for so much education becomes most clear in the fact that the only way they are able to manipulate the environment around them is through their innate talent for telekinesis, of which can take decades to be adept at for even the Zevedic. The sheer range of abilities Zevedic telekinesis can do is simply staggering, for they can flip switches drag around objects larger than themselves (note that this does have limits in size, bigger objects being harder to manipulate and when they use constructs can't devote as much of their mental resources. They also can amplify their telekinetic ability when they are near other Zevedics of similar talent, enabling for the large scale telekinesis that would give rise to space travel.
The Zevedic talents come at a price, however. The Zevedics always need more food than other species (often having to eat as much of their own body weight in a day) and frequently must bask in the sun in order to gain all their nutrition. Their telekinesis requires focus, and can be disrupted if they are caught off guard. This means they tend not to have high populations on the whole, and their cultures are not as 'social' as more populous ones.
Since the beginning of time, The Zedevics have worshiped the Sun. Early on in their history, such worship was very simplistic. Simple ritual was all that was needed to placate the sun, burn some Zedevic children at dawn and you were morally clear. Such a system in the League of System is looked down upon as one of the most shameful aspects of the past, if the serfdom was not horrid enough. Sacrificing so much is opulence, after all.
The warmth of the sun is not only associated with knowledge and wisdom, but ethicality and morality itself. The night used to be feared by ancient societies, but as the revelation of the true nature of the stars so distant came to be, the night too, became a time to be enjoyed as the thousands of parts of the sun come into view. Veneration of the Sun is achieved through long exposure to the light, singing hymns and giving valued material goods to the Sun.
Their conception of the sun would be greatly affected as they awoken to the greater universe and became aware of the true nature of the cosmos.
The sun it turns out, is far more vast than they ever imagined. It is not simply the sun in their skies, but countless aspects of the sun. All of which having a personality of their own. (For instance Sol, earth's sun is considered a very courageous star who never spoils but never abuses. The Vedl system the Zedevics come from is more of a calm, but watchful star whose silent judgement passes over every day.)
Their god it would seem, is far more powerful than the ancients ever imagined. The implications that the stars and the sun are one completely changed their world view from the small mindedness of the ancients who only knew of one sun. No longer was it that they had obligations to Vedl, the star that had given birth to them, but they had obligations to every star, even many who never had children. Such veneration could not be carried out by one species. To truly satisfy and show gratefulness to the stars for the light of knowledge and life, their cousins too, had to cooperate in venerating the stars.
The sun is seen as both god and a realm, a heavenly realm where the souls of the dead go to be judged for their next life. Souls with the Zedevic are seen as the engine of wisdom, the sun being where knowledge is collectively deposited to one day be scattered among the stars. All organic sapient life is seen as having souls, of those that gain knowledge are the ones who are seen as truly soulful. A being incapable of learning does not have a soul. Zedevic tend to not be buried, instead their corpses are left to bask in the sun so they may be embraced by the heavenly light and go on to their next life. Burial is a ritual horrifies the Zedevic, as the soul is trapped underground in such events.
The Zedevic engage in a distinct form of sacrifice, of which is not based in placating, but redemption and judgment. Those who have dishonored the galaxy in their failure to bring fortune are given the choice to redeem themselves by going on a one way trip to the sun. Prisoners of war are given this option, to end their lives now to redeem themselves. And so they may be born again and hopefully next time live a more moral life. Some sects do practice more conventional sun sacrifice, but these sects are heavily criticized by the mainstream faith for their sheer opulence in sending thousands of people into the sun to save them from a corrupt and evil universe.
The League of Wisdom, due to not engaging in the assimilation/conquest of other species is pretty much dominated by Zedevics with all minorities being those who immigrate to the League. Those minorities tend to make separate parallel communities in the League of Wisdom due to so much of the infrastructure being unsuited to non-psionic species. They don't seem to have a concept of citizenship, instead just allowing immigration and emigration through a simple check to make sure you aren't armed or intending to kill anyone. Immigrants may be pressured to worship the sun however.
Machines however, are seen as soulless by the Zedevic, for they have no life in them and their knowledge is merely transferred, not truly gained through experience. This is perhaps the most disputed aspect of Zedevic faith, one of which continues unresolved to this day in the League of Wisdom.
Despite the common respect they see themselves to other societies in the galaxy, the Zedevics find the beliefs of their cousins shameful.
They believe that their civilizations have corrupted their youth, filling them with deception and confusion, making them ignore the universal truth. That is, of the sun being the mother of all life and the light of knowledge. For many of these other faiths to the Zedevic are out of touch with reality in their belief of invisible and intangible gods. Or even worse, those who insist the world to be only material and nothing else.
However dogmatic the League of Wisdom is on their faith, they do not use force to convert. Instead they try to show how much greater of a society they are for worshiping the sun in through benevolence and charity. The power of the sun and its universal importance must be acknowledged in totality. To give credence to a fictional entity is madness. To see the sun as "just a hot ball of gas" is stupidity. The Oligarchs of the league of wisdom, seeing the madness of some of their cousins have invested in methods of conciliation and therapy to fix the insanity of other species when possible. Such methods being an optional service- as force only repulses the non believer. But attempts at persuasion is frequent regardless.
Sects more radical and dogmatic be damned, the only way to true reverence of the sun is through knowledge.
For they must come to see the error in their minds on their own.
Description of Economy:
Being a network of world states ruled by an oligarchic system, the economic network within the League of Wisdom is both dead simple and highly convoluted. Essentially every world has similar level of development. At the very least they all have a World Institute to ensure education is universal for all Zedevic.
The League of Wisdom's economy is fueled by industry, education and psionics with Zedevic industry being shockingly high quality using advanced metallurgical techniques that has created a range of alloys and magnetics used in the constructs and magnetic transit systems that link the many Zedevic towns on a world-state together, of which often centralizes around massive, sprawling academies that also double as the main cities for each world state. These industries often have adopted technologies from other parts of the galaxies, integrating new technologies when the opportunity arises however hesitant they are when it comes to making use of many forms of machines only tolerating simple machine tools for their constructs. Instead they make use of decades of education to make extremely well crafted products.
Financially the League of Wisdom is basically a system of working for benefits. Money doesn't seem to be of much incentive to the League and the autonomy of 'lesser'/regional educational facilities, artisans, merchants and industrial complexes within the League is more akin to a system of guilds instead of a corporation. These complexes however, are watched by the world governors to ensure they are being ethical in their ways. The world governors in turn are watched by the guilds to ensure they are being ethical in their ways. Ethics here being defined by common respect and logical reward/punishment- no opulence being tolerated. Competition between these guilds are frequent, as they may sometimes be populated by rivaling sects and feuding tribes that have never really ended their petty rivalries.
