Originally from the planet Earth in the Sol System, Humans are the most populous species in the Galaxy, having been the masters of the Orionic Empire. Now, they are again disunified, for the first time since the rise of the legendary first emperor, Orion.

From some planet of unknown origin, the Qiormu (often referred to as 'Parasitians') are a hyper-intelligent parasitic worm which embeds itself in a victim's brain and takes control. Many centuries ago, in the time of the Orionic Empire, the Qiormu plagued the minds of imperial citizens, and as a compromise, the government struck a deal where the Qiormu would leave the host bodies, and in exchange, the government would manufacture new bodies for them, made up of a combination of synthetic organic matter and computing hardware. The Qiormu exist around the galaxy, now rmanufacturing their own host bodies and living in Parasitian Districts, mainly in former imperial space. Often subjected to harsh discrimination, they largely work in numerically-minded fields, such as engineering and banking.

Qiormu come off as cold, emotionless, and monotone, though will insist they are not. They are asexual, and often assign genders to their host body following the human sexual binary. Parasitian brothels are something commonplace, especially in poorer Qiormu communities. They are also sometimes used in warhosts; militarily manufactured host bodies designed specifically for combat. Their host bodies will often seem unsettling and creepy, though according to most Qiormu they are legitimate attempts at assimilation into mainstream society.

The Aldzir are a semi-marine mammalian species native to Nasj, an Earth-like Moon that orbits a Gas Giant. The Aldzir are covered from head to toe in thick fur. Their Fur comes in several shades of color depending on the region of their homeworld, the most common colors being Brown, Gray, White and or stripped colors. The Aldzir have two sets of eyes, an adaptation of their semi-aquatic existence, their vision more sharper then the average human. The upper, smaller pair of eyes are made use to traverse underwater when scavenging for food, the bottom larger eyes are their primary ones for sight in the surface.

Aldzir eat and communicate via a trunk, although unimposing at first, inside a Aldzir trunk are tiny sharp teeth to aide them in consuming blood and meat. Aldzir speak with high-pitched chirps, buzzes, and grunts, it is physically impossible for Aldzir to speak any other languages and often are in need of special translation collars or other such devices, or that an alien speak in their tongue.

Originally of the wealthy and powerful Ula kingdom, the Ulala were conquered by the Orionic Empire in one of their early conquests. To prevent rebellion and keep the population in check, the Ulala nobles were allowed to retain their titles and privileges, in return for their loyalty. When it was discovered that the Ula homestar was set to supernova, a massive Ulala diaspora took place, and the Ula were spread across the empire. Even the other Ula planets became depopulated and mixed as time went on. Today, Ula nobles still retain a good deal of power, privilege, and wealth across the galaxy, and influence the goings-on in whatever countries they live in, both economically and governmentally, and Ula commoners are a common sight everywhere.

When Orionic xenologists came upon Aquinas-4, they found that the sentient beings there, despite wearing no clothing, having no civilization, and bearing no forms of higher government aside from their village elders, had developed advanced agricultural techniques, and seemed to take intricate and tender care of their crops and gardens, living idyllic agrarian lifestyles. The planet was quickly depopulated, and these native slug-like people, named 'Cultors', were spread across the empire to work on various agricultural planets, as well as to work on the various Imperial Gardens and Botanical Gardens scattered around the empire. Today, Cultors understand other languages, but cannot speak them, often relying on foreign devices, and still tend to work almost entirely in agricultural fields across the former empire.

Once the masters and rulers of the Ancient Scorpine Empire, an attempted conquest of the Human Planets at their hand caused the legendary Orionic Unification, and the subsequent formation of the Orionic Empire. Upon their conquest by the Empire, the Scorpine planets were heavily colonized, and Scorpines themselves were either exiled or enslaved, their enslavement lasting until the rule of Emperor Petrus II. During the Orionic Collapse, the many Scorpine Exiles pounded themselves back into what was Imperial territory.

The powered armor traditionally used by the Scorpine army greatly influenced Orionic warfare, and the Scorpines also introduced the use of lasers in war to the Humans. Despite what many Imperial Historians would say, conditions under the Scorpines would not have been that bad; species were granted great autonomy, slavery was illegal, and the purpose of the empire was largely economic, the mercantile Scorpines being known for a lack of corruption. That said, private land ownership was illegal for all non-Scorpines.

Scorpines live a bit longer than humans do, although not substantially longer, and have been historically mistreated under human rule even since their emancipation. They require a greater oxygen intake than humans, and like other species, often require devices to live in many planets. The venom in their tails is meant for paralysis, although can be fatal with children, the elderly, and small creatures.

The Amphibious Janari were one of many developing civilizations were swiftly absorbed by the Orionic Empire. Integration however, was a mostly painless affair, the Janari, despite a few stark differences, are quite similar to humans in both stature and mentality, they quickly adapted and found their place within the Empire, fulfilling a more utilitarian role within society compared to other species, their humanoid build permitting them to take on various tasks and occupations.

Hailing from the desert planet Jex, the Xuhajann were a proud warrior people who had been conquered by the Scorpine Empire. During the Orionic Conquest of the Scorpines, the Xuhajann rebelled against their overlords, and afterward swore loyalty to the Orionic Empire, and from that point on were loyal Imperial Citizens, most every male proudly serving in the Imperial Army.

Before their conquest, the Xuhajann were traditionally archers and knife fighters, but now are skilled in many other weapons, as well as having more technologically advanced bows, and are famous for their skills as scouts and snipers. They were allowed a good deal of cultural autonomy under Imperial rule, and because of that have retained many of their traditional ceremonies and still perform many of their markings and piercings.

The Buthar are a race of fairly long lived beings with about twice the lifespan of human. They are incredibly strong, with powerful coiled muscles, they are about eight feet tall on average, and usually weigh five to six hundred pounds. With a natural inclination towards manipulation, and violence the species tends to drift more towards the world of crime and other seedy ventures. Their population is small now and only those that had travelled across the Galaxy from their home planet remain after their planet was struck by gamma ray burst.

With a soft appearance, and an ageless appearance the Laadaruus are found in many public spaces where attractiveness is a requirement. They live to be around six years of age maturing to adulthood at about fourteen earth years. They release pheremones to entice others and bring them into their fold. Laadaruua are frequently sold into slave trafficking, working in brothels as prositutes and other such endeavors. As such they are not the cheapest of commodities, but they aren't that expensive either.

Hailing from Kalixus the Kalixurans are a formidable species, with strong bodies, enduring scales, and a love for violence they've truly become a go to for Soldiers, Mercenaries, bounty hunters, and thugs. Not many can look a Kalixuran in the face without feeling some iota of apprehension. As such they've spread across the galaxy becoming pirates, and troops on front lines. They however have short lifespans thirty years being the maximum, and usually maturing by the age of five.

Standing about the same height or a little shorter than the average human the Urgzehu are built tougher and broader than their human counterparts. Initially living on a world with slightly higher gravity in addition to a greater evolutionary advantage from strength the Urgzehu are built naturally much stronger than humans. The Urgzehu while initially a very primitive species technologically and limited culturally have in recent times advanced vastly in their technical abilities. Unfortunately their cultural situation has not greatly changed from when before they came into contact with galactic civilization. Originally a species that had discovered agriculture but was lacking in civilizations they were subjugated as they presented several valuable prospects for their subjugators and particularly various projects in the greater galactic civilization. Not only was their home world rich in resources but it was startling close to perfect conditions for human habitation, in addition the Urgzehu to serve as workers to start up such colonies.

Not only on their own homeworld however, the Urgzehu were spread to many worlds to aid in Human colonization, particularly ones that may have some resentful locals. They were primarily kept in line through AIs imitating their various spirits, ancestors, and gods to lead them in desired fashions. Although with the collapse of the Orionic Empire this policy has presented some drawbacks.

One half of the Sinnsyk Star Network,Those Below spend their lives in subterranean tunnels and caverns. Those Below detest the sunlight and prefer to spend their lives in dark, cramped tunnels, working on the ancient technology left behind by Those Who Came Before. Because of the time they spend in the dark, their bodies are pale, almost white, and slim to the point of emaciation. Their dark eyes see well in the pitch black, but are sensitive to all kinds of light. They are hairless in most cases, and have long, sharp claws for tunneling and hunting prey.

Those Below are key for controlling the land under the crusts of planets. They live deep under the ground, and run the Star Network's "Planetscape" technology. This tech allows Those Below to shape and form the planet above them, growing forests and flooding valleys overnight. This technology only works if one is sufficient distance underground, as it involves controlling the movement of tectonic plates, taping into underground reservoirs and running them through replicators in order to work

An anatomically unusual case of invertebrate bipeds, the Zsresriir, as their appearance suggests, have no internal skeletal structure, and need to rely on their chitinous carapace for structural integrity. Due to the accumulated strain of their considerable weight (the average Zsresriir is slightly taller than a human if standing) and posture, this shell is exceedingly resilient in comparison to that of other geni, and supplemented by several layers of muscle. Despite this, maintaining a straight position for an extended time is often tiring for members of the species, and they often alternate between walking upright and crawling on all sixes. Evolutionarily, Zsresriir branched off from a genus of eusocial animals, deriving the ability for individual thought from a mutation and gradually developing a sapient intellect. Their genetic relatives are to this day seen with respect, but deemed inferior, a sentiment lying at the foundation of the Zsresriir's usual suspicion towards collectivistic mindstyles. The species's predatory past left its members with combative, often violent atavistic tendencies, which, however, do not culminate in lethal struggles more often than in other sentients. Socially, the idea of one's "nest" (a polygamous family unit) is held in high importance, being considered as a microcosm where every component's personality and skills can be best realised to everyone's benefit, and is the main building block of most Zsresriir communities.

The Ulthari are a roughly humanoid species, appearing as robustly built, slightly hunched figures with thick grey-brown skin and heads tapering to many-eyed worm-like appendages, a large extension of which is effectively a four-jawed mouth with a toothed interior. Despite their anthropoid shape, they do not possess a spinal endoskeleton to support their frame, but a web-like structure of cartilaginous filaments which likewise functions as a lymphatic system. Their organisms, though naturally rather strong by human standards, are unfit for life in warm, dry environments, leading to many adopting nocturnal lifestyles. The Ulthari civilisation was the origin of the cult of Yre-Keltha, which, though eventually widely adopted by the surviving Zsresriir and other inhabitants of the Free Nests, earned them the enmity of Orionic religious authorities, and later of the Zuukid crusaders. As such, only small numbers of the species are known to be alive in the present day.

Sarmakth are large roughly cephaloid creatures with their main body diameter around 2.3-3.2 meters wide, making them often larger than even a bear. They have a pair of huge eyes and large beaks which are surrounded by numerous tentacles. The evolution and deliberate gene alterations of the Sarmakth focused on intellect which means roughly 90% of their body mass is brain matter with all other functions being reduced considerably. Their tentacles are too weak to raise their bodies under Earth-like gravity albeit they can walk just fine in lower gravity. Their overgrown brain includes a biological quantum communication device which allows the species to communicate with each other through thoughts akin to telepathy. Devices can be interacted the same way if they contain a similar quantum receiver. Sarmakth have an underdeveloped and simple digestive system which can only process liquids and specially made food. The small tentacles near to their beaks act as suckers to leech blood from living beings for sustenance, a horrible sight which made the British folk describe them as vampires. The rest of the tentacles are thicker and used to either support the body or work as versatile manipulators to operate complex machines with ease. Sarmakth are asexual creatures with no male/female dimorphism who reproduce through periodically laying down "flesh buds" of their young which they submerge in the blood of other species until those eventually grow to sufficient size. Worth noting that when they refer to themselves the Sarmakth use male pronouns to outsiders.

Sarmakth have no vocal language aside from making various basic noises to express emotions. They communicate exclusively through their "telepathy". In case they require to talk through words they rely on human slaves who are explicitly wired to understand their telepathic waves and speak in their stead. Similarly they don't understand concepts like love, compassion or many of the complex emotions. Instead they have a deeply logical mindset and capacity for limitless cruelty. Sarmakth in general have a superiority complex and view all other races as inferior if not just consider them as soulless animals to exploit. Due to their history they especially hate humans and call them as Pekh'makth which literally translates as "the race of shit".

The Fosskemians are tall creatures, around 7-8 feet in height on Average. However, they aren't strong creatures due to their biomechanics not being apt for strength. Their prehensile limbs are weak compared to ours, and this has affected how they interact with the environment around them by making them prone to using smaller tools or working in aquatic environments; they tend to craft underwater.

The Fosskemians have adapted to using their 'wings' as a versatile type of "leg" which allows them to skid, slide and gallop around their environment which has a denser atmosphere than our own. The Fosskemians breathe through their skin for the most part, with the blow holes in their backs being more for their wing systems more than actual respiration. The Fosskemians have a small, sharp beak at the front of their long heads. They hear vibrations from the ground better than we do, but have difficulty hearing high pitched sounds.


The Fosskemians are amphibious beings, which is how they colonized so much of their world so fast as they literally drifted to other land masses. Their long history of civilization, stretching over 12000 years is something often neglected by their own kind- especially since a lot of this history is revised on a regular, persistent basis with lots of lost knowledge about ancient times for them. The Fosskemian have 15-20 year generations instead of 30 year generations even today, and can have children as early as 7 years of age. The Fosskemians in general are shorter lived than us and this may factor into their mentality of resonance on a fundamental level; they live short existences after all.

The Fosskemian are L-handed beings like us, and so there is some compatible food products. Their nutrition is similar to ours except in certain areas, primarily in fibers. They seem to eat proteins just like we do, although terran plant matter is not really nutritious for them (and likewise, Vopallian balloon matter lack nutritional value for us).

Fosskemian sub-species are rare; most have already converged. Communities of non-common Fosskemian such as the spotties or the pink Fosskemian tend to isolate themselves in distance around the galaxy, usually being literally thousands of light years from the common Fosskemian. The common Fosskemian, being comprised of multiple sub-species actually have quite a bit of genetic variation.

The Fosskemians are a species who lays eggs, with males being the caretakers of said eggs. The Fosskemian tend to live in large groups, in multiple mass nests and sets of complexes. These colonies tend to contain internally functional markets which trade with other nests in global networks somewhat like nation-states, but much more tightly knit and with less centralized authority. These complexes can be highly dangerous for the surrounding environment, as they tend to leak waste into the surrounding area. There is no real single male-female mate; it is more a series of mates’ females have, males tend to communally take care of eggs and raise children along with expand the nest.

Females tend to leave the nests far more frequently than males, although females taking males where they go is all too frequent (since having a consistent system of places in society is too hard for them, even if there is blatant gender roles in their species. The Fosskemian don't seem to recognize they even exist, despite how painfully obvious it is to human observers. Males that question this have highly varied consequences, sometimes ignored, sometimes oscratized, other times socially humiliated in public). There isn't really much consistency in authority or law; there is very little concept of law to begin with, just guidelines that change depending on what the local auditor, princess or plutocrat says is the rules now. Their science is rife in a range of psuedoscientific madness that is only tempered by obsessive experimentation by scientifically minded Fosskemian that tends to find new technologies to play with. Science in the Fosskemian sense is really a range of experiments made not to solve problems, but to have new things to possess.

The Harakt are a large, grey skinned primate species, very similar to humans in build except larger and bulkier. They are one of the two native species of Bahara along with the Yagda, and prefer to inhabit alpine biomes, although temperate plains and forests are equally welcome. Harakt are very strong, able to perform strenuous physical acts with ease, and much of the focus on combat that exists in Baharan culture stems from the original Harakt tribes, tens of thousands of years ago.

The Yagda are a humanoid species evolved from desert dwelling crusteceans. They are a short species, barely coming up to a humans waist, and don’t even come close to the levels of strength exhibited by the other two races of Bahara. However, what they lack in physical strength is made up for with numbers, with Yagda giving birth to anywhere between fifty and two hundred children a year. They are also very intelligent, and capable of using just about any kind of material in construction. Even many of their older buildings utilize materials from the large desert predators of their home continent.

Originally a faction of human mercenaries named the Midnight Drifters, the Mitternachters first arrived on Bahara after their ship, the Mitternacht, crashed on the planet due to unknown causes. Centuries of living on the planet, along with a focus on genetic modification, have led to the Mitternachters practically becoming a different species. They are far stronger than average humans, as well as generally growing about a foot or two taller, which has led them to becoming fierce warriors capable of taking on large numbers of enemy soldiers on their own.

However, side effects of their rampant genetic modification has led to their skin becoming extremely pale, leaving them with a weakness to heat, and although not as bad, excessive sunlight can cause them trouble as well. Due to this, they mostly prefer to stick to temperate, or even arctic locations, although some do still live underground in cities built by the Yagda.

Once upon a time, the Adamari were under the cruel yoke of a foreign empire. This empire infected their slaves with a deadly disease that would gradually eat away at the flesh and deform the bone of the Adamari. This was suppressed by an antidote, however only loyal Adamari would be allowed access to this. This was supposed to ensure that rebellion was all but impossible. It failed.
The Adamari may have killed those who had once oppressed them, but they were left with the disease. The remaining antidote reserves are long since used up and the secret to creating more destroyed by the defeated before the Adamari had a chance to get their hands on it. Nowadays, the Network claims dominion over Adamar and its people, but attempts to recreate the mythical antidote to the disease are still in their infancy

Bulky 8 limbed creatures that are the founders of the Zuukid empire and its faith. They somewhat resemble the mythical centaurs, with a humanoid torso mounted at the front of a hexapod body, but they have claw like feet and their skin is covered in soft scales that comes in various shades of dull reds, browns and oranges. They are carnivores that are about two and a half meters tall and can outpace horses on most tarain. They are used to a higher oxygen concentration than that expected by humans, and as such often need to supplement the air of other worlds with additional O2 using a filter/enricher mask lest they be left permanently breathless.

Sethhanide: An alien race with a colony of serpents growing on their skulls. These serpents are a form of parasite on the Sethhanides planets, which have developed a symbiotic relationship with several species there. The serpents help protect their host from the dangerous ambush and pack hunter predators that live on the planet by providing 360 vision, acting in shifts as a night watch and fending of foes with their venomouse spit. In return the host warms the cold blooded serpents and shares food with them. While the Sethhanide have long since surpassed the need for their companions they retain a cultural and biological fondness for the creatures, and as such most of them retain them as pets.

The Sethhanide known well known for their work in cloning and genetic engineering, the most notable of their achievements having been the race of Vuans, human Sethhanide hybrid supersoldiers that they provided to bolster the Zuukid crusade forces. Sethhanide vehicles, robots and space vessels are generally serpentine in nature, this leaves them rather fragile but highly maneuverable.

Developed by the Sethhanide to serve as shock troops. There were 2 primary goals in their development. First, to have troops optimized for operating effectively in human friendly environments and second, to let them easily put captured/seized human technology to work. A third added benefit is that their production required only human cadavers, something that was in plentiful supply after most military engagements. They possess increased strength, endurance and limited regenerative capabilities that have greatly extended their lifespans at the cost of increased risks of brain disease like alzheimer's. Their usage has fallen off in most parts of the former Zuukid empire due to a lack of raw materials, but they persist in use among the Faithful Hairs and with/as independent marauder groups all over the galaxy.

Vauns, after being assembled from raw materials, are subjected to intense indoctrination and brainwashing to remove any prior loyalties or personality, making them perfect zealots of the Zuukind cause. Despite this some memories will remain in fragments, and the older variants particular can be plagued by flashes of their past lives. When this occurs most submit themselves for re-indoctrination but rarely they desert instead, something that became considerably more common during and after the empires collapse.

Rekshai come from the Sethhanide homeworld, where they were one of the predators that causes their symbiotic relationship with their distinctive serpentine hair. Unlike most of their competition the Rekshai where not driven to extinction by the rise of Sethhanide civilisation as the worryingly intelligent monsters managed to follow their most successful prey species as they expanded across the globe, avoiding all subsequent attempts at extermination through cunning, stealth and adaptation. By the time technology had advanced enough that true eradication would be possible conservation moments had arisen that preserved the predators existence, though limiting their domains to certain national parks, zoos, preserves etc. and initiating an ever advancing method of prevent attacks on Sethhanides using radar tagging, smart shock collars, etc. They subsequently fell into quiet irrelevance, a lingering reminder of what progress had overcome, until the someone in the biotech industry had the idea of using them as a basis for a new biomechanical construct.

Subesequent study revealed just how advanced the brains the beasts had actually been, exhibiting intelligence that, if given a slight boost, allowed them to achieve limited scentience. While some might argue against the wisdom of granting cognitive abilities to one of your own predators the effectiveness of the results were undeniable. Coated in biometalic armor, improved with synthetic muscles, injected with performance enhancing drugs and installed with limited cybernetics they became deadly weapons of war capable of understanding complex orders with little alteration to their cerebral cortex. The Zuukind subsequently use them as incredibly deadly attack dogs: unleashing them on enemy formations and ships via specialised attack craft, releasing them into cities and compounds to sow terror or having them accompany inquisitors hunting down heretics.

Inevitably some subjects have escaped and evaded re-capture, the collapse contributing significantly to the number of such escapes. While these subjects have sometimes started infestations via breeding their offspring are non-augmented and thus lack their parents intelligence boosting implants. Unfortunately they display more intelligence than their wiled betherned ever did, presumably due to being trained/lead by their progenitors.

