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===== '''Welcome to the VORE Station background page!''' =====
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'''Welcome to the VORE Station background page!'''


This is the starting page into VORE Station's lore, also commonly known as 'fluff' (but we usually just call it lore). This is the basic, common knowledge that the vast majority of characters should know and helps introduce you, the player, into the world of our server. While you do not have to know every little detail by heart it would be wise to skim through some of the pages. At least to know how our lore differs to the other SS13 servers.
This is the starting page into VORE Station's lore, also commonly known as 'fluff' (but we usually just call it lore). This is the basic, common knowledge that the vast majority of characters should know and helps introduce you, the player, into the world of our server. While you do not have to know every little detail by heart it would be wise to skim through some of the pages. At least to know how our lore differs from the other SS13 servers.


Many wiki lore pages are constantly under construction and open to change, If you feel like you may have something to add, please join our [https://discordapp.com/invite/0yCTdQTDRZL5CFSN discord] and pop your head into the #Lore channel. '''Note:''' ''Unlike other pages of this wiki, changes to these pages must be approved by our Loremaster or another admin.''  
Many wiki lore pages are constantly under construction and open to change, If you feel like you may have something to add, please join our discord and pop your head into the #Lore channel.
 
'''Note:''' ''Unlike other pages of this wiki, changes to these pages must be approved by our Loremaster or another admin.''


Once again welcome to VORE Station, we hope your stay here is a long and enjoyable one!
Once again welcome to VORE Station, we hope your stay here is a long and enjoyable one!


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The year is {{year}}CE (Common Era) and Humanity has spread amongst the stars, forming a diverse and enduring diaspora of political and cultural ideas, thought streams and creeds. Spearheaded by the Terran Commonwealth, which serves as a rump state and soft dominant cultural power, Humanity is slowly spreading through the Orion Spur and ensures the perpetual endurance of the Human race in one way or another. With the discovery of the mysterious properties of the Alden-Saraspova particle and the abundance of it in the naturally occuring substance of Phoron, FTL travel and communication has become a reality through utilizing Bluespace Technology and enabling the massive energy requirements for truly wondrous public projects of shaping entire planets to a habitable atmosphere in decades, not centuries.  
[[File:Virgo-Prime.jpg|thumbnail|left|Virgo Prime]]The year is [[Timeline|2562]] CE (Common Era). With the help of massive [[colony ship]]s, humanity had slowly spread and colonized our sun's neighboring systems. [[Alpha Centauri]], [[Tau Ceti]], [[Sirius]] and more are connected by a network of [[Warpgate|warpgates]] that makes travel between systems take as little as hours instead of decades. With the discovery of the seemingly supernatural [[phoron]] and the acquisition of [[Terraforming|Terraforming Machines]], on-ship [[Faster-than-Light Travel|FTL drives]] became a possibility, increasing the speed at which humanity expanded and colonized the stars at a never before imagined rate.
 
But Humanity is not alone - not only do the diverse human factions compete under each other, but also with other intelligent life, like the ambitious Tajaran, the imperial Unathi or the enigmatic Skrell and many more smaller and greater alien species.
 
''It’s a brave, new world.''
 
==Welcome to the Frontier==
Welcome to Virgo-Erigone (Virgo for short), a system within the Coreward Periphery, one of the two current frontiers of Humanity they pay even a modicum of attention to. This is due to the reason you are stationed on one of the moons of Virgo 3, Virgo 3B. The gas giant, being a massive ball of liquid and gaseous phoron is one of the many of the Coreward Periphery, where a phoron heavy star has gone supernova millenia ago, scattering the coveted material over nearby star systems, just waiting to be exploited.
 
For this reason Virgo-Erigone is colonized much like many other systems by a mess of charters working under Mega Corporations (such as your workplace), personal charters of wealthier individuals pitching together in a start-up, independents and other unions and polities,all keen on receiving one slice of the Phoron pie. Sometimes competing, sometimes supporting each other, sometimes being outright hostile to each other - life in the Coreward Periphery is dictated by opportunity and a certain clannishness between each other, as there is no central authority whatsoever and living standards can rise and fall on a dime with just one poor decision or one windfall.  


We aren't alone in this endeavor, the [[Skrell]], [[Akula]], [[Unathi]], [[Tajaran]], and more explore the stars alongside of us, expanding the frontier ever further for knowledge and profit.
The universal currency of the Coreward Periphery, introduced by a conglomerate of mega corporations and simply accepted as a good standard, if one could call it that, is the Thaler representing a fraction of FTL travel expenses.  In theory, one Thaler represents one second of flight within bluespace. This makes the currency precious in the Rim, but less so in the developed systems of Humanity and Aliens, where it is required to be exchanged to more conventional currencies, either backed by fiat or by kilowatt hours of energy.


However, danger lurks just around the corner. From hostile aliens like the [[Vox]], other, unknown entities whose true names are only whispered in the shadows and existence kept hidden from the common person, are blamed for damaging and causing the disappearances of ships, stations, and [[colonies]] out on the frontier. [[Phoron]], as beneficial as it is, is still relatively unknown and all of its dangers even more so. Finally, space itself is a cruel, uncaring mistress that countless have lost their lives to, from something as simple as a tear in their space suit to something more sinister to mankind being its own worst enemy.
===Life in the Periphery===
While automated labour is common in the core worlds, there are several problems that hinder its widespread implementation in the Periphery. Drones are incredibly inflexible in their programming and any program sophisticated enough to handle the, often changing, circumstances in the Frontier will likely be a positronic brain, which has requirements like any sapient being of having social contact and friends if one does not want to make them go mad in isolation.