Merchants in the League of Wisdom tend to not be merchants in the human sense. League of Wisdom merchants instead are advanced psionic users who (as mentioned earlier) trade their psionic capabilities (of which it should be noted are renowned the galaxy over- the psionic capabilities of a Zedevic especially in telekinetic prowess is considered unmatched and the potential a Zedevic has for psionics can just keep growing and growing) in exchange for technology, food or services from their client. Some merchants may given money from their clients regardless, of which they accept and use to buy whatever they need from the factions that accept whatever currency they were given. However the League of Wisdom doesn't have much of a currency themselves beyond some experimental currency systems meant only to interface with their other more money utilizing cousins.
Other species are welcomed to learn in the League of Wisdom, other psionic species having come to one of the famous academies in the League of Wisdom to learn telekinetic powers and telepathy from the Zedevic themselves. Such education is free, but extremely selective with other species often requiring proof of high psionic potential to apply. They tend to teach sun worship as well, so be warned. The most notable and cosmopolitan of these universities is the "Institution for the Universal Advancement of Life", of which has the prestige of training some of the most advanced Zedevic pilots in the galaxy.
Description of Technology:
The technology of the League of wisdom is adapted to specifically interface with Zedevic individuals. Their architecture is made from large parts due Zedevic builders being able to levitate large objects and place them together.
There is a wide variety of constructs the Zedevic utilize to better manipulate the world around them, such constructs being metallic suits the Zedevic fill in and control through telekinesis. Such constructs can get rather large and are utilized for all sorts of things such as interacting with other species in a equal manner or construction work. They also have applications in world exploration as they can double as spacesuits.
More intricate tech has been used by the Zedevic for ages, weapons such as the sharp edged cylinders or guns that can be aimed using telekinesis and fire at the will of the user existed over a thousand years before the league of wisdom was even conceived of.
Magnetic devices have been used as force amplifiers by the Zedevic, indeed it is such devices that have allowed for the Zedevic to experiment with space travel and eventually become a space faring species. Magnetic transit systems are frequently used for logistics as well, of which connect their worlds together and can take one to the other side of a world-state in a matter of minutes. They have a wide range of tools that are specialized to telekinetic usage, many of which are designed so even a novice Zedevic may be able to use them. The more complex ones require more training.
Automation and mechanization has limited application in their societies, often being used as toys or for aid in systems needed for their spacecraft (mainly life support systems). The Zedevic do not really use computers much, their computer systems being still fiber optic based and used more for recording and archiving information. In more recent time more sophisticated computer systems brought in from outside societies have been experimented with for educational applications.
There is a range of Zedevic tech that is simply tech from other societies re applied for their use, of which will be discussed and revealed in respect to the League of Wisdom's affiliations with other societies. In exchange for these technologies, the Zedevic outsource themselves as mercenaries or assistants in various fields for other civilizations. Zedevic psychiatry and therapy is considered shockingly decent, but be warned they sometimes will try to convince you to worship the sun.
Description of Military:
The military of the League of Wisdom is sourced from multiple world states and consists of warships that are specially designed for the crew by their peers, often with a shocking amount of personalization for what is generally considered a unitary species by more material cultures out there. Their fleets are decent in size due to having long enough drawls of relative peace and the long lifespans the pilots have, however the big concern among their commanders is the difficulty in recuperating losses in a protracted conflict. As a result the League of Wisdom has military tactics designed not to engage in protracted wars, but force a truce as soon as possible and bring an enemy to the negotiating table. They are hesitant to use any genocidal methods due to them viewing other species in the galaxy not as "xenos", but instead as cousins to themselves. Their ancestor's souls might now be human, Vit’azny, Valeran, Sauru'u and so on now after all.
That's not to say of course, they have no means of trying to force a peace or resorting to conquest and reeducation when the situation calls for it.
There is not much distinction between a warship or a trade ship except for identifiers they use when working with societies that request it. This is because of the pilots living their lives in those ships and being conscripted to fight in wars when necessary for military training comes part of their education. The pilots spend almost of their lives in spaceships once they achieve the capability of space travel, with the only true military forces being specialized ships used for diplomatic leverage via sending in their land troopers to occupy enemy cities in order to force their opponent to the negotiation table or to begin saving the less savory cousins from themselves. Enemies that don't surrender pretty much are seen as mentally unstable and have their corrupt culture dismantled and replaced with more ethical and moral principles for their own good.
The general capabilities of these ships is that they can act as if they have a reactionless drive, are able to use incredibly hard hitting projectile attacks using rail guns whose projectiles can be steered into enemy ships and have a variety of scattershot flak weapons they can unleash upon opponents. The orbital bombardment potential of these ships is known, (they simply need to drop a large asteroid on a planet), but is practically never used except against machine opponents or in a hypothetical state of total desperation. These ships tend to be crewed by multiple pilots who together achieve greater feats than a individual could.
Their true strength lies in the difficulty in hitting their spaceships thanks to the reactionless nature of their ship handling and their ability to easily intercept and even deflect enemy projectiles by modifying their flight path so they pass harmlessly by. Or send the projectiles careening back to the attacker. They also tend to have their ships "dance" in space as to decrease the probability of being hit by laser or particle weapons, but beyond simple plating systems and their insanely evasive maneuvers they have no real answer to laser or particle weaponry except those they can get through technological trade with other civs.
The drawback however, is that these ships tend to be larger and require larger ships due to the ravenous appetite of the pilots (a fact exploited by dining establishments on a regular basis). However, they do not really make use of ship classes.
On ground and air, they have various other constructs they utilize that like with most of their tech, requires telekinesis to properly operate. On ground they tend to use constructs that are well defended and designed more for suppression than protracted conflicts. In general the League of Wisdom tries to avoid a protracted war, seeking decisive victories by focusing on attacking the military of the enemy and than forcing open the negotiation table as soon as they can.
They can be brought to declare a offensive war if the right order of events occur that drive them to a declaration, but even in such cases they prefer to only wage war when they have allies or are joining in on a war in support of an ally. They might simply just surrender if they have no allies and most are against them in a war. However in practice war is a last resort to the League of Wisdom, they tend to attempt other means to gain power and influence in the galaxy instead.
History:
The evolution of the Zevedics is somewhat unclear due to their species looking little into it- for it is clear around them that they shared a ancestor with other species on their planets, some of which having developed psionic capabilities as well, but it all ignores the ultimate fact that the Zevedics are children of the sun- even if their immediate ancestors were animals. For it is the sun that gave life to their world and countless
Thousands of years ago the Zevedics were simply organic species who were exceptionally gifted at telekinesis and somewhat capable of telepathy. They were a pathetic, savage species in these ancient times. Telekinetic warlords dominated politics, those left without mind were in a state of serfdom in much of the world, treated as farm animals and had to physically labor using their weak tendrils to toil away in agriculture and labor their lives away for a hundred years before they could gain the embrace of death. The small elite of telekinetic lords even back in this miserable time worshiped the sun, a seemingly near universal cultural trait. Perhaps because of some cultural bottleneck in their prehistory.
Such was the politics in ancient times for much of the world. Yet, there was an exception- the Misja. The telekinetic lords in their part of Vedia developed learning and knowledge, uplifting their citizens and achieving power beyond the warlords and their despotic magocracies. The Misja Empire would lay the foundations to later civilizations that in the course of thousands of years led to ever higher levels of psionic achievement. The literacy and education of their species progressively grew and their major schools of magic allowed for ever more elaborate creations and technologies. The first academies begun to exist, with the most prestigious academy in the League of Wisdom today being on Vedia itself with a ancient history spanning back to the age of enlightened autocracies.
