The Ulvarith Conglomerate
The Ulvarith Conglomerate is controlled by the Nucleus, a political organism currently comprising two hundred and seventy-eight members. Its affiliates are selected according to their exceptional skills and notable experience, and are all equal in station and influence. As such, no single ruler, or smaller group of rulers, can be identified.
Species and Description:Iurrthurl: A species of sentient fungal organisms originating from a planet marked by its prevalently barren and inhospitable surface and vast, continent-spanning subterranean cavernous formations, wherein most of its life-form population evolved. As a consequence of developing in an atypically dark and humid environment, the Iurrthurl are particularly susceptible to light and dry climates, causing them to be seldom seen in the open, or indeed at all, on worlds close to a their orbital star; conversely, they appear to thrive on those near a system's rim. These beings appear as rough spheroids composed of grey gelatinous matter, moving and manipulating objects by the means of a variable number of malleable pseudopods which can, when necessary, exude a viscous substance. Given their aptitude with engineering and technology, they often operate the Conglomerate's mechanical devices.
Skerrath: Odd creatures exhibiting both arthropodal and molluscoid physiological traits, as well as certain others whose analogues have not been encountered in any terrestrial animal, the Skerrath hail from a world with a rich ecosystem, teeming with flora, fauna and strange amalgamations of the two - which they swiftly learned to exploit and modify to best suit their needs. Having a history of performing carefully calculated alterations upon living organisms renders the species well-suited for various disciplines in the field of biological manipulation, and many of its members attend to some task or the other situated within its boundaries. The Skerrath visually resemble some form of arachnid or eight-limbed crustacean, encased in black segmented exoskeletons and possessing five tentacular appendages extending from the frontal section of their heads.
Allegiance: The Conglomerate is overtly aligned with the non-human factions opposing the Terrans, and is indeed one of the most vocal proponents of the latter's thorough eradication. What it does not state quite so openly is that, once that goal has been achieved, it intends to claim dominance over its current allies as well, eliminating those it deems undesirable and assimilating the others into its bio-drone genetic pool.
Government, Society and Cultural Background:In order to describe the Conglomerate's system of government, it is necessary to first give an outline of how the nation is effectively structured. The Conglomerate's population is universally divided into two Strata: the Operative, comprising the vast majority of its subjects, and the narrower Administrative; both are in turn fragmented into numerous sub-strata, which assume specific roles and functions. Broadly speaking, the Administrative Stratum is the nation's political and scientific elite, directing its efforts as it deems most efficient, overseeing the functioning of the vast governmental engine and exploring new fields of research, whereas the Operative Stratum comprises its raw work-force, be it in the form of menial labourers, lesser technicians or rank-and-file military personnel. An individual's place in this system is not acquired by gradual progress, though extraordinary promotions - or demotions - can occur in truly exceptional cases, but rather determined once they reach the age at which a member of their species is viewed as able-bodied, whereupon they undergo a series of aptitude tests followed by a probational working period. Once that stage is complete, they are assigned a function in the great Conglomerate machine, which they are overwhelmingly likely to occupy for the rest of their productive lives.
Despite apparently being ruled by an entire "caste", however rigidly defined, the Ulvarith Conglomerate is in fact a strongly centralised structure. The Administrative Stratum itself is effectively controlled by the Nucleus, a political body accessible by extraordinary promotion alone - and thus never numbering over five hundred members at the largest. The Nucleus is the ultimate seat of authority within the nation, and as such does not concern itself with routine administration, leaving these concerns to the rest of the Stratum, but mostly restricts its activity to wide-spanning, often long-term strategies which either bring about radical changes within the Conglomerate itself or define its position on the galactic stage. Matters such as major treaties, wars and systematic reforms may only be decided by its decree, and its influence, though usually unnoticed, pervades the entire social structure, down to the lowliest Operative barracks. The Nucleus itself has no internal leaders, but tends to act in unison. Dissensions among its members are settled by an evaluation of the merits of each position, followed by a general vote.
As it can be guessed from the above description, the Conglomerate is a largely homogenous organism. No political factions or parties, or, worse yet, unsanctioned individual privileges are permitted within it; the rare transgressors are rapidly apprehended and eliminated. Private property, and by extension currency and trade, do not exist, and means of subsistence are doled out by the administration in accordance with inflexible guidelines. While such an order might be somewhat difficult to uphold among more individualistically inclined species, both Iurrthurl and Skerrath share a natural disposition to adopting a collectivistic mentality, and opposition to the Conglomerate's dictates is thus both infrequent and generally regarded as a sign of aberrant behaviour.