It's a brave new world.
Then, there is the issue of actually maintaining all this infrastructure without human input and the very real danger of pirates simply bombing the facility with EMPs as soon as they find out that only machines operate there.


==Welcome to the Frontier==
Thus, the Periphery is populated with a plethora of contractors milling in one station to the next to earn their paycheck, handling any work more sophisticated than simple labour and even that is done in the spirit of either being incapable of affording drone swarms or plain refusing to do so due to the cost.  They also serve the purpose of being a higher barrier to attack and maybe even murder for pirates, as property damage is a whole other unethical step than outright killing a fellow sapient being - and well, to keep AIs company.
Welcome to [[Virgo-Erigone]] (or Virgo for short), a system on the edge of colonized human space, the frontier. You are assigned to work on a moon orbiting [[Virgo-Prime|Virgo-3]], one of only two [[phoron]] giants in known space. Several [[List of Trans-Stellar Corporations|Trans-Stellar Corporations]] (TSC's) including [[NanoTrasen|NanoTrasen Systems Inc.]] (NTS), the [[Free Trade Union]] (FTU) and countless independents hoping to strike it big at [[Virgo-Prime]] are all vying for control of the system. Virgo lacks a stable [[warpgate]], relying instead on ships capable of [[FTL|faster than light (FTL)]] speeds, so [[Sol Central]]'s presence in this system is almost nonexistent. In Virgo, NanoTrasen is the de-facto governing body of the star system. They supply all the housing, nearly all of the infrastructure, all emergency services, and employ numerous [[Mercenary|military contractors]] to provide security—some of whom may or may not be playing both sides of any given conflict.
 
As contractors earn their license without questions asked as soon as they pass standardized tests offered by the NGO “Galactic Labour Pool”, there is a rich tapestry of creeds, cultures and species working in the Periphery. In a sense, it is a great melting pot of the galaxy as everyone is united either by the lust for a big paycheck or by the dogged adventurous spirit of taming the wild unknown.  
 
Travel to the Coreward Periphery varies depending on urgency and affluence when going from or to the Terran Commonwealth and specifically Sol. The shortest amount is three weeks, the longest amount is 2 months. Holidays back home need to be planned well in advance due to it!
 
Due to a lack of a central authority, many colonies either rule themselves or have appointed managers of their respective charter holders. It isn’t uncommon for to see colonies within a system to work as loose confederation, but so far no real effort for a “real” government has been considered - most colonies are purely erected due to economic interests and often just abandoned to the cold, harsh mistress of space when the Phoron runs out.


The universally accepted currency by all but a select few systems and regions is the [[Thaler]], which is backed and supported by Sol Central and its [[Sol Central#Allies|allies]]. It is represented by the symbol "$" (e.g. $130). With the advances of technology, the overall standard of living and education is high even out in the frontier, though glaring examples still exist (Like the [[colonies|colony]] [[Tenebre Lupus]], whose supporting companies had completely collapsed and left them stranded, for example).
===Life in Virgo-Erigone specific===
NT’s presence in Virgo-Erigone is actually relatively small - they are much more active in Amaterasu, Tenebrae and First Footfall, but the buyout of a royal charter company of the Zorren Kingdom An-Tahk-Et led to them occupying several ruins of the old Zorren Empire at Virgo 3B and Virgo Prime, paying homage and minor taxes in exchange for continued quasi-sovereignty over their installations - as such Zorren law holds little sway over these pockets of soil.


==Life in Virgo==
The main installations that are the most important are “Central Command”, an old basalt quarry of the Old Zorren Empire, now re-functioned as central communication and administrative hub for the region and the Tether itself - the NSB Adephagia, also an old Zorren Ruin, initially excavated by An-Tahk-Et, before leased to NT in exchange for helping them to develop more dry docks.
Out in the frontier, employers, be they a captain of a [[Free Trade Union|Free Trade]] vessel, a [[List of Trans-Stellar Corporations|Trans-Stellar]] executive, or just someone with money to spare and in need of an extra hand, are forced to take just about whoever is willing and apparently able. With [[Sol]] being months worth of spaceflight away—even with faster than light travel—running a full background check on a candidate is not viable, which means many questionable people get placed in even the most high-security positions and loyalty is 'by your word', which means in Virgo, corporate backstabbing and criminal activity is quite high. This and a lack of available employees in general means employees who do prove themselves often find themselves promoted quickly, and put into positions that they are even the slightest bit capable of.