Eventually the first pilots came to be, transcending the limits of their home world of Vedia and waking up to the true nature of the sun. Efforts to reach these other suns were progressive, but eventually accumulated with the discovery of the precursor gates that the Zevedics make comparatively little concern of despite the sheer power of their technology. For the true matter war that these gateways led to the stars distant and eventually lead to Zedevics coming face to face with their cousins among the stars, also viewed as children of the sun. A different aspect of the sun with a different personality, but nonetheless part of the sun as well.
The early colonies were independent. They were full of rivalries between major clans and hostility from past atrocities that just kept building on each other. Acts of total stupidity occurred in the time of world-states that still have resonance today and have informed much of the political behavior the League of Wisdom conducts today. Yet it was in this hostile climate that the League of Wisdom gained power, being able to raise the bar above grudges and sectarian violence into a orderly society that has managed to continue to this day, although tensions still brew underneath the surface of their seemingly ethical and just society (namely more radical sects who try to subvert the power of the League as a whole).
Currently the League of Wisdom engages in trade and diplomacy with the galaxy at large, all the while spreading their influence through solar cults and allying with those most similar to their own beliefs to one day achieve further levels of enlightenment with their cousins at their side.
Other:
Basically psychic aliens who are into sun worship.
(Note: It's long. Recommended reading would be Major Species, Government, and Military)
The Imperial Systems Commonwealth
A political amalgamation with grand pretenses of freedom and democracy, the Commonwealth is in truth a sprawling monarchical imperium dominated by a species of feline humanoids called the Vit'azny. The Commonwealth owes its existence to the fact that 500 years ago the then Vit'azny Empire realized assimilation was vastly easier than maintaining overlordship over their rebellious subjects. The resulting organization has since exploded into a major galactic power and an economic powerhouse.
Vit'azny: The reigning elite of the Commonwealth and one of its founding members. The Vit'azny are long lived feline humanoids, with a number of subspecies. Males tend to be larger than females, and the average lifespan can reach up to 300 years. The Vit’azny dominate the upper echelons of the Commonwealth’s government, military, and corporations. Indeed, their monarch is the Commonwealth’s head of state: a figurehead on paper, but something quite different in practice. As a whole, the Vit’azny are a proud people, but are pragmatic more than anything.
Szitzu: A race of large, sentient bearlike creatures that form the backbone of the Commonwealth’s military might. As a whole, Szitzu society is heavily patriarchal and heavily based on tradition and an intricate clan system. While this society has produced excellent warriors for generations, it has a tendency to relegate thinkers to the sidelines. The Szitzu were originally conquered by the Vit’azny empire almost a 700 years ago, after a long and bloody conflict which only ended when Vit’azny technology overcame Szitzu ferocity. Under the Empire, the Szitzu were rebellious and problematic, but as one of the original founding members of the Commonwealth, they have become it’s most loyal supporters.
Yanissans: Originally a small star nation of 3 systems, the snakelike humanoids known as the Yanissans were quick to surrender when the Vit’azny war machine came knocking. However, they proved to be more dangerous as subjects than they did as enemies. While Szitzu resentment against the old empire usually took the shape of riots and bar fights, a plot by Yanissan rebels managed to kill the entire Vit’azny Royal Advisory Council. The King was spared only by coincidence; his personal limousine suffered a breakdown on the way to the meeting. Yanissan society is dominated by plots, intrigue, secrets, and rampant hedonism. They are the third and final founding species of the Commonwealth, which from their point of view, keeps them a healthy distance from any fighting. Of the founding members, only the Yanissans have anything resembling a useful amount of psintegrae, most of which are swept up by Toolbox and trained to use their telepathic and telekinetic abilities to lethal effect.
Rhodesians: The dimunitive weasely Rhodesians were one of the first species conquered by the old Vit’azny Empire. Quick thinking, short lived, numerous, and obsessed with efficiency, they are the ones who attend to the business of actually getting things done. They are technically subjects of the Commonwealth, not full members, but this is more of an oversight than an act of malice. Long before the Commonwealth was ever founded, the Rhodesians thoroughly integrated themselves into Vit’azny society, eventually making themselves indispensable. This trend has carried on with the Commonwealth as a whole, to the point where the Commonwealth’s official capital is actually their homeworld, Corinthene, though all the real power is concentrated on Praetoria, the Vit’azny homeworld. The vast majority of bureaucrats are Rhodesians; most military staffers are Rhodesians; personal aides, diplomatic attaches, economic analysts, technicians, administrators: they are the people who keep the Commonwealth running. The general sentiment towards them is one of distant gratitude: they are underlings, but well appreciated underlings.
Valerians: The Valerian Republic is the newest member of the Commonwealth, and the conditions for their joining were highly unusual. Unlike most new members, the Valerian worlds were fully integrated as constituents of the Commonwealth, not colonial holdings. There are a number of factors that prompted this decision - notably the abundance of Valerian psintegrae - but it has caused a great deal of tension across older Commonwealth worlds that are still waiting to be granted constituency. It remains to be seen if the advantages the Valerians bring with them will offset the social unrest their integration has caused.
As the name implies, the ISC is a large aggregation of “independent” nations united under a single “democratic” government in a “free” and “egalitarian” society. While the name may imply such grandeur, the reality of the ISC is a far cry from independent, democratic, or free. In truth, the ISC is a vast monarchical imperium, dominated by a species of long lived feline humanoids called the Vit’azny, and ruled absolutely by Catherine, the Imperial Queen.
The Commonwealth is a younger nation, at least compared to some of the antiquated species clinging to the scraps of their former glory around the galaxy. The Vit’azny are also a young species full of pride and ambition. Other members of the Commonwealth vary in age; some species were pre-FTL when they joined, others were the remnants of once great empires. Regardless of age or stature, they now bend knee to Her Imperial Majesty, Catherine.
The Vit’azny have been a spacefaring civilization for a little less than 700 years. They set out from their homeworld of Praetoria and began rapidly expanding to accommodate their swelling population. Historically, they have never shied away from warfare, though they are pragmatic above all else and understand the usefulness of diplomacy. First contact with another alien race, the snake-like Yanissans, quickly devolved into war. Seeing how one sided the conflict would be the Yanissans promptly surrendered were annexed as subjects.This happened again with another race, the brutish Szitzu. Neither species were happy as subjects, and rebellions rapidly become a problem for the Vit’azny overlords. 499 years ago, they developed a solution: the Imperial Systems Commonwealth. The governments of the Szitzu and Yanissans were restored, and they agreed to the formation of the Parliament of the Sovereign Reich and the other institutions of the Commonwealth. The ISC has been rapidly expanding ever since.
