Whelp, I got my NS up just to get it up. Even though at the moment it contains nothing but names and a population (no, the images aren't broken; I haven't put any in there yet).
Population and Demographics: 200,000,000 (80% T’kai; 20% Uy)
Species:
The original builders and worldeaters of Ch'ak, the T'kai are the sentient species actually native to the system; more specifically they are native to its only remaining planet: Ka'ak. Though they are a humanoid, one would struggle to call them a 'human-like' species. They have a rather long and thick neck, which terminates in a domed head; their ears are pointed and further back along their head whilst they have only a series folds and nasal orifices where a nose should be. And that is not to even mention their skin, which is often described as tough and rubbery in addition to its grey to blue colouration. But perhaps their most striking facial feature is their eyes; they come in a small range of greys and blue but the entire eye is coloured in a rather resplendent fashion. Or perhaps it could be their domes; every T'kai has thick, bony dome at the top of their heads that is incredibly tough. The T'kai are also known for having a thick and heavyset build as well as an average height of 7', which can cut an intimidating figure for even the most average of T'kai.
As one might imagine from looking at them the T'kai are a naturally tough and hardy species. They have a wider range of comfortable temperatures than a human, but though they can live in a wide variety of temperatures, they do have a temperature that is most comfortable for them which is slightly chillier than the average human's. However, despite their hardiness the T'kai are often described as being slower in thought and movement. They show a natural preference for taking things slowly despite being more than capable of making quick decisions and hurrying if the situation calls for it. Of special mention is the dome at the top of their heads, which is made almost entirely of layer of thick bone with layers of natural shock-absorbing liquid. Because of this the dome is freakishly hard, and is able to take an inordinate amount of punishment before cracking; it is believed that ancient T'kai would slam their heads together in a show of dominance.
Biologically the T'kai are fairly typical, though they do differ in some respects. First and foremost are their genders; the T'kai are a race of monogendered hermaphrodites who are able to mate and reproduce with any other member of their species. T'kai children gestate for approximately a year before the mother gives birth and it is nearly two decades before they fully mature; beyond this, the average T'kai will generally live to the age of 150 barring accident or disease before they begin to die of old age. Beyond this, the only notable thing about them is the fact that their blood isn't red, but rather a dark blue.
The Uy are the other, smaller, predominant species in Ch'ak who were native to a planet that no longer exists. They are humanoid in shape as well, and much close in size to a human than the T'kai. But size and shape are where the similarities end, however. The Uy are covered in spongey flesh with numerous bony crests and protrusions, and their lipless mouths are full of numerous fangs. each Uy has a total of 6 small eyes, each of which can rotate independently of each other and are typical red, orange, or yellow in colour. Behind this are 6 dark pits, which are in fact that outermost membranes of their 6 ears. And between the eyes and ears is a small pit. Beyond this the Uy also have 4 fingers on each hand, all of which end in a wicked claw.
Unlike the slower-minded T'kai, the Uy are known for their exceptional speed and reflexes. Uy as a whole tend to be a rather restless people, and can get bored rather easily. Most also cannot stand to stand still for long periods of time; if they are doing something that requires one to stay in the same place they'll often be found tapping their hands and feet and constantly blinking, anything to move as much as they can. The ancestors of the Uy were predators, and it shows in their current form. Their teeth and claws are wicked sharp, and while not liable to do anything to anyone with protection they are more than capable of tearing through bare flesh. But of special note are the small pits located behind their eyes; it is with these pits that the Uy are able to sense heat, similar to the pit vipers of Earth.
When it comes to simple biology, the Uy themselves are even more 'typical' than the T'kai. They have two genders; males which tend to be shorter and stockier and females which tend to be taller and lither. However, when they reproduce it is exceptionally rare for only a single child to be born and the Uy will have become physically mature around the age of 10. Beyond this, the Uy also have a shorter lifespan of approximately 80 years maximum. The Uy also bleed purple, though they breathe oxygen the same as humans and T'kai.
System of Government: Ch'ak itself is a highly centralized republic, with all of the major officials being elected by the people of Ch'ak. The government itself is divided into three separate sphere: Administration, Legislation, and Arbitration. Simply put Administration deals with the day-to-day running of the various worlds, stations, and complexes within Ch'ak; Legislation debates upon and creates the laws of Ch'ak; and Arbitration deals with matters justice and of the interpretation and application of laws.