Unlike in systems where the Sol has more influence such as [[Nyx]], [[Vir]], or [[Tau Ceti]], the population in Virgo is a rich melting pot of sentient species, be they natively born, hybrids, or outright artificial and made of genetically modified flesh or carefully crafted silicon. Your coworkers will often include alien species, some of which you might recognize, and others that you'll be seeing for the first time. Due to exposure to so many different cultures, many of these aliens have lost their accents or cultural identities.
Refurbished as staging point for drone tankers filling themselves richly with harvested Phoron from surrounding facilities, the Tether serves also as staging point for xenoarcheological, xenobiological, xenobotanical and other scientific expeditions into the surrounding ruins, old quarries and mines of the planet and the star system as a whole - and, under the table, the occasional salvaging of competitor’s derelicts in both space and the surface.


Due to the lack of an official government, NanoTrasen is the de facto ruling body in the Virgo-Erigone system, as no other faction has the resources to provide social services, infrastructure, and security like NanoTrasen does. Most of the citizens living on Virgo-Prime are employees of the corporation or part of a subcontracted company that does business with NanoTrasen.
The tether is a relatively comfy posting as NT tried to use it as staging point for more fervent colonization of the system. However, the Zorren blocked such attempts, leaving a strangely comfy fuel station and administrative hub, serving the orbiting NIS Orator with a direct fuel pipeline, which it uses happily to sell phoron fuel to any nearby ship, attracting a lot of air traffic of the myriad factions within the Virgo-Erigone system.


Many of the inhabitants of Virgo-Prime fly off-world to work aboard the {{StationName}}.
==Non-Catalogued Species==


== Non-Canon species ==
====Custom Species====
'''Custom Species'''
[[file:Background-CustomSpecies.gif|left]]
Home planet: ???
Home planet: ???


Home system: ???
Home system: ???


Here on Virgo our users and staff have created a varied back catalog of bits and bobs for species not specifically listed below. We do not enforce players play one of the canon species listed below. You may bring in your own special snowflake! As long as they, and by extension you, follow our [[Rules#Create and play server-appropriate characters|rules over playing server appropriate characters.]] If you are having trouble [[Character Creation|creating your character]] please refer to our "Character Creation" guide.
Here on Virgo our users and staff have created a varied back catalog of bits and bobs for species not specifically listed below. We do not enforce players play one of the canon species listed below. You may bring in your own special snowflake! As long as they, and by extension you, follow our [[Rules#Create%20and%20play%20server-appropriate%20characters|rules over playing server appropriate characters.]] If you are having trouble [[Character Creation|creating your character]] please refer to our "Character Creation" guide.


==Alien species you will meet==
==Catalogued Species==
The below is a brief overview of humanity and aligned species in the known universe. The links in the name will redirect to further information about the species.


'''NOTE: If you wish to play a whitelisted or a canon-bending version of one of the species listed below, please log into our forums and head to the "[https://forum.vore-station.net/viewforum.php?f=45&sid=262b542651b49b2e7dfa0e4f7cdc16c1 Special Characters]" Section and Fill out a "[https://forum.vore-station.net/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=277 Special Character Applications]".''' See the [[whitelist]] page for more details.
====[[Humans]]====
'''Home planet''': [[Sol#Sol_3_-_Earth|Earth]]


(Please add new species to the [[:Template:Species|template]] as well.)
'''Home system''': [[Sol]]


===[[Humans]]===
Humanity, everything and nothing can be said about them. As diverse is their thinking, as fractured is their society. Intrepid and mercantile, brutal if needed to, Humanity has formed a great diaspora among the stars primarily driven by their innate curiosity and love for adventure and exploration. While a good half of them live under the wing of the Terran Commonwealth, centered around their home planet [[Sol#Sol_3_-_Earth|Earth]], the extremely diverse political theory they have accumulated over the centuries led to many splits, arguments and secessions.
[[file:Background-humans.png|left]]
'''Home planet''': [[Earth]]


'''Home system''': [[Sol]]
While most humans are accepting of other species and simply want to earn an honest paycheck, the best and worst are found among them. You never know what a human is going to be like when you first meet them.


Humanity, everything and nothing can be said about them. They are the primary driving force for rapid space expansion and perhaps the most populated (known and sentient) species in the galaxy. From atop their [[United Systems of Sol Central|SolGov]] throne their economic prowess helps secure a position on the galactic stage. The vast majority of [[Trans-Stellar Corporations]] are owned by humans, and the mighty USDF is the main military presence in any system where humans make up the majority of the inhabitants. By this time men and women are treated all but equal, however there may still be exceptions.
Humans are most well-known for the stalemate and eventual peace with the Unathi during the Hegemony War, firmly cementing them as one of the major species in the Orion Spur.


While most humans are accepting of other species and simply want to earn an honest paycheck, the best and worst are found among them. You never know what a human is going to be like when you first meet them.
====[[Unathi]]====
'''Home planet''': [[Moghes]]


Due to their prevalence in current known space, and their ability to encompass all traits, good and bad, humanity is often considered the 'status quo'.
'''Home system''': [[Moghes#Astrology|Uueoa-Esa]]


===[[Skrell]]===
The Unathi are a race of tall, reptilian humanoids that possess both crocodile-like and serpent-like features. Their scales are hard and plate-like, save for the softer ones that line the inside of their legs, armpits, and groin. Originating from the planet of [[Moghes]], the Unathi live in a complex, almost byzantine bureaucracy developed over the centuries of their Hegemony of their pocket of space.
[[file:Background-Skrell.png|left]]
'''Home planet''': [[Qerr'balak]]


'''Home system''': [[Qerr'Vallis]]
The Unathi believe in a rigid honour system, following their duty to the Hegemony itself, then their respective allegiance and finally their own family, valuing dignity, strength and expertise above all. Learning crafts, however peaceful or martial, is seen as the perfect expression of Unathi pride.