Yet it has not always been thus. The two species forming the Conglomerate were once culturally quite different, being populated by creatures whose intellects and societies evolved in environments which resembled each other marginally at best. The very fact that there should have been established a lasting alliance between them testifies that there is, after all, something they both share in equal measure. Unsurprisingly, what most united them in this regard was the segment of their history they have in common - namely, their subjugation by the Empire and the following struggle to regain their much-coveted autonomy. Diverse as the beings one may encounter within its territory are, the vast majority of them partake of an intense dislike for Terrans, and merely mentioning the Empire is guaranteed to kindle the collective-patriotic sentiments of anyone who might be present, despite the fact that plenty of time has elapsed since its fall.
The success once achieved through unity has persuaded the species of the Conglomerate, and especially the successive generations of its leaders, that the “common good” is not merely a matter of idle rhetoric, but a source of very tangible advantages. Thus, over the years following the “Purification”, increasingly intensive propaganda campaigns, devised by the Nucleus and aimed at promoting ideals of belonging to a single, vast political super-organism which, while not as centralised and tyrannical as the loathed Terran occupants, would provide protection and well-being for its inhabitants, no matter their species, asking nothing in return but that they be good, dutiful citizens. This continuous action, often carried out subtly and indirectly, has contributed to strengthen a feeling of great devotion and remarkable self-abnegation in the populace, which stands nowadays ready to defend the great Conglomerate with its lives if necessary.
As it often is the case, such an increase of patriotism required, for greater stability, some sort of counter-balance, ideally in the form of general distrust and hostility toward everything that was not part of the Coalition itself. Such an effect was even simpler to obtain due to the aforementioned long-lasting hatred toward the Terran invaders and the sentient species associated with them - that is, anything which was not Iurrthurl or Skerrath, as not even the Nucleus was truly aware of what exactly existed in the wider galaxy beyond the Terrans and the occasional non-human subject of the Empire who visited their distant reaches, though this was certainly no obstacle to their tactics. If anything, it simplified them even further, as all “outsiders” were heaped together in a large pile of indistinct but precedent-fuelled menace, against which popular discontent stemming from any small issue could be channelled. It should thus come as no surprise that the Conglomerate is one of the most determined members of the anti-Terran alliance, and indeed an advocate of the complete extermination of the former dominators to the last man.
Military Tactics:In ground and space combat alike, the main strength of the Conglomerate's armies lies in the ability to shape the battlefield to its advantage. This can be achieved in a variety of methods, depending on the situation. In facing enemies on the surface of a planet, barrages of high-impact explosives, chemical and biological weaponry or, in some cases, highly unstable radioactive projectiles are unleashed to render terrain impassable, if not outright deadly, for foes as swarms of ravening bio-drones assail them; whereas during fleet confrontations devices detonating into "clouds" of corrosive acid or superheated plasma, or even "vacuum singularities" generating destructive implosions.
The Conglomerate navy is, to all effects, comparatively small yet nonetheless formidable. Though its warships tend to be few in number, most of them, excluding various patrol and utility craft, are of truly gargantuan proportions, bristling with weaponry and often containing entire assembly chains ready to release wave after wave of semi-organic automated drones. Certain models, dubbed "colony ships", are specifically designed to secure a zone on an invaded planet's surface, then gather what materials it can extract from the environment to construct an assault force directly at ground level.
Most combat units in the Conglomerate military are weaponised bio-drones, with actual personnel usually either manning vehicles and mobile artillery platforms or remotely coordinating the creatures' actions. Neither Iurrthurl nor Skerrath are a frequent sight on the front-lines.
History:When the conquering fleets of the Empire reached the zone which is currently Conglomerate territory, the two local civilisations which had risen upon various worlds and, until then, thrived unchecked were barely past the planetary development stage, their first crude vessels tentatively reaching out and scarce daring to stray from their home systems. As could be expected, the Empire met little difficulty in shattering what feeble resistance they could offer and subjugating them, annexing their resource-rich home-worlds. Due to the two species’ radically alien physiology, considered extremely repulsive by human standards, and bizarre cultural traits, Imperial enforcers found it simple to consider them as little better than beasts, and treat them accordingly. Their homelands were ruthlessly exploited for all they were worth (Skirol’s famed ecosystem survived only owing to the natives' clandestine actions), and the beings themselves were herded as slaves and summarily tried and executed upon the least suspicion.