Insectile creatures that evolved a social structure similar to that of ants or bees, where a small number of fertile females have access to a small number of males for breeding purposes while the majority of the species are infertile drones made to serve the fertile females bidding. This social structure was retained even when the race achieved sentience, with fertile Queens and their male lords acting as regents and aristocracy while the drones where their willing servants. This persisted right up until the invention of chemical warfare, as the subsequent reactions introduction of gas masks unintentionally gave the drones a way to free themselves from the pheromones the queens secreted, pheromones that none of their kind had recognized as existing. Here the species split into two distinct, opposing, styles, the old monarchistic one which used this knowledge of pheromones to cement their rule and one where the drones overthrew their progenitors and formed collectivist councils of drones to govern, with the breeders being subservient to the will of their offspring. These two patterns never managed to overcome one another, the ability completely stop the creation of pheromone filters as difficult as preventing breaches in filter protocols.

In the end it was the Zuukind that forged the two together in an unhappy union, Sethhanide manufactured drugs making drones immune to the pheromones while the Zuukid theocracy relentlessly preferred the breeders as officials or governors due to their longer life spans and more individualistic intelligence. Still, while there where those who longed for both the old ways faith and inquisitors kept the Lonoxi firmly focused on serving the empire as a whole. With the empire gone however the old divisions have re-arisen, now joined by the third who still desire what the Zuukid brought them.

Drones are rather squat, bulky and well armored, featuring a pair of large blades pointing backwards from their forearms. Males are tall, thin and supermodel esque in appearance, traits grown to improve their odds of been chosen by a queen. Queens themselves are somewhat similar in appearance to the males but have a large abdomen extending out behind their hips that is used to grow and lay eggs.

Unlike the Rodorphin, Forensakai exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism that make their two genders aprea to be almost different species: the females are tough four armed, four eyed bipeds with shriveled wings while the males are 4 legged creatures of an almost bestial appearance that are capable of flight. Despite their structural differences and the makes animistic appearance both genders exhibit near identical levels of intelligence. The reason for these differences can be found by studying their old mating habits. The females need a living host within which to parasitically insert their larvae(much like certain parasitic wasps of earth), a host that they actively defend from other predators while their young mature inside it. The males then need to both retrieve this host in the first place and need to keep the woman fed while she guards the host. To do so they travel great distances to find the perfect host as well as to forage food for their mate, but do not need to be able to tussle with hostile predators. Thus the females became tough flightless fighters and the males agile aerial hunters with excellent endurance. The Forensakai eventually adopted a herding method of protecting their hosts and upon this cooperation their civilization was build.

While their life cycle involves presenting a host they do not require once capable of sentiences like the Parasitians. Infact scentiens generally make for very poor hosts due to their diets, general lack of extensive fat reserves and ability to recognise they are infested. Instead they use livestock, preferably large caterpillar like creatures from homeworld, but creatures like cows will serve the task as well, though the infant will often need assistance from their parents or a doctor to deal with the creatures skeleton.

Draskavian evolved on an ocean world where they had to deal with the limited availability of nesting space available on the small island that dotted globe spanning sea. Draskavian juveniles are seabirds, who travel in great flocks across the waves, never touching land from the moment they leave the roost till the moment they seek to make one of their own. The adults are bipedal bear like creatures that have given up flight in return for increase strength and hands that they use to protect their island nesting grounds and food supplies from hostiles. Other than predators the main hostiles the adults faced were flocks of juveniles seeking to claim land before puberty fully overtook them and they lost their wings, resulting in periodic battles between the small agile young and the large lumbering adults. Initially these battles would result in the gradual grinding down of the aging adult population until a suitably strong flock took over, but as technology slowly advanced the balance of power shifted towards the adults thanks in part to a partnership with the planets other sentient race: the Atholabes.

An Atholabe is a eel like creature about the size of a great white shark that has 3 ruby read eyes on the front of its head surrounded by eight manipulator tentacles, four being thick and strong limbs while the other four are whisker like appendages used for fine manipulation. An incredibly ancient race, the Atholabe myths speak of a time before the great sea when part of an incredibly advanced civilisation that was brought to an end by the calamity that caused the ocean to form which they only survived thanks to a miracle that gave them bodies suited to the new world. While archaeological has failed to find any evidence of this study of their biology by Zuukid bioengineers has discovered signs of what they believe to be the vestiges of ancient genetic engineering.

Their aquatic environment had made technological advancement incredibly difficult, their race trapped forever in the stone age despite their best efforts until the Draskavians evolved. Some were fraught with jealousy of the upstarts who eventually discovered metalsmithing upon their tiny islands, but others saw opportunity, forming, after a great deal of strife, a working relationship with some Draskavian populations, trading raw ore for manufactured goods. The adult population grew stronger and more advanced on the back of this trade, though it was hampered significantly by the intergenerational battles for control of the islands. Frustrated, and somewhat horrified by this state of affairs the Atholabes attempted to introduce the Draskavian to the concepts of a. Population control via abstinence and b. Raising their young. They only really took to the second suggestion, capturing juveniles on the cups of losing the capability of flight during attacks and using them to replace their losses. This solidified the adult hold over the islands and allowed the preservation of knowledge between generations, causing Draskavian civilisation to start reflecting standard development trends, interspersed with occasional bird attacks. Islands where artificial expanded with the help of Atholabe builders and Draskavian populations grew with them. Ships and navigational techniques were created allowing island communities to meet for the first time, with the inevitable trading of goods, culture and blows following after. All the while the Atholabes civilisation flourished once again, fueled by their avian trade partners’ technological strides.

Eventually the Draskavians, who now lived in vast floating cities, used contraceptives to implement the long insisted upon population control and had replaced the flackguns used to swat down juveniles attacks with dedicated capture drones that plucked pubescent Draskavian from their flocks to be raised on land, took to the stars along with their Atholabe allies, making the ancient eels one of the few aquatic races to know what it was like to swim in space.

Brief Description:
The Aurolian Republic, once a defensive pact between A loose collection of then defenseless imperial colonies, is now among the Great Powers in the Galaxy, seeing itself as a beacon of true progress in a post-fall Galaxy.

Government:
A Federal Republic, the Aurolian Government is split between Three Branches, the Executive Branch, that being the Office of the Chancellor who is both the Head of the Senate and the Commander-in-Chief of the Republic Armed Forces. One of the many tasks of a Chancellor consists of the creation of Laws, the signing of articles of diplomatic importance such as treaties, to appoint judges for the Interstellar Court and so on and so forth.

The Legislative Branch, that of which being the Senate. The Senate's main tasks consist of the passing of laws brought forward by the Chancellor, passing or vetoing Legislation, and are to give consent to enact a Declaration of War, and finally there is the Interstellar Court, who are responsible for the enforcement of the Laws created by the Chancellor and passed then enacted by the Senate.

Star Systems within the Republic are partially autonomous entities who are responsible for both maintaining worlds and installations within their boundaries, and are to maintain its own defense, with their local System Defense Force to act as its shield.

History:

Military:



Religion/Culture:
Culture within the Aurolian Republic is rather complicated, and differs greatly from planet to planet, each containing a unique culture and society born from it's people and surroundings. However, the Worlds of the Republic share quite a few common values, one of individualism, self-determination and liberty for the various peoples of different creeds and species. Such Human ideals had slowly, but surely spread to the non-human citizens of the Republic, both local and migrant alike, and many had grown to adopt such ideals as their own.

The Republic Military is held to a high standard and respect, seen as the ever watchful defenders of a mighty, yet fragile State against both enemies far and near, within and without, that seek its total submission and destruction.

Freedom of Religion in the Republic is also seen as a sacred right, and just as diverse, both brands of Kineticism and various Alien Religions intermingling, although friction among them is quite common.

Demographics (Species):

• Human(45%)
• Aldzir(15%)
• Janari(17%)
• Qiormu(7%)
• Scorpine(3%)
• Xuhajann(5%)
• Cultors(4%)
• Ulala(1%)
• Other(3%)

Characters:










Relations:

Habitation:

Founded by Orionic General Goliath Polema, the Martian State is a small but powerful Military Junta which controls the Sol System and a chunk of the surrounding Orion's Belt; the historic heartland of the Orionic Empire, with most of the population centered in Sol, Alpha Centauri, and Sirius. All citizens must serve in the State's military, and due to the unproportionally large size of the military, it is often seen as an 'Army with a State'. The Martian State also leads the Martian Coaltion; a military and economic coalition of Imperial Successor States.




The Martian Government is ruled by its military, and headed by the Commander General, who at this moment is Alexandra Ornata. The Commander General is elected from and by the Council of Generals (and Admirals), who gather every five years and decide whether to renew the current Commander General or elect a new one; General Ornata was elected a year ago for her first time. The military keeps the peace and creates and enforces a set of laws, however they only actually govern the Planet of Mars, the dwarf planets Ceres and Pluto in Sol and Hercules and Aeneas in Alpha Centauri, Augusta, Borea, and Salacia, in Sirius, the Starforts, and various colonies and military bases around the State. The rest are governed by the Domains, which, while still are part of the state, also create their own laws and have a degree of autonomy. Each Domain is assigned a governor general by the Military, who acts as an executive, but the domains also elect a senate democratically, and from that Senate a Speaker, to represent the people of the Domain.

The Domains exist as follows;






Goliath Polema was one of the Orionic Empire's greatest generals during its collapse, and sought to embody Imperial values. In the age of the Empire, one of the generals was traditionally named the Protector of Mars, and was assigned to command the Tenth Army, the most elite army in the Empire, who, for the past few centuries, usually was used to defend the Sol System. General Polema was the Protector. Ego I, the final Emperor, decided that, in the face of destruction, the Tenth could be put to better use at the front lines against the Zuukids, and General Polema was sent along with the Tenth to face the enemy.

The Warp Gate to the front lines had been broken, so the transport fleet was forced to use their warpdrives, when, after a couple weeks, they find their lines of communication to be gone, and the fleet was set upon by marauders. Being forced to land, The General found out that the City of Olympia had been sacked, and the emperor was dead. Polema found himself stranded, alone with his army, no orders to follow, no empire to defend. But he remembered that he still had one title that still meant something, and so the fleet fought their way back to Sol.

The local forces left behind to defend against the Scorpine Marauders were fresh-faced and unprepared, and the Marauders were pushing out further and further into the planet. Upon Polema's return, the Marauder forces were obliterated, and the General took charge of the local forces. Realizing there was no government left, he took control of civilian affairs as well, not only of Mars, but of the rest of the population of Sol. From there, his forces shot out to take control of what is today the Martian state.

A hundred years ago, the Martian Coalition was formed. While order and prosperity has been brought to the state, it became time for the State to bring the same to the rest of the Galaxy. Today, the ongoing question has been raised as to whether the State should exist as a permanent nation, or if it is only a temporary solution until the Empire is reformed.


All citizens must join the Military of the State in order to retain citizenship. In addition, anyone who joins the military is allowed to receive citizenship. While the State is somewhat xenophilic, certain species are barred from citizenship. As of now, these are Parasitians (who still live in relatively large populations in some of the domains), all Zuukind, and Scorpines. Cultors are seen as better put to use in food production, so rather than directly be conscripted, they instead pay off their service in rations.














Most in the Martian State are Kineticist, with Divine Kineticism dominating followers as in most places. Home to most Kinetic holy sites, and as a compliment to Martian militarism, there exists many devout in Martian society, however, there is also a good deal of secularism, and a fair amount of separation of church and state. Freedom of religion is largely present, although you'd be hard pressed to find an Anchorist who's saying he's having a good time. While many would see the conscription present in Martian society as authoritarian, this is coupled with free and quality education and healthcare services, as well as free utilities.

Inter-species relations are strange in the State, where certain species such as Ulala and Janari are seen as completely equal to humans in every way, shape, and form, whereas other species like Scorpines and Rodorphins are looked upon as the literal scum of the Earth. Many in the State view themselves as the successors to the Empire, and as such, many old Imperial customs are still alive and well in the State. Due to their stability during the Collapse and Migration Period, there was a large influx of migrants to the State, creating a massive urbanization, however, the Military made sure to keep most migrants human, or at least of a species they found to be acceptable.

The Military seeps into every aspect of Martian life. Whether it's due to civic pride or propaganda, most don't see anything wrong with the conscription system, or the militarism of the government. Private weapon ownership is also something most Martians take into great pride, and going to shooting ranges is a common leisurely activity.

Due to both the stability and safety ensured by the Military and the autonomy and freedom offered by Domain governments, the Domains are extremely prosperous, and are in many ways a glimpse into old Imperial life, having become beacons of economic prosperity and cultural advancement. The Dwarf Planet of Ceres, contrastingly, is a rural area under complete control of the Martian government, existing entirely to produce food for the military, just as Pluto is to produce minerals and Hercules is for manufacturing. In these territories, local populations are extremely patriotic, but the areas also offer a more bleak and realistic appraisal of post-Imperial life.

Mars itself is a planet unlike any other in the Galaxy, with a strange air of both the ancient and futuristic. The capital city of Olympia is built on the volcano Olympus Mons, whose lava production is controlled by Orionic technologies, and is used to power the city. With both ancient Imperial flavor and modern Martian State militarism and futurism, Mars is a popular tourist destination, as well as a pilgrimage site for many faithful Kineticists.


50 Percent Human
13 Percent Janari
10 Percent Ulala
10 Percent Xuhajann
4 Percent Aldzir (Concentrated in the dwarf planets of Sirius and in Pluto)
2 Percent Cultor (Concentrated in Ceres)
1 Percent Parasitian (Non-Citizens in the Domains)
10 Percent Other








Martian Coalition: The Successor States of the Martian Coalition are the State's clear military allies in the face of adversity. The expansion of the Coalition, both in the number of members and the power of the current members, is a key goal to State.
Zsresriir: The more temperate factions of both nations have found a strange alliance of sorts, both using each other to keep their more expansionist factions at bay.
Zuukid Empire: The State, of course, hates the Zuukids, and deeply fears them, and will eagerly seek war given any provocation.
USS: Though they are both human dominated, the State often finds itself at odds with the USS, religiously, in their outlook on their resident Alien populations, and, more than anything, their view on the Orionic Empire.



Most of the inhabited Martian planets are extremely urban, with upwards of ten billion people on each of them on average (the dwarf territories being the exceptions). Because of this, much of the State's food is imported from the Coalition allies. One thing the state has no shortage of is mineral wealth, with large mining colonies all over the state, including in non-terraformed space. Barren planets even have many colonies dotting the landscape, but of course the population of these colonies is nothing even close to the terraformed planets and moons. Colonies also exist inside the gas giants in strange floating towns, usually to harness electricity and gases.

The Zuukind Empire is, or was, a theocratic empire that engaged in a series of crusades towards the galactic core, all originating from its place of birth in the outer fringes of the galaxy. In the process the zealots conquered, converted and destroyed many nations, their greatest victim being the Orionic Empire itself, that was cleaved in twain and simultaneously overrun by those fleeing the might of the Zuukind. Their state religion, Anchorism, attributes the gravitational force created by what other ascribe as dark matter to a galaxy sized divine being, one that grants divine authority and wisdom to certain chosen individuals such as the line emperors. This line ended, along with the empire itself, as a result of a coup that saw the last emperor killed in battle and the empire’s territories plunged into a civil war between various factions attempting to fill the power vacuum. The Zuukind Empire counted many races among its ranks, but only the core faithful, those that were absorbed by the founding race of Rodorphins in their early years of conversion based expansion, are grouped under the moniker of Zuukind. Those races forever associated with the fallen empire and the destruction it wrought upon the galaxy.



At the top of the governmental apparatus is, or was, the emperor. Descendants of the prophet Avostin Zuuk they rule with the divine mandate and are unrestricted by any legal law or apparatus. Below the emperor is their court, a collection of favors individuals who might be anything from bureaucrats, head priests, generals, scientists or wealthy industrialists to individual soldiers, courtesans, childhood companions or celebrities. All of them are vested with a chose amount of authority by the emperor and act as both his/her ad visors and as unrestricted arbiters of their divine will. Below these individuals is the state proper, a mix of bureaucratic agency and religious institution generally referred to as the theocracy, it is charged with maintaining and nurturing the financial, military and spiritual health of the empire. As a result they are the underappreciated lifeblood of the empire, ensuring, among other things, that the faith is strong, that the emperor's armies are equipped for war, that the empires infrastructure remains intact, that waste is disposed of correctly and that that heretics and criminals are routed out and punished. These positions are filled by individuals specially trained at religious schools for the job, the tuition costs of which makes them these positions the purview of upper middle class students. The emperor traditionally does not meddle with appointments of bureaucrats, though their favor or ire can affect an individual's social standing among their peers and thus can indirectly affect their position in the hierarchy.

The government itself has partial control over the economy, with the state and emperor mostly free from the influences of the various large corporate entities that run the civilian economy. Corruption is meticulously routed out by state inquisitors, their rigorous faith making them more resistant to bribery and manipulation than the average government employee. Religious mandate allows the state to set prices for purchasing services but generally private businesses are allowed to run themselves as they see fit so long as they do not actively clash with the needs of the state. Governance outside of the core worlds works similarly, with the representatives of the central state mainly enforcing taxation, forced requisition and religious law while letting local affairs be dictated by either a ruling corporation if the world is ripe for a specific type of exploitation, the former local leadership if they were comparative during the absorption period or a governor appointed either by the theocracy or the emperor, who is free to run the territory as they see fit so long as they comply with the state’s needs.

The masses influence on political affairs is mainly done via the local priesthood, who are expected to listen to the concerns of their flock, which is generally done via one to one confessional like meetings. Most often complaints will be met with guidance or advice, but sometimes the priest will bring important matters to the attention of the theocracy, allowing them to keep a finger on a pulse of the people and giving them a sense that they are being listened too. To encourage the public to rely on the priesthood as their first go to for enacting change anything said by a person to a priest during a confessional cannot be used against them in a court of law, nor can it be the basis for an investigation, creating a safe and controlled environment for addressing of sacrilegious views.




Despite vast advances in the field of physics, the Rodorphin never found what contemporary human scientists refer to as dark matter, the group of so far undetected entities that are responsible for a significant proportion of the gravitational field holding the galaxy together. This mystery, having eluded their brightest minds for centuries, gradually took on a mystical quality for the Rodorphin, one that eventually ascended into a full blown religion canonized by Avostin Zuuk. It centers around the worship of the unseen force that holds the galaxy together, a force that Avostin Zuuk anthropomorphised into a god called the Anchor, said to rest at the heart of the galaxy with its limbs sprawling out from that central body to form the arms of the galaxy. Avostin Zuuk’s influence grew and spread due to the prophet’s dazzling charisma, becoming more and more abrasive to the Rodorphin’s current government as the faithful push for expansion/emigration towards the galactic core, culminating in a core-bound colonization/crusade flotilla headed by Avostin Zuuk being formed and subsequently clashing with border patrol forces belonging to one of the Rodorphin’s neighbours. For the sake of maintaining control and preventing a war the central government attempted to crack down on Anchorism, but was taken by surprise by Avostin Zuuk’s fleet turning around and sailing straight for the home-world, their arrival culminating in a lighting coup that handed the reigns of power over to the prophet. Avostin Zuuk was subsequently crowned the first emperor of a new royal dynasty, his power derived from the divine anchor, and on that day the Zuukid Empire empire was born.

Faith and empire alike are first consolidated within the Rodorphin’s own territory before beginning a slow and steady push towards the core, gradually absorbing and integrating each empire they encounter over a few decades. This process was relatively effective when dealing with the sparsely populated sprawling realms of the outer reaches of the galaxy, but by the time they hit the territory held by the Orionic Empire propper the rate of progress had been deemed unacceptable by the latest, and subsequently last, emperor. In response she launched a full scale crusade, blasting through system after system, shattering the Orionic Empire in the process, while leaving her subordinates to pick up the pieces of the peoples and places she conquers. This caused a great deal of economic, political and religious tension back home with some warning that they might well collapse like the Orionic Empire if they did not consolidate their new holdings. With the central figurehead of the empire off conquering distant worlds with the most faithful at her side and repeated calls for her to return to address the growing instability her recklessness was causing, those who do not like the way the empire was being run began to meet and conspire against the current emperor. What ended up spurring them into action was not the completion of their scheming however, but an opportunity created when a notable section of formerly absorbed territory suddenly broke away from the empire. The conspirators managed to grab the reins of the general panic and anger that resulted from this and directed it at the emperor and her new method of expansion, turning the demands that the emperor return home from mutterings to violent uproar. The unlikely alliance of religious leaders, capitalists, nationalists and populist leaders then used their followers and resources to rapidly seize control of the empire’s core worlds, cutting off the emperor's supply lines. The tip of the crusade’s spear was forced to turn back in response, just as planned, but the return trip was a bloody one as they were harried by the rising warlords of the realms they have shattered and are plagued by the inability to acquire supplies without fighting costly battles to seize them. Even the outlying provinces of the empire’s old acquisitions turned hostile as they attempted to forge their own futures free from the rapidly disintegrating empire.

When they finally return to the imperial heartland the emperor found their enemies well prepared and, though the rebels troops were green as can be they far outnumber the weary and worn down loyalist forces due to their ranks bein swelled by each and every group marginalized by the empire’s rule. What was meant, by some, to be an intervention rapidly devolved into a shooting war after the emperor refused to meet any of the demands of the rebels and warmongers on both side’s agitation for decisive action eventually caused by the first shot of the battle being fired, perhaps accidentally, by an unknown rebel gunner. With battle commenced the empire’s finest manage to extract a hefty toll on the rebel forces but were eventually overwhelmed by the sheer number of ships and a planetary defense emplacements located around the Rodorphin home-world. The emperor's flagship broke in two after stubbornly taking hours of sustained fire while she and her honor guard drop podded to the surface in an attempt to seize the palace on foot. Finally, less than a hundred meters from where Avostin Zuuk was first crowned emperor, his royal dynasty was ended by a singly stray bullet.