The Skrell is a species of amphibious humanoids, distinguished by their green-blue gelatinous appearance and head tentacles. Skrell warble from the world of [[Qerrbalak]] (or as the lore once called it, [[Jargon 4]]), a humid planet with plenty of swamps and jungles. Currently more technologically
The Unathi were humanity's second major race contact, but due to their imperialistic nature, engaged in an interstellar war with humanity known as the Sol-Hegemony Conflict. Although the conflict has long since ended, and relations have slowly improved, Unathi are still often considered to be haughty and arrogant for their much older culture, often leading to tensions between them and younger species.
advanced than humanity, they emphasize the study of the mind above all else.


Gender has little meaning to Skrell outside of reproduction, and in fact, many other species have a difficult time telling the difference between male and female Skrell apart. The most obvious signs (voice in a slightly higher register, longer head-tails for females) are never a guarantee.
====[[Skrell]]====
'''Home planet''': Qerr'balak


Due to their scientific focus on the mind and body, Skrell tends to be more peaceful and their colonization has been slow, swiftly outpaced by humanity. They were the first contact sentient species, and are humanity's longest and closest ally in space.
'''Home system''': Qerr'Vallis


=== [[Teshari]] ===
The Skrell is a species of amphibious humanoids, distinguished by their green-blue gelatinous appearance and head tentacles. Skrell warble from the world of Qerrbalak (or as the lore once called it, Jargon 4), a humid planet with plenty of swamps and jungles. Currently more technologically advanced than humanity, they emphasize the study of the mind and the mystery of the natural world through philosophy and mmemotics.
[[file:Background-Teshari.png|128px|left]]
'''Home planet''': [[Qerr'balak]]


'''Home system''': [[Qerr'Vallis]]
Gender has little meaning to Skrell outside of reproduction, and in fact, many other species have a difficult time telling the difference between male and female Skrell apart. The most obvious signs (voice in a slightly higher register, longer head-tails for females) are never a guarantee.


The Teshari are reptilian pack predators from the Skrell homeworld. While they evolved alongside the Skrell, their interactions with them tended to be confused and violent, and until peaceful contact was made they largely stayed in their territories on and around the poles, in tundra terrain far too desolate and cold to be of interest to the Skrell.  In more recent times, the Teshari were technologically uplifted by the Skrell to be a space-faring race of their own, one that's ready to prove its worth to the galaxy at large.
Due to their extremely decentralized, but locally total rule, colonisation always has been an issue for the Skrell and even though they are among the oldest species known to Humanity still occupy just as much space as the diaspora of humans - so far they know. It is indisputable however that humans and skrell consider each other, if not natural allies, at least cordial partners for the joint exploration of Space.


===[[Akula]]===
====[[Tajaran]]====
[[File:Background-Akula.png|left]]
'''Home planet''': Meralar
'''Home planet''': Unknown


'''Home system''': [[Qerr'Vallis]]
'''Home system''': Rarkajar


The Akula is a species of amphibious humanoids like the Skrell, but have an appearance very similar to that of a shark. They were first discovered as a primitive race of underwater-dwelling tribal creatures by the Skrell. At first they were not believed to be noteworthy, but the Akula proved to be such swift and clever learners that the Skrell reclassified them as sentients. Allegedly, the Akula was also the first sentient life that the Skrell had ever encountered beside themselves, and thus the two species became swift allies over the next few hundred years. With the help of Skrellean technology, the Akula had their genome modified to be capable of surviving in open air for long periods of time. However, Akula even today still require a high humidity environment to avoid drying out after a few days, which would make life on an arid world like Virgo-Prime nearly impossible if it were not for Skrellean technology to aid them.
A relatively young species, much like the humans, the Tajaran are a humanoid race possessing cat-like features. Hailing from Meralar, they possess insulating fur and felinoid stability to better survive in their harsh native environment. Their home planet is a cold planet of vast tundra and arctic zones.


Most Akula today consider Qerr'Vallis to be their home where they live alongside their Skrell allies, while their true homeworld has been forgotten over the ages. Akula still tell legends of their homeworld, passed down through word of mouth, talking of great magical cities on the bottom of the ocean in a galaxy far away. Skrell historians believe a great tragedy befell the Akulan race which led to their near extinction, and the tribal Akula they eventually discovered had actually descended from the survivors of this once technologically advanced species. The most widely accepted theory is that the Akula originally hail from the [[Andromeda]] Galaxy. This is supported by the fact that varying races of Akula have been found in scattered tribal communities across the galaxy, some more technologically advanced than others, but all without space travel of their own. Unfortunately, no one has the technology today to make such a journey to find out.
If one follows their turbulent history, many would see a defining cultural trait for many Tajaran - an innate sense of ambition and pride. Empires fell and rose with the pride of their leaders and pride of what they are, driving them to throw off the yoke of others. Tajaran might be the most aggressive colonisers concurrently, leaving their political landscape volatile and unpredictable.  