Oddly enough, the Commonwealth is perhaps the most racially diverse government in the known worlds, with citizens from over 40 different species composing almost half the Commonwealth’s population. Sadly, most of them are treated as second class citizens by the dominant Vit’azny, who form a very distinct upper class within the Commonwealth. Almost all high level positions in government, military, or the corporate sector are held by Vit’azny.
Life in the Commonwealth is actually quite pleasant for Vit’azny and other species alike. The Imperial Government maintains a large number of social programs to foster growth and development. Citizens of member species enjoy access to free universal healthcare, free secondary education, heavily subsidized post-secondary education, a decent amount of personal rights and freedoms, unemployment insurance, fair taxation, a fair minimum wage, democratic representation in government, a degree of self governance and independence, and imperial funding for a number of industries. These benefits are something of a trap; they encourage many species to join the Commonwealth, not realizing they will be neither full members nor citizens immediately upon joining. In war, the ISC maintains a policy of always offering membership to their enemies. Many species over the years have decided to join rather than be exterminated. Even some species who could have won the conflict sought a quicker diplomatic end to war and accepted the offer, a decision most have come to regret.
Citizenship is a very important part of Commonwealth society. Being a citizen grants an individual access to all the Commonwealth’s benefits, as well as all its rights and freedoms. Citizens can also move freely from world to world, vote in elections, and apply to present a petition in the Royal Court. Non-citizens have none of these privileges; for them, life can be very hard. There are two ways to gain citizenship: money, or service. An applicant for citizenship must take three different tests: a generalized aptitude test, a specialized IQ test, and finally a citizenship test. While citizenship itself is free and the tests are not particularly difficult, the fees for taking each of the three tests are enormous. This means only wealthy non-citizens can take this route. Children of citizens gain access to citizen privileges via their parents until the reach the age of majority for their species, at which point they must obtain citizenship for themselves. It is common for parents to pay the fees for their children; many banks in the Commonwealth offer services to help citizens with children save up for the admission process, much like a college fund.
The other way to gain citizenship is through service; either to the Royal Armed Forces of the Commonwealth, or to the Imperial Directorate. Both routes skip the usual testing procedures entirely; simply serve for the allotted time, and be granted citizenship. The RAFC will take almost anyone, but is notoriously willing to throw away the lives of non-commissioned soldiers, so the challenge there is living long enough to gain citizenship or get promoted. The Imperial Directorate, in its never-ending quest to find intelligent individuals to help run the Commonwealth, has its own application process, which involves difficult aptitude tests and a number of exams and interviews. However, the Imperial Directorate is not just a quick way to gain citizenship, but also an extremely prestigious career that an individual could happily remain in for life. A third option is sometimes available; the Commonwealth sometimes has colonization drives to settle new colonies or Verge worlds, and offer citizenship to anyone who volunteers after they have lived on the target planet for a set number of years.
Vit’azny culture is strongly embedded with honour and military tradition. While not precisely a militaristic people, the Vit’azny don’t have any particular qualms about getting involved in conflicts, when it is necessary. War, of course, brings honour and glory to those with enough guts to seize them. Anything other than steadfast and heartfelt support of the military during wartime is considered borderline sedition. The culture of the Commonwealth in a larger sense is fairly difficult to pin down. Each member species brings elements of their own culture with them, so where a given species if more concentrated, their culture is more prevalent.
The Commonwealth does have a state religion, which the Vit’azny are quite fervent about. The enthusiasm of the rest of the Commonwealth varies widely. Their faith revolves around a pantheon of 7 gods: chief among them is Llyena, Goddess of Victory and Justice, from whom the Imperial Queen takes her authority. The others are Ichael, God of Life and Death; Arctus, God of Chaos and Destruction; Nezia, Goddess of Thought and Reason; Lexus, God of Order and Industry; Cyris, Goddess of Sight and Time; and Shakras the Lost, God of Secrets, the Unknown, and the Void. While Llyena is chief among the deities, different species in the Commonwealth honour others above her. The sly, snakelike Yanissans, for example, tend to favor Shakras the Lost, while the brutish Szitzu favor Arctus. Different planets, or even individuals of specific occupations will favor some gods over others; doctors might prey for Ichael’s left hand to guide them; the mandates of the Imperial Directorate are stamped with Lexus’s seal; some soldiers might pray to Llyena for victory, while others might pray to Arctus to grant them his battle fury. It is a faith as diverse as the Commonwealth itself.
The governmental apparatus of the Commonwealth is an intricate one. Though an Empire in practice, the Commonwealth pretends to be something else entirely.
There are three main bodies to the Commonwealth’s government: The Parliament of the Sovereign Reich, the Imperial Directorate of the Commonwealth, and The Imperial Crown. The Parliament of the Sovereign Reich is the official government of the Commonwealth. It is composed of 1021 elected representatives who are affiliated with assorted political parties. The party with the most seats after an election composes Her Imperial Majesty’s Government, and the leader of that party becomes Lord Chancellor. He in turn appoints assorted ministers to compose the cabinet. The parliament functions as most parliaments do: bills are presented, voted on, debated, voted on again, and so forth. The Parliament of the Sovereign Reich is responsible for issues affecting the whole of the Commonwealth, with regional authority being granted to smaller legislative assemblies, or the existing governments of member species. The authority of parliament is absolute, and the Imperial Queen is not directly involved in its functioning, though she may appoint heads of committees and task forces. There is an exception, however: Royal Mandates. The Imperial Queen may issue a Royal Mandate at any time, on any subject she deems suitable. A Royal Mandate skips all the debate and voting; in this, the Imperial Queen’s word is law. However, Royal Mandates are a touchy subject: a ruler that uses them too freely to abuse their authority over parliament often finds that their Mandates take a very long time to be implemented, often poorly. On the flipside, Prime Ministers who steadfastly refuse to bow to the ruler’s authority often find themselves in front of parliamentary committees on charges of Contempt of Parliament.
The Imperial Directorate of the Commonwealth is the vast bureaucracy that keeps the trains running on time. From the wealthiest Core world to the most desolate colony, the Imperial Directorate’s deft touch can be seen at work. It consists of a large number of ministries, departments, bureau’s, agencies and crown corporations, all arranged into a maze of regulations and red tape. The most important entities of the Directorate are the cabinet ministries, which are the ministries where the politician in charge is a member of cabinet. There are usually 12 cabinet ministries, and they cover the most important issues of the Commonwealth, such as defence, finance, and colonial affairs.. A large number of lesser ministries exist, covering more specific areas. Some ministries only operate in certain areas of the Commonwealth; the Ministry of Environment, for example, has absolutely no use in the colonies, but is enormously important in the Core worlds. Similarly, the Ministry of Civil Order is unnecessary in the Core, but plays an important role in oppressing the rebellious colonies. There are also a vast number of agencies that do everything from maintain hyperspace beacons to collect taxes. The Directorate can also be used as something of a political scapegoat if necessary. Ministers, the Lord Chancellor, even the Imperial Queen have been known to redirect blame into the faceless mass of the Directorate on occasion.