Having overcome their enemy, the only person it seemed who had been holding them together in the first place, the rebels rapidly succumbed to the entropy of victory and where driven apart by their vast ideological differences. Attempts to seize power were made by multiple parties simultaneously, resulting in battles breaking out between previously aligned rebel forces all across the core worlds while various populist, nationalist and religious focused uprisings cleaved swathes of territory from the empire’s control, many of whom set eyes upon their ideological difference neighbors and saw them not as fellow citizens free at last of the yoke of tyranny, but as targets of opportunity, scorn or cries of heresy. The emperor's death was as a result the beginning, rather than the end, of the Zuukid civil war.




Ideology:
The core principles of the Zuukid empire and its descendants militaries is a glorious hardened core protected by a disposable center. Their own ship, troops and vehicles where made to the highest standards possible materials wise but where often elaborately decorated or stylized at the price of operating efficiency. For example, Zuukid built ships often have figureheads on them, depicting saints, prophets, and emperors who give the vessels their names. the extra work needed to stabilize the ship's thrust is considered worth it for the positive effect on moral they have for friendly units and the awe they impart upon enemies and/or possible converts. However the Zuukid fleets where padded with reclaimed, captured and requisitions vessels known as adjuncts that exist primarily to support and protect the core. It is these disposable escorts that allow the Zuukind to commit forces that most would consider to costly to risk, and to do so safely knowing that the disposable assets can be sacrificed to save the core.

Weapon Systems:
Lasers use focusing chambers to translate electrical energy into occasional bursts of focused light that relay energy to a small point on the target. These are primarily used on units expected to operate on their own for extended periods, deriving their firepower from the same systems that power their other systems. The inherent speed of photon based weapons also makes them excellent for point defense systems and accurate long range space based weapon systems but they are limited by the fact that they only do heat based damage, the fact that they can be reflected with the right materials and the fact that intervening materials such as air, smoke, water and gas all greatly their effects over distance.

Coil-guns meanwhile utilize Gauss technology to propel various ammunition types using a series of electromagnets. Coil-guns generally consist of one or more coils arranged along a barrel, so the path of the accelerating projectile lies along the central axis of the coils. The coils are switched on and off in a precisely timed sequence, causing the projectile to be accelerated quickly along the barrel via magnetic forces. These weapons can be used to fire a variety of munitions, from solid slugs to explosive shells, flak, acid canisters, incendiary devices, flechettes, guided missiles, drones, and even boarding craft. Unlike lasers these weapons are hampered by their need to carry this ammunition, which means they are limited by either short operation times, space consuming ammunition stores or the need to protect dedicated supply vehicles. The utility and raw damage of these weapons cannot be denied however, and so coil-guns are found all over the Zuukind military, where they fill rolls that lasers cannot.

The zuukid empire is notable for an unusually usage of of melee combat as something other than a last resort. There are three reasons for this. The first is that many of the Zuukind have a long and steady history with ritualistic forms of melee combat, often originating from mating rituals, that have subsequently had religious tapping interwoven with them, that have lead it to being seen as the most sacred form of battle and one that brings the victor praise and recognition from their peers and superiors. The second more pragmatic reason is that it is a lot more targeted and less destructive than, say, an artillery barrage, leading to it being used to capture enemy ships, vehicles and facilities that can then be used to continue the war effort. The final reason is simply that it is incredibly unexpected by most enemies the Zuukid empire encountered. Their target’s general lack of preparation for close range combat coupled with the Zuukind’s general size and physical prowess made melee encounters almost always come out in the empire's favor if they could safely close the distance. Safe distance closing generally occurs in dense city fighting and ship boarding actions where the enemy's fire is downgraded for fear of damaging their own facilities.

Notable units:


An iconic staple of the Zuukind’s core fleets, these versatile mecha are designed as vast suits of power armor mimicking the shape of their pilot. They are generally armed with a energy lance which is a combined melee/ranged directed energy weapon that can either fire lasers from its tip or energize its entire length into a long stabbing weapon, generally used for sabotaging enemy vessels if they can get close enough. They also carry an Aspis, which is a device that can be used to physically block weapons fire and contains a directional force field generator to increase the mecha’s survivability. A second, omnidirectional, generator is located behind the mecha’s head. The mechas are also capable of operating in atmosphere and on planetary terrain where they can divert power normally used for maneuvering into their various weapons and defense systems to let them operate as tanks instead of as fighters. They can also swap out their energy weapons for heavier Gauss weapons, though these limit their ability to operate independently, as the hoplite can only carry a very limited amount of the gauss propelled munitions without compromising its maneuverability.


Exceptionally large ships that personify the zuukid’s usage of adjunct vessels, generally made up of asteroids or welded together space battle debris they are used to protect the rest of the fleet. With minimal crew capacity and almost 0 armaments the martyr is used to physically shield the more important core ships from fire as they move into optimum firing range. Some more sophisticated variants are equipped with heat/mirror shielding, point defense weapons, force-fields, decoys etc. However most simply absorb fire via sheer mass and some lack engines entirely, being simply reinforced slabs or convenient debris that are held/pushed ahead of the fleet via tractor beams. Smaller variants are used to shield fighter, bomber, boarding and Hoplite teams as they approach their targets.


Small autonomous robots or power armor individuals that are tasked with latching onto enemy spacecraft and disarming, disabling or breaking into them. The Nahash variant show is a Sethhanide design does this using special acid coated claws to cleave through very specific hull materials. It also has 4 small turrets mounted on its wings designed to coat larger areas with the acid. They are often fired from coil-guns at enemy vessels, and have just enough charge in their capacitors to course correct slightly and to cancel their own momentum before they collide with the vessel. If left to their own devices they can do considerably more damage than a similar sized missile, cutting away rivets that hold armor in place, blinding sensors, crippling entire rows of turrets, breaking into ship rooms via airlocks or vents to massacre crew etc.


A Sethhanide designed spacecraft that was 4000 m long while only being 200 m wide and 20 m tall it was one of the longest vessels the Zuukind empire ever produced. It was designed as a dedicated broadside vessel, with just under 1000 high grade laser cannons mounted on a single narrow side of its immense length. If it angled itself correctly it could bring all of these to bare while only presenting only a thin 20m line of its own bulk to the enemy. This made it an exceptional ship for engagements with only one major enemy ship but left it vulnerable to franking above and below. The front of the craft features a figurehead in the form of a fully functional mech representation of a prominent Sethhanide, most often of its inventor with whom the class of vessel shares its name. The entire vessel is capable of moving in a serpentine manner, slithering through space unpredictably as it orientates its cannons at foes. It is also able to enter a coiled up defense mode around its figurehead when attacked from multiple angles, the head producing a substantial shield around the compacted vessel while the cannons are able to target vessels all around it.


A ship specifically made to be launched via coil-gun, the Crescents main maneuvering wings fold up against its body while in the barrel and then extend upon exit to steer the craft. Generally they will perform strafing runs using their for mounted twin armaments on whatever they are engaging, then will decelerate and perform a rear assault on the enemy formations.


Throne Class BattleCruiser(Large), A predecessor of the medusa class, it too features many side mounted laser cannons, however as these are mounted on the rather rigid front section the majority of the aiming is done via lenses. Generally they are sued as the command ships for small battle fleets engaging in longform operations out of Zuukid home controlled space.
Stronghold Frigate(Medium): Mid sized carrier that features a large amount of forward facing firepower. A group of these can do significant damage to far larger ships if they can focus fire, while also fielding a sizable fighter/bomber screen to protect their long tails.
Guardian Corvette(Small): Each spine contains a small point defense turret that lets this ship screen other vessels against bombers and missiles. They almost never act alone, but instead escort larger craft when the enemy is expected to employ a large number of fighter/bomber craft.
Dominion Strike Craft(Fighter): A single man spacecraft built primarily for dueling with its equivalents and intercepting bombers/missiles. The rotatable wing mounted engines give it excellent maneuverability.
Virtue Torpedo Boat (bomber) equipped with a single Gauss cannon and carrying a number of high yield missiles or shells it is designed to deliver these payloads to weak points on enemy ships without them having to worry about armoring the munitions themselves against point defense.
Powers cargoship (civil): a small cargo vessel used by the Zuukind military to transfer moderate amounts of materials between vessels or across relatively safe routes.


Compact weapons platforms capable of being dropped from orbit, the Zuukind will “seed” a landing zone or priority target with these to soften them up for further assault. A pod can either unfold instantly form their compact forms to attack or can remain hidden buried or submerged at their impact site for days waiting for an opportune moment to strike their targets.


Made from similar materials and components as a lot of their spacecraft, these tanks skim across battlefields at high speeds, bringing their versatile selection of armaments to where they are most needed. Its primary weapon turret will generally be an anti tank weapon, while its many spine mounted turrets act as anti infantry/air weapons.


The size of small dogs or large birds these units will move ahead of the Zuukind armies, spotting targets for artillery, routing out ambushes and gathering intel. Small, stealth and disposable they can be found scouring the periphery of most battlefield, circling enemy formations like carrion eaters as they relay vital tactical information back to the Zuukid forces.


While conventional wheeled/tracked vehicles and more advanced hover vehicles are used by the Zuukid the Sethhanide bioengineers have created a number of biomechanical frame onto which conventional weapons systems can be mounted upon. While generally slower than traditional vehicles they are far more capable of handling difficult terrain and can run most of their systems off local biomatter rather than needing access to specialized fuel. The fact that they need far less metal to produce is also considered a great boon and so, as their production requirements intersect very little with traditional manufacturing, pure and biomechanical warmachines are often seen fighting side by side in the Zuukid military.





Religion: Anchorism

The Zuukind believe that the galaxy rests upon or inside (which is matter of much theological debate) a great being known as the anchor. It is this being that provides the additional gravitational pull that holds the galaxy together and is, effectively, anthropomorphised Dark Matter. Because the heart of the great beast is located at the galactic core that places is considered the holy land by the faithful, which is somewhat problematic as the Zuukind empire was located at the fringes of the galaxy. It is the state religion of the Zuukind empire, and adherence to it is mandated resulting in religious intolerance and persecution of all belief systems that were incompatible with anachronism (which was most of them).

One of the focuses of religious worship, other than regular temples, are deep space monasteries. Here, in small space stations free of artificial gravity, the faithful can come to get closer to the anchor, free from the distraction of other gravitational pulls. Those who stay there are entirely reliant on external supplies, as the monasteries are often light-years from the closest star. A careful balance is maintained between the frequency of supply ships arriving to drop off fuel, food, etc, and the amount of space given over for storing said supplies. Both add mass that might distract the meditating inhabitants of the station, and so they are almost always walk a thin tightrope of survival for the sake of enlightenment. For some even these stations are not enough and the greatest seekers of the anchor will live alone in tiny ships or even space suits in deep space, deliberately becoming the most isolated people in the universe for days or months on end. Insanity in these individuals is common, enlightenment rare. Telling the difference is sometimes an art onto itself.

Regular worship involves meditating once per day in a zero gravity environment, either a simulated one available in planet-side temples or by deactivating the artificial gravity for those who are currently in space. Most space bound habitats and vessels coordinate this meditation ship wide, setting aside 30 minutes of zero g for all those on-board to meditate simultaneously. There are also drug assisted guided meditation sessions lead by the priesthood, each lasting two hours, that Zuukind are culturally expected to partake in at least once a week. Commoners will generally partake in group sessions in temples, ship wide broadcasts or, at worst, recordings available online while the dedicated wealthy might have private sessions or a personal priest. The most faithful may partake in this type of meditation more than once a week.



Rodorphin:
Bulky 8 limbed creatures that are the founders of the empire and its faith. They somewhat resemble the mythical centaurs, with a humanoid torso mounted at the front of a hexapod body, but they have claw like feet and their skin is covered in soft scales that comes in various shades of dull reds, browns and oranges. They are carnivores that are about two and a half meters tall and can outpace horses on most terrain. They are used to a higher oxygen concentration than that expected by humans, and as such often need to supplement the air of other worlds with additional O2 using a filter/enricher mask lest they be left permanently breathless.

Founders of the Zuukid empire and the species of the Prophet Avostin Zuuk they fill much of the imperial theocracy on account of their home-world being the empire’s capital. They can also be found across the empire, though unlike humanity they did not end up ubiquitously dominate their empire’s holdings. This is partially because the empire put the faithful first, not the founders and also because the Rodorphin’s oxygen need restricted them from casual occupation of many worlds.

The Rodorphin exhibit sexual monomorphism, with all members appearing to be masculine in appearance to the casual human observer. Culturally, other than a basic use of pronouns they distinguish very little between the sexes, resulting in an absence of the gendering of titles, occupations and words found in other species’ languages. For example, the emperor is always the emperor, regardless of gender, with the word empress being seen as an annoying and pointless complication in other languages.

Sethhanide:
An alien race with a colony of serpents, known as hydras, growing on their skulls. These serpents are a form of parasite on the Sethhanides planets, which have developed a symbiotic relationship with several species there. The serpents help protect their host from the dangerous ambush and pack hunter predators that live on the planet by providing 360 vision, acting in shifts as a night watch and fending of foes with their venomous spit. In return the host warms the cold blooded serpents and shares food with them. While the Sethhanide have long since surpassed the need for their companions they retain a cultural and biological fondness for the creatures, and as such most of them retain them as pets.

The Sethhanide known well known for their work in cloning and genetic engineering, the most notable of their achievements having been the race of Vuans, human based super-soldiers that they provided to bolster the Zuukid crusade forces. Sethhanide vehicles, robots and space vessels are generally serpentine in nature, this leaves them rather fragile but highly maneuverable.

They were early willing members of the Zuukid empire and their addition of biomechanical engineering is the basis for a lot of the empire's success. They have managed to keep a firm hold of their art despite it spreading across the empire thanks to their old home systems now housing most of the universities that teach it while simultaneously having lax local ethics laws that allow the somewhat unseemly experiments needed to further the art of biomechanical engineering. Sethhanides had less problems than the Rodorphin in colonizing other worlds, though their size did still cause some similar problems that limited their spread, the main one being time, as colonization efforts of abandoned or underpopulated worlds where still in their infancy when the empire collapsed.

Vuans:
The Vuans were developed by the Sethhanide to serve as shock troops. There were two primary goals in their development. First, to have troops optimized for operating effectively in human friendly environments and second, to let them easily put captured/seized human technology to work. A third added benefit is that their production required only human cadavers, something that was in plentiful supply after most military engagements in Orionic Empire space. They possess increased strength, endurance and limited regenerative capabilities that have greatly extended their lifespans at the cost of increased risks of brain disease like Alzheimer's. Their usage has fallen off in most parts of the former Zuukid Empire due to a lack of raw materials, but they persist in use among the Faithful Hairs and with/as independent marauder groups all over the galaxy.

Vauns, after being assembled from raw materials, are subjected to intense indoctrination and brainwashing to remove any prior loyalties or personality, making them perfect zealots of the Zuukind cause. Despite this some memories will remain in fragments, and the older variants particular can be plagued by flashes of their past lives. When this occurs most submit themselves for re-indoctrination but rarely they deserted instead, something that became considerably more common during and after the empires collapse.

Rekshai:
Rekshai come from the Sethhanide home-world, where they were one of the predators that causes their symbiotic relationship with their distinctive serpentine hair. Unlike most of their competition the Rekshai where not driven to extinction by the rise of Sethhanide civilization, as instead the worryingly intelligent monsters managed to follow their most successful prey species as they expanded across the globe, avoiding all subsequent attempts at extermination through cunning, stealth and adaptation. By the time technology had advanced enough that true eradication would be possible conservation moments had arisen that preserved the predators existence, though limiting their domains to certain national parks, zoos, preserves etc. and initiating an ever advancing method of prevent attacks on Sethhanides using radar tagging, smart shock collars, etc. They subsequently fell into quiet irrelevance, a lingering reminder of what progress had overcome, until the someone in the biotech industry had the idea of using them as a basis for a new biomechanical construct.

Subesequent study revealed just how advanced the brains the beasts had actually been, exhibiting intelligence that, if given a slight boost, allowed them to achieve limited sentience. While some might argue against the wisdom of granting greater cognitive abilities to one of your own predators the effectiveness of the results were undeniable. Coated in biometalic armor, improved with synthetic muscles, injected with performance enhancing drugs and installed with limited cybernetics they became deadly weapons of war capable of understanding complex orders with little alteration to their cerebral cortex. The Zuukind subsequently use them as incredibly deadly attack dogs: unleashing them on enemy formations and ships via specialized attack craft, releasing them into cities and compounds to sow terror or having them accompany inquisitors hunting down heretics.

Inevitably some subjects have escaped and evaded re-capture, the collapse contributing significantly to the number of such escapes. While these subjects have sometimes started infestations via breeding their offspring are non-augmented and thus lack their parents intelligence boosting implants. Unfortunately they display more intelligence than their wiled betherned ever did, presumably due to being trained/lead by their progenitors.

Lonoxi:
Insectile creatures that evolved a social structure similar to that of ants or bees, where a small number of fertile females have access to a small number of males for breeding purposes while the majority of the species are infertile drones made to serve the fertile females bidding. This social structure was retained even when the race achieved sentience, with fertile Queens and their male lords acting as regents and aristocracy while the drones where their willing servants. This persisted right up until the invention of chemical warfare, as the subsequent reactions introduction of gas masks unintentionally gave the drones a way to free themselves from the pheromones the queens secreted, pheromones that none of their kind had recognized as existing. Here the species split into two distinct, opposing, styles, the old monarchistic one which used this knowledge of pheromones to cement their rule and one where the drones overthrew their progenitors and formed collectivist councils of drones to govern, with the breeders being subservient to the will of their offspring. These two patterns never managed to overcome one another, the ability completely stop the creation of pheromone filters as difficult as preventing breaches in filter protocols.

In the end it was the Zuukind that forged the two together in an unhappy union, Sethhanide manufactured drugs making drones immune to the pheromones while the Zuukid theocracy relentlessly preferred the breeders as officials or governors due to their longer life spans and more individualistic intelligence. Still, while there where those who longed for both the old ways faith and inquisitors kept the Lonoxi firmly focused on serving the empire as a whole. With the empire gone however the old divisions have re-arisen, now joined by the third who still desire what the Zuukid brought them.

Drones are rather squat, bulky and well armored, featuring a pair of large blades pointing backwards from their forearms. Males are tall, thin and supermodel esque in appearance, traits grown to improve their odds of been chosen by a queen. Queens themselves are somewhat similar in appearance to the males but have a large abdomen extending out behind their hips that is used to grow and lay eggs.

Forensakai:
Unlike the Rodorphin, Forensakai exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism that make their two genders aprea to be almost different species: the females are tough four armed, four eyed bipeds with shriveled wings while the males are 4 legged creatures of an almost bestial appearance that are capable of flight. Despite their structural differences and the makes animistic appearance both genders exhibit near identical levels of intelligence. The reason for these differences can be found by studying their old mating habits. The females need a living host within which to parasitically insert their larvae(much like certain parasitic wasps of earth), a host that they actively defend from other predators while their young mature inside it. The males then need to both retrieve this host in the first place and need to keep the woman fed while she guards the host. To do so they travel great distances to find the perfect host as well as to forage food for their mate, but do not need to be able to tussle with hostile predators. Thus the females became tough flightless fighters and the males agile aerial hunters with excellent endurance. The Forensakai eventually adopted a herding method of protecting their hosts and upon this cooperation their civilization was build.

While their life cycle involves presenting a host they do not require once capable of sentiants like the Parasitians. Infact scentiens generally make for very poor hosts due to their diets, general lack of extensive fat reserves and ability to recognise they are infested. Instead they use livestock, preferably large caterpillar like creatures from homeworld, but creatures like cows will serve the task as well, though the infant will often need assistance from their parents or a doctor to deal with the creatures skeleton.

Culturally they exhibit minor form of matriarchy, one that is only really detectable by those knowledge of their society, as it can be seen only in some of the quirks of their native language and at a larger statistical level rather than as a day to day occurance. It stems from the male's hunter gatherer biological adaptations became less and less relevant in their developing society, where raw strength gave the woman an edge in more fields than the male’s flight, resulting in them getting pigeonholed into a limited number of rolls that kept flying useful, such as scouting, skirmishing. mail deliver, vertical construction etc. and this prejudice dribbled into intellectual pursuits as well. Modern tech’s general nullification of the female Forensakai 's physical advantage resulted in equality movements that mirrored those found on earth, resulting in the matriarchy becoming merely a small if difficult to remove stain on Forensakai culture rather than a dominating force.

Outside of this they have a nostalgia for ranching and are often found tending to herds of animals on low population and poorly developed worlds. They are also relatively nomadic in nature and, while they do build cities they have a greater tendency to move around than humans do. Housing in a city is not a pace here people are born, live and then die, but rather a place where people stay for a few years while they work in that particular city. Their economy is structured to accommodate this constant cycling of new blood arriving and old blood moving on to fresh pastures, which has its positives and negatives. Rodorphin businesses and people are very open to new ideas brought in by new people and their documentation is rigorous and their teaching methods are highly effective but the fact that there are always people getting up to speed does damage productivity somewhat. Access to space travel and alien worlds as led this tendency to leave them rather spread out as they journey from world to world as their whims take them and so they don't have much of a unified species culture off their own worlds as they seem to actively adopt other cultures quickly and enthusiastically when they start living among other races. Rodorphin are sometimes seen as noncommittal, unreliable and easily distracted, while the Rodorphin find the tendency to stick to the familiar a sign of timidity and a cause of dangerous stagnation.