Gender as a cultural identity has little meaning to most Akula, which is a result of Skrellean cultural influence, but the difference between male and female among the Akula is much more obvious than with the Skrell. Like humans and Tajaran, female Akula have large breasts and curvaceous bodies, along with similar reproductive organs that appear almost mammalian in nature. Food also plays a huge role in their sexuality. The best way to an Akula's heart is through their stomach. Their demeanor will often change to docile and flirtatious while engorged with food—similar to Earthly sharks, or other shark-like creatures on other worlds with life. It would turn out that the shark is a popular evolutionary path for water-dwelling predators throughout the cosmos.
They, however, care little for such. They see themselves as masters of their destiny - it only has to be manifest.  


Unlike the Skrell, Akula tends to be more arrogant and less intelligence focused, and will often find themselves in trouble with the law outside of Skrell controlled systems. Popular professions for Akula include piracy, smuggling operations, mining, and mercenary work. However, due to their mutual respect of the Skrell, most will not engage in hostile activity against Skrell or other Akula.
Tajaran are usually less trusted due to their ambitions and upstart nature, but this attitude is greatly diminished in the Coreward Periphery - where every person is gladly taken.


=== [[Unathi]] ===
====[[Sergals]]====
[[file:Background-unathi.png|left]]
'''Home planet''': Tal
'''Home planet''': [[Moghes]]


'''Home system''': [[Moghes#Astrology|Uueoa-Esa]]
'''Home system''': Vilous


The Unathi are a race of tall, reptilian humanoids that possess both crocodile-like and serpent-like features. Their scales are hard and plate-like, save for the softer ones that line the inside of their legs, armpits, and groin. Originating from the planet of [[Moghes]], the Unathi live in an extremely religious society.
Sergals are a race of furry shark-like headed creatures from the planet Tal in the Vilous system. They are one of two intelligent races living in the system, the other being Nevreans. They are split into four main ethnic groups,  being the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western sergals.


The Unathi generally believe in and closely follow a set of [[Unathi Culture#Religion, The Unity|Decrees]] laid out in their belief system, The Unity. Unathi believes in living long, prosperous, honorable and productive lives. They firmly believe in improving the skills of their craft to reach a level where they can be considered to have mastered it.  
Humanity encountered the Sergals during the colonisation of Tal by Yantzu Mining, a now defunct corporation, who disregarded them as savages due to the first contact with the northern sergals, who live in primarily agrarian and hunter-gatherer societies, an attitude that did not change with the much more developed Eastern and southern Sergals, who grasped complex economics and trade networks under their various confederations and leagues of city states in the climates with many artificial or natural waterways.  


The Unathi were humanity's second alien contact, but due to their aggressive nature, engaged in an interstellar war with humanity known as the [[Sol-Hegemony Conflict]]. Although the conflict has long since ended, and relations have slowly improved, Unathi are still often considered to be 'second-class' citizens and are rarely seen in jobs other than where muscle is needed. It is also still common for racial tensions to run high, although this is less common on the outskirts of SolGov's grasp.
This led to the Sergals making the humans first connected and then dependent on their goods (mostly agricultural), before just driving them out with relatively simple tariff wars, leading to Yantzu Mining losing standing in the Human Diaspora and to their eventual bankruptcy. Acknowledging their intelligence and culture, most human enterprises now lead mutually beneficial development and trading charters with the Sergals, who often stride out into the world to learn about the technology and crafts of the galaxy to bring them back home and transplant them into their home cities. 


===[[Tajaran]]===
====[[Nevreans]]====
[[File:Background-tajaran.png|left]]
'''Home planet''': Tal
'''Home planet''': Meralar


'''Home system''': Rarkajar
'''Home system''': Vilous


The Tajaran are a humanoid race possessing cat-like features. Hailing from Meralar, they possess insulating fur and felinoid stability to better survive in their harsh native environment. Their home planet is a cold planet of vast tundra and arctic zones. For generations the Tajaran were practically enslaved by the leading class who were recently overthrown. Males and females are treated roughly equal. There are three divisions of Tajaran, two being sensible, the other... not so much.
Flighty and avian, the Nevrean share their home planet with the Sergals, who is their relatively close genetic cousin, although their appearance is quite different, rather looking like a mixture between a feathered dinosaur and a bird, with clear sexual dimorphism between male and female Nevreans. Some take to genemodding, diverging from the appearance of the baseline species.


Tajaran is one of the more recent contacts humanity has encountered. While plenty of Tajaran hold reservations with their new allies, overall the alliance is accepted and welcome. Though, like the [[Unathi]], plenty of humans take advantage of the less than modern education, and it is rare to see a Tajaran in a position of command outside of systems like Virgo where the human population is limited.
Nevreans are properly spacefaring, with many having moved beyond Tal and the Vilous system, but the majority still living within the system. Their culture encourages a storied oral tradition, although modern recordkeeping means this is mostly as a form of art rather than accounting. Cooperative with neighboring stellar powers, their history with the second sapient species of Tal might have been the reason why most of their cultures are very much accommodating to xenos.