This brings us to the final entity of the Commonwealth’s government: the Imperial Crown. The exact limits of the Crown’s authority are vaguely defined and poorly understood. The Crown is an old, old institution, dating back thousands of years to one of Praetoria’s great empires, long before the Vit’azny began venturing into space. The Imperial Crown began with the establishment of the Breshelin Empire, under Catherines distant ancestor, Petyr Dragunov. Originally, the King’s power was absolute, but this power was limited by the first constitution of the Breshelin Empire, which came about after the Wurtenstein Uprising when the first ever parliament was established. Some 900 odd years ago, the Breshelin Empire managed to unite the entire planet of Praetoria under a single government after evidence of intelligent alien life was discovered, and a new parliamentary system was formed and a new constitution was written. The Imperial Crown continued on, but it’s powers were defined under the new constitution as being “similar in nature and spirit to those established under the Wurtenstein Constitution” (due to the Vit’azny legal system being largely based on historical precedent rather than written law). 499 years ago, when the Commonwealth was formed, much of the Crown’s power was again defined as “similar in nature and spirit to those establised under the Planetary Constitution.” Considering all this, the problem becomes apparent: the exact limits of the Crowns’ power are based on a poorly written 2000 year old document. The accepted conventions are as follows: the Crown will ask the majority leader of Parliament to form the official government, and will agree to dissolve parliament and open elections at the request of the majority leader. The Crown is entitled to appoint appropriate individuals to chair parliamentary committees, in consultation with the Lord Chancellor. The Crown is entitled to use Royal Mandates to address matters of urgency for the benefit of the Commonwealth. As of the Colonization Act of 22 AU, the Crown has jurisdiction over Colonial Territories, while the State Ministry is responsible for their administration and answers to the Crown in this regard. Even these conventions are not ironclad, though ignoring them risks a Constitutional Crisis. For the Commonwealth to run smoothly, it is essential for the Crown and the Lord Chancellor to have a good working relationship. If they do, they can combine their efforts to make good use of both of their respective authorities.
The Commonwealth is an industrial judggernaut, with massive production capabilities. This industry is driven by an extensive trade network and a skilled workforce, but the real power of the Commonwealth comes from an immensely wealthy tax base and an abundance of cheap manual labour and raw materials. The disparity between the wealthy and the poor is truly astonishing, and a direct result of how the Commonwealth is organized. The worlds of the Commonwealth are classified into one of four categories: Core worlds, Constituent worlds, Colonial worlds, and Verge worlds.
There are many worlds in the Commonwealth, but not all are equal. Some are outrageously wealthy, some are desperately poor; different species dominate different worlds; some praise the Imperial Queen with every breath, some curse her name in the streets. The disparity is astonishing. The worlds of the Commonwealth are classified into one of four categories: Core worlds, Constituent worlds, Colonial worlds, and Verge worlds.
The Core worlds are the original Vit’azny colonies and a small number of worlds of some of the ISC’s oldest “members”. The vast majority of the Commonwealth’s wealth is concentrated on these worlds. In fact, money is the only real industry of the Core worlds. Almost all food and manufactured goods are imported from the Constituents and the Colonies, with the exception of some ultra-high end luxury goods. Any respectable company maintains its corporate headquarters on one of the Core worlds, with some exceptions. Money is the biggest industry of the Core worlds, with countless financial service providers and stock exchanges dominating the economy. Core worlds tend to be heavily populated; on average, about 70% of a Core world’s landmass is covered by gleaming cities. The majority of the population is inevitably Vit’azny, and poverty is virtually nonexistent on these worlds. While one would expect a society as lopsided as the Commonwealth’s would pass off the burden of taxation to its helpless colonies and let the Core Worlds amass their fortunes, this is not the case.The Commonwealth in fact maintains a sophisticated taxation system with multiple income brackets where the highest bracket pays the most taxes. Through this system, the Core worlds actually provide the majority of the Commonwealth’s tax income. Aspects of the Commonwealth such as the taxation system and the Parliament of the Sovereign Reich have convinced many species to join the Commonwealth over the years. By the time they discover some of the ‘conditions’ attached to membership, it is too late.
The Constituent worlds are the backbone of the Commonwealth. They include newer Vit’azny colonies, a large number of Commonwealth colonies, and the worlds of moderately respected member nations. The Constituent worlds are much less homogeneous than the Core worlds: some are richer, some less so, and even on a given planet there is a wide margin between the wealthy and the poor. A given planet, or even a given city on that planet, will have affluent communities and slums alike. Like the Commonwealth as a whole, the Vit’azny and a number of the older member species form the elite, with a healthy spattering of individuals from all kinds of species who happened to do very well for themselves. Constituent worlds are ruled by either Imperial Legislatures of the Commonwealth (in the case of colonies founded by the Commonwealth as a whole) or by existing governments (in the case of colonies established by individual members). Constituent worlds have full member status in the Commonwealth; citizens may vote in imperial and regional elections; while the world itself has high degree of self governance, can apply for subsidies from the Imperial Treasury, and has a number of other advantages. Constituent status is essentially citizenship for a planet, though individuals on the planet still have to adhere to normal citizenship procedures. The Constituent worlds are the primary manufacturing and processing centres of the Commonwealth. While the Core worlds’ only industry is money and the Colonies tend to only provide raw materials and cheap labour, Constituent industry does a bit of everything; large scale mining, agriculture, the production of consumer goods, starship construction, and all the financial and legal services that such industries need. It is all jumbled together in a free market economy that powers the massive industrial capabilities of the Commonwealth.
Colonial worlds are tragic monuments to the lies, oppression, and broken promises of the Commonwealth. They are the worlds of new or reluctant member species, and by the strictures of the Colonization act, these worlds are not technically members of the Commonwealth, but are instead subjects. Most Colonial worlds are desperately poor and underdeveloped, even if they were originally quite advanced. Many species join the Commonwealth with the understanding that they will enjoy all its benefits; citizenship, representation in Parliament, a degree of self-government, fair taxation, security, universal healthcare, subsidization, free education etc. Unfortunately, the Colonization act decrees that all newly added worlds are considered colonial holdings, and are under the direct authority of her Imperial Majesty, not the Parliament of the Sovereign Reich. This means they are not eligible for any of the Commonwealth’s social programs, nor do they have any representation in Parliament. They are not ruled by legislative assemblies, but instead by Colonial Governors, who are appointed by the Imperial Queen at the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor. Few people are citizens on Colonial Worlds; only the Vit’azn dominated elite, who take ownership of any industry or natural resources on the planet and employ the locals as ultra-cheap labour. Slavery is illegal throughout the Commonwealth, but with no minimum wage or labour rights for non-citizens, colonial labourers can be paid almost nothing. Some landowners elect to provide food, clothing, and shelter for their employees and then pay them nothing at all, reasoning that room and board are taken from their pay, and the rest goes to taxes. Colonial Worlds are subject to the same fair taxation system as the rest of the Commonwealth, but it is not taxes that leave them in poverty. A clause of the Colonization act permits the Commonwealth to seize any assets it deems necessary from Colonial worlds and their inhabitants. Money, goods, resources, land, businesses, even people; all can be seized and repossessed by the crown, or given to a favored citizen. The exploitation and lack of support causes technological regression on many worlds; it is not uncommon to see vehicles with internal combustion engines on Colonial worlds, and even horses in extreme cases. Colonial worlds are often quite rebellious during the early years of their integration, but the Commonwealth is always quick to brutally repress such uprisings. The brutality they employ deters further uprisings, but it is the hope of citizenship, or even becoming a Constituent world, that ultimately keeps the colonies in line. Unlike citizenship, there is no specific criteria for a Colonial world to gain Constituent status and full membership; it is simply granted at the discretion of the governor and the Imperial Queen, again with the advice of the Lord Chancellor. This means a world might easily wait 15 years or 50, or even 500. The Imperial Queen usually tries to grant Constituent status to at least one colony per decade, in order to keep other colonies hopeful and obedient. This process is always accompanied by a grand ceremony where the Imperial Queen herself visits the new Constituent world, relieves the planetary governor, and validates its new government, while the Commonwealth holds a colonization drive to boost the world’s population and showers it with money and resources. A three-day festival is held to celebrate the change in status, and the day of the ceremony becomes a statutory holiday for that world. Some Colonial worlds, however, are so remote, poor, or useless that they will likely never be granted Constituent status. A few of the extreme cases have even been largely forgotten by the Commonwealth and the crown, and the inhabitants have in turn forgotten the Commonwealth.