Draskavians and Atholabes Draskavian evolved on an ocean world where they had to deal with the limited availability of nesting space available on the small island that dotted globe spanning sea. Draskavian juveniles are seabirds, who travel in great flocks across the waves, never touching land from the moment they leave the roost till the moment they seek to make one of their own. The adults are bipedal bear like creatures that have given up flight in return for increase strength and hands that they use to protect their island nesting grounds and food supplies from hostiles. Other than predators the main hostiles the adults faced were flocks of juveniles seeking to claim land before puberty fully overtook them and they lost their wings, resulting in periodic battles between the small agile young and the large lumbering adults. Initially these battles would result in the gradual grinding down of the aging adult population until a suitably strong flock took over, but as technology slowly advanced the balance of power shifted towards the adults thanks in part to a partnership with the planets other sentient race: the Atholabes.

An Atholabe is a eel like creature about the size of a great white shark that has 3 ruby read eyes on the front of its head surrounded by eight manipulator tentacles, four being thick and strong limbs while the other four are whisker like appendages used for fine manipulation. An incredibly ancient race, the Atholabe myths speak of a time before the great sea when part of an incredibly advanced civilisation that was brought to an end by the calamity that caused the ocean to form which they only survived thanks to a miracle that gave them bodies suited to the new world. While archaeological has failed to find any evidence of this study of their biology by Zuukid bioengineers has discovered signs of what they believe to be the vestiges of ancient genetic engineering.

Their aquatic environment had made technological advancement incredibly difficult, their race trapped forever in the stone age despite their best efforts until the Draskavians evolved. Some were fraught with jealousy of the upstarts who eventually discovered metalsmithing upon their tiny islands, but others saw opportunity, forming, after a great deal of strife, a working relationship with some Draskavian populations, trading raw ore for manufactured goods. The adult population grew stronger and more advanced on the back of this trade, though it was hampered significantly by the intergenerational battles for control of the islands. Frustrated, and somewhat horrified by this state of affairs the Atholabes attempted to introduce the Draskavian to the concepts of a. Population control via abstinence and b. Raising their young. They only really took to the second suggestion, capturing juveniles on the cups of losing the capability of flight during attacks and using them to replace their losses. This solidified the adult hold over the islands and allowed the preservation of knowledge between generations, causing Draskavian civilisation to start reflecting standard development trends, interspersed with occasional bird attacks. Islands where artificial expanded with the help of Atholabe builders and Draskavian populations grew with them. Ships and navigational techniques were created allowing island communities to meet for the first time, with the inevitable trading of goods, culture and blows following after. All the while the Atholabes civilisation flourished once again, fueled by their avian trade partners’ technological strides.

Eventually the Draskavians, who now lived in vast floating cities, used contraceptives to implement the long insisted upon population control and had replaced the flackguns used to swat down juveniles attacks with dedicated capture drones that plucked pubescent Draskavian from their flocks to be raised on land, took to the stars along with their Atholabe allies, making the ancient eels one of the few aquatic races to know what it was like to swim in space.

Other:
The empire absorbed/subjugated may races during its heyday and as such it contains a baud sampaling of the galaxies races further augmented by pilgrims from even further afield. However, only the above are referred to as Zuukind due to their pervasiveness as the faces, both civilian and military, of the empire.




Aesthetics: Zuukid architecture and fashion generally follows that of ancient greece mixed with local flavor. White marble and equivalent synthetic materials dominate their public buildings which are decorated with columns and statues. Togas made of modern materials are associated with Anchronism and are thus popular wear for the faithful when the climate permits them.

The furthest point along their warpath the Zuukid crusade forces reached is now one of the last bastions of the Zuukid empire They are descendants of the gerison that were left behind to hold it for the last true emperor and are now ruled by the granddaughter of a minor member of the Zuuk dynasty. Holding a small region of space they where an unlikely island of saft during the tumultuous migration period they created, acquiring several protectorate human states in the region around their new capital.



The Heirs are structured like the head of the Zuukid Empire, with an emperor having unconditional power over all aspects of the nation. Below the emperor are their favorites, who are representatives of their will, granted full authority over a world, army, station etc. Below them remains a rump of the theocracy consisting entirely of military ranked subordinates who serve the emperor's chosen representatives directly and who’s position and status is mainly determined by the representative they serve and how they serve them. The upper levels of this hierarchy are still dominated by Zuukind, but the lower levels are becoming increasingly packed with Imperial Species, mostly humans.

The Heirs rule over a number of protectorate states who are mostly self governed. They are mostly ruled by some kind of democratically elected government, a system encouraged by the Heirs to ensure popular support of their military presence and to prevent upstart warlords from ripping a protectorate away from them. These governments manage all of the civilian affairs of the planet, and it always only one planet, they control while paying tribute to the heirs who act as the collective military of all the Protectorates.


The faithful heirs started life as a portion of the Emperor's crusade force who were left behind to ensure the gains made by her davence where not lost while she returned to put down the core world uprising. The emperor failed to return. The gerisons of the conquered worlds slowly lost their holdings and forces to desertion, uprising and independent marauder groups. In the end they were split in two groups. The first retreated back to the Zuukid heartland, where they were consumed by the civil war. The second group retreated towards the holy land, hoping for salvation at the core. These forces ended up congregating around the most distant acquisitions, held by part of the emperor's own elite forces under the command of Vansorosh Zuuk who had been personally charged by the emperor in defending this most distant and exposed part of the conquests. Hee the remains of the Zuukid empire’s military held out against the chaos of the migration period, hoping that eventually the empire would stabilise and come back for them.

Eventually however it became clear that relieve would not be coming, that the fleet was and perhaps would forever be completely cut off from the empire. The Zuukid military forces had to face the question of what they should do now. Their first act was clear, they declared Vansorosh Zuuk emperor of their new nation, but after that it was unclear what this new nation should do to find its place in the universe. Some argued they should fight their way back to Zuukid space, back to the homeworlds of many of the species who were apart of the military. Other believed they should become nomadic as so many seemed to have done, to become a military for hire or a marauding band. It was even brazenly argued they should push forwards, to conquer the heart of the galaxy as they had once set out to do. In the end Vansorosh Zuuk decide they would stay where they were rather than abandon the local defences and people. This last part was surprising to many and yet that sentiment laid the groundwork for the rest of the Heir’s development. Vansorosh Zuuk had recently begun what perhaps they should have been doing all along, namly integrating the local populations into the empire, a population that was now far more willing to accept this integration as the Zuukid had, for mainly selfish reasons, stood between them and the marauding forces that plagued the migratory period.

There were two reasons for this intagrations. Firstly, that integrating the population gave them access to power, namely military service, and thus reduced resistance to the occupation somewhat. The second reason was that military installations where no place for children, and if the Zuukind forces where to survive for longer than a generation some of them would need to step down from service to create, and then raise, the heirs to the empire. This flow of Zuukind out of the military, and the flow of local, generally human, population into it gradually changed the heirs from conquerors to locally accepted leadership. The Heir’s territory even grew, as they used their limited remaining military hardware toc oame to the aid of surrounding populations, acting as protectors in return for supplies to maintain the fleets. This then led to the current state of affairs, with the small region controlled by the heirs themselves being the guardian of a far larger are of protectorate states surrounding that last bastion of the Zuukid empire.



The Heirs operate much as their ancestors did, with a core force supported by disposable adjunct forces, however the lack of any real manufacturing capability for their old equipment, and a lack of the blueprints for it as well, has left the relics of the Zuukid empire a small and most treasured core, guarded by locally manufactured adjunct assets. Other than Vauns, who were generally manufactured by the crusade fleet themselves anyway, most of their disposable biomechanical arsenal has been lost as well. This leaves the bulk of their army consisting of Vauns and local species utilizing equipment loosely based on Orionic Empire or new designs, lead by a Zuukind officer core using indispensable and carefully maintained Zuukid relics.

Notable new units:


Leopard: a torpedo bomber that, for the sake of cost reduction, simply has dumb fire missiles strapped beneath it rather than firing its payloads from a gauss cannon.
Falcon Intercepter: an incredably striped down fighter that's basically just an engine with a cockpit and some guns attached. Fast but with relatively poor maneuverable they were made to let reinforcing fleets get something useful into battle as soon as possible, these ships, like crescent fighters, are launched from gauss cannons, however they are mainly used to put something in between valuable besieged allies and their attackers, rather than being used for flanking maneuvers. The life of a Hawk pilot is often a short and brutally heroic one.
Hawk Intercepter: A fighter ship that is built for maneuverability above all else, their core system is about 20% turning thruster. These are the exact opposite of falcons, designed to stick close to fleets in a swarm meant to intercept hostile munitions and bombers
Puma Corvette:
Panther Destroyer: A ship designed primarily to screen other ships from fighters, their bulbous heads packed with lasers and crude flack cannons that cover a wide area around them. Their engines are evn pulled in close so that the side mounted turrets can shoot past them.
Wolf Frigate: a versatile ship designed to be able to counter most threats when working in wolf only packs. They act as escorts for civilian and military ships alike and can also be used in squadrons to handle w wide range of low level threats relatively reliably.
Tiger Destroyer: Tigers are odd in that they are built with adjunct components yet are armed like core ships, bristling with expensive amounts of firepower. They generally act as the core of the increasing common adjunct only fleets the heirs are having to employ as their true core ships are slowly used up in defence of its protectorates.
Gazelle Corvette: Small and agile ships that use a different engine setup to achieve their skittish maneuvering skills which leaves them without ftl, meaning they have to dock themselves against friendly vessel to be towed to a warzone. As a result of this complication they are most often seen defending systems, running interference against invaders while they wait for reinforcements toa rive.
Buffalo Cruiser: these fat ships are primarily troop transports. Featuring a massive amount of storage space and with the triple engine setup to move it they are capable of bringing entire battalions to a belgard world. They can also be easily retrofitted to hold a large number of fighter/bombercraft instead, replacing the landing shuttles with these offensive ships for pure space combat missions They aren't lacking for firepower however, and an Buffalo with empty holds can still go toe to to with similar sized ships.


Vulture Recon Unit: while unlike anti grave they don't work in all environments, rotor blades have made a comeback for the mainly planet defending Heir’s military forces. The Vuklture is one example of their usage, a twin prop vehicle about the size of a bike it is used for scouting and harassment campaigns against invading forces.
Shikra Flightsuit: a very cheap to manufacture flight capable exo suit sued for planetary defense. While smaller than the vulture it is much smaller, making it excellent for ambushing form unexpected spots or operating inside cities where vertical mobility is a great boon.
Oryx Support Unit: a two person mecha, one pilots the vehicle while the other operates its weapon systems. Tis makes the rather cheap and poorly armored mech quite a difficult target to hit. It is armed with a single heavy machine gun, a snout mounted laser cannon and a set of 4 AA missiles that are fired from cheap single use gauss cannons. While it can engage most targets with its varied armements it struggles again the most heavily of armored units.
Rhino Tankhunter: A small agile mech built off the same chassis as the oryx, it features a single massive Gauss rifle that is used purely for sniping enemy heavy armored units. Most of the upper section is used to store ammo for and vent heat from tis singular large cannon. The only real difference it has vis smaller targets is the pilot physical leaning out the mech’s open cockpit to try and shoot them with a side arm. As a result it is often escorted by oRyx mechs, as the two cover each other's weaknesses nicly and can traverse the same terrain.
Jackle Recon Unit: Taking the place of their biomechancial scout units, the jackal is a one man piloted robot capable of rapidly traversing even the most inhospitable landscape while recording and transmitting recon data. Unlike the biomech it is capable of defending itself using a simple machine gun that the pilot can detached from its turret if the robot if damaged.


While their overland speed is rather poor, spidertanks cannot be beat when it comes to dealing with terrain, nor is their toughness to be sniffed at, as a tank can still move even if a half of its legs are missing. Generally used as guards for cities and mountainous regions the violin is more a defensive installation than a mobile armor unit, featuring a wide berth of firepower on its bulky body.


Dedicated ground based harassers, these bikes come equipped with either gause launched missile pods or mecha tendril mounted mini guns that they use to strike their enemies for unexpected angles in brief flurries of weapons fire before darting away as swiftly as they arrived.

The heirs have, somewhat surprisingly, abandoned theZuukid’s hardline religious intolerance in favor of cultivating more allies during the crisis period. While Anchorisim is encouraged, particularly in the military, it is no longer mandatory, primarily because they have no way of enforcing such a position without wasting precious resources the oppressing their protectorate states. This is reflected in a lot of the heir’s policies, generally being very diplomatic and accommodating of those under their protection so long as they support the military. The Zuukind are fully aware of how isolated and outnumbered they are even in their own territory and just how much the Imperial Successors despise them. The fostering the happiness and good will of their subjects is not benevolence, it is necessary for their survival. This has, for the most part, worked as the protectorates seem to be inclined to remain loyal to those who saw them through the migrationary crisis rather than turning to the Orionic successors now that the worst seems to be over.

Describing the culture of the varios pretoecorates would take an age, as each has freely flourished under the Heirs protection in a carefully segregated fashion. Communication, movement and cooperation between protectorates is mostly done via the heir’s military, supposedly to ensure the safety of travels and the security of information, but mostly this is to prevent any form of coalition formation among the protectorates against the Heirs. The military of course draws from all of these worlds, both in terms of resources and manpower but the Zuukind actively attempt to foster an internal loyalty and culture to keep them seperate from the civilian protectorates.


The faithful hiers core territory is, despite their best efforts at encouraging population growth and the occasional arrival of a refuge fleet, still dominated numerically by Local, Imperial and Cartel species. The protectorates meanwhile have almost no Zuukind presence whatsoever.

(You don't need to go that in depth in the NS, but once we get to IC, definitely have them fleshed out, at least mentally.)

(Talk to people! This section in NRPs often goes neglected, but it's important for other characters making their own NSs.)

most of the protectorate worlds are of a low population density, the abundance of habitable worlds in close proximity to one another leaving the locals spoiled for choice when it came to where to live. Most planets only have a few cities dotted across their surface near landmarks or resource deposits of interest, with much of the world given over to farming or simply left to bloom in its natural state. Resource extraction is done vea large mobile harvesters or from small temporary worker settlements that gradually travers the globe digging up ores, gems etc,leveling and then replanting forests for lumber or performing investigations into yet areas containing as of yet uncataloged flora and fauna in search of ones with interesting properties.

The heirs meanwhile live either in their defence fleets or on a few heavily fortified core fortress worlds from which defence fleets can be launched at a moments notice. It is here you will find most of the Zuukind, either in the military or as the major comented of the limited civilian population that lives upon the fortress worlds where they mostly either do clerical work or work to raise the next generation of heirs. These fortresses feature some of the best schools and universities in the region as a result, attended to by the Zuukind students and, more recently, the best and brightest the protectorates have to offer.

The civil war zone is made up of a number of groups who, despite their violent differences, all share a desire to reforge the Zuukid Empire. The problem, the one that has led to the two centuries of on again off again violence, is that they all want the empire to reform under their political/economic/belief system. While a lot of the territory originally held by the Zuukid empire has either broken away or fallen out of the control of the warring factions they still collectively hold the southern tip of the perseus arm. Despite the various substrates officially being at a state war with one another they have not, officially, traded blows for near 5 years thanks to an armistice signed by all involved. This is not the first of such armastices to be agreed upon, nor do many expect it to be the last, and so the powers in play watch each other carefully as they rebuild their forces and wait for someone to make the first move.

A highly militarized Theocratic State founded on the belief that Orion was neither wholly man, an avatar of the Spiritus, or a prophet, but a God. Controlled by a ruling class of Elite Priests, their zealous belief in the Divine Orion is only matched by their general disdain for Alien races, whom they view as unworthy of “The Mantle” of carrying out Orion’s divine plan.


A swathe of space within the Orion Cygnus arm of the Galaxy, between the borders of Martian and Resurrectionist space. In their early stages, they were largely shunned and ignored by most in the Empire for their zealous beliefs and cultish personification of Orion. In the wake of the Imperial collapse however, they’ve managed to expand into their own as an established power, and have entered into a treaty with the Martian state to obtain control of Orion’s Tomb on Luna. Which is regarded as a sacred site to any and all faithful within The Ecumene.



The Ecumene is ruled top-down by the elite class of Orionic Priests.


The greatest of these Priests are known are the Elder Priests of Orion, and each of these seven Elder Priests form the governing body known as The Conclave, the de factor and de jure final executive, legislative, and judicial authority in The Eucumene. The leader of The Conclave is the Archpriest of Orion, who is considered a ‘first among equals” although in practice their opinion tends to weigh more than others when it comes to matters of policy and especially religion.

While The Conclave is the overall governing body of The Ecumene, lesser Priests of Orion run most of the day-to-day functions of its government. The vast number of men and women which make up this holy order are The Ecumene’s bureaucrats, ministers, and Governors for both spiritual and worldly affairs. Their ranks are as follows:

Archpriest of Orion - Spiritual Head of The Conclave
Eldar Orionic Priest - Serve on the The Conclave
High Priest of Orion - Generally serve as planetary or system governors.
Noble Priest - Serve as Planetary or Regional Governors of a particular world
Minor Priest of Orion - May control a city or a relatively high ranking planetary official
Protopriest of Orion - Generally high level bureaucrats
Initiate Priest - General low level bureaucrats or adjuncts to higher ranking priests
Neophyte Priest - The lowest level of a Priest of Orion, and generally handles local religious matters or minor political affairs




The origins of The Ecumene (by its own accounts) lie shortly after the supposed life of the mythical figure of Orion, who according them was the perfect embodiment of humanity and a man who ascended to godhood. The Cult of Orion began as a small desident sect of Kinetic Divinists, and gradually spread throughout the Orionic Empire, mostly existing in small pockets of isolated followers. The Empire tolerated The Cult’s spread and turned a blind eye to their activities, mostly believing it to be little more than a harmless religious sect, albeit an odd one from their perspective.

However, that all changed when members of The Orion Cult attempted a coup against The Emperor, planning an assassination of the galactic leader as well as a number of high ranking religious and political officials. The coup attempt was blocked thanks to the swift reaction of the Imperial Military, but it was enough to warn Imperial officials that The Cult was far from just a harmless, divided sect. It was becoming far more organized and increasingly more zealous.

The Cult was therefore pushed to the fringes of Imperial space, and its practice, while not completely outlawed thanks to a few well placed bribes and threats, it was increasingly looked on as a fringe movement and certainly nothing a proper citizen of The Empire would involve themselves in. Meanwhile, The Cult did little to warrant the ire of Imperial forces again, and did their best to bide their time and generally stay out of political affairs in the galaxy. They focused their pursuits on building relations, slowly expanding their influence and gaining converts, and, secretly, building up military might.

With the fall of The Orionic Empire came the opportunity they’d been waiting a millennia for. The chaos and infighting caused by the collapse allowed The Cult the chance to expand into a proper state, and begin claiming large swathes of former Orionic space for their own. Claiming to be the true heirs of Orion in a way that the Empire could never have been, wading knee deep as Imperial officials were in their own HERESY, they quickly carved out territory in the Orion Cygnus arm of the galaxy, and followers of the religion who’d chafed under Imperial rule swiftly rallied to them.

Now known as The Ecumene of Holy Orion, the theocratic state desires both the supremacy of humanity as the true heirs of Orion and the only ones worthy to take up his Mantle, as well as the domination of their religion as the only (truly) rightful interpretation of the ancient faith passed down by humanity's forefathers.



The naval power of The Ecumene is one of its greatest strengths, and its massive heavy carriers are extremely adept at bombarding their targets from range with overwhelming firepower including high-powered kinetic orbital bombardments. When supported by smaller, but still formidable, Corvettes, an Ecumene fleet can be a daunting proposition to face.







Where its weakness in its naval power lies is in close ship-to-ship engagements, where its large and difficult to maneuver carriers are usually outperformed by lighter and swifter craft of lesser firepower. If an enemy fleet is allowed to close distance with an Ecumene carrier group, they are in a very real danger of being outflanked and picked apart.

To help counter this, typical Ecumene naval doctrine includes a heavy emphasis on boarding engagements whenever ship-to-ship combat arises that cannot be directly avoided. To this end, The Ecumene Navy utilizes a large number of armed transport ships and light fighters, deployed directly from their Carriers, which are intended to swiftly maneuver through the larger engagement and attempt to directly assault and board the offending vessels to take them down from the inside. In a sustained engagement, these craft are too lightly armored to be a direct threat themselves, but their intent is to slow, distract, and harass the enemy long enough for either the Carriers to escape, or for a boarding action to be made.





Ground forces:



Running in direct opposition to the strengths of its navy, The Ecumene army typically excels at close quarters fighting, and many of its units are specialized to this task with short-range automatic weaponry and close-quarters specialized melee weapons.





The exception to this general favor to short-range fighting within its ground troops, is small numbers of Elite “Seraphim” units, which add a badly needed long-range component whenever it is necessary. A veteran unit of these Seraphims, admission to which is a proclamation of great praise, also serve as an Honor Guard to the The Conclave.





The religion of The Ecumene is based around the Divinity of Orion and the belief that bringing his ordained Great Plan for the Galaxy can only be achieved by humanity, who are the rightful heirs to Orion’s Mantle. Orion is quite literally revered as a god figure, and his ascendance to divinity marks the cornerstone of their religious dogma. As such, the Tomb of Orion (a necessarily empty building, Orion did not truly “die” after all, but still one of great ceremonial significance) is seen as one of the most Holy sites in The Ecumene’s faith, and pilgrims flock to Luna to visit the shrine daily. A mutually beneficial treaty with the Martian State is the only thing that makes this possible, as the Tomb itself lies well outside of Ecumene controlled space.