===[[Sergal]]===
Nevrean are perceived as industrious and excellent crafters, largely in part to Vilous's successful and unique shipbuilding industry. However, Nevreans will take any job, particularly ones that allow creative expression. It is not unusual to find a Nevrean in a spacer's crew across many parts of known space.
[[File:Background-Sergal-Northen.png|left]]
[[file:Background-Sergal-Southern.png|left]]
'''Home planet''': [[Vilous#Tal|Tal]]


'''Home system''': [[Vilous]]
====[[Zorren]] and [[Vulpkanin]]====
'''Home Planet''': Menhir (Virgo 4) / Altam


'''Home System''': Alat-Hahr (Virgo-Erigone)/ Vazzend


'''(Sergal Lore is about to go under Renovation, Please follow it for now until we can Finalize the rewrite.)'''
The origin of these two diverse species is subject to debate in the specifics, but DNA sequencing and archeology determined that Zorren and Vulpkanin have both belonged to a progenitor species that has been spacefaring before Humanity reached industrialization. While the decline and eventual complete collapse is still unknown, the Coreward Periphery is dotted with old outposts, cities and facilities, most often almost completely lost to the wastes of time.


There are two subspecies of Sergal, Southern and Northern. Northern sergals are a highly aggressive race that lives in the plains and tundra of their homeworld. They are characterized by long, fluffy fur bodies with cold colors; usually with white abdomens, somewhat short ears, and thick faces. Southern sergals are much more docile and live in the [[Gold Ring City]] and are scattered around the outskirts in rural areas and small towns. They have short, brown or yellow (or other "earthy" colors) fur, long ears, and a long, thin face. They are smaller than their Northern relatives. Both have strong racial tensions which have resulted in more than a number of wars and outright attempts at genocide. The southern sergals have mostly been on the losing side of this long conflict. Sergals have an incredibly long lifespan, but due to their lust for violence and a nasty habit of occasional cannibalism, only a handful have ever survived beyond the age of 80, such as the infamous and legendary General Rain Silves who is claimed to have lived to 5000. Although General Rain's historical existence is disputed, she is nonetheless a symbol of the Sergal's warrior culture.
The Zorren and Vulpkanin are the only known descendants of this precursor empire, living on planets that have been to some significance for the precursors, although it’s not quite understood what exactly made them special. In case of Virgo 4, it is suspected to be either an industrial-focussed planet or a weapon testing facility, due to evidence that the planet had several moons before its asteroid rings, while the clement conditions of Altam and the much higher population of Vulpkanin leads to the theory that it was either a market or waystation of an important supply line.


Despite advances in technology, militant Sergals still wear metal or leather armor and usually favor polearms or bladed weapons, and are capable of great physical feats thanks to their strong, wiry limbs with much denser muscles than humans, more akin to a chimpanzee's muscles. They are reluctant to embrace new technology and pride themselves on the old ways. Despite this, they have made great use of short-range space travel and have colonized much of their home system. This is not, however, to say they are not intelligent. Their intellect rivals that of the Skrell but is focused mainly on military tactics and strategy, rather than science or history.
While genetic drift and deliberate DNA manipulation (such as Zorren having hemocyanic blood instead of red blood like Vulpkanin) drifted them apart considerably, both Zorren and Vulpkanin are curious about their respective cousins and their heritage.


Among sergals, females tend to be the dominant gender with larger, more muscular and bulky bodies, and a much more aggressive demeanor, especially among the northern race. This gender divide is most likely born out of the legacy of General Rain, or perhaps General Rain is a fictional character who is the result of this culture where females are often commanders and warriors in vast armies while males are hunters and farmers who may be one of multiple mates to a single female. Like many mammal-like creatures, sergals have breasts, but females also have a unique prehensile hood over their genitalia which protects it from dust and infection.
However, while Vulpkanin’s interest is mostly relegated to a passing academic interest, Zorren are obsessed with their ancient heritage and deliberately try to shape their societies according to ancient customs, social mores and culture, seeing themselves as inheritors of a lost Golden Age.


Humanity encountered Sergals in the year 2524, when the [[USDF Pathfinder]] discovered the planet Tal, but did not join the intergalactic community until late 2558 due to [[The Vilous Incident]], wherein a total of 1,057 USDF personnel and somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 native Sergals were killed in a brief military conflict. The Vilous system has been under USDF occupation ever since, and has only recently been officially annexed into [[SolGov]]'s influence.
====[[Altevian]]====


===[[Promethean]]===
'''Home Planet''': None
[[File:Background-Promethians.png|left]]
'''Home planet''': [[Aetolus]]


'''Home system''': [[Kataigal]]
'''Home System''': AHX-PK9 (Dead System)


A gelatinous race of mimics evolved from their slime predecessors that were first discovered aboard the NRS Prometheus, these colorful humanoids are best characterized by their ability to repurpose and shape their bodies for whatever a situation may warrant by means of their semi-solid structure. Along with this is their semipermeable membrane encasing their gel, allowing them to filter feed while keeping the undesirable matter out of their bodies. Their composition allows them to resist most sources of brute trauma, though energy will cause their limbs to become unstable and disintegrate. Prometheans are also void of most normal organs, only possessing a core and cytoskeleton, both of which are crucial to the slime's survival.
The Altevians are a species of tall, rodent humanoids that are akin to rats for their features. Unlike most species, they do not have a home planet, or system. Instead, they have opted to live in massive super capital-class colony ships with a flagship as the place they would call home.