Verge worlds are planets on the very edge of Commonwealth space. Their categorization has more to do with their location than their membership status. They are not grossly exploited like colonial worlds, nor are they pampered like Core worlds. They are ruled by military governors, and all have a heavy military presence due to their location on the borders of Commonwealth space. Some few are actually quite wealthy and heavily populated, almost as much as a core world. Most others are significantly less so. They’re populated by a wide array of people: military personnel, hopeless colonials seeking citizenship, prospectors seeking riches, wealthy citizens with a taste for adventure, convicts in forced relocation programs, and so on. Their purpose is to guard the borders of the commonwealth, anything else is secondary. Verge worlds usually have extremely diverse populations and much more relaxed culture, and social status is not considered as important. The military often provides some of the benefits that the imperial government would elsewhere, so the populace is not as desperate for citizenship as on other worlds. This much freer society makes them places of opportunity. Historically, some of the Commonwealth’s most successful corporations were started on Verge worlds, though some say that’s only propaganda. Regardless, Verge worlds are better places to live than many Colonial worlds, and even the slums on poorer Constituent worlds.
Technological Overview:
The Commonwealth’s general tech level is comparable to that of other major galactic powers. The multi-national nature of the Commonwealth has brought together a myriad of technologies and ideas and combined them in innovative new ways. For example, the primitive brute force firepower of Szitzu mass drivers was combined with Vit’azny expertise in gravity control to develop a much more deadly weapon, while Yanissan missile systems and Rhodesian miniturization have given the Commonwealth incredible versatility in their long range firepower. Each species brings something to the table. Yanissan expertise in biotechnology is unmatched, while the Vit’azny are experts in graviton physics. One of the main reasons for inviting the Valerian Republic to join the Commonwealth was the expertise in nanotechnology and information systems, though this technology has yet to reach widespread distribution in the Commonwealth
Military Technologies:
GDC: The most remarkable Commonwealth technology is without a doubt their engine systems. The Graviton Drive Chain is a massive engine system that takes up a good portion of a ship’s mass. In the main reactor core, a self perpetuating Wronski-Birks reaction creates huge amounts of energy, gravitons, and anti-gravitons. The particles are directed around the ship to form a gravitational envelope around the ship, which simultaneously pulls the ship from the front and pushes at the rear. When reinforced by generators along the surface of the ship, this envelope doubles as a very effective shielding system. Having the ship enclosed in its own gravitational field grants a number advantages, most notably extremely good acceleration and maneuverability. The GDC also serves as a ship’s FTL engine. Emitting intense bursts of gravity allows the ship to slip into subspace to rapidly move from one point to another, a process referred to as surging. Surging is affected by other gravitational forces, making it more difficult to surge near planets or stars, or even other ships using GDC technology. A coordinated surge by a Commonwealth fleet is an extremely complex maneuver, requiring extensive calculations to avoid disaster. The range of an individual surge is fairly limited, so long range travel is done by a chain of shorter surges. In battle, surges are extremely useful, allowing Commonwealth ships to periodically relocate themselves into more favorable firing positions. The main limitations on combat surges are the processing power required to perform surge calculations, the time it takes the GDC to cooldown for another surge, and the fact that a surge severely depletes the strength of a ship’s gravitational envelope and thus its shields. A poorly executed combat surge will usually end in disaster, but a successful one can cause a decisive victory.
MCM: Multiple Configuration Missiles are another mainstay of Commonwealth military power. Commonwealth missiles are highly modulated, with a number of interchangeable components that allows ships to rapidly assemble whatever type of munition is needed. Warhead features range from standoff range ion beams to direct contact anti armor plasma charges. Fuselage features include additional drive sections for high speed missiles, extra fuel for extreme range engagements, and extra EW capability, among others. The drive section can be configured for long range bombardment or high speed evasive maneuvers. A kinetic warhead, enhanced targeting fuselage, and short range high speed drive combined make an excellent defensive missile, while an ion warhead with a stealth fuselage and long range drive can make a nasty surprise for enemy shields.
Axial Weapons: Though Commonwealth ships are designed to engage with broadsides, their long narrow profiles presented an opportunity that was too good to pass on. As a result, all Commonwealth ships mount high calibre axial weapons that fire from the bow. In older vessels, these weapons take the form of large graviton railguns, while newer vessels tend to have high intensity superlasers. Battleships and Dreadnoughts mount two axial weapons, while smaller ships mount only one. Powerful as they may be, these weapons are not the ship’s primary armament, so they are not as effective or mass intensive as a full sized spinal weapon would be.
Graviton railguns: The primary weapon of the RCN. The principle of magnetic rails accelerating a metallic slug is an old and quite simple one. The only modification the RCN has made is that, instead of magnetism, their railguns use artificial gravity systems to massively increase the size and speed of projectiles, and have multiple munitions types to accommodate different situations, such as armor piercing rounds, shield-breaker rounds, and flak rounds. Graviton railguns are configured in huge numbers of double mounts on the broadsides of Commonwealth ships.
Positron Beam Cannons: The pinnacle of Commonwealth energy weapons tech, positron cannons are devastatingly effective. They are mounted in massive turrets on the dorsal and ventral surfaces of Commonwealth ships and configured to deliver optimum firepower both forwards and to either side.
Royal Armed Forces of the Commonwealth
The Commonwealth’s military, especially the navy, is very highly regarded amongst the populace. This pride, a healthy amount of pressganging, and the promise of citizenship results in a higher than average service rate. Military service is considered to be very honourable and prestigious; even the wealthiest of the nobility serve at some point in their lives, indeed some of them attained their lofty positions through that service. The RAFC prides itself on being a meritocracy where skill is what matters, not species or social status. This is mostly true, though some individual Vit’azny officers act otherwise. For the most part, however, the RAFC can bring one great fame and fortune; both the army and navy offer prize money for captured enemy equipment, as well as generous pensions for officers. The RAFC highly values even the most junior of its officers, including warrant officers. The enlisted men, however, may as well be cannon fodder, though this sentiment is not obvious. The official explanation for the high death rates among enlisted men is that they are over-eager to prove themselves, and so take unnecessary risks.