The Legislation of Ch'ak is interesting in that it is not based upon location, but rather what sector of the economy individuals work. There are four major divisions within the economy (the extraction and production of raw materials, the manufacturing of finished goods, the service industry, and intellectual activities), and each elect representatives to the highest body of Legislation: the High Council. Below that are the Four Councils, who represent each of the four sectors and for whom the Councillors represent a smaller sub-section of that sector. The First Council consists simply of Extraction and Agriculture. The Second Council is divided into Manufacturing, Construction, Textiles, Engineering, Shipbuilding, and Energy. The Third Council is composed of Retail, Transportation, Entertainment, Clerical Services, Media, and Financial, and Military. And finally the Fourth Council's sub-sections are Government, Culture, Research, Education, and Information Technology.
Administration, on the other hand, is based predominantly on location. Like the Legislation there are three levels. At the highest level one has the First Governor, who appoints a council of Secretaries to head the various Secretariats that deal with specifics aspects of administration. Below that each of the separate artificial worlds of Ch'ak elect their own Governor, who deals only with the administration of that world. And the worlds are further divided into Districts governed by elected Lieutenant Governors.
And finally, there is the Arbitration. Each world has its own system of Arbitration, composed of the many local Lesser Courts who's job it is to hold trial for those accused of crimes. However, each world has a Greater Court that deals with appeals. And finally, there is the Apex Court who exists only for the most extreme of circumstances for appeals over whether or not the law in question was truly within the purview of the Councils to pass.
History: When the first species of Ch'ak, the T'kai, began expanding towards the stars near 7 centuries ago, it was but for a single reason. Ka'ak had not become overpopulated and it was fully unified. No, the reason was resources; even with the development and utilization of renewable energy Ka'ak had, over the millennia of T'kai existence, been drained of the vast majority of its resources. So when the T'kai first took to the other celestial bodies of their solar system, it was for the purpose of setting up mining colonies to ship necessary resources back to Ka'ak. However, it was not enough. Even with the numerous colonies there was never an excess of resources for the T'kai, and so there were numerous technological advancements which were research. The most important of these were the warp drive and gravity disruptor. The warp drive allowed the T'kai to expand their mining operations to nearby systems, creating ever more mining colonies. And the gravity disruptor was a small device designed to break apart rock faster than more conventional methods, making mining operations more efficient. And it wouldn't be more than a couple of decades until the design was made larger and more efficient, with traditional methods of mining being replaced with the predecessors of modern World Eaters.
But over the decades, the problem of overpopulation had begun to rear its ugly head in Ka'ak. There were an excess of people, but without room in the cities to efficiently house them. And even worse was that the T'kai's colonies simply did not have the room for massive influxes of immigrants, and the government had decreed that systems with inhabitable planets be left alone. It had gotten so bad that most of the T'kai elite no longer lived on Ka'ak itself, but rather on orbiting space stations that were too expensive for the poorer masses. But these small stations gave an idea to a brilliant T'kai scientist name Dai'soon, who developed the very earliest model of what would evolve into Ch'ak's artificial worlds. Though they were smaller in size and scope than an actual planet, they would still require massive amounts of resources. And the government would not greenlight the project because of this, at least not until another major innovation occurred. Not long after Dai'soon developed his early artificial planets another great mind off in the colonies creatd the earliest of the World Eaters. Though it was only large enough to fully harvest asteroids and other small bodies, enough of them could provide the raw materials for Dai'soon's project. Though it wouldn't immediately solve the overpopulation crisis these early massive space stations would provide homes for a great number of T'kai, and serve as the foundation for all of Ch'ak's astroengineering advancements.
But more important things were about to occur in Ch'ak; they would soon make a bloody First Contact. The T'kai had come across a few sentient species in their exploration, but none that were beyond a stone-age level of technology. And the government forbid any sort of interference with them, though they did 'claim' the system with beacons. But almost a century after expanding into space the T'kai would make contact with their first space-faring civilization: a society of a violent and warmongering species known as the Uy. Though actual First Contact itself was peaceful, if strained, relations between the Uy and T'kai would sour within a year resulting in the First Contact War. The Uy would attempt to conquer the T'kai, seeing them as weak for while the Uy controlled numerous worlds and systems the T'kai lived only within Ch'ak with small colonies elsewhere. At first things went well for the Uy, they destroyed numerous colonies and butchered the inhabitant. They were aided by the fact that they were the technological equals to the T'kai and were both more numerous and ferocious. In addition the T'kai had few proper warships in their fleet. However, over the course of the war the T'kai managed to turn things around: they could bring more of their fleet to bear because of their small size and even though they had yet to develop the artificial worlds they still had a massive population compared to an Uy system. And the T'kai developed counters against the Uy boarding tactics and developed ships that were made for much longer-range engagements.