Being an artificially created race, and a new one at that, Prometheans have no unified culture, though there are small populations of Prometheans scattered around the universe, the tropical planet of [[Aetolus]] in particular having roughly one thousand such individuals. Currently, Prometheans ''must'' have a caretaker in accordance with USDF regulations, normally a xenobiologist or other trained caretaker.
The [[Altevian#Unathi_Hegemony|Altevian Hegemony]] has a constitutional monarchy that ensures the ships and ruling of their fleets are operating under the interests of the majority of its people. They are also heavily invested in trade and mercantile relations between the other empires and sectors.


===[[Nevrean]]===
The Altevians first alliance was with The [[Vox]], and served as a rather unique entry into the foray into the galactic circle, still being newer in terms of working and operating within the galactic core. Unlike The Vox, they are way more welcomed to migration, trade, and working along with others.
[[file:Background-Nevrean.png|left]]
'''Home planet''': [[Vilous#Eltus|Eltus]]


'''Home system''': [[Vilous]]
===='''[[Vox]]'''====
'''Home planet:''' ???


'''(Sergal Lore is about to go under Renovation, this will also effect Nevrean. Please follow what is written for now until a later date.)'''
'''Home system:''' ???


An avian species hailing from the planet Eltus in the Vilous system, characterized by their long whiplike tail-feathers. The species is generally matriarchal, with females tending towards duller, brown coloration and bulkier bodies, while males are slight and brightly colored. In both typical mannerisms, culture and physical build, the sexes are directly reversed when compared to traditional human society. Their build is somewhere between a bird and a feathered dinosaur. Females tend to have short feathers on their arms that are not capable of flight, while males often have more developed flight-feathers - on-station, these are often kept tucked away and folded under their jumpsuit sleeves.


There are no remaining records describing how the Nevreans came to leave Eltus and relocate to Tal - they have little to no written history from that time, having a tradition of oral history and song, and most of what little history survives of their former homeworld is couched in myth, legend, stories, fairy tales and adventures. Humanity has not yet had time to study these stories and separate fact from fiction, and reality from metaphor, or what parts of the stories might hint at the then-primitive race having a visit from a spacefaring species. As a result, Eltus has attracted no small amount of interest from xenoarchaeologists.
The Vox are an enigmatic nomad species hailing from gigantic arks and their tender fleets. Not much known is about them as they prefer to keep to their own, only having contact to other species when trading resources or "acquiring" loot through more clandestine or overtly hostile means.


After the exodus, Nevreans coexisted alongside Sergals, though tend to be much more forward-looking when it comes to new technology. While sergals still tended towards traditional melee weapons and armor in battle, Nevreans have no such hangups when it comes to more modern armaments and has earned a reputation as crafters and engineers in urban communities. Likewise, the urban groups have tended to adopt the written languages of other cultures, nevreans lacking any written form of their own tongue.


During [[The Vilous Incident]], most nevrean communities avoided confrontation, though a handful of urban groups took to asymmetric warfare tactics against USDF special forces when fighting entered the city.
The Vox themselves are quilled, raptor-like species with various configurations that have not been fully catalogued as many attempts to see anything but the common, short "Primalis" often ends in extreme violence. Vox are also phoron-breathing, making extended contact with them a rather difficult challenge, as either party has to live under constant precautions to not be poisoned by each other's breathing mix.  


===[[Diona]]===
[[File:Background-Dioan.png|left]]
'''(( Whitelisted species - requires a special character application to play. ))'''


'''Home system''': [[Epsilon Ursae Majoris]]
Vox are, in general, seen with much wariness due to their proclivity to use violence and banditry to achieve their goals, which often seem to revolve around resource acquisition. However, some Vox and presumed exiled Vox work in human space as mercenaries, engineers and other employees, usually regarded with a cautious amount of respect as they are tireless and determined workers.


The diona are a group of omnivorous, slow-metabolism plantlike organisms that are in fact clusters of individual, smaller organisms. They exhibit a high degree of structural flexibility and come in a wide variety of shapes and colors to reflect the intelligence of each individual creature. They were discovered by the Skrell in 2294CE, not on a planet, but in open space between three stars, a figurative hell that made it difficult to discover, much less contact them.
'''[[Rapala]]'''


Diona spread by seeds and are asexual, no gender. When grown into their small 'nymph' state, they are known to eat large amounts of dead plant matter and fertilize plants while they learn from those around them by sampling their genetic code (usually through blood extractions), and as they grow further merger into larger and larger forms. It is not unheard of for Skrell explorers to be traveling in a ship composed of habitat modules and engines of Skrell make, with the body of the ship formed by their Diona allies to warble across the cosmos.
'''Home planet:''' Uh'Zata


Introduced by the Skrell, and quite slow and peaceful, the Diona share good relations with humanity.
'''Home system:''' Kelezakata