The Royal Commonwealth Navy
The RCN is an old institute that dates back to when ships sailed the seas instead of the stars. The Vit’azny saw no need to create a separate organization when space flight began, and the RCN simply assumed responsibility of military endeavours in space. The RCN remains convinced that the good old fashioned broadside is the best way to win any fight, though the range of these broadsides has increased significantly since the marine days of the RCN. As a result, Commonwealth ships tend to be tall and thin, with super-heavy positron beam turrets on their dorsal and ventral surfaces. The sides of the ships carry the majority of the broadside armament, which consists of multiple missile tubes and medium-calibre railgun batteries. Flak systems and point defence lasers are scattered across the ship. Additionally, most Commonwealth ships are equipped with axial mounted weapons: older ships use supersized MAC guns, while many newer designs use massive superlasers. This configuration reflects the RCN’s current tactical doctrine. A given RCN ship is designed to be able to approach an enemy ship, firing with their positron turrets, axial weapons, and missile batteries at a target in front of them. Once the opening salvo has been fired, the ship turns to present its broadside, allowing all its positron turrets and broadside weapons to open fire. The relentless pounding of barrages of railgun rounds is meant to pummel away shields, while the positron cannons are meant to sear through armor. Missiles can be equipped with a variety of warheads, making them suitable for either purpose. For fleet engagements, the RCN’s most common tactic is to have ships form into a wall formation, each ship presenting their broadside to the enemy for devastating effect. Since space is a 3-dimensional place, the wall formation often ends up being adjusted to a sort of semi-spherical formation, which ships altering their broadside angles slightly to fire on targets approaching from any vector. This formation is often deployed to form a defensive screen for Commonwealth Star Carriers as they unleash their hordes of strike craft from the safety of the centre of the formation.
Praetoria-class Commonwealth Star Carrier The Praetoria-class Commonwealth Star Carrier is the pinnacle of Commonwealth technology and engineering. Though CSC’s have been in service for a while, they are refitted into dreadnoughts or battleships when a new class of CSC is developped. Commonwealth Star Carriers serve as flagships and centerpieces to the Commonwealth fleets, and have a number of variations compared to most Commonwealth ships. While the Praetoria class has a massive broadside, countless missiles, and 12 quad-barrelled super-heavy proton turrets, it is not designed to operate independently. CSC’s in general are designed without axial weapons, since they are usually too deeply placed in the fleet to make use of such weapons. Instead of axial weapons, the Praetoria-class has extensive hangar facilities, permitting it to launch a massive number of fighter craft onto the the battlefield.
Valiant-class Battleship Slow, heavily armored and shielded, and packed to the brim with weapons, the Valiant is a rapidly aging but extremely dependable class of ship. The Valiant is designed in accordance with older RCN doctrine and is equipped with 6 quad-barreled super heavy positron beam turrets. Its age means that it is equipped with a massive axial mounted MAC gun rather than an axial superlaser. Compared to newer designs, the Valiant has fewer broadside railgun batteries and missile racks, but carries a large number of fighter craft into battle and possesses extensive command and control facilities. Combined with their extreme survivability, the Valiant is often the command ship of choice in a fleet.
Magnificent-class Heavy Battlecruiser The Magnificent is part of a new line of warships being introduced into the RCN fleets, and its design is reflective of that. While smaller and faster than the Valiant class, it is not as well defended. The Magnificent mounts an axial superlaser, and 5 triple barreled-heavy positron beam turrets. It has a denser array of broadside weaponry, including a higher than average number of heavy missile tubes, at the expense of reduced hangar space. The Magnificent is something of a miniature Victory-class dreadnought: all firepower, with only a token force of interceptors for its own protection. In battle, the Magnificent relies on its superior speed to avoid the firepower of larger ships.
Reliant-Class Battlecruiser Truly a jack of all trades, the Reliant forms the backbone of RCN operations. The smaller sister-ship to the Valiant class, the Reliant packs 4 quad-barreled heavy positron beam turrets, a respectable broadside, sizeable hangars, and as of its most recent retrofit, an axial superlaser. The Reliant also has excellent C&C capabilities, sophisticated scientific labs, spacious quarters for diplomats and foreign dignitaries, and advanced sensor arrays. Basically, the Reliant is the Commonwealth’s go-to multi-role ship, and is well suited to a wide array of missions as well as being formidable in combat. It’s extensive use and versatility have made it an icon of Commonwealth naval power.
Imperial-class Destroyer The Imperial class is another new innovation from the RCN. While the role of the Destroyer has always been to bring heavy firepower to bear on a small frame, the Imperial takes this philosophy to the extreme, doing away with fighter craft entirely and maintaining only the minimum hangar facilities necessary for personnel transfer and cargo loading. The Imperial brings 3 triple-barreled heavy positron turrets and a formidable broadside to battle, and can easily dispatch of cruisers on its own or group with other destroyers to attack larger targets.
Resolute-class Heavy Cruiser The oldest class of ship currently in service, the Resolute class is pretty standard as Commonwealth ships go. Essentially a larger, better defended and older Vigilance-class, the Resolute posesses greater broadside firepower and larger hangars. It is equipped with 3 quad-barreled medium positron turrets and an axial MAC gun.
Vigilance-class Cruiser The Vigilance-class is the workhorse of the Commonwealth fleets. In any given situation, a Vigilance class cruiser will likely be the first ship on the scene. It is heavily armed, well defended, and fast enough to be useful for long range scouting, dangerous patrols, escort duty, and exploration, all while being able to take its place in the line (technically a semisphere) of battle. The Vigilance carries 3 quad-barreled medium positron turrets and an axial superlaser, though its broadside is less formidable than that of the Resolute. The Vigilance is also the smallest Commonwealth vessel to carry a fighter craft, and only supports a few of them.
Endeavour-class Assault Frigate A fairly typical class of ship, the Endeavour wields 2 tripe-barreled medium positron turrets and the smallest axial superlaser in the Commonwealth, with a fairly typical broadside. In the line of battle, the Endeavour generally serves as an escort for larger vessels.
Warrior-class Frigate The Warrior class is a little more versatile than the larger Endeavour class, and sees heavy use all across the Commonwealth, performing surveys, patrolling shipping lanes, chasing down pirates and escorting low-importance targets. The Warrior carries 3 quad-barreled light positron turrets, a small axial MAC gun, and a light broadside loadout, and is used all across the Known Worlds for a variety of purposes. In battle, it joins the Endeavour in supporting larger ships.