Humanity makes up a large portion of The Ecumene’s population, and are the only species considered to be full-fledged citizens within its territory. Aliens, while not directly threatened by The Ecumene, are treated as second-class citizens in effect. Provided they freely submit to the will of Humanity and Orion’s Mantle, however, they can usually be expected to live long, if generally unfulfilled, lives. Those that show exceptional devotion may even be offered places of servitude to their human masters onboard Ecumene vessels as melee fighters and the “first wave” in any engagement. For there is no place more fitting for them to be, than giving their life in place of a human and therefore protecting those who would lead the galaxy to the fulfillment of Orion’s Great Plan.

Aside from Alien species living within Ecumene space, The Ecumene also makes use of a large number of androids to act as servants and laborers, as well as warriors if the need arises. They are not considered to have “True AI” and are not granted citizenship, but are actually more favored than Aliens when it comes to filling jobs and roles.











(more characters to be introduced as the RP progresses)



The Ecumene, alongside the Martian state, secretly helps to fund the war efforts of the Scorpids against the Resurrectionist state. Their HERESY being considered so great, as to warrant the necessity of working with lower life forms to expunge it.

Martian State - A pact has been forged between The Ecumene and The Martian state to allow The Ecumene direct control of The Tomb of Orion on Luna. The Ecumene is permitted to have its own security on-site for protection, but the Martian state is generally expected to provide wider military support in the form of naval action should the need arise. The result of this treaty has been favorable to both states thus far.

Habitation: The Ecumene puts quite alot of effort into terraforming any planets settled by its citizenry, and where terraforming technology is not possible, establishing domed hermetically sealed environments where its people can live in safety and in relative comfort. Typical architecture of the Ecumene usually features towering thin spire-like buildings, domed structures reminiscent of earthly cathedrals and places of worship, and pristine sterile-like living spaces.



Of course, this level of comfort and refinement is only reserved for its human population. Lesser species live in packed, sometimes squalid conditions on the outskirts of Ecumene cities, and perform daily drudgery work for human overseers. They are, however, at least afforded a modicum of protection and, provided they do not step out of line, can expect to be mostly left alone.

The Dominion is a private venture operating in most known regions of the galaxy. This group operates an unknown number of agents in small cells, or companies, that operate in the fields of science, engineering, logistics, security, Among others.



The Dominion operates various facilities, both planet based and space based throughout the known galaxy.



The Dominion is led by a figure known only as Sovereign. Sovereign never shows up in person, always prompting to send a representative who would then display a heavily encrypted holographic projector. The figure is shrouded in black, and speaks through a voice synthesizer.

Below Sovereign are the board, a grouping of individuals that oversee the routine operations, though they are bound to service through Sovereign, they are not bound to one another. They do seemingly work well together, engaging in debates to decide actions on a lower scale. It is not uncommon however for one of the board to do their own thing, as the only one who they ultimately answer to, is Sovereign itself.

At the "bottom" of the leadership chain is the various company leaders. These companies operate semi-autonomously, offering services to the highest bidder or working exclusively for individually preferred governments. It is rare, but there has in the past been instances of unmarked agents operating unknowingly against each other, though most larger operations requiring unmarked are carried out far from one another.



The Dominion was officially founded some two-hundred years ago, but it existed as a coalition of civilian ventures along with various military leaders banding together to survive during the Orionic empires fall. This group eventually started to include elements of the Zuukid empire as well, growing into the corporation it is today.

The most recent iteration of this group was founded by Sovereign some five decades ago. It began pushing for more involved partnerships with "friendly" nations, assisting them with scientific, exploration, transportation, and even in some cases military assets. They offer affordable pricing, which has begged some to ask what Sovereign is truly gaining by all of this, as the prices alone barely cover operating costs of the group itself.



Dominion military works in a few separate ways. The individual company's work to pay for their own equipment, With my opting to purchase other nations tools due to the rarity of their own domestic designs.

The official military branch of the Dominion however is armed to the teeth with the very best they could purchase and build themselves. Below is some of the more prolific domestic technologies.

Ground Service:






Space Service:



















Unknown but is comprised of people from just about every known race. Every company hires and fires its own people. Some companies operate with as few as eight, while others operate in the thousands, or in a few select areas, the millions, for a single company.














There is no real standard as members of any race can join.

Free Association




“You can have your cake, and eat it too.”
- A Free Associate, probably.
The Free Association is a collection of loosely affiliated ships crews and stations scattered throughout the galaxy. Founded on the fundamental beliefs in direct democracy and rejecting private industrial ownership and what could be declared unjust hierarchy they are very much Anarchists united in an institutional understanding of the merits of and practice of mutual aid.


“Fuck territory, there's two-hundred-fifty-billion stars in the galaxy.”
-A Free Associate, probably.
They ostensibly don't believe in territory or the ownership of territory. They don't expect any respect of their own territory, because they do not claim any. Neither will they expect themselves to respect others. That which only matters to them is the presence of communities, and an average planet with even the smallest colony implies to them a space to stop, rest, study, and have fun.

To their credit though the Free Association collectively owns a number of free-drifting space stations scattered around. These space stations, referred to as “Stockpiles” are primarily utilized by the associate crews and communities to form into collective assemblies as contingents of the broader organization, as well as to off load raw material and collectibles as well as to take on anything they might need, or any persons that would join.


“I don't even have to be governed, if I don't want to. I think.”
A Free Associate, probably.
The Association is ruled largely by voluntary direct democracy. Or given crew social dynamics, it may be less than voluntary. In any case, crews, contingents, the broad Associative Congress operate on the principle of direct democracy or democratic representation. The scope of which on the smallest level can vary, with ship's crews electing a captain with the authority as such, or electing a captain as a figure head or a joke, or not at all and instead filling in their roles as needed as decided as comfortable among the crew.

Given that the association abolished private means to owning industry, much of the stature between individuals is not determined by individual wealth, man – and alien – maintains wealth proportional to their ability to produce it by themselves for themselves and many necessities – food, water, maintaining the station or ship – is a collective effort by all, the rewards of which freely given access to for the work and assistance given. On this paradigm, any sort of leadership in whichever field is determined more by the individual's personal merit.


“And firstly: fuck the Emperor.”
- A Free Associate, probably.
Formed after humanity went interstellar, the origins of the Free Association come down to a rejection of the centralization of authority, and the backwards relationship that mankind took with its own productive capabilities. Citing automation, the readiness of available information in the quantum leaps in digital communication, and the resource rich worlds mankind was settling, the original fore-bearers who would form the Free Association argued that if there was any time in which utopia might be achieved, it was damn close then. Starting first as effective pirates, actively dismissing and ignoring private or government claims to planets, moons, asteroids, claims on a planet, and so on they went about taking what they needed or wanted from regions of human space or planets where no one would be poorly effected. While it never disturbed the colonists nor did they seek to injure anyone, their presence as squatters riled the human elite and ruling class who began citing long lists of grievances and damages their own mining was causing on their claims. As a response, the government sanctioned the Free Association and sought to arrest them.

Instead of resisting, they left.

Possessing ships they claimed large enough to meet their needs – many early captains using their own interstellar freighters or seizing them – they voyaged further into deep space, avoiding conflict where needed and contacting alien species at the fore of human kind's expansion across space. While humans still considered them outlaws, the growing diversity and scope of the Free Association as they took on and invited into their family the disaffected and fleeing turned them into a complicated matter. As well as the Free Association' shifting nature and self-imaging, at times bearing no marks and at others marking themselves with the color black. As such, while they were considered terrorists many associates again managed to enter into, associate with, and interact with the growing empire of the humans. Their price being any achievement they may lay credit to was often ignored.

While humanity grew and then fell apart, the Free Associates loitered on the periphery exchanging blows when needed or throwing assistance when decided. The war with the religious radicals often brought many into their association and in more than a few cases they became the neutral third party to protect the refugees or ferry them far outside the conflict zone.

Since then, they have abided by their own philosophy. Namely that the galaxy – let alone the universe – is large. There's more than enough for anyone, and it's unethical to turn it into a monopoly.


“In space, no one knows you're armed.”
-A Free Associate, probably.
Barring any intent to do anything with it, by saturation of weapons the Association may be the most well armed. There is a weapon for nearly any individual associate and many of their craft have been outfitted with defensive weapons, including the Stockpiles. It is natural to expect, that as interstellar nomads, that not any place they will visit will be necessarily inviting, and even their old enemies, those claimants to man kind's empire may not view them peacefully. All the same, the common doctrine is to move out of the way than engage.


“Who needs God when you got the quark.”
- A Free Associate, probably.
Being a collection of odds and ends across socio-economic class and race, a consistent culture has become tough to pin down. And with access to tools like real-time translation or even implants to wire these directly into the parts of the brain responsible to interpreting speech or text the boundaries between language have never been thinner for the Free Associates. While religious practice is respected as an individual thing, it is not imposed collectively and it's expected that prayers are made private. The general image then is that the Free Associates are radically agnostic if not at times seemingly atheist.


“My best friend has the mouth of a toad.”
- A Free Associate, probably.
Anyone and everyone can come and go, but mostly come. It's a free association.



This is the kind of bullshit I write about in IC.



“Fuck the Emperor.”


Anywhere

-Expect a flag eventually-





A syndicate within syndicates is the way it is usually described. A greater organization of self-aware space craft runs a large shadow government within the system of organizations that the metasyndicate consists of. These organizations act as independent organs of the Greater Metasyndicate government with private initiatives and goals within the framework system that the metasyndicate itself creates for its inhabitants. While claimed to be a free trade society, intervention by the Anvayat class is a regular feature of their society without really much accountability. The oligarchic nature of this society is complicated by the local sector polities being usually either monarchic or anarchic with little in between. They are usually described as a federation of sorts as a result, though with organizations having much more power within the system than local governments and their private armies who tend to play off these organizations.

The general structure looks like a web more than a pyramid with the metasyndicate government itself meddling frequently, but not to the kind of institutional degrees most governments do.
This weak control on what local actors within the greater metasyndicate means the metasyndicate as a federal force has been very unstable an actor, at times behaving more like a massive terrorist organization than as a coherent government with their ideology seeing the fall of the Orionic empire as one of the greatest things to ever happen in galactic history.

The Metasyndicate have very overt AI custodianship like other civilizations in the region, though these AI systems are unique in how they don’t hide themselves and tend to be more manipulators of the overall metasyndicate. These AIs don’t really have borders and have been known to attempt to meddle in the affairs of other societies as well. These AI systems have a relationship with the Fosskemians that is described below.



The early interstellar societies the Metasyndicate descends from were not really societies as we think of them. Instead they were drone swarms, with AI systems mining aggressively across a portion of the galaxy to create ever larger machine swarms. Said AI swarms were slaughtered by the Orionic empire long before the Orionic Empire fell however and that ended the enigmatic first generation of AIs known as only the Harlapa. It is still unclear if they are of human or alien origin. Theories range from them being some alien civilization that had a grey goo catastrophe to something rogue human colonists from ancient times. The exact truth remains nebulous and hard to discover due to lots of lost records and data, made worse with the Orionic Empire’s collapse.

Fast forward a several centuries and a remnant population of these AIs comes across a civilization of beings who suffered a nuclear catastrophe of their own making- the ancient Fosskemians in their Opulence Era that ended nearly in their extinction. This remnant AI population was a weird one- it instead of euthanizing this species uplifted them, giving them warp drive technology and the ability to make an interstellar empire on the fringes of imperial space. The remnant AIs became beings fused with the Fosskemians known as the Anvayat, whose general motives beyond their borderline nihilistic outlook include the propagation of harmonious thought. This society developed with some imperial incursions, but by this time the Empire had its hands much too full to handle some peripheral xeno barbaric force. And so, the network of societies that converged into the metasyndicate developed as did the web work of infrastructure for their confederate union of interstellar organizations. However, the institution of the Auditor only appeared after the Orionic Collapse just 150 years ago.

In the current era of darkness, the Metasyndicate has thrived in the general chaos of the collapse with not much in the way of their ability to explore the galaxy, harvest ancient technologies for their own use or intervene in the affairs of others for the end of preventing anything like the Orionic Empire from arising again. Ongoing tensions with other xenobarbaric forces have continued to make the metasyndicate itself use whatever options they have on the table when dealing with others in this shattered galaxy.
(Anything more I add to this will be collaborative)



I am using this section for both military and technology since with the Metasyndicate, civilian tech and military tech have no defined lines. Civilians can become militias in many cases within the Metasyndicate, and so what you will get here is a grab bag of various Fosskemian tech products and some lore connected to them.

The military of the metasyndicate has no real standardization due to multiple factions and the tendency to use tons of self-organizing smaller squad groups whose general movements often are loosely coordinated with the intent of increasing uncertainty for their opponents. This is what they do instead of the traditional armadas. The general tech the metasyndicate uses is usually reverse engineered and taken from other factions when it isn’t based on older designs from the AI era plastered over with various artistic touches by the pilots.

In general, the Metasyndicate’s military is not known for being well organized or competent even with the professionalism to which the major factions try to hold their members. However, it does make use of some shockingly developed means of subterfuge and interception of communication systems. The Metasyndicate's military technology is instead strongly rooted in amplifying their power through a powerful array of espionage based technologies.

--Multipurpose tech--









--Spaceship Classes--







((Very incomplete for now as the metasyndicate is meant to have all sorts of powerful, peculiar gadgetry and that takes time to percolate. That being said the general gist has been given, I doubt it is enough to qualify as "enough" for IC positng however.))



As a free minded society, Anchorism nor Kineticism has had much bearing on the Fosskemians of the Metasyndicate with the dominant belief system being more a mode of thought than any actual spirituality. This mode of thought comes from a centuries old proto-auditor whose ravings and rants are regularly played known as Auditor Rovii. Rovii is often retroactively considered the first auditor despite being centuries old, long before the institution of auditor even existed. The basic tenets of Harmonious Action are that silence and stability are fundamentally connected within the triangular moral gradient that is silence, harmony and dissonance. The harmony the "intellectuals" of the Metasyndicate frequently go on public rants about effectively must do with the loose pattern of ebbs, flows and concerted shifts to which all civilization follows. Large, stable empires are viewed in general as an unnatural state and the Metasyndicate is structured in a fashion usually described as a mixture of logocractic and corporatist governance. However, mob rule also tends to be a common feature of the metasyndicate on a local level.
With the high degree of automation seen in their civilization, citizens usually tend to do a lot of very strange activities to keep harmonious and not dull themselves. One example is that highly suicidal stunts are a very common trend among their citizens. For the weak fear of death mixed with the moral system that pervades the metasyndicate encourages behavior of this nature. Coming from a desire for “resonance”- something often confused for “legacy” means dying in a gruesome, but beautifully impossible to ignore way is a common behavior among their citizens. Disturbingly enough, even by other species assimilated into the harmonious/Rovite mindset.

The metasyndicate is also characterized by being highly cosmopolitan a civilization, with inhabitants from all over even with the fosskemians being in the majority due to their high reproduction rates (they’ve industrialized their egg fertilization). The Fosskemians as a species value communication and being able to communicate to others highly and so lack the degree of xenophobia other species may have even if they press their worldview onto every other species, even animals.
Variations within the Metasyndicate exist, mainly due to the different organizations that act as the organelles for the greater metasyndicate.

----- Examples ----



The Boundless Association are the most widespread group of Metasyndicate denizens, being both a research organization and a historical society that have a significant share of the industrial-military complex of the Metasyndicate and make use of their military to harass societies for their tech, artifacts and such when they don’t make use of their spy networks to get said resources for themselves. The Boundless Association makes use of a specialized group for these spy networks known as the Collectors who have found use by the Hargonians, the Kazzlehorf and the Waywards. The Boundless view themselves as the vanguards of information collection and as the prime innovators of the Metasyndicate, with a deeply prideful outlook missing from the other factions and a sense of optimism and seemingly idiotic wonder for the galaxy in general. They are always friendly even towards their enemies and victims as everyone to them are friends and having company that wants to change your state forcefully (killing) is still preferable to no company. The boundless are also dogmatic recruiters for the metasyndicate and indeed get viewed as the “outside interaction group” while the Hargonians and Waywardians get viewed as much more domestic in nature. The boundless are the most common grouping of Metasyndicate civilizations other factions will come across as they explore the furthest out.



The most notable is the Hargonian Dynasty, an ancient Fosskemian dynasty that has claims all the way back to the Opulence Era that makes use of queens and a nobility that consists of many ‘princess’ Fosskemians who come from the eggs of the queen Fosskemian. The Hargonites of the current era have gained notoriety for there being multiple self-proclaimed Hargonite queens and selling their “royal” eggs on the market knowing full well they can be externally fertilized. The hargonites generally aren’t taken seriously by the other factions, mainly being viewed more as a source for viewing screens than as a actual society- a massive endless drama play the other organizations have to deal with from time to time when they start wars with others. Still, they are a pretty significant faction of the metasyndicate and have attempted all matter of diplomatic action with other societies despite being aliens who can’t cross breed to make heirs for any marriage alliances. They often suggest an AI heir instead in such cases. The Hargonians are also distinct in how they are more sedentary than the other two major groups.



The Waywardians are a group whose general mindset is that of dysfunctionality and a form of nihilism much stronger than the Rovite ethics traditionally followed by the other groups. The Waywardians fear determinism and so act in ways intentionally arbitrary as a means of fighting the deterministic nature of the universe itself. They have experimented with vast ranges of peculiar technologies they stole from the Boundless, (of whom stole from other societies) to try to break reality itself and have also figured out enhanced warp drive systems that were quickly copied by other societies before the Waywardians were able to get any major advantage. The waywardians as a group also make a heavy use of cloning, with usually the general desire of watching new individuals sprout from the process. Still, their society is perhaps the most Anvayat infiltrated of them and the most directly ran by them beyond the traditional meddling and so the Waywardians get often viewed as just a test bed for the Anvayat’s endless search for a purer harmonious state.

((More to come, I can always extend this))


Fosskemian 67%


Humans 11%

Humans, often from the Aurorian Republic or the USS Chaim who have been a part of the metasydnicate and even before with older generations of imperial exiles making for a diverse and colorful community of humans of many backgrounds. Who tend to really not like each other, some even have made identitarian organizations trying to assert their home faction's ideals in alien territory.

Others TBA

Characters: (You don't need to go that in depth in the NS, but once we get to IC, definitely have them fleshed out, at least mentally.)

Relations: (Talk to people! This section in NRPs often goes neglected, but it's important for other characters making their own NSs.)

Habitation: The Fosskemians as a species are traditionally amphibians and this shows in their infrastructure, with lots of water pools just to stay wet and their control pads being built for them to use machines they operate lying down with their huge flippers stretched out instead of standing up. The Fosskemians also use their massive flippers to make all matter of bar and friction based infrastructure that wouldn’t make sense with a human body plan. Having to make this different infrastructural need work with the more humanoid (or otherwise) species of the galaxy has been one of the great headaches of Metasyndicate architects.

((Probably could include way more detail here, I promise pics on this in the future)).

Brief Description:
Rising from the Imperial northwest, an area relatively untouched by the Zuukid invasion, the Resurrectionists represent one of the largest departures from the Imperial ‘norm’ in recent history. The movement at large posits that the downfall of Humanity was a result of an ideological degradation brought about by the popular adoption of alien cultural and religious beliefs which were fundamentally incompatible with the Human psyche. In an effort to remedy this the movement looks to revive the ancient cultural and religious practices of the Human race. To this end Resurrectionists seek out, often fanatically so, any and all records of ancient humanity whether they be digital, text, or artifacts carefully preserved for millennia. The political entity of the Resurrectionist movement, or the Resurrectionist State, has pursued their goal of ‘reviving of the Human spirit’ ardently, and often at the expense of whatever ‘dissolute’ species has gotten in their way.

Claim:
https://i.imgur.com/wky3hER.jpg

Government:
The Resurrectionist movement began as a loose alliance of like minded states, and even now that is ostensibly the movements desired political end. For now though, sacrifices must be made to rebuild the Human spirit. The Resurrectionist government is best described as oligarchic, with key ‘councils’ being tasked with the administration of everything from the Military to the reconstruction of ancient religions. While there may be hundreds of these councils, there are a few that stand above all the rest in the rather impromptu hierarchy that has developed within the movement.

At the very top is the State Council, a small group of five tasked with resolving disputes between lower councils, dissolving and forming councils, and providing the final say in all decisions that may affect the entire movement. Its members serve lifetime terms, and their replacements are ostensibly elected by the lower councils.

Of course, those elections are largely decided by the councils immediately below the State Council. These are, in order of importance, the Military, Ideological, and Economic councils. Among these important Councils there exists a constant tension, with each one trying to manipulate the greater goals of the Resurrection according to its own agenda.

The Military council remains singularly focused on the war which has consume the nation for fifty years, and thus looks to hold total political power so that the war may be furthered without interference. The Ideological council, more concerned with civilian affairs, looks to counteract the increasing importance of the Military council by implementing representative democracy and decentralized federalism wherever it can, both preparing for the dissolution of the Resurrectionist State and keeping the Military from dominating the Movements politics. The Economic council tentatively supports the Ideological council in curbing the influence of the military, but has a much grander vision of the future; representative democracy, but no dissolution. The Economic council seeks to preserve the Resurrections status as a somewhat centralized superstate, and while it supports the Ideological councils attempts to prevent a dictatorship it also sees the utility in a single powerful figure. It has been said the Economic Council has its eye on Astrana as a potential model for a future Resurrectionist Government.