Discontent soon reached soaring levels in the colony, and riots and rebellions were not late to occur. They were usually limited in reach and poorly coordinated, yet their sheer quantity forced the Empire to increasingly strengthen garrisons on occupied worlds. This, in turn, sparked further uprisings, but it soon became clear that, however brutal, ferocious and even physically superior the rebels might have been, they were no match for the well-trained, well-armed and well-disciplined occupants. Under such conditions, the Empire’s complete victory and pacification of the zone would probably soon have been complete, had it not been for a fatal mistake. Noticing how fitted for specialised roles the local species seemed, a newly appointed governor devised a scheme to create groups comprised of some individuals of each of them, which would have been able to autonomously carry out a variety of tasks. This project was soon enacted, and a number of especially bright or otherwise prominent creatures was gathered, as per instructions, in “multipurpose xeno-labourer units”.
The components of these units, who soon learned to communicate between themselves in a simplified form of the Iurrthurl speech (which would later become the common language of the Conglomerate), were not slow in establishing contact on another level as well. They both yearned to be free from the Imperial yoke; now, they were afforded an opportunity to reach this goal by preparing to strike from where their enemy least expected it, and each found a vital new ally in the other. Thus, while outwardly appearing as though they actively collaborated with the Imperials, the multipurpose units covertly worked to develop their own traditional technologies, all while remaining in contact with each other and rebel groups, who spread messages of renewed hope among the general population.
When the newly invigorated forces of the two occupied nations believed themselves ready to launch the long-expected uprising, the Empire was already showing signs of weakness. Some of the garrisoned troops had been withdrawn, and there was little hope new reinforcements, had been necessary, would have been timely. Thus, the position of the local Imperial forces was somewhat weakened; yet they did not deem it worthwhile to increase vigilance, believing the locals to have finally lost all strength to rebel, and were caught unawares when the masses of the xenos turned upon them at once, supported by swarms of bio-engineered monstrosities and fearsome war machines which had seemingly appeared from nowhere. Soon, the entirety of the Terran troops present in the occupied zone had been torn to shreds; yet the exultant rebels did not find this sufficient, and turned upon human civilians with undiminished ferocity. Those who were not immediately slaughtered were transported to Skerrath synth-pits, and were never heard from since; those attempting to flee from the systems were pursued with captured Terran spacecraft and secretly constructed prototypes, the forerunners of the Conglomerate armada, and annihilated. When news of this massacre reached the Empire, it dispatched a fleet to subdue the insurgents; however, it already had few ships to spare at that time, and the assault was successfully repelled. What occurred during the Liberation was nothing short of genocide; yet the inhabitants of the Conglomerate still remember it with pride, and never tire of glorifying the “heroic deeds” of their ancestors.
With the hated oppressors destroyed and peace restored in their territories, the newly freed nations set to rebuilding their planets as they deemed it best and planning their future courses of action. Mindful of the Liberation’s success, their leaders convened that it would have been most advantageous to consolidate their alliance, and founded the Ulvarith Conglomerate, named after the appellation of their sector in the common language. Over the next centuries, the Nucleus tirelessly worked upon strengthening the ties between the two peoples, largely through the methods described above, and further developing their stunted industries and economies, contributing, where possible, to causing them to be greatly reliant upon each other.
Other:Bio-drones: One of the greatest accomplishments of joint Iurrthurl and Skerrath research, bio-drones form the backbone of the Conglomerate's labour and military forces. The (non-technical and quite informal) term "bio-drone" denotes a creature partly organic and partly mechanical, generated by unnatural means in outlandish synth-pits. By themselves, these beings do not possess even rudimentary intelligence, and must be controlled by the means of instructions transmitted to its mechanical part.
Bio-drones can serve any variety of purposes, but the most common employment for them tends to be as either servo-units or vehicles. Effectively, all such goods of Conglomerate production fall into this category - everything, from the most minute duct-sweeper module to the largest colony ship, is formed partly of synthetic flesh, blood and chitin, and is, in a manner, alive. This can render it difficult for those of non-Ulvarith origin to use Conglomerate ships, as the feeling of being in the bowels of a colossal biomechanical monster can be quite unsettling.
Another popular use for bio-drones is as biological weapons, and their proliferation I the military sector has led to them largely replacing sentient infantry and, to some degree, armoured and battlefield support units. War-drones come in any variety of shapes and sizes, from hordes of small, locust-like pests to immense lumbering horrors and unearthly nightmares capable of spewing infectious spores or caustic ichor onto the enemy.
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