Moar Info Dump...
On FTL...Faster Than Light travel is now a reality for mankind. However, the incredible amount of energy required to power FTL engines is currently too massive to make it sustainable. To accommodate the energy needed, FTL nodes are designed to feed ships energy as they enter range. The result is an FTL highway of sorts, known as a shipping lane, which connects colonial star systems.
In order to build such a shipping lane, a deep space vessel is sent out along a projected route to build the nodes. It often takes centuries for a single lane to be built. Deep space crews are frozen in cryogenic chambers, revived by automated systems when needed. FTL nodes are powered through the latest in quantum technology, able to harness solar energy and feed it to receptors in FTL ship drivers. For this reason the entrances and exits to shipping lanes are built nearby system stars.
On Insectoids...Insectoids are the only other sentient life discovered within colonial space. Exploration probes discovered rich tylium deposits throughout the Helix Nova Star System, but their instruments were poorly designed to detect other signs of life. The first exploration vessels reached Helix Nova in 2789, and dropped out of contact.
Waves of mining vessels were dispatched to the system for deep space mining efforts, as well as establishing FTL nodes to allow for quick travel to the system from the colonies. Of the dozens of mining vessels sent, only two returned to tell the horrific tale of the bugs. In 2980, a mere fifteen years ago, the mining vessels returned and turned on the Helix Nova FTL node.
Sine 2980 there has been an armed effort to extract tylium from the Helix Nova System. The Imperial Navy, supplemented by private contractors, provides security for the various mining installations across the system.
Insectoids greatly resemble earthling insects, hence their name. The species is also greatly varied. It has been observed, in the limited time conducting research, that their evolutionary capabilities occur rapidly, able to adjust to environmental factors within the next generation. To put it simply, insectoids are able to adapt and survive in the harshest of conditions. Their physiology is shaped by their environment and may seem like entirely different species depending on the habitat they are discovered.
Captured security photo aboard the INS RepentanceInsectoids are carnivorous as well, and seem to view humans as a source of food. Though sentient with a crude level of self awareness, there seems to be no source of reason within the creatures, merely driven by their desire for food and procreation. In this sense, insectoids are little more then animals. They live in a caste hive structure, as well. A single queen typically rules the hive, sending out pheromones to communicate with the drones, workers, and soldiers of her hive, much akin to an ant hive.
Over the course of researching insectoids, it was discovered that their cerebral spinal fluid, also known as 'juice', is an intoxicant, which brings about powerful hallucinations when ingested. Very little is known of the substance, yet it is a popular drug across the colonies. Prolonged use has shown to cause erratic behaviour, homicidal tendencies, and insanity. Despite this side effect, its use remains popular in the underground drug culture of the colonies.