History:
When the Zuukid invaded the Orion empire they never so much as touched the Imperial northwest, and this was something every refugee knew. The billions that tried to settle in that untouched region nearly broke it. By the time the empire proper had collapsed in totality the newly independent western provincial governments were struggling to even feed their people, let alone protect them from the depredations of pirates and barbarians. In the midst of that chaos the seeds of the Great Resurrection were sowed. Human communities in the Northern Cygnus Republic were the first to act, seizing the government and turning its remaining guns on their new neighbours. Those early butcheries paved the way towards the creation of a proper ideology, and by the time the non-humans of the Republic’s capital worlds were fleeing in their masses the philosophy of Resurrectionism was being spread by Elias Daley.

What was a disorganized military government became the State Council, lead by the founder of the states new ideology. The Great Resurrection had begun, and once Elias had stabilized the former Republic’s core worlds he looked elsewhere. Advocates were dispatched to lead popular Resurrectionist movements across the Cygnus arm, and ships were built to support them.

War followed, and in victory countless alien innocents murdered. Before long the Resurrectionists were simply parking ships in the orbit of already collapsing planets and demanding the departure of those planets alien populations. Many fled, those who didn’t suffered, but for the Humans who remained there came a time of plenty. Ancient culture was brought back and all manner of customs and religions flourished, the adherents of each one finding each other brothers aligned against a common enemy.

Elias would die in his office as an old man, but by then the wave he started had become a tsunami. The Great Resurrection was no simple reactionary rebellion, but an ideology espoused by billions who owed their full stomachs and peaceful lives to it. For more than two centuries nearby states suffered Resurrectionist rebellions, both peaceful and violent, as the movement exported its ideology alongside its firearms and warships. Those who joined the fold willingly were welcomed, and those who did not were educated.

The largest victory in centuries came sixty years ago when the powerful Nevin Regime suffered a Resurrectionist coup. In a day the movement nearly doubled its territory. What followed was predictable, the attention it gained was not. For the first time the galaxy, now finally recovering from the shock of the empires collapse, took notice of the Resurrectionists. The Neo-Scorpine Empire, who had bordered the Nevin Regime, was appalled by what it saw. The slaughter of Scorpine civilians on former Regime worlds by Resurrectionist soldiers saw the Neo-Scorpine Empire launch a preemptive strike against the Resurrectionists fifty years ago, and for two decades it looked like the vile Resurrectionists were being pushed back.

Thirty years ago that changed. Markus Lahti, an admiral in the Resurrectionist Navy, invaded a nearby independent state to bypass the Neo-Scorpine front, and to the galaxies surprise manged to reach the Empires industrial worlds before a response could be mounted. The Neo-Scorpine front collapsed as the pincer closed on it, and soon nearly the entire Scorpine Navy was burning. For twenty eight years the Resurrectionists have pushed into Scorpine territory, capturing planet after planet, their advance heralded by enormous waves of refugees fleeing a massacre.

Two years ago the Scorpine managed to halt the Resurrectionist advance, but at a great cost. It is clear to the galaxy at large that the Neo-Scorpine cannot reclaim their territory, but with nearly a quarter of the Resurrectionist forces encircled a limited peace may well be within the Scorpine’s grasp. For the Resurrectionists everything depends on opening the pockets and cutting the Scorpine core worlds off from the rest of their empire, never have the stakes for both sides been so high.

Military:




Religion/Culture:

The Resurrection looks to revive all the pre-Imperial religions and cultures of Humanity, but in a way it has come to have its own distinct culture. Elias Daley started the Resurrection by assembling and penning his interpretation of the many beliefs of the early anti-alien movements, and in doing so he founded an ideology that has come to be as important as religion to some.

Daley posited that the Human mind, even if modified through the use of technology, remains fundamentally Human. As such, it could only ever be compatible with original Human thought. Alien culture and religion were corrosive influences because, while the Human mind may be able to interpret them, on a basic level it could never accept them.

As a result, adopting alien beliefs and ideas would lead to a sort of subconscious cognitive dissonance taking hold of the Human mind. Such dissonance would cause mental stress that if left unaddressed would result in complacency, laziness, mediocrity of all sorts. No creature can function well under constant stress, and as a result what makes that creature great, its very spirit, would begin to wither.

In the end Daley sought to revive what he saw as the Human spirit. The Empire was the first to attack it, and as a result it was doomed to fail when its populace became unable to properly defend it. To the population of the Great Resurrection Daley’s theories are gospel, a sort of religion beyond religion. The quixotic goal of the Resurrection and its people is the construction of a Human paradise where all can accomplish what they dream.

Demographics (Species):
92% Human (Citizen)
8% Assorted Species (Non-Citizen)

Characters:












Relations:
(Talk to people! This section in NRPs often goes neglected, but it's important for other characters making their own NSs.)

Habitation:
(How and where people live; preferred modes of transportation, stuff like that)

Name:
United Secondary Systems

Brief Description:
Seventeen and five Human systems that became independent of Sol. During the rise and fall of various Empires they’ve joined larger unions, even willingly joining the Zuukid to avoid an unwinnable conflict.

Over seventy-five percent of the seventy-three billion or so people living in the system live in rural areas. Robots and complex machines are a common sight, and they’re somewhat known for their large, blank landscapes with the occasional massive structure interrupting the farms and forests and hills and farmhouses.

There are only a handful of truly urban areas, and most are closer to suburban systems. Each system only has a handful of major urban areas, generally ranging between five and six. This general decentralization means that even when invaders attack the cities, they still have billions of people to fight off.

Government:
Seventeen and five elected governors represent each system on the secondary scale. Tertiary leadership and lawmaking is managed by a senate of one hundred and eleven senators from each system. Below them are mayors and locally elected officials, such as sheriffs.

Primary leadership is managed by three presidents at a time, which act as the final say in important law-making and as the representatives of the people. Their fundamental goal is to serve the people and enact laws that are best for everyone.

The presidents are elected in a staggered manner. Every three years, a president is replaced by popular vote by the people. President A is replaced, then one more rotation passes and B is replaced, then an additional rotation passes and C is replaced.

Managing that all is a constitution with three primary portions. The first establishing chapters are set in stone. The second and third portions are rewritten every ten years. The second portion is dedicated to social and cultural matters, while the third is dedicated to economic matters. The third portion primarily holds promises that need not be followed up on if the people’s opinion is seen to change through voting.

History:
Their history is relatively recent. The systems have been settled and functioning in this loose manner since the original great Empires. Following several Imperial collapses they split away and have maintained independent ever since.

They trace their ideas back to old American ones, pre-hegemonic conquering of the Sol systems and the establishment of the modern Martian State. While it isn’t commonly discussed, they desperately want to glass and cleanse the Sol system and re-establish it under their social and cultural control.

The settlements that became the USS were established by seventeen explorers from Sol and their five disciples, who established the most recent five colonies through terraforming key defensive positions. The common phrase, “Seventeen-and-five,” not only refers to their founders, but the number of systems that they hold.

Military:
Military isn’t a huge cultural or social focus for them. They’re far enough out that they don’t often have to worry about conflict. What military they do have is brutal and efficient and almost entirely dehumanized. Machines, strategic simulation AI, dirty bombs, and attack drones are the most common sights. It is a rather well known fact that for every one hundred machines seen on the battlefield, there is a single USS Human soldier in the area.

What Navy they do have is heavily mixed with a more even proportion of fifty machines to fifty humans. Few machines of theirs are complex enough or close enough to Human intelligence to effectively fly or manage a fleet, so Humans are used to remotely pilot fighters while Human commanders and Generals direct fleets from the bridges of larger ships.

Religion/Culture:
Catholicism and Islam are the largest organized religions in USS territory, but they are not the largest group. Most are religiously indifferent or non-strict adherents of many Earth-based religions.

Large groups of atheists also exist, but they still do not outnumber the established religious/uncaring populations. Some new-age religions exist as well, with New-Odinist movements and Wicca movements and various Xeno-Worship groups being scattered about the systems.

Demographics:
95% Humans, 5% mixed; Seventy-three Billion Total
>500 Billion Partially Autonomous Robots, <60 Billion Fully Autonomous Robots

Relations:
Ex-Orionic State, Ex-Zuukid State
Have remained relatively isolationist since the fall of the Zuukid, so have no major relations save for the pre-established exportation of trade goods. Independent companies and traders are largely responsible for the movement of goods and the government is hands-off with economics at the moment, save for some quality of life programs that draw from taxes.

Habitation:
Rural towns and environments. Wheeled-cars of various ages exist, though some use more modern repulsion tech in cars that don’t make contact with the ground. Trains and public transportation are incredibly common for moving people and goods.

Large structures are created for important urban sites. Three massive towers are erected on the landscape in a triangle shape, and these act as space ports and high-density areas. Here is where one is likely to find businesses, services, and non-Humans.

Some suburban cookie-cutter towns exist, though they themselves are frequently extensions of rural communities and are fledgling cities that are kept small in part by culture and in part by government intervention to prevent high-density areas forming outside of areas that are specifically set aside to become cities.

Otherwise, various spacecraft are used. Few people leave the planet they are born on, but those that do use public transportation or personal ships. Few own or are capable of owning spacecraft. Few have any want to.

Brief Description: The Confederate Free Nests are a collection of largely non-human populations dwelling in the Outer Arm Vacuus, sparsely banded together under a lax, mostly democratic governance. While mostly descended from exiles and refugees who fled the Zuukid wars, their numbers include aggregated and absorbed local dominions, as well as the occasional group “liberated” and extradited from chaotic regions of the galaxy. The relative extension and demographic scarcity of the CFN have led to cloning being widely adopted as a solution to the general lack of xenopower, and a sizeable part of its citizens (and not) are to date vat-grown.

Claim:



Government: Although the Free Nests technically operate under the direction of a national government, the latter’s impact on the day-to-day life and business of most of their inhabitants is minor. The great majority of non-core worlds are administered by local authorities, which, being appointed by the often ethnically and culturally diverse citizenry in accordance with its own customs and traditions, tend to vary greatly in both scale and form. Thus, one may often find such things as a continent-spanning hierarchical theocracy under the rule of an Ulthari High Skotarch flanked by a collection of regional Zsresriir corporate holdings on a planet orbited by Scorpine tribal habitats. The relative abundance of territory relatively to the exiguity of the Nests’ overall population allows those micro-states to coexist without conflict, the coveted territories of a core world can occasionally become the prize of subtle political confrontations.

Overlooking this largely even conglomeration is the Transstellar Assembly, a sprawling parliamentary body comprised of representatives from (ideally) all formant sub-governments, as well as what amount to officially recognised lobby groups of major corporate entities based in Nest space. The Assembly’s functions include deliberating on and sanctioning policies of nation-spanning effect, maintaining the central codex of laws that regulates the activity of the sub-governments, and acting as direction and point of reference in foreign policy. Effective executive power is detained by distinct bodies subordinate to the Assembly. Those include the Pacifiers, which have gradually assimilated, in the interest of efficiency, organisations such as the CFN military, peacekeeping organs, corporate mercenary syndicates and intelligence gatherers; and the Repopulators, a more vaguely defined, but possibly also more far-reaching entity responsible for the supervision and at times direction of large-scale applications of the almost ubiquitous cloning technologies.

History: The ancestors of what would become the core of the Confederate Free Nests, non-humans of the Perseus Arm, have for the most part a history of grievances with the Orionic Empire. Many of the early Zsresriir interplanetary states, whose irrationally furious defense of their independence was virtually encoded in their genetic memory, famously refused to submit to imperial rule even when threatened with forceful invasion by their superior foe. Reasoning that it was more practical to appease the uncooperative aliens than waste time and resources in subjugating them, the young Empire offered them the nominal status of tributaries, which they were forced to accept in the face of threats of trade embargoes and isolation. While this position officially guaranteed their continued freedom, in practice the Zsresriir eventually found themselves under tacit Orionic control, and, due to their unruly nature, were quietly marginalised and pushed towards the outer fringes of the galaxy.

The second majority species of the CFN, the Ulthari, fared little better. Already not very widespread due to their stringent environmental preferences, the Yre-Kelthan faith that many of them professed became fairly popular among some of the populations they had come in contact with (the Zsresriir among them). This lead to an unfortunate perception by some of the more devout imperial officials that they intended to wholly supplant Kineticism as part of a subversive ploy, and an equally unfortunate generalisation that every Ulthari was a Yre-Kelthan. As a result, practically the entire species was considered suspect, and attempts at further expansion on its part were curtailed.

Harsh though the conditions of these aliens, and various others besides, might have been under Orionic rule, their positions were at least stable. This changed with the Zuukid coreward crusade and the ensuing wake of destruction that swept over the galaxy. While few actual invaders reached the outwards regions they inhabited, that space was soon overrun by raiders, rebelling subjects and would-be usurpers. The Perseus Arm vassals, many of whom had been wiped out in the first years on the collapse, chose not to try their chances any further, and fled in mass on a flotilla of captured or repurposed ships and hastily built evacuation arks. Their destination was the southern void of the Outer Arm, a zone known to be forsaken, forgotten and virtually empty save for a handful of exiles.

With much of the Orionic interstellar infrastructure having collapsed, and their goal never having had any to begin with, the journey was long, and further whittled down the numbers of the fugitives. When they finally left the old edges of the Empire behind, they found that their promised space was infested by renegade Scorpine warlords and other assorted outlaws. Though exhausted, the self-exiled motley were hardened by the perils of their way, and their enemies were disorganised and largely occupied in warring among themselves. Having beaten back some of the locals and struck truces with others, they began to settle the Vacuus in a somewhat sparse fashion, thus laying the foundations of what would in time become the CFN.

Centuries later, the Nests had not lost their initial unity - in fact, it had even grown, such as it was - and spread to cover an area of space rivalling the territories of more solid governances, but they remained a nation in the building. Their numbers had still not recouped from the disastrous events of the collapse, and even the assimilation of some Vacuus dwellers and the ample introduction of cloning, expected by many to be a miraculous solution to their problems, did not suffice to fully consolidate their new position. Thus, though they might have found a home, the peoples of the Nests continue to seek for more.

Military: With the Nests’ population being numerically far from impressive, their founders deemed further depleting it through drafts either in war- or peacetime to be inadvisable. Thus, the Pacifiers serving as the Assembly’s strong limb were born and grew as a professional force, with largely voluntary admission save for its clone troops - although cases exist where one is given little choice in enrolling, such as being constrained by debts. Service is, however, rather lengthy, and even at its end the able-bodied are considered as remaining in reserve and may be recalled at the high command’s discretion.





Religion/Culture: Given the diversity of species, cultures and heritages gathered in the Nests, it is inevitable that the resulting picture should be much too varied and at times incongruous to comprehensively portray in brief. Nonetheless, some general tendencies have emerged within their society, and some traits have by transmission become widespread enough that, to an outsider, they might appear to be distinctive of the CFN as a whole.

Ideologically, the Nests’ more politically-minded inhabitants are roughly split into two categories, or rather currents of thought, known as the Constructors and the Vindicators. The Constructors argue for the CFN’s efforts to be directed towards establishing themselves in their home space, mostly without avoidable conflicts, and resolving their internal issues and troubles before turning outwards too much. The more radical of them are generally opposed to involvement in foreign affairs, and advocate an altogether peaceful, if isolationist style of existence. The Vindicators, on the other hand, claim that the CFN must take active measures to prevent a new overgrown, stifling empire from rising again, calling for outward safety before inward satisfaction. Some go as far as to say that the only way of reliably accomplishing this would be to bring the galaxy under Nest rule and maintain it under control, while others promote the disruption of other nations’ activities. While the extremes of those movements are easy enough to recognise, the distinction becomes blurred towards the center, where they often mingle or recognise at least some of each other’s points as valid. It is nevertheless possible to discern that the Constructors are currently the dominant “faction” both in the Assembly and among the public at large, while the Vindicators are for the most part in the opposition.

Religious practices are somewhat more difficult to accurately describe. Upon a first impression, it would appear that Yre-Kelthanism is dominant; however, its permutations are so numerous and mixed with different faiths that it is impossible to be certain. In its most basic form, the Ulthari religion teaches that the universe is the physical manifestation of the power of the deity Yre-Keltha, which is so vast that this is the only possible form in which one could begin to comprehend it. Beyond this point, interpretations vary. Most Ulthari consider it an exhortation to explore and contemplate the marvels of nature and the cosmos in order to better understand their god. Many Zsresriir, on the contrary, view Yre-Keltha as a distant creator and adopt a gnostic approach to the doctrine, inventing a demiurgic figure responsible for wisely guiding the course of natural events, such as their own providential evolution (an interpretation that traditionalist Ulthari find rather simplistic). Others yet see in this an invitation to a spartan lifestyle, dedicated to enhancing their own strength and honouring the god through feats of courage and endurance. Nor have the imperial religions remained untouched; the Kineticism practiced by the Nests’ human minority has nowadays little in common with that of their forebears. Some combine originally separate teachings, worshipping Yre-Keltha as the Universal Spiritus and the Zsresriir demiurge as its Divine face. Others have proclaimed themselves oracles and prophets, preaching messages of cooperation and tolerance, or simply their own more or less complex contributions to theology.

Even aside from religious aspects, the Zsresriir way of life, being found everywhere and at every level of the Nests, has gradually seeped into popular consciousness and spawned some quantity of imitations. The family (the archetypal “nest”) is seen as a vital component of society to quite extreme extents - it is not uncommon for some relatives and mates to be collectively invested with certain authorities and duties of a position, and often they are seen as interchangeable, both by themselves and others, when interacting with outsiders. Large, typically polygamous families are the norm, though the inverse has also been occasionally observed, with Zsresriir pairs deciding to adopt a monogamous lifestyle. A natural exception to all of this are the Ulthari and other species whose biology is not conducive to the formation of family units.

A socially relevant subject which has arisen in relatively recent times is the role of clones. Vat-grown individuals (not always replicas of a matrix; the mixing of genetic codes allows for the design of newborn equivalents, as well as normally impossible multi-species hybrids) have become an integral part of the Nests’ populations in an attempt to accelerate the settling of the Vacuus. While many of them are granted full control of their senses and function as ordinary members of society, this is not always the case; clones bred for basic military purposes or hazardous occupations are often restricted to functioning as mindless, animalistic drones following implanted instructions or rote commands. This has caused no little controversy, especially among Zsresriir, who so greatly value personal freedom, and given rise to a number of clone rights movements. Opponents of these advocates either disagree with their positions on utilitarian grounds, or point out that many of the clones in question are constructed from the genetic templates of feral Zsresriir, who by nature lack individual self-determination. Rebuttals notwithstanding, the argument continues to be contested to this day, and has even made its way into the Assembly.

Demographics:



Characters: (You don't need to go that in depth in the NS, but once we get to IC, definitely have them fleshed out, at least mentally.)

Relations:

Martian State and Coalition: Though effectively somewhat wary of the strength and significance accumulated by the Martians, the Nests consider both them and the Coalition at large to be allies of opportunity. Secretly from most of the population, the Constructor majority likewise makes use of the two states' relations to weaken the more radical elements of its Vindicator opponents and prevent them from assuming greater power.

The Great Resurrection: With many of their citizens being Scorpine, the Nests had little choice but to officially condemn the actions of the Resurrectionists, already viewed with distaste by Vacuus aliens and humans alike. Further yet, many suspect that the movement's claim to the Orion Arm is but a pretext for greater galactic conquest. Support to the Neo-Scorpine Empire has thus been slight, but steady on the CFN's part.

Zuukid Remnants: With the Zuukid having been the original cause for the decimation and displacement of the Nests' predecessors, it is unsurprising that their memory should not be regarded with much sympathy. Nevertheless, the Nests consider some of the fragmented empire's former subjects to be potentially contributive members of their society, and have taken it upon them to "liberate" any willing (usually) ones from the warzones left in its wake.

Habitation: In terms of demographics and infrastructure, it is fairly simple to separate CFN worlds into two distinct categories: the original colonies, now known as core worlds, and more recently settled planets. The former, while still dotted with gaping stretches of wilderness easily visible from orbit to the naked eye, are relatively heavily urbanised, boasting large metropolises and industrial centers connected by a stable transport network, though there is always someone complaining that the magnetic convoys don’t run on time. The appearance and conformation of each cluster varies depending on its inhabitants: thus, Zsresriir will live in tubular constructions riddled with den-like holes, Ulthari burrow in shallow caverns and well-humidified subterranean chambers, Scorpine inhabit flat, dry expanses of squat buildings and so forth.

The second class is far more numerous, and far more sparsely inhabited. Cities are either small and scattered, or gathered in a single sprawling bulk; transportation is either scarce, or entirely left to the means of individual inhabitants. Colonies of feral Zsresriir are often released into the wilds of untamed planets, often with deleterious effects on the rare, but sometimes present local fauna.

One noteworthy detail is that the terraforming practices of the Nests attempt to strike an equilibrium between the biochemical needs of its majority species. While a form of fragile balance has been found, albeit one involving some rather jarring variations between biomes, minorities are not equally favoured. As such, when travelling outside their dwellings, most are required to don an usually standard-issue (it being the cheapest alternative) respiratory apparatus, which may give them a distinct image in the eyes of their kin elsewhere in the galaxy.

Astrana is a human-centric country that tries to balance a strong autocratic ruler with the protections of more liberal forms of governments. While not necessarily anti-xeno, it is exceedingly rare for a xeno, or any immigrant for that matter, to gain citizenship in Astrana. Astrana does allow some foreigners to live in the country under a long-term residency status and it does encourage foreigners, both human and xeno, to come as tourists, but its society as a whole shows little interest in allowing immigration and dealing with the issue of having multiple ethnicities. Astranan emperors of the past focused on conquest, but over the past hundred years there has been little interest in conquest, with the emphasis being on the expansion of the country’s economy.