Slowly but surely the Uy would be forced back, and when the war finally ended up on Uy territory and the T'kai began systematically nuking military installations from orbit the Uy quickly signed a peace treaty with the T'kai. It would only be in the intervening years that the T'kai would come to discover that they did not fight the Uy, but rather only a single faction of them. For the Uy were a divided people, constantly warring amongst themselves. And the reason peace was so quickly signed firstly because the Uy had planned a quick campaign against a small nation that turned into a slog, and secondly because another of the Uy factions had taken advantage of the war to invade from the other side of their empire. This wouldn't be the last of the T'kai's violent interactions with the Uy, but for the most part the Uy left the T'kai in peace aside from raiders and pirates and the like.
But the war resulted in the foundation of the first navy made up of true warships, which would patrol the colonies and protect T'kai interests. And slowly over the years, Ch'ak would grow great enough to rival even the mightiest of Uy factions. The first true World Eaters would be developed 2 centuries after the development of the warpdrive, and with them would come a massive boom in astroengineering. The megastructures of the T'kai would grow larger and larger, until the completion a century later of the very first of the artificial worlds. But in addition to the advancements of megastructures, the development of World Eaters resulted in a shift in mining operations. Slowly but surely the colonies were phased out in favour of the World Eater fleets, which would begin with the celestial bodies in Ch'ak itself. By the time of the first artificial planet much of the natural celestial bodies of Ch'ak would be gone, devoured to create the artificial world that would house billions of T'kai.
But approximately a century later, the Uy would be united into a single political entity whilst the T'kai developed Ch'ak into a single system to rival empires. But the Uy were suffering severely from overpopulation; the multiple births of their species combined with few worlds similar to their homeworld resulted in major overcrowding all across their empire. And they looked to the T'kai and their artificial worlds with covetous eyes. Though not all Uy believed that war was the proper action, the empire cared not and sent their fleet to Ch'ak. After several skirmishes in systems being harvested, there was a great battle on the outskirts of T'kai itself. It was, without a doubt, a humiliating defeat for the Uy. Their ships were outdated and their boarding parties were destroyed before they could reach the T'kai ships. And slowly but surely the Uy ships were picked off and destroyed, with those who survived to flee limping back to Uy space.
The T'kai didn't even get a chance to formally demand a surrender and end to the hostilities before the Uy empire shattered and broke into civil war. Dissatisfaction with the current government of their dire mishandling of the situation as well as their authoritarian methods resulted in mass mutinies among the military supported by much of the civilian administration. It became a massive free-for-all among the Uy, though nearly a billion Uy had no desire to be a part of the fighting. It was these refugees that petitioned the T'kai to immigrate and integrate into their nation. To their surprise, the T'kai happily agreed and they were personally escorted to Ch'ak by the T'kai fleet. All in all, it ended up being an influx of nearly 2 billion due to many who decided to join after the offer's acceptance. Space was made for them in the artificial worlds which were not full, and the integration process began. It was not, however, without it hiccups. The Uy had many things to get used to, such as the universal usage of the T'kai language, the peaceable culture of the native T'kai, and certain laws such as the birth restrictions that the T'kai government had put in place so that overpopulation would never be an issue.
Most of the Uy were able to adapt, aided by the T'kai's willingness to accommodate them in many ways such as the official adoption of the Uy tongue on worlds with an Uy population. Though some Uy couldn't stand it and left Ch'ak, either to return home or hoping to create a new home elsewhere, the Uy eventually became well integrated into the society of Ch'ak. They were given full-status and over the years a shared identity as Ch'ak'ii was fostered among the T'kai majority and Uy minority. But then nearly a century later, 500 years after the T'kai first traveled to other stars, another wave of refugees arrived in Ch'ak. This time it was unannounced and the refugees, numbering nearly a billion, were in far worse condition. Many were suffering from sever illness and burns, and the tales they told horrified the Ch'ak'ii, both T'kai and Uy alike, to the core. The wars between the numerous factions of Uy had never stopped, and while this the Ch'ak'ii were aware they had no idea how severe the conflict had become. In a desperate bid to 'win' several factions had begun systematically nuking entire planets, which resulted in similar retaliation which escalated to the point that nuclear bombardment was the norm. Eventually the war had become one of nuclear annihilation, and the billion dying slowly of radiation sickness were all that remained of the Uy outside of Ch'ak. Ch'ak'ii fleets were sent to survey the worlds, and they all returned back with the same results: Every populated Uy planet was now a irradiated wasteland. A few came back with handfuls of dying survivors and the ships dispatched to the capital had managed to retrieve samples of some of the hardy life that had survived. But for the most part, everything was dead.