Striker-class Corvette Corvettes are a newer concept for the RCN, and the Striker class is only the second vessel to be designed and implemented in that role. The Striker is a brand new design, only just fully integrated into the RCN. The only Commonwealth ship designed to have its firepower aligned towards the bow, the Striker is meant to race around the battlefield wreaking havoc with its 3 double-barreled ultra-light positron cannons, light missile tubes, and axial mounted medium positron cannon. It has no broadside railguns to speak of, and can reach astonishingly high speeds. Strikers operate well in groups, and underestimating these small ships would be a foolish mistake.
Description of Species: The race of the Rim's languages are difficult to transcribe and so are usually translated, which can make it difficult to refer to their race as most of their words for themselves translate to "People". And so for convenience, they are usually referred to as Rimworlders. The Rimworlders as a race are tall, thin, spindly humanoids. Averaging about ten feet in height with their backs fully extended, their natural posture is hunched over so that they're closer to seven feet tall. Their limbs are proportionally much longe than a human, and each ends in four long digits; their hands have two finger and two thumbs, while their four toes are spread out equally around their feet. The skin of the Rimworlders is usually varying shades of yellow and indredibly dry with a texture that has been likened to leather, in addition to a complete lack of anything resembling hair. Their spines are normally so curved that a Rimworlder's neck is horizontal, with their head sticking out from the front of their body rather than sitting on top. Said head is longer than a human's and contains six eyes arranged in a hexagon shape, and each covered by a thin half-sphere of protective tissue which functions like the lens of goggles. The lower half of their face contains a multitude of small, circular orifices, through which they breathe and speak. And below that is the Rimworlder's mouth: a long proboscis of bone that functions much like a spider's fang, and is usually laid flat against the bottom of the head with a hinge along the Rimworlder's 'chin'.
Description of Government: The Rim is a region governed by a small government, but a centralized one. The Rimworlders are loathe to give up any independence they don't need to and as a result the government controls only that which is viewed as necessary for the protection and security of the Rim and its people.
The Central Administration is the government that controls the entire Rim; it is incredibly small and minarchist, with the only major government institutions being the Central Legislature and the Rim Admiralty. The Central Legislature itself is the body that creates the laws of the Rim, with each inhabitated Rimworld providing 3 Representatives to serve. The Rim Admiralty is the body which is in charge of controlling and coordinating the Rim Fleets, and is headed by a Council of retired Admirals from the various Rimworlds.
The rest of the government is headed by the World Administrations of each individual Rimworld. The Judiciary and Police are the main institutions, with the Police enforcing the laws of the Central Legislature and the Judiciary interpreting that law and trying those accused of committing a crime in the Rim.
Description of Culture: The Rim has been described as the "Land of a Thousand Peoples", and while hyperbole it is not far from the truth. There are numerous tongues and beliefs spread out among the various Rimworlds. And while there are numerous cultures, they all share among them a strong sense of freedom, individualism, and independence. Rimworlders hate being told what to do in most situations, and are sometimes considered stubborn as a result.
Within the Rim, almost anything that doesn't involve the harming of others is permitted. All sorts of recreational drugs and other activities that are often banned in other places, but don't harm anyone other than the user, are quite easy to come by in the Rim as the Central Administration sees no reason in banning them. This has given the Rim a reputation as the place where one can come to acquire whatever their heart's desire without pesky things like regulations or law getting in the way. Natural this also makes the Rim a common stop for smugglers, as much of what would be considered 'contraband' elsewhere is perfectly legal in the Rim.
Description of Technology: The Rim is a technologically advanced region of space, with even the poorest of their worlds having access to advanced, if outdated, technology.Activities such as manufacturing and agriculture are left to automated systems, though overseen by Rimworlders. The Rim is not home to any AIs advanced enough to oversee such major operations unaided by a biological mind. Though advanced in many ways, the Rim is generally lacking in the development of artificial intelligence when compared to other advanced galactic powers.
However, in other branches they are sufficiently advanced. Nearly all power in the Rim is provided by fusion reactors, breeder fission reactors, or large arrays of orbital solar panels. Smaller handheld devices are powered by high capacity and rechargeable energy cells. The most common weaponry found within the Rim are laser weapons. This includes anything from small handheld sidearms, to the massive superlasers mounted on Rimworlder capital ships.
In terms of biotechnology the Rimworlders have several advanced technolgies as well. They have numerous advanced medical technologies and are able to grow and attach biological replacements for any damaged portions of the body, provided their doctors are unable to use their advanced medicine to repair the damage itself. They are no slouches in genetic research as well, with its most common usage being in the agricultural sector.
Description of Military: There is no single, centralized military in the Rim; in its place there are the numerous Rim Fleets kept by individual Rimworlds. Each of the Rim Fleets are both Army and Navy, and vary widely in composition and organization. On the poorest of worlds the Rim Fleet is composed mostly of outdated designs and with their fighting force composed almost entirely of militiamen. By comparison, the richest Rimworlds can field massive fleets of the most cutting-edge ships and professional full-time soldiers. It is the Central Admiralty's headache to coordinate all of the disparate Rim Fleets in times of war or national crisis.
History: The homeworld of the Rimworlders is a dry and massive planet known as Dryhome. While geographic evidence has shown that in the ancient past the planet was home to numerous shallow oceans, the only world that the Rimworlders have ever known was one of endless deserts punctuated only by the occasional oasis or small sea. The earliest ancestor of the Rimworlders to have a society were nomadic bands that wandered from oasis to oasis until eventually over the millennia they had spread over the entire planet. Trading posts would eventually spring up around these oases, which would eventually grow into the towns and cities of the first sedentary Rimworlders.
Over the millennia states would rise and fall over the planet, though city-states predominated throughout much of Dryhome's history. This was a simple consequence of the terrain; it was near impossible to create or maintain a sprawling empire when traveling to the next city over involved crossing a massive desert. That is not to say that there were no empire, just that they were rare and collapsed after the death of the one who united them. Up until the modern age, the only to get word from one city-state to another was through the nomads who wandered from settlement to settlement. They would, however, eventually be rendered obsolete in this regard by more modern technology. But even after that the isolation one state had from the other lead to them retaining their distinct cultures.
But despite this, the unity brought by ever advancing technology eventually lead to a central government for Dryhome. It was, however, a very loose confederation of states on the planet. And then when the Rimworlders began to spread out among their solar system, it was like their early history all over again. Early space travel took months to reach other colonies in the system, and so their colonies were like oases in the endless desert of space. Though colonies were not the correct word, as the Rimworlders there had no desire to be ruled from Dryhome and those back on their homeworld eventually realized that it'd be prohibitive to try and force them to. And then came the discovery of the FTL Gate the Precursors had left behind, out on the fringes of their home system.
Absolute proof of alien life within the galaxy was astonishing, and lead to considerable upheaval in Rimworlder society. The major result of this being the worlds uniting themselves under a single governing body that would be the direct predecessor of the Central Administation of today's Rim, though even more decentralized with the worlds united in almost nothing but name. And then the Rimworlders began to travel through the Gate, settling on other worlds and founding their own states on them. Though nominally part of the government based on Dryhome, they were just as de facto independent as the rest of the Rimworlders' worlds.