Claim: (As stated in the OOC, keep it smaller than usual; the empires have fallen.)


Type: Constitutional Monarchy/Liberal Autocracy
The government is ruled by the reigning monarch, whose powers are limited by a constitution. A parliamentary body, elected by individual planetary populations, helps with the administration of the government while ensuring that the needs of the citizens are met without infringing upon their constitutional rights. The reigning monarch assigns viceroys to govern over star systems and individual planets; these viceroys in turn have a counterpart parliamentary body that deals with the system or planet’s laws and taxation. These viceroy assignments are held until the viceroy either dies, retires, or is recalled by the monarch.

Perhaps the single greatest power of the parliament (both Imperial and planetary) is its control over taxation rights. Constitutionally it is the parliament that sets tax rates, collects taxes, and sets the government’s budget. While reigning monarchs do have their own personal holdings to gather funds from, these are not nearly enough to meet the needs of the government, thus giving the parliament great leverage over the monarch.


Despite being located near the Orionic Empire’s borders, the worlds that would eventually form the core of Astrana grew rapidly in both population and industrial output. A combination of wealth of resources and their physical location incentivized the construction of major Imperial garrisons as well as trade routes through this region of space. By the time of the Zuukid invasion, the region that would eventually form Astrana had become the hub of military and industrial power in the region.

While the Zuukid invasion never actually reached the region, the worlds of Astrana sent millions of soldiers and countless supplies to the south to help fight the war. Initially the waves of refugees from the conflict actually helped the economy, providing more bodies to put into factories and to arm with weapons. At the same time these worlds were in the midst of a cultural renaissance of sorts. The people were looking for ideals and legends to help them weather the storm of war; they found these ideals in medieval Europe. An idolized belief in the codes of chivalry, strength of nobility, and noblesse oblige and begun to take root in the population.

Eventually the worlds of Astrana, like so many other worlds, became swamped by the seemingly endless stream of refugees and the economy began to break down. By the time that the Orionic Empire fell the year 500, these worlds had had enough. Billions of refugees were expelled from the worlds of Astrana. First went the ‘xenos’, basically anyone not human, and then went the humans who were not “culturally similar enough”.

In the year 505 the Core Confederation was formed. It was a loose political entity of worlds that had come together seeking mutual protection after the Orionic Empire had fallen. The Core Confederation proved to be too weak of a political body to accomplish much, with the various planetary parliaments unable to agree on much.

Over the next ninety years the central government of the Core Confederation was greatly strengthened, in no small part due to the Stuart family. Through a combination of shrewd propaganda and political maneuvering, the Stuart family was able to gradually form itself into the de facto ruling dynasty of the Core Confederation. In the year 595 Horace Stuart reformed the Core Confederation into the Astranan Empire and declared himself its first emperor. The next fifty years would see the new empire rapidly expanding into its current borders. The peoples of the worlds conquered were either forcibly expelled or forced to assimilate into Astranan culture.

Around the year 650 Astrana began to view the Aurolian Republic as a regional rival and potential threat. A series of proxy wars between the two powers began in the Norma arm, with neither country able to gain any real advantage over the other. In the year 740 the rivalry came to a head as a proxy war exploded into an armed conflict between Astrana and Aurolia. The Norma Expanse saw some of the heaviest naval engagements it had ever had over the five year long war as both combatants sought to gain dominance over the region. In the end neither country was able to estable any sort of lasting dominance over the region, but both countries proclaimed victory stating they had halted their foe’s attempts to conquer the region. In reality the war ended in an uneasy truce and a return to the status quo. Intensified proxy and intelligence wars between the two countries had individuals from both countries proclaiming that the war was still ongoing. It seemed that a second full blown war between Astrana and Aurolia was inevitable in 755 during the Aurolian-Kingdom War as Astrana sent volunteers and supplies to help fight against Aurolia. In the end Astrana never entered the war as a combatant and relations with Aurolia began to warm slightly in the years following it.


Astrana possesses fairly advanced energy weaponry in the form of particle beams which can even be used in strike craft and armored vehicles. Shielding for spacecraft is commonplace and even some infantry possess personal shields. A few choice pieces of technology, such as the zero point generator and widespread use of cyberware, does make Astrana stand out slightly.



Astrana’s military is divided into two general components: the Imperial Armed Forces (shortened to AIAF) and the planetary self defence forces (PSDF). The Imperial Armed Forces themselves are divided into three branches: the Navy, the Ground Forces, and the Aerospace Forces.The Imperial Armed forces have very high standards for recruitment and training that, while resulting in fewer personnel overall, ensure that AIAF troops are amongst the best. AIAF prefers firepower and mobility over defense. The planetary self defense forces usually end up with those who didn’t meet the high standards of the AIAF. As their names indicate, the PSDF’s roles include protection of planets, anti-pirate operations, and rescue operations.





There are three generally accepted classes in Astranan society: the imperial family, the nobility, and the commoners. As the name indicates, the imperial family is the ruling class in the empire. The nobility is made up of viceroys, military officers, and those given a permanent title by the monarch. Anyone can technically become a noble. This is accomplished by either progressing in rank to an officer position in the military, or being granted a title by the imperial family. The commoners are a bit different from the other classes as they are easily subdivided into other classes that include indentured servants, business entrepreneurs, and high level politicians.

Most people view the military as an honorable, and desirable, career choice. This is not only because it can lead to a title of nobility, but also because it was the military that held the Zuukid back, preventing them from wreaking havoc on Astrana’s worlds. The saying “Shield of the people, Sword of the Emperor” is often used to describe the military’s duel nature as the defenders of Astrana’s citizens, while also the tool by which the monarchy destroys its enemies. This mentality of the Astranan people, as well as strong traditions in the military itself, has allowed the military to serve as an important pillar of society while also preventing any kind of military coups or general corruption that stems from an overly influential military. Another interesting saying that has come from the military is “Its come to the cataphracts.” The saying meaning that ‘they have broken through and this is the last thing we can do to respond.’ It's a pragmatic and optimistic saying as it is essentially saying “there’s a major problem and its time for the real adults to step in and fix this.”

While Kineticism was once the dominant faith in Astrana, it is now practiced by only a small minority of the population.The dominant faith in Astrana is currently the Faith of the Children of the Stars. The Faith of the Children of the Stars is less a religion and more of a spiritual outlook and moral/philosophical framework. Important components of the faith involve viewing the stars as being the “birthmothers of all life” and reverence of the ancestors.


~98% Ethnic Astranans (Humans)
<2% Other species and non-Astranan humans







TBD

Theocratic communist qawm.





Religion is rule, and by its guidance the people live and serve. Those who enter into monastic life are taught the ways of balance and order-- a necessary harmony to the great entropy of the Universe. As such, these righteous faithful are given the duty of keeping the peace and enforcing the will of the collective good.

All austerity is ultimately overseen by the enlightened Father Orvium. However, the carrying out of these acts is highly decentralized. The neighbors are called upon to have their hearts govern themselves. The thick heeled boot of the faith is meant to serve only as a shepherd to its flock. As such, no definitive laws exist. All things are interpreted as subjective, a thread in the web of the Universe.

The spiritual collective own all means of production. The sale of its natural resources are used to house and feed those who toil for the universal good. Those not on official assignment by the government are bound to the land which they were born on, or traveling harvester which the case may be. Such privileges are only granted by those who prove themselves truly enlightened and pure of heart. A decision reached by the all-reaching compassion of Father Orvium.



Well nestled in a family of nebulae, Ehec-Tahdet was once furnace of discourse. In the shattered remains of the empire, the once burgeoning colonies of this sector crumbled into poverty and political upheaval. Those wise or wealthy enough to escape the chaos did so long ago, fleeing to more stable civilizations further afield. However, those who stayed in these fatherless colonies dug in their heels to reap the natural riches of the land. Marauders, refugees, and carpetbaggers swarmed on the political vacuum. Years of turmoil ripped apart the already desolate landscapes. Death and famine was an acre that threatened to dissolve the entire region into anarchy.

However, by the grace of the Universe, came order. Father Orvium, the Saviour of His Flock, descended upon the galaxy with hope and promise. He instituted a national welfare system whereby the hungry were fed, the sick were proffered new organs, and the lost were found by the Universal Light. Prayer and faithfulness to the state brought the people of the fold together as one. The sinners of the galaxy, wholly repentant.

All economic parity now belongs to the state as the people work and trade via the edible currency Vitium. This economic policy was deemed quite necessary by the Father, as the fringe worlds and mining colonies lacked foodstuffs to maintain their labor. Tasting of slightly sweet cardboard, the currency also relieved the pinnacle sin of greed. No man would take more than his share of such sustenance, and thus he may store it and offer it to his kin or neighbor as the Universe would bid his heart to do.

By the grace of the Universe, Ehec-Tahdet thrives to spread its enlightenment throughout the galaxy.



The ground forces of the Ehec-Tahdet rely on their strength of artillery, light from the Universe above. These heavily emplaced units, peppered with anti-air assets, win or lose the battles of the Ehec-Tahdet. True living cavalry sired from the strange, fowl, and forlorn animals of the Ehec-Tahdet’s territories feast in the chaos of wayward ordnance. Infantry and small, mobile mechs entrench themselves in the divide between these two more honorable forces. Sustained by unreliable, mounted theatre shields these light troops serve as a speed bump from oncoming attacks.









In much the same way that the Ehec-Tahdet ground forces are tethered to artillery, so too is fashioned their fleet. Giant, cumbersome railgun stations are lugged through space with small frigate and corvette escorts to stay off strike craft assaults. These artillery behemoths require their own supply chains of ammo to be hurled. However, once these weapons are in place, it is truly an act of god to stop their long range firepower.













Universal Kineticism could not find more loyal and observing servants. An unfathomable and incomprensible religion of universal connectedness, the faithful of Tahdetian Universal Kineticism are lucky to have Father Orvium to interpret its divinity in their lives. Prayer and self abnegation are the only true fruits to sustain the transient and interconnected life of the Universe. Mandated prayer is imposed by the state at any given hour of the day, to keep the believers humble and accepting of the entropic will of the Universe. Righteous toil for the good of thy neighbor is seen as epitome of piety. As such, the citizens of Ehec-Tahdet are kept faithful to their duty, less their mortal bodies be repurposed for the good of thy neighbor.

Rule of the collective falls to three main tenants:
-Right view
-Right intention
-Right action

These three heads of faith, mirrored in the sigil of the nation, determine what should be done, why it should be done, and how it should be done. The Rightness of such is in the eye of the collective good.

And from this collective good has erupted a fountain of harmony:
-No man may starve, lest he make others hungry
-No flesh shall perish, lest he take from life more than he hath given
-No man may need, lest he hath coveted



Various sentient species inhabit the folds of Ehec-Tahdet. However, due to the radiation of the nebulae and general inhospitality of the colonized planetoids within, most neighbors remain heavily covered. The culture as such has embraced this necessity with the women in particular being shielded from the rays hardships of the Universe for the proper proffering of children. Furthermore, with such high radiation levels has drastically increased the prevalence of cancers and genetic malformations. The believers of Ehec-Tahdet, in holy patronage to their neighbors, often donate portions of their bodies. These organs are then replaced by machine parts or parts of other beings as the state is able to provide. Thus the citizens of Ehec-Tahdet are truly an amalgam of eachother, with entirely different species often serving as prosthesis for their neighbors. Truly the Universe smiles on all life and welcomes it’s growth.

~80% Human
~20% Other
~100% Enlightened




The most giving of hearts. His ascendence upon the anarchy and unrest of the region formed Ehec-Tahdet into a sovereign power. His selflessness extends even to his own body, much of it being donated to his neighbors and replaced by mechanic augmentations. Truly his altruism will bathe the galaxy.







All are welcome to receive enlightenment.



Life in Ehec-Tahdet is difficult. Though most of the colonized planets appear desolate at first, they are often quite rich in natural minerals, particularly components for stellar and industrial fuel. These drilling colonies are the lynchpin of their civilization and the infrastructure of planets is often solely built around these sites. Many inhabit planetoids which closely orbit or are buried in the folds of gas giants to reap the resources they contain. Caustic, methane rich atmospheres abound and the dress and culture of the humans settling these environments has adapted in turn. Breathing apparatus are frankly a must on all worlds, and skin is wise to be kept from the wrenching grasp of the nebulae and stars above.

Only a handful of agricultural worlds exist and are responsible for feeding the prodigiously dispersed population. Kraxmal, a starchy root which is later processed with the necessary nutrients and vitamins to sustain life, is transformed into the local currency Vitium. This literal cash crop is the only foodstuff grown on scale. All other yields found, foraged, or farmed are handed over to the government for flash freezing and sale to international markets.





The people of Tahdet, “Ehec-Tahdet,” owe their name to this great home. It is where Father Orvium began his life, sacrificed much of it, and lit a fire that would reach the commune of its surroundings. This spiritual home to Tahdetian Universal Kineticism is often colloquially called “a total fucking shit-hole” by endearing foreigners. However, this planetoid is a jewel in the stellar fuel trade. A moon of its matron gas giant, Tahdet orbits on its axis with half of the sphere submerged in her billow. Mobile crawlers constantly flee from the lethal miasma. These levitating cities travel the moon’s wastes in order to harvest gases collected by emplaced mines which endure the orbit. These foundries harness the resources of the gas giant with each pass. Theirs is a fluid lifestyle which cannot afford stragglers.

A Kingdom of low culture, high technology ‘Barbarians’ influenced by an AI revolt that is currently masquerading as various spirits and deities of the primary culture. Generally very tolerant of different species and cultures although it is very clearly not a liberal high government given their desire for order and stability, almost forms a Federacy with the primary Urgzehu culture as specified differently.

















Habitation: (How and where people live; preferred modes of transportation, stuff like that)

These soldiers are typically captives from past missions, deserts, and slaves purchased from traders. They’re fitted with a brain implant that makes them completely subservient to a controller, their bodies are typically modified with firearms, and other weapons, and are given partial armors. They are also experimented on and typically have some sort of experimental tech implanted on their bodies to keep from having to test it on loyal soldiers.

The Standard trooper wears a set of powered armor, complete with magnetic holsters for their side arm, carbine, or rifle. They also have a series of energized daggers, or short swords. This armor is capable of distributing the the impact of ballistic weapons, and explosions to a certain degree. The armor also contains a certain amount of reflective capability to lessen the damage of energy weapons against it. The armor also has a powered arm attached to the back of suit that works as a helping hand when carrying ammunition boxes, steadying heavy weapons, or even carrying inured comrades. These troops are typically deployed via drop pods, aerial transports, and APCs

Void Jump Troopers are specialized troops that wear a lighter armor, and jump pack. They are used for quick assaults, scouting, and void combat. They are typically armed with a carbine, or SMG, and a energized sword.

The Valkyrie Police are a mercenary police force capable of being hired by private companies, or even nations who are lacking in a proper law enforcement in certain places. Typically utilized on colonies where a police force would be difficult to build, or where crime is incredibly prevalent and the local police cannot handle it. They are normally equipped with a simple ballistic armor, and energy pistol, and energy baton of the stun variety.

The Valkyrie Riot police are similar to the Standard law enforcement officer, and are typically simply a standard officer in riot gear, this includes a riot shield, heavier armor, side arm, stun gun, and energy baton. These are also the same type of officers use in the Valkyrie’s Hade Space Prison.

Scout riders are troops outfitted in a armor similar to that of a jump troop but given a single person hover vehicle. They typically perform scouting missions and are outfitted with a side arm, a light automatic weapon, and the small energy cannon mounted inside the vehicle. The Law Enforcement wing also takes advantage of the single person hover vehicles.

The MK46 is a all terrain Hover IFV, and it carries an interchangeable rail cannon, or energy cannon depending on the needs for the mission, as well as a rocket pod capable of firing up to twenty rockets every 30 seconds. The IFV is armored, albeit a bit lightly, but it’s speed and agility make it a hard target to hit on the battlefield and capable of carrying up to 20 troops inside, albeit they are cramped.

The x4006 is an incredibly powerful tank, it’s thick armor, and sports and awesome assortment of cannons easily changed out for situational needs. The impact of this vehicle is moreso when you consider the anti-infantry aspect of the heavy automatic weapon it sports on its topside. The tank only requires a minimum of two people, one to pilot the inside, and one to aim and fire the cannons. Though typically they go in crews of three with another manning the automatic hull weapon.

The KV22 Ravager is an assault mech, with heavy plating, and reflective surfaces it is an enduring beast of military equipment, and to go along with this they are armed to the teeth. The Ravager sports a single energy edged blade on its left arm, an automatic weapon either ballistic or energy as well on its left arm, on the right arm it sports a gauss rifle, as well as a fist with rather dextrous fingers. On it’s shoulders it sports a smoke launcher, shuttered spotlight, and rocket pod capable of firing up to four rockets.

The command mech is a mass six legged vehicle with plenty of space on the inside for battlefield commanders to watch over combat, and give orders out as needed for the best plans of strategy. These vehicles are incredibly well armored, and extremely hard to destroy, there have been situations where they have even survived orbital strikes albeit they remained immobile afterwards due to extensive damage. They carry a multitude of powerful weapons,a nd can host up to thirty troops.

While not an incredibly fast starfighter, it makes up for its lack in speed in its heavy armor and powerful weaponry, sporting several energy cannons, in dog fights it takes a beating and keeps dishing out destruction in return. These ships require only one pilot, and typically carry a single energy bomb, or a single missile used for attacking larger ships.

The Longship troop transport is just as it says, a troop transport, heavily armored, though lightly armored sporting only a few blaster cannons on it’s immense hull, these ships can carry up to a thousand troops a piece, and are capable of performing boarding actions on larger vessels, though they are typically used for transporting troops planetside.

The Freja frigate is a strong vessel, they typically accompany a series of troop transports guarding them as they make their way to their appointed destinations. With powerful cannons, and multiple energy weapon turrets it’s a hard hitter in combat, with heavy armor to boot.

The Mjolnir Cannon is roughly the size of a frigate, it was made to be manned by a crew of five, and using advanced VIs to perform tasks the crew is unable to. The Ship is essentially just a large cannon, they were manufactured due to the company’s lack of dreadnoughts or capital ships, so that they could actually take the battle to the enemy in a way when needed.

The Hades Void Prison is a rather large space station, it lacks any sort of propulsion system, but has multiple openings to vent cells, and entire cell blocks if necessary. The entire station is lacking in terms of escape pods, and the only ships allowed to dock with it are Frigates of the Valkyrie Company itself, and they are not allowed to dock more than two hours at a time with either depositing inmates, new guards, or much needed food stuffs. It is in this place that the Company keeps their POWs, and any prisoners other nations might want to disappear without killing or keeping somewhere secret themselves, and while this does cost a annual fee to keep the prisoner it is well worth it considering the hidden nature of the Prison’s whereabouts.

Valkyrie Station is the headquarters for the Starburst Valkyries, it is an enormous station that the Company bought long again, and renovated it. It has been made to have hold massive amounts of fuel, an enormous training facility, barracks, multiple businesses, and even a red light district. The Station itself is mobile so that if there is a danger it can move to avoid that danger.

The Veorfolnir is an excellent fighting jet, with incredible speed, and 360 degree turning energy turret, and target locking missiles makes it a deadly force in the air. Though it is lightly armored.

The Sleipnir Transport VTOL is a fairly average transport densely armored but lacking weaponry it can usually carry troops to the front of any warzone, and release its max payload of twenty troops.

Anita Lyesmith is the current CEO of the Starburst Valkyrie Corporation, she is an intelligent and resourceful woman who seemingly lack any remorse or mercy for the necessities of such a cut throat market, and position.

Not much more to say here, she is in charge of the finances of the Corporation and is in charge of recruiting for higher ranking members.

Dr. Eden is a brilliant mind and has since being employed very much advanced the gear that the Corporations troops use.

Dr. Krauss always insures that troops have adequate enough medical supplies, though she doubles in this aspect as she also is the Corporations leading Chemical Weapons researcher.

Mrs. Simmons was the latest addition to the Corporate team, her expertise in negotiations, and customer relations skills. A valued member of the time they look forward to seeing how she performs on behalf of the company and its affiliates.

Miss Boyd is an expert in her field and was quite costly to hire, but Starburst Valkyrie knew a good investment when they saw one. Her mechanical engineering skills were the best they'd ever seen and since joining her improvements to pretty much everything they have has taken the quality of their troops to the next level

Mei is the director of public relations and is rather good with her job, typically able to detour any journalists or reporters from pinning the company to illegal activities.

Katrina is a stern woman with years of experience in law enforcement and another decade under her belt in being an administrator for a prison. With this experience in mind she was hired on as the Warden of the Void Prison where the inmates have come up with a nickname for her. “The Iron Maiden”

Also known as “Chief” Annette is the no nonsense head of the law enforcement branch of the military a practical woman she tends to take things in stride, but she also tends to be inquisitive and not believe a word someone tells her without proof which has led to some Corporate issues in the past

Commander Yentela is the main ground forces commander of the Valkyrie Company, but only attends to the most vital of Operations.

Captain Maria is the leader of Bravo Company, one of the most fiercest infantry units in the Corporation, she wears experimental power armor complete with two power arms, and a variety of Energy swords, she is known as Bladed Octopus for the multiple appendages and love for melee weapons.