This period of integration was not as difficult as the first for several reasons. There were only half as many refugees this time, there was already entire generations of Uy who knew no life but that as a Ch'ak'ii, and the fact that many of them either died or were grateful to the Ch'ak'ii for saving their lives. Eventually the poor refugees were integrated, and business returned as normal to Ch'ak. The next 200 years would be a time of great peace and prosperity for Ch'ak. It would continue to grow, and the World Eaters would continue their harvesting of planets for raw materials. There was also trade and contact with small and insignificant civilizations elsewhere in their neighbourhood. And there was even scant and occasional contact with alien species whose people ruled over vast interstellar domains. But they were far off and Ch'ak saw no reason to make any particular effort to contact them, though they had little interest in barring any of their kind from visiting either. Though that is now set to change; the current First Governor, Cha'ki'la, is a known proponent of involving Ch'ak in interstellar politics beyond its current small area. And over the years, more and more of the population had already been coming to that idea themselves.
Culture: For the most part there is only a single distinct culture for the Ch'ak'ii despite the two races who make up Ch'ak's population. This is thanks to centuries of assimilation of the Uy into the cultural beliefs of the T'kai. The Uy do, however, continue to speak their own language and most Ch'ak'ii speak both the T'kai and Uy standard languages. Furthermore, Uy religious beliefs did not die out either and in some cases attracted T'kai adherents, though the vast majority still follow the various faiths of the T'kai.
When it comes to the two disparate species, society treats them both equally. As far as most Ch'ak'ii are concerned it doesn't matter whether one is a T'kai or an Uy. In fact, the people of Ch'ak tend to identify as Ch'ak'ii first, and their species second. The only times when the two are treated differently are when the differing biology get in the way. For example later schooling tends to be separated by species solely because it takes twice as long for the T'kai to develop as the Uy.
To the Ch'ak'ii life is considered a special thing, a thing considered almost sacred by even the agnostics and atheists among them. To take a life is no small thing, and only done for the most important of reasons. That being said there are a variety of reasons one could use to justify the taking of a life, especially self-defense. The Ch'ak'ii as a result are not a particularly violent people and even the more violent and predatory nature of the Uy has been subdued by the T'kai's more pacifistic culture. However, they are not a people who would ever sit idly by and allow one to harm them or their families; though there have only been a scant few wars in Ch'ak's history the Ch'ak'ii fought ferociously in all of them. The Uy especially owing to their nature as apex predators.
Another thing of note is that as a whole, the Ch'ak'ii are rather compassionate. They care immensely for the well-being of others, unless they prove themselves undeserving of such care. But once one shows themselves as undeserving, it is a long road to once again gaining the Ch'ak'ii's trust. This results in a welfare system that is rather solid, and will cease all support to anyone found to be abusing it. However, poverty isn't a major problem in Ch'ak. The main cause is likely Ch'ak's system of parental and birthing laws; those who are in poverty are forbidden from having children and even those who aren't must register for parental licenses before being allowed to bear children. Though they are lenient in some ways (if one accidentally becomes pregnant and aborts the child or puts it up for adoption there is no penalty) if one has too many children without a permit, the individual may be forcibly sterilized depending upon the circumstances. Though this may seem harsh it is rooted with the Ch'ak'ii's compassion; how could a parent be so selfish as to raise a child in conditions such as poverty?
In terms of religion, there is no single Ch'ak'ii faith or even a faith that makes up the majority of the population. There are numerous faiths and religions practiced in Ch'ak, of both T'kai and Uy origin, and not even the largest can claim more than a fraction of Ch'ak's population. They also vary considerable, as they are naturally rooted in the various cultures of two separate species. There are monotheistic, pantheistic, polytheistic, and even atheistic faiths all practiced. A notable religion is the Ava'ul'ara'chai, or Divine Unity, Movement which is a faith that takes beliefs from all the disparate religions and beliefs that all of their great prophets, teachers, and their like were all given pieces of a Greater Truth. Other than this, there is also a fair percentage of Ch'ak'ii who are either atheistic, agnostic, or simply irreligious.
Important People, Places, and Organizations: Ka’ak: Homeworld of the T’kai and the only natural celestial body that exists in Cha’ak; home to ~10,000,000 people and capital of Ch'ak. Chul'Hazaa: Largest of the Grand Fleet's starbases, and home of most Ch'ak'ii Admirals whilst they are not on-mission. Cha'ki'la is'Ku'nai'rak es'Ken'ka'zu: First Governor of Ch'ak.