Captain Theresa is another Officer who volunteered to wear experimental armor, in this case she allowed implants to be placed within her spinal column and connected to her nervous system. The Armor connects to these implants allowing her full control of the four extra arms, and the multiple systems existing within the armor in the same way she would control her own body, after some genetic modding of course that allowed her to use her brain functions in this manner.

Major Ally Green is a veteran of the Company, having been on more than 433 operations, she lost her right arm during her 201st. Her arm was replaced with a high end top of the line cybernetic prosthetic allowing her to fire the heaviest of weapons without much trouble.

Admiral Adrianna is the Lead Admiral Company’s naval forces, she typically takes command when a large force of ships is needed in a conflict they have been hired into, other than that she can often be found either practicing defenses for the main station, or simply accompanying other ships to evaluate lesser officers

Katya is a Mech Pilot of some fame among the Company, she has proven herself time and again in combat, and as such has become somewhat of a celebrity and someone they often use to advertise for recruitment and new customers.

Janice is an up and coming Mech pilot, having already proven herself quite capable and deadly, she is Katya’s protege and now rival, she seeks to become as famous as her former teacher in terms of prowess, working fervently at such endeavor

One of the most secretive members of the Corporation, not much is known about Miss Krushev other than that she likes lots of creamer in her coffee, and has a avid love for homemade bread. Her position is mostly classified, it’s only know that she has been sought in connection with at least one terrorist attack, of which each of the investigators that took on the case looking into her ended up dead.

A famous assassin among the Company, she has yet to not complete a mission or kill a mark. She wears a quality set of armor complete with a stealth system that allows her to hide in plane sight and blend in with just about any environment, as well as hide her heat signature.

Only the Directors know her real name, she is known for having spies throughout the galaxy, learning what she can wherever she can, and with a budget that is seemingly unlimited. In a place with so many factors and so many factions Knowledge is true power.

Even less is known about Miss Dread, her name is not even known. And ultimately what she does for the company is only known by top executives.

Kerry Fitzal is the Company’s best bounty hunter, she has yet to lose a target, and is relentless in her hunt of said people. Of the hundreds of bounty hunters Kerry has a small team of five females, and takes no others with her on her hunts. If you have a bounty, and Fitza is on that contract, then you might as well turn yourself in before she hits you with her iconic M99 Energy blaster that carries variations of stun to kill.

Laney Davis is a leading researcher for the Valkyrie Corporation, she excels in studies of ruins of past civilizations, and processing their technology

Deceased

Science Lab ships are capable of carrying up to five thousand employees, it is completely equipped with the most advanced lab equipment available, complete with holding cells for alien species and animals.

The Gobacks were originally two distraught corporate CEOs that fled the Orionic empire for 'flying to close to the sun' and aimed to discover the rotten underlying of the empire. These persons, resourceful and made immortal by uploading their minds in computers, did quite well for themselves, building a small empire of asteroids and planetoids used to fuel the construction of a dyson sphere and then matrioshka brain to live in hedonistic simulations. The empire didn't care to send pursuers most of the time but eventually, civilian ships began to cross the Gateway. Hundreds, thousands, millions of them! The empire had fallen. The duo found it amusing, they had survived their oppresors! And they allowed the refugees to settle the planets near their domain and found new interest in reality. A loose league of nations, individuals and corporations has formed and they feel now is the time to, as their name imply, Go Back and find the truth they sought... and have some fun along the way.




The 'Governing' of the exiles is a complicated affair if there is even such a thing in the first place. No doubt at the top they are a certain 'Duarchy', a rule of two as Erika and Edward (most of time the later), through their super AI slave Keo, have both the biggest stick in the form of centuries of defense platforms and other mechanism, but also the biggest carrots to entice people to do as they are ordered in the wish to gain immortality and enhancements through the vast cybernetic knowledge of these 3.

Afterward however, things get muddy. There are no laws, or at least no universal laws in exile space. It is simply anarchy (or as Edward would describe it, 'Laissez-Faire Libertarianism') and the rule of strength. As the unofficial motto of Exile space says, the Weak will suffer what they must and the Strong will do what they can. This forces people to group themselves in cabals, corporations and tiny nation states of heavily armed individuals that negotiate with one another to trade goods and services. In certain places this makes living a pure hell but surprisingly in others, this makes for an extremely functional and efficient society where people are careful to act in an ethic and way that won't provoke others to slaughter them. In the Orionic lands a lot of individuals are only alive because its illegal to put a bullet in their brain, there is no such thing in Exile space.


The Sutherland Corporation was one of the most powerful entity in Imperial Space in its days, valued in the trillions, employees in the billions with projects of stellar engineering and deploying the first universal servant robots for the middle class, promissing a future free of work for all humans, the rest to be left to machines and aliens. But as the Emperor himself would have said back then, the man and his wife were beginning to think and act out of their status as mere merchants. They had a passing interest in archeology, something that allowed people like them to have collections dwarfing that of most museums, and were particularly keen on old earth artifacts. They noticed however that some things simply didn't make sense, even in the timeline there was a lot wrong and that didn't make any sense.

At this point they had dug to deep.

But the Sutherlands weren't people without resources and with such a large empire to scour to find them, the two of them had more than enough time to make a stealthy exit in the Gateway to the Abyss as their little commercial empire collapsed around them, sending the empire in an economic crisis for a time even. The Gateway was part of a privately sponsored effort to colonize the other side of the galaxy as explorers had dragged its sister gate all the way there but with the Sutherland Corporation gone, it became unclear what to do with this. It was seized by the empire, then left there, used illegally, sold, weathered the collapse but all the while probes never came back so it was just ignored.

At least until the collapse. Then, people were desperate and not knowing where to go, took their luck in this portal, not knowing its reputation as they wanted to flee. Keo would normally have destroyed intruders but these weren't probes. It thus advized its masters who decided to allow these refugees to settle the few planets that could sustain life close by their stellar constructs (anyways planets were seen as annoying due to their gravity, much easier to mine asteroids). It wasn't really out of kindness though, truth was a thousand years being gods in a simulation had gotten boring. Mortals, real sentient beings, were much more interesting! And for 300 years this was pretty much an interesting reality show, see them struggle and fight each other...

...but even that got boring after a while. No, it was time to have a more active role and do something the two of them had on the back of their mind for a while now. Always the aim to find the truth and what the heck the Empire hid about its own history was something they thought off but never considered possible. Sure, they had at their command an AI controlling millions of drones but what was this in front of half the goddamn galaxy being thrown at them?! But in front of a divided group of psychos of all breeds at each other's throat this seemed more doable.

At least it would be interesting and if they failed, they could always seal the gate and live in peace, right?



Space

Weapons and systems:
-Gamma Pulsar: Laser bream in wavelength of gamma rays. In addition of producing damages equivalent to other laser systems, produces a significant EMP effect on impact and has devastating effect on organic matter, being crew members or biotech based ships (on the later, self repair systems will be quite prone to defects insuring cancerous growth on the ship hulls and lost of efficiency.
-Alchemic Beam: A short range energy weapon that accelerates entropy and quantum tunneling. Created as an industrial tool to try and transmute matter in other elements, it was found useless as it could only transmute things in Iron-56. Still, this weapon is useful to go through composite armors, changing the plates in much less resilient iron.
-Diffusing gas: A tactical tool of various use, missiles containing this was are use to spread it between friendly and enemy formations, its effect being to diffuse light to some degrees, thus making long range laser weaponry less potent for both sides.
-Atomic Cover: Nuclear weapons in space are of limited use since the missiles needed for delivery can be intercepted, but even if they explode harmlessly, nuclear blasts in space still send a lot of waves of all kind along with a blinding flash that tends to scramble detection equipment. Atomic cover thus consists in sending a wave of missiles that explode before being intercepted to cover another wave that detonates closer and closer and closer, thus engaging in close combat ideally with drones while limiting the enemy's interception range.

-Modular Capital Ships: The Sutherland ships are built in a fashion that they can easily be assembled as well as upgraded simply by removing shielding, communications equipment or power units. Notably, the default structure of the capitals is often similar in the inclusion of a large ship long main weapon, often a 'Gamma Pulsar'. Still, this makes these ships extremely vulnerable to flanking and rear attacks as their auxiliary weapons are mainly point defense, their preferred employment is to aim them at the enemy and then reverse speed as the enemy fleets advance. Said reverse speed is quite considerable actually.

-Siege Guns: Even more specialized ship, these are made to bombard planets and stationary fortresses with heavy kinetic slugs, 'RKV', relativistic kill vehicles that go at a significant fraction of the speed of light, so fast that being able to intercept these slugs would still cause them to break off in lethal shrapnel that may even do more damage. They can fire solid projectiles but also burst rounds at mobile targets that will split in many pellets making a salvo able to destroy fighter wings and if maybe not destroy a ship, cripple its vulnerable sensor arrays and weapons. The 'hilt' it has is actually meters think shielding capable to handle most capital class weapons, making it a bitch to fight when it can just move backward and away but again, easy to destroy if flanked.

-Modular Drones: The bread and butter of Keo, these drones seem unimpressive, bad even as they often have a single optic and specialized weapons. Indeed their deadliness relies on how they are networked to their carrier and are thus able to synchronize perfectly. Having one plasma shield emiter, they will synch with 2 others to form a shield during a single second to intercept a projectile that cannot be dodged before shooting its weapon in conjunction with other drones for maximum effect. The most terrible part to these things is that there are no ends to them, they are incredibly cheap and easily replaced. Their modular nature also insures that while they won't survive a single hit of almost anything with their wet paper armor, generally only one part will be damaged and after the fight, different parts of drones can be recombined to diminish the loses even further. They don't stop coming.

The Edward Doctrine:
The man is not a natural strategist but he was fond of distracting himself with simulated warfare against both Keo and his wife Erika, developing his own set of favored tactics and types of ship. Notably, he has a focus on heavy battleship unloading a massive amount of kinetic power in bold, frontal actions, knowing that the use of physical ammunition force a faster paced 'Gameplay' as he'd call it to win before his own resources are depleted. But still, he is probably the weakest strategist of the 3 and while he is quite capable of dispatching lesser admirals that lack creativity or less disciplined forces that bulk under the pressure of his crushing blows, more creative enemies will find it easy to lead him on into ambush or especially disadvantageous positions. His fleets being entirely unmanned drones, he is quite dependent on 'relay ships' equiped with quantum entanglement communications without which his reaction time is severely hampered. These relays he like to place in exposed but heavily shielded capital ships to lure the enemy to concentrate their fire on these ships while the rest of his fleet pounds them.

The Erika Doctrine:
Her interest in warfare is much less present that Edward's, but her temperament probably makes her better at it than he. Logical and methodical, she knows space is vast and will try to engage on her own terms and defensively if at all possible, preferring to wither down her enemies slowly with very long and tedious warfare, knowing organics tend to need rest and resupplies where her cybernetic and laser focused forces can fight for days and weeks with no problem at all. For her own relay ships, she'd rather keep them away and hidden in places she'd be quite surprised to see found.

The Keo Doctrine:
The AI itself. While Keo may play nice with its masters, fighting them to entertain them rather than winning, it will not give the same courtesy to its enemies. A generally crushing advantage she has is her processing power that allows all of her ships to work in perfect synchronicity and her fleet composition shows this. Drone carriers. The carriers themselves are mostly disarmed and serve only as ferry to the drones, millions of strike crafts that together offer very little danger but together form a practically unstoppable swarm. A drone being targeted by enemy fire will have 3 other produce a triangular force field stopping enemy fire and will then strike in unison with thousands of other at a single point in the enemy defense to overwhelm them, facing multi layered defenses with attacks milliseconds apart to penetrate them. In the end, with its ammunitions depleted and structure damaged, the drone will detonate itself on the enemy like a missile, for Keo finds it more convenient to bring in more drones rather than have to rearm them.

The Corsair Doctrine:
The Sutherlands find it amusing to watch others fight on their behest and many exiles are eager to win the favor of their overlords as well as the spoil of pirate actions. Piratery and being an annoyence is indeed what the corsairs excel at as, being avowed individualists, they do not aim to die a glorious death in service of their nation but profit from the situation and will avoid any direct confrontation with any superior forces, instead using any scheme imaginable to raid civilian and logistics targets of all sort and capture weapons to reuse them. That's probably the most annoying thing actually, you can be sure battlefields will be picket clean and might even see relatively undamaged hulls be rearmed and reused against you later.

Planetary:

-Vanguard Units: Specialized reconnaissance drones that are equipped with a multitude of optics and are entangled to the quantum network, they are stealth capable and charged to do the heavy lifting of most operations, meaning targeting enemy fortifications and troops concentrations for nuking or at least copious artillery strikes and monitor their ground movements. These units are, by comparison to most others in the Sutherland rooster, surprisingly sturdy and long lived, being able to operate within some capacity for centuries and even if in hiding serving as eyes and ears spying on the enemy communications for quite some time.

-Area Denial Units: Distributed as sub-munitions from bombs, these include the smart mines capable of homing in to their targets or like pic related, tiny parasite like machines that worm their way to a being's brain to then detonate. Even if it doesn't reach the head though, the tunneling causes debilitating damage and makes for a potent psychological weapon.

-Advanced Units: Sometimes kill bots do not have enough flexibility and finesse to accomplish important tasks and direct control is needed, thus these more advanced humanoid units benefit from Quantum Entanglement. Also often used by Erika and Edward for the 'FPS experience'.

-Basic Units: The bread and butter mass produced fire and forget ground units. They have basic roam and shoot intelligence and rely on basic communications to swarm toward an enemy with their arrays of weapons. They don't have spare ammunition or indeed hands to reload as they statistically have all the ammo needed to fire until they are destroyed. Those that survive longer use the weapons of those who have fallen early.

-Heavy Units: Sometimes, all it takes is MOAR DAKKA and this unit is there for this purpose. Due to a sound its hydraulics made, some idiots started rumors that in these units, the minds of those who angered the Sutherlands are kept to suffer for eternity. This amused the Sutherlands who changed the design to include a tiny holo projector to make a screaming skull and intimidate people. Somewhat effective.

-Small Platforms: A multipurpose platform serving anti-air, anti-ground and repair purposes made to support advances with a multitude of different possible weapon layouts. It is rather slow, but ideal to advance in nuclear blasted landscapes and hunker down to weather a counter attack as an armored pillbox.

-Large Platforms: The walking Armageddon, these machines are equipped with Gamma Pulsars or other such weapons and throw nukes around like candies. Generally weapons deployed when the fleet can't stick around to destroy everything from orbit or when they are needed for their ability to hit space targets from the surface of a planet. Still, these are rare as their size makes them costly, their loses being not insignificant for Keo.

The Edward Doctrine:
Armored warfare, heavy weapon platforms supported by artillery and air support to smash through the enemy without any subtleties to encircle and destroy the enemy. He is not to be underestimated as this focus on armor and his ability to command troops on a grand scale with ease is daunting, but not unbeatable as a competent commander with forces trained enough not to collapse under pressure can certainly exploit his recklessness.

The Erika Doctrine:
Infiltration in depth. Simply put, Erika sees defeat as her own numbers dwindling and while in space she can keep distance, in land warfare when you attack casualties are unavoidable. Which is why she attacks very little, prefering the enemy to come to her and her layered defense in depth to counter attack when the enemy depletes his resources and quickly stopping when she meets resistance. If she has to take the initiative though, she prefer subtlety. Destroy the enemy communications and kill officers, tunnel under and paradrop above, anything to ignore the enemy strong points.

The Keo Doctrine:
Planets are useless, their gravity too high to allow for efficient mining and construction, but they hold a value to the enemy and so it will use this value to drain the enemy of resources. Carpet bombing of civilian areas, gas, biological weapons, nukes and other weapons, its a game of cat and mouse where Keo brings a bazooka, aiming to destroy anything it can spot even if it makes the planet impossible to live on afterward. Who said tanks couldn't fire thermonuclear warheads?

The Corsair Doctrine:
Well... they won't actually try to fight and win a land war. That'd involve putting a large amount of people with guns on the ground and ask them to charge to their death without these people just saying 'lolno' and leaving. But they can do something the robotic overlords can't do: Infiltrate. In the spying sense. They are organics just like any others and a lot of some... well, criminal expertise in forgery that allows them to get in and once they are in, well. Suitcases with explosives, snipers, prying eyes and ears. It may be bellow Erika and Edward, but Keo is pragmatic and quite willing to place bounties and prices on activities disrupting its enemies' activities.


Edward and Erika come from another time where even then they were rather... different from most. Still, they individually hold more power than any individuals in the galaxy, even Emperors need the administration to do their wills. What motivates them seems to be the need for entertainment really. Battles, wars and politics are entertaining and they do so with little other goals than that. They are not a means to an end, they are the end itself.

And then, there's the rest. The exiles that came after them came from everywhere in the empire and with resentment for the Empire that failed to protect them and in this lawless place they quickly learned that the individual is sovereign and its all about strength. Law in the empire was maintained by the coercive strength of the police and the army and with this gone, you have to be armed enough so that others think stealing your shit isn't worth it. But humans are social animals, they can't do anything all alone and so they have to band together. Small corporations, clans and states of a few miles across formed under the idea that if you can be tolerable enough to everyone around you and do your share of the work, then people will not kill you.

For the 'savage frontier' then, the exile lands are surprisingly polite and careful not to offend anyone in case they have powerful friends and again, in a place where there is no law, all you have to do business is your reputation. Cut throat groups are left on the fringe as no one will associate with them or ally with them, making them easier picking than say, a confederation of polite bakers that offer good quality bread on which people depend. Kill a baker and you suddenly have an army of gun runners against you because A: A baker was married to them and B: They made a deal of free bread for a year if they kill you. Its weird.

Religion exists of course and many groups formed with this as a binding factor and indeed churches are mostly away from the violence if you don't want an army of faithful on your ass, but even then, the exiles have lost faith in higher powers helping them. If not an emperor, then what will and unseen god do?


Unknown. Just... Unknown. No one keeps any census or tab on that. The majority seems human enough though.

A Totalitarian, human supremacy state occupying the majority of the Gonderia Planet. Currently at war with alien species on the planet for both territory and human supremacy.

Roughly where the red dot is, a single planet

The government is a Totalitarian Socialist Regime. They believe in human supremacy, and any alien life forms are either killed or enslaved. The human citizens, however, are also being oppressed based on class. The government heavily relies on their military to enforce their regime.

The current political system came in place 6 years ago with the assignment of a new leader, who brought the country's military to it's peak might.

The Dominion has been founded 120 years ago on a lone planet around the center of the Old Empire.

When the Empire fell 300 years ago, many of alien species on the planet rebelled against the humans, and considering that it wasn't much inhabited by humans in the first place, their small numbers gave the alien species a swift victory. For 160 years no humans have ever been to to the planet.

Then, 140 years ago a relatively small group of colonial human settlers arrived. With an initially hostile "welcome" from the local species, they have been almost defeated, but stubborn resistance brought them a bloody victory. With a big valley freed of the aliens, they have settled a city, which would become the capital of the country they named the Gonderian Republic. The planet, which's Imperial name was lost to history, was named Gonderia.

During the next 18 years the Gonderians attempted to make peace with the local alien species, but failed. At one point, the small country was nearly wiped out. It was also at that time when most of their space technology was lost: spaceships and starships have been wrecked and almost all scientists and engineers who knew how to make them were killed in this war.

It was then when a man named Ludwig Richardson came along. A general in the almost annihilated army, he, as the person with the highest rank, gave a speech after the leader of the country was killed in one of the raids. He has expressed absolute hatred for the alien species, saying that they did not even deserve to live. Given the current situation, everyone agreed with him. Being the highest-ranking General at the time of the President's death, he has been given control of the country until a proper election could be held.

Richardson inspired the remaining population to give all they've got into the war. In 1 and a half years, they have taken back all the territories they've had a couple decades ago, and now have actually started expanding.

In half a year more, Ludwig Richardson, being able to advance the country so much and almost completely reforming the military, during a relatively peaceful period with only a few raids from the alien species taking place and the army being put on a full defensive, has been elected as the new President.

However, he and his staff have decided that if they want to continue this war successfully, the political system must change. And so, the Gonderian Republic was reformed into the Gonderian Dominion, changing from a democratic to a totalitarian system, and the leader's position was changed from President to Grand Chancellor.

The next few years have been quiet in terms of the war, but major reforms have been going on inside the country. A special program as been started to boost the population numbers, the military has been expanded with the addition of the Navy and Air Force, and new cities were starting to get built.

100 years ago a new leader has been appointed. As well as, from this point on, the next leader was always appointed by the previous one, rather than being elected by the public.

For the next 50 years the Dominion was expanding rather quickly, and around half of the planet has been conquered. After that, for the next 44 years the war progress has slowed down again, with growing resistance from the alien species, once ransacking the Gonderian capital and now being half-defeated themselves, when a new species appeared. Intelligence suspects that these are mercenaries employed by the alien nations in attempt to turn the tide of the war. And it worked - the Dominion actually started loosing some ground.

6 years ago a new Grand Chancellor has been appointed, who is in command right now: Alaistar Kane.
His vast ambitions, as well as a growing paranoia, have thrown the country into a civil turmoil, while at the same time, a military grand success. He has organized mass modernization of pretty much every sphere of life: military, industry, agriculture, and much more. He has replaced many of his General Staff, and under his supervision new inventions have been made. But most importantly - he decided to revive the Space Program that got completely wiped out over 130 years ago.

Now the military is at the peak of it's might, and 4 years ago a new offensive campaign has been launched, that brought the Dominion the current control of a little bit over 3/4 of the planet.

Military is divided into 3 main forces: Military Police, Planetary Forces and Cosmic Forces.