Military Size: 10,000,000 total
Military Details: The military of Ch'ak is divided two separate but related wings: the Grand Fleet and the Army Corps. The larger of the two is the Grand Fleet, as it is the branch that Ch'ak'ii military doctrine utilizes most. There is little desire for any kind of 'boots-on-the-ground' operations for Ch'ak; they are more apt to bombard a planet from orbit than land troops on the surface. The Army Corps itself is both an Army and a Marine Corps as soldiers are trained in ground combat, boarding actions, and landings. In addition to this the military is composed entirely of volunteers, without conscription of any kind.
The Grand Fleet has several different duties; they spend most of their time either docked in one of the numerous Naval bases in Ch'ak or patrolling the system, but they also send out groups to patrol and protect systems where Worldeaters are busy extracting resources. Organization is rather simple, with the major officers being Captains and Admirals. Captains, quite simply, command a single ship. Admirals, on the other hand, are simply officers who are in command of more than a single ship though they are themselves Captains of their own ships. Organization is extremely flexible with practically no permanent organization; ships are organized into different groups as necessary and Admirals are given temporary variations of the Admiral rank to denote the size of the group they are actively commanding.
The Army Corps has a much more structured organizational system, being primarily based around 4,096-strong Regiments. Naturally there are a great number of these Regiments, with them numbering over a thousand. Individual regiments are lead by Regimentists and are divided into numerous smaller groups, with each regiment essentially being a miniature army of its own with its own armour, artillery, air support, etc. However, the specifics differ-from Regiment to Regiment, and certain Regiments will focus on a specific area. Each individual Regiment is also responsible for its own recruiting, training, and administration. However when it comes to requiring a larger amount of troops there is a more central administration that organizes the Regiments into larger temporary organizations commanded by General Officers.
Weapons Tech: The basic form of weaponry utilized by both the Grand Fleet and Army Corps are laser armaments. Ch'ak'ii ships tend to mount batteries of laser cannons and laser point-defense system, while most Ch'ak'ii infantry usually utilize handheld laser weaponry of various forms. However, they are not the only weapons in use by the Ch'ak'ii military. Particle beams and plasma weaponry are also in usage by both branches of the military as heavier, if harder-hitting additions to their arsenals. One thing that is rather noticeable missing are solid munitions of nearly any form; the only non-energy-based weaponry utilized by the Grand Fleet or Army Corps would be the missiles utilized by the Army Corps' artillery support and the nuclear warheads the Grand Fleet may resort to during orbital bombardment.
In terms of less offensive military tech, the Army Corps makes heavy usage of power armour and the Grand Fleet is incredibly automated. Nearly every actual infantry unit in the Army Corps utilizes power armour, which not only serves as armour but has inbuilt communications, a HUD, and a variety of sensors. Among the ships of the Grand Fleet much of the more menial tasks on the ships are performed by autonomous AI, with individuals overseeing their operations and making sure they're working properly. However, the ships still require a full compliment of command and bridge crew due to those positions being ones that the Ch'ak'ii's rudimentary AI are simply incapable of doing at all. Though the Grand Fleet does also utilize unmanned drones as their 'fighters' or 'bombers'.
General Technology: Though Ch'ak is quite average in most facets of their technology there are certain areas in which they excel, and these technologies are what Ch'ak is most well-known for. Their advances in the fields of astroengineering are without peer within the Alpha Quadrant. They are able to house their massive population within only a single star system because they do not limit themselves to already existing worlds. Rather, Ch'ak has numerous artificial planets that house the billions of T'kai and Uy the system is home to. With their advanced knowledge of engineering and construction the Ch'ak'ii have built numerous megastructures such as those, though none rival the sheer size of their synthetic worlds. Their most ambitious project is a ringworld which will eventually encircle Ch'ak itself, though at present construction is slow and not expected to be finished for centuries and there are those who doubt that it will even be possible.
But the creation of these titanic structures requires massive amounts of two things: energy and resources. Energy is less of a problem, as large numbers of fusion reactors combined with expansive arrays of solar collectors provide the necessary power for the massive construction projects. But raw materials are quite another matter. And with this, comes their other great technological accomplishment: the Worldeaters. Worldeater is, of course, a colloquial term but one that fits rather well. Worldeaters are immense ships which use a highly advanced gravitational distortion technology to literally rip apart celestial bodies for raw material. While one can 'devour' a small asteroid or meteor rather quickly, it takes fleets of Worldeaters months or even years to break down anything the size of a moon or planet. This combined with the vulnerability of the Worldeaters means the Ch'ak'ii military doesn't use this technology for combat purposes.
Economy: For the most part the economy of Ch'ak is doing rather well. Poverty isn't a major problem, though this may be in part because of the government's restriction of those in poverty from bearing or raising children. Though there is a wealth gap between the richest Ch'ak'ii and the most average, that is considered normal and the average Ch'ak'ii is more than capable of living a comfortable life. Probably the most important thing to note about Ch'ak is that it is, essentially, completely self-sufficient. There are imports, especially of luxury item that cannot be created in Ch'ak, but most items are manufactured within Ch'ak itself. However, Ch'ak also exports very little as those manufacturing goods usually only manufacture enough for the Ch'ak'ii population. As a result one has a stable economy, but one that has next to no ability to influence others.
Spaceships: The spacefaring vessels of Ch'ak, though numerous and varied, tend to have a certain aesthetic to them that mark them as a Ch'ak'ii design. Most tend to have a look to them that could be called 'industrial' or 'spartan' in that it tends to favour form over function. They are very nearly all longer than they are wide, while sharp angles and flat surfaces are common and they are all an almost uniform grey. This is simply because the Ch'ak'ii see little point in wasting vast amounts of paint to colour their ships' hulls; though most ships do have their own names painted on them and things such as vents and airlocks tend to have paint around them so as to inform anyone walking along the outside of the ship of their presence. And finally most Ch'ak'ii ships, especially those utilized by the government including the Grand Fleet, all tend to share the distinction of having no discernible top or bottom. The top and bottom of the ships are exactly alike, and the ships themselves are perfectly symmetrical if divided vertically or horizontally from front to back. The exceptions to this rule are generally ships designed for functioning in-atmosphere, since it is easier to design one side with landing gear.
Ey'kal-Class The Ey'kal is the basic 'fighter' of the Grand Fleet, though it could more accurately be referred to as a hybrid fighter-attack craft. Thanks to the lack of a manned pilot it has no need for controls or life support systems, and is able to fit more weaponry on its chassis than a comparable ship of its size. It's armed with a plasma rifle mounted along the front of the craft for heavier targets, as well as a pair of laser turrets along the top and bottom (designed to deal with other attacking strike craft without needing to dogfight). Though it can be used for atmospheric operations, it is limited to a supporting role because of its less than stellar maneuverability. Tik'hai-Class Compared to the Ey'kal the Tik'hai is far faster and manueverable. And, thanks to its more aerodynamic shape, it is more capable of in-atmosphere operations. However, this comes at the sacrifice of firepower; the Tik'hai has only 4 forward-mounted laser cannons in its arsenal. This, combined with it speed and maneuverability, make the Tik'hai less of an attack craft than the Ey'kal and more of an interceptor. Ey'rak-Class The Ey'rak is one of the two more 'exotic' design of Ch'ak'ii strike drones, built with a rather specific purpose in mind. The Ey'rak does not dogfight, nor does it fly close to larger enemy targets and unleash its heavy weapons. The ship has been stripped down to only its necessities, and mounted with the largest particle cannon possible. The Ey'rak is, essentially, a particle cannon with an engine strapped to the back of it designed to assist in destroying larger targets from afar. As a result it is the slowest of the strike drones, and is completely unsuitable for atmospheric operation. Viy'she-Class The Viy'she is the other 'exotic' strike drone utilized by the Grand Fleet, and in fact 'strike' drone is something of a misnomer. The only thing it 'strikes' are incoming enemy projectiles, as the Viy'she is a small craft designed for the sole purpose of defense. They stick close to their mother fleet, and help with the destruction of incoming projectiles with their advanced targeting computers and numerous point-defense laser batteries. In terms of offensive capabilities, the Viy'she have absolutely nothing.
Al'yan-Class The Al'yan is the smallest of the Grand Fleet's proper 'warships', and it exists primarily for defensive purposes. It is only about 300 meters long, but its armed with a large number of relatively light laser turrets in addition to its point-defense lasers. The reasoning for this is because the Al'yan is designed predominantly to protect against enemy strike craft, and so the number of weapons is considered more important than their power due to the relative weakness of the small vessels its designed to defend against. Vai'ru-Class The Vai'ru is larger than the Al'yan at ~500 meters long and is the smallest Ch'ak'ii ship designed to engage real enemy vessels. However, it's smaller size means that it is still primarily used to escort and support the larger Ch'ak'ii warships. It's primary armament are its heavy laser turrets combined with several plasma cannons. In addition it holds room for several accompanying strike drones. Mal'ak-Class The Mal'al is a warship designed with only a single purpose in mind: orbital bombardment. It has only a few laser turrets, but the Mal'al's main armament are either a single massive plasma cannon, particle-beam, or thermonuclear weapon-launcher that it uses to destroy enemy targets from orbit. Though it's not particularly large at ~400 meters long, it is not a particularly fast or maneuverable ship. This is simply because much of the ships inside is devoted solely to its massive orbital weapon rather than engines; speed and maneuverability aren't particularly important anyway since they will never purposely engage enemy ships. Har'kil-Class The Har'kil is the largest of the 'small' warships at ~700 meters. It serves a similar function to the Vai'ru, primarily serving as a support to the main battle-ships of the Grand Fleet. However it's far more heavily armed than its smaller cousin, with its main armament being composed of turret-mounted heavy lasers and particle beams in addition to heavy plasma cannons. And, like the smaller Vai'ru, it has hangars for a small number of strike drones. Vasi-Class The Vasi is yet another ships whose primary function is to serve as the support for heavy warships in a main battle fleet. However, it differs from its cousins the Vai'ru and Har'kil predominantly in its armament. Those ships primarily utilize beam weapons supported by plasma weaponry, while the Vasi is the opposite. It has far more heavy plasma cannons, most of which are mounted on turrets than it does lasers. It is slightly shorter than they Har'kil, though it is wider.
Kae'resh-Class Though it is the smallest of the Grand Fleet's heavy warships, the Kae'resh is still a monster at slightly longer than 1,000 meters. It serves as the principal backbone of most fleets expecting heavy combat. Much of its armament is composed of particle beams and heavy plasma cannons mounted on turrets, in addition to the standard point-defense lasers. In addition, it also comes with hangars able to deploy a respectable force of strike drones, as well as having dedicated orbital bombardment weaponry. Quvix-Class The Quvix is a rarity among the heavy warships in that it primary function is as a carrier. Most of the Grand Fleet's heavy warships are built for flexibility and have both heavy armaments in addition to strike drone hangars. The Quvix is the exception to that rule; its only offensive weapons are a series of particle beam turrets while as much space as possible is dedicated to hangar bays for the numerous strike craft that call the Quvix home. They are so large, in fact, that the Quvixs are able to hold more strike drones than any other ship utilized by the Grand Fleet despite being only approximately a fourth as long as the most massive ship-class and on par with the Kae'resh. Kal'sin-Class The Kal'sin is the first of Ch'ak's massive flagships at near 2 kilometers long. It is, essentially, a scaled up and more powerful version of the Kae'resh, with all that implies. More guns, larger hangars, heavier shields, and a correspondingly slower movement. While it's smaller cousin forms the backbone of Ch'ak's battle fleets, the Kal'sins give the fleet some much welcome extra firepower. Buzuv-Class The Buzuv is the Grand Fleet's behemoth of a warship. Though it is one of the slowest ships in the fleet because of its bulk, the massive thing measures nearly 4 kilometers in length. It has a massive armament of the most powerful weapons the Grand Fleet has to offer, from heavy particle beams and plasma cannons to devastated orbital bombardment armamments, as well as expansive hangar bays that house impressive amounts of strike drones. However, because of their imposing size Buzuvs rarely see combat except in the most extenuating of circumstances; in the event one was to be destroyed it would be an incredible blow to Ck'ak as there are only a handful of the vessels in service.
Name: Yulurra Olovin
Species: T'kai
Gender: N/A
Appearance: The most obvious trait of Yulurra is the simple fact that they are huge; at over 8 feet tall they're considered large even for a T'kai. Most of their skin is light grey, though their skin tone changes to dark blue around their face. Yulurra's eyes are also a rather striking gem-like light blue colour. They are also considered fairly attractive for a T'kai, though it is unlikely anyone of another species would see it. However they also has a thin tattoo wrapped around their upper arm with their surname spelled out on it, which is a custom usually seen on some Uy. Like most Ch'ak'ii they wear a variety of clothes with origins in the former disparate cultures of both Ch'ak'ii species. But they also wear the typical blue officer's uniform of a the Grand Fleet, with the accompanying insignia that mark them as a Captain.
History: Yulurra was originally an accident; an unexpected pregnancy for someone who was unable to acquire a parental license. And so they were put up for adoption before they were even born. It wasn't bad, however, adoption was common in Ch'ak and before they even came into the world they had a nice couple lined up with all the appropriate papers signed. And that was how they came to be raised from birth by an Uy couple of the Olovin family, a lineage who could trace itself all the way back to the first Uy refugees to Ch'ak and who went barely a generation without a member serving in the military. And though Yulurra was no biological child, she was still a member of the family and aspired to join the military from a young age. Even when their father, a former Captain with more more artificial limbs than natural, did his best to make them understand that it was something to take seriously they were not dissuaded.
So when Yulurra came of age she applied to join the Grand Fleet and was accepted into one of the officer schools. And while there were some who assumed their name had something to do with their acceptance Yulurra quickly proved them wrong by excelling in most fields. Eventually, at the age of 25, she graduated and was given a commission as a Junior Officer, and assigned to a Vari-Class warship. Though she saw little action and it was exclusively pirates who were stupid enough to attack Ch'ak's World Eaters, she eventually advanced up the ranks until given a commission of her own. It was Vai'ru-Class ship, and with it she ran patrol and escort missions but the occasional reconnaissance as well.
It was on a recon patrol into a system known for harbouring pirates that they received their first taste of major combat. It was still against pirates, but the patrol had stumbled upon a pirate refuge, where they were entrenched and outnumbered the Grand Fleet ships. In the ensuing fight, where the naval vessels were primarily concerned with escaping the system, Yulurra ordered their ship to cover the retreat of the rest of the vessels. They managed to draw most of the fire, and the other ships escaped with barely a scratch. But by the time their jump drive was able to fire Yulurra's ship's shields had been depleted and it had taken a beating and they were forced to seal off several areas to prevent the ship's entire air supply from being vented out into space.
When Yulurra returned, she was given a medal and a commendation. But they were unable to take part in the scouring off that system due to the repairs their ship was undergoing. But over the next several years they would run many successful missions into the uninhabited spaces around Ch'ak, even ones that took them away from home for months at a time. And they would even receive a new commission as Captain of a larger Har'kil-Class ship. And so it was, at the age of 39 that they were given a new mission. Their Har'kil would be modified and refitted for long-range exploration instead of simple recon, and Yulurra would continue on as its Captain. They accepted the mission without hesitation, and now awaits their launch into the great unknown.
Weapons: Captain Olovin does not carry much of an armament themselves. As a Captain of a Grand Fleet vessel, they carry only a simple sidearm. In the case of Yulurra this sidearm is a laser pistol. Though relatively small, the weapon is still nothing to balk at. It fires a continuous laser beam at targets and even if armor can withstand getting shot, bare flesh will quickly scorch and burn in an incredibly painful fashion.
Besides that Yulurra is also competent in hand-to-hand combat. Though it has more to do with their size and strength and less to do with technique, as they never studied proper hand-to-hand combat beyond the very basics. After all, they went to officer school for the Grand Fleet; naval officers aren't expected to do much hand-to-hand fighting.
Personality: Yulurra is often described as an exceptional serious and professional individual, and those who describe them that way would not be entirely wrong. Yulurra is not a particularly social person and act in such a manner simply because it's easier than trying to figure out how to act normally around people they aren't familiar with. They are noticeably more relaxed around those who they consider friends which at this point includes much of the Xudin K'oz's crew, which the exception of the new individuals assigned to the ship for its exploration mission.
Yulurra is also an incredibly loyal individual, being loyal towards Ch'ak almost to a fault. Though it's not simple blind nationalism, but a sincere belief that Ch'ak is right in the way that it operates and acts. Though they recognize that Ch'ak is not perfect, Yulurra truly believes in the ideals and morals of Ch'ak as a whole. And Yulurra is, at their core, an honest and good person. They will always do what they believe to be the right thing, and thankfully at present this has yet to cause many problems since her career has been spent fighting pirates and raiders which isn't a particularly morally grey area.
Skills: Yulurra Olovin is a starship captain with over a decade of experience as a naval officer. Much of this time was as an actual Captain, and in addition they have years of experience on long-term reconnaissance missions.
Starship: The Xudin K'oz is a highly modified Har'kil-Class warship. It has had many of its weapon systems stripped out to make room for equipment more relevant to its current mission, such as long-range scanners and several laboratories. However, it does still have enough of its particle beam turrets and plasma cannons to be a threat to small ships looking to plunder it. The number of strike drones is also lower, and neither of the two that it carries are truly 'strike' drones. They are unmanned exploratory vessels, designed to travel where the ship itself cannot.
Fabulous, now to throw the concept for my nation and see if that's cool too. I wanted it to sort of be a species who, technology-wise, are pretty average except they're really good at making things that are really, really big and the extraction of raw materials to use in the construction of said things that are really, really big. I wanted to have them be confined to only a single system (by choice), but many artificial planets and ringworlds and the like which house their population. And those artificial megastructures are the only thing in the system, since everything else has been harvested for raw materials. And there's sort of a ring of systems around their one that are empty because everything has been harvested to be used for the megastructures in their home system.
So I'm looking at this, and I'm interested. But I do have a question about the allowance of one technology: megastructures. Like, not a full-on Dyson Sphere but more planet or moon sized structures. Sorry if it's been brought up already, and if it's a no-go that's cool.
I'm gonna put forward some interest in this, though I'm still gonna need to figure out who exactly I'll be. I have a couple of ideas, but nothing particularly concrete at the moment.