===[[Synthetics|Synthetics]]===
The Rapala are a species of winged humanoids, whose arms are instead large wings with a large range of colouration (especially as genemodding expanded the "natural" colour spectrum). Beyond their wings, they seem deceptively human, to the point were confusion arose if they are actually an alien species - however this is a case of convergent evolution as Rapala sexual differentiation does not involve two genes, but four, along the axis of having a female or male reproductive system and along the axis if they present more feminine or masculine.  
[[file:Background-Synthmorph.gif|128px|left]]
Synthetics are spread throughout known space and serve a myriad variety of roles that range from a tiny drone scrubbing a floor to a nearly omnipotent AI used in a combat-ready interstellar vessel. Most known sufficiently-advanced races use synthetics in some way; very often as prosthetic bodies when their own bodies fail. There are three basic kinds of synthetic intelligences found in the universe today:
*'''Drone''': A drone is the term for any synthetic that uses more simple artificial intelligence constructs such as chips or motherboards. While capable of very sophisticated interaction, they are, in essence, only expert systems and not truly sapient.
*'''Cyborg''': A cyborg is a synthetic that uses an organic brain to function via an MMI, short for Man-Machine Interface. Cyborgs come in many shapes and sizes and most sentient cyborgs are free-willed. Some companies have used canine brains and brains of other animals to ensure a cheap workforce that doesn't rely on cutting-edge technology.
*'''Positronic Brain''': Positronic Brains are synthetic intelligences equaling the intellect of a particularly clever sapient being and are generalized artificial intelligences that can be seen as equal (or superior) to organic sapience. They possess a neural network not dissimilar to a brain made out of flesh; and are often used when expert systems simply do not make the cut and a true intelligence is needed. Many positronic intelligences strive for self-determination and are often acknowledged to be holders of their own destiny.


Synthetics have the unique capability of serving in different bodies. This can take shape of a [[Synthmorph]], a [[AI|lawbound AI]], or [[Cyborg|lawbound mobile chassis]]. However, transition from one to the other is often more expensive than the net worth of the bodies and is thus done sparingly.
Rapala live in matriarchic oligarchies, centered around an upper class of feminine Rapala acting as a ruling class, while the masculine Rapala are delegated to an almost second class citizenry.


<!---
Rapala are formally the "Rapala-Unathi", a client species of the Unathi and do function in their hierarchy as pilots (due to their excellent navigational and 3D orientation skills) or diplomats and emissaries to human colonies (due to them looking so similar), however they resent their status and are playing a precarious game of achieving more and more autonomy over their overlords.
===[[Demi-Human]]===


[[file:Background-Demi-humans.png|left]]
====[[Zaddat]]====
Demi-Humans, more commonly known as ''"demis"'', is a broad term for any sentient life form that shares physical traits with species outside of its own. A famous example of Demi-human augmentation are nekos, which are humans that underwent genetic alterations to gain cat ears and tails from Tajaran. Later examples have spawned more practical uses, such as bear DNA being utilized by Soviet soldiers, or load-bearing animal DNA like horses or cattle enhancing the DNA of laborers to produce taurs. These Demi-humans either underwent deliberate genetic modification or were born with these traits from a genetically modified parent. This kind of genetic augmentation is most popular among humans (hence the name Demi-''humans''), but it is possible for other species to undergo such changes as well.
'''Home planet''': Xohok


It is believed that the Skrell had some role in the creation of Demi-humans, as some societies containing them pre-date human history, such as the diverse array of species present on worlds like [[Peran]] in the [[Anur]] star system.
'''Home system''': Uueoa-Esa


Demi-Humans continue to be developed even today for increasingly practical purposes. Advancements in genetic and xenoarcheological science have even allowed scientists to tap into the DNA of extinct life forms, which may result in even more augmentation options in the future.
The Zaddat are an Unathi client race only recently introduced to civilized space. Having evolved in the high-pressure and post-apocalyptic world of Xohok in the Vengeful Father system, Zaddat require an environmental suit to survive in usual planetary and station atmospheres. Despite these restrictions, worsening conditions on Xohok and the blessing of the Moghes Hegemony have led the Zaddat to enter human space in search of work and living space. The vast majority of Zaddat now live in nomadic spacer fleets.
--->


===[[Zorren]]===
====[[Promethean]]====
[[file:Background-Zorren.png|left]]
'''Home planet''': None
'''Home Planet''': [[Virgo-Prime]]


'''Home System''': [[Virgo-Erigone]]
'''Home system''': None


The fox-like Zorren are native to Virgo-Prime, however there are two distinct varieties of Zorren one with large ears and shorter fur, and the other with longer fur that is a bit more vibrant. The long-eared, short-furred Zorren have come to be known as "Flatland" Zorren as that is where most of their settlements are located. The Flatland Zorren are somewhat tribal and shamanistic as they have only recently started to be hired by the Trans-Stellar Corporations. The other variety of Zorren are known as "Highland" Zorren as they frequently settle in hilly and/or mountainous areas, they have a differing societal structure than the Flatland Zorren having a more feudal social structure, like the Flatland Zorren, the Highland Zorren have also only recently been hired by the Trans-Stellar Corporations, but thanks to the different social structure they seem to have adjusted better to their new lives. Though similar fox-like beings have been seen they are different than the Zorren.
A gelatinous race of mimics evolved from their slime predecessors that were first discovered aboard the research station Prometheus, these colorful humanoids are best characterized by their ability to repurpose and shape their bodies for whatever a situation may warrant by means of their semi-solid structure. Along with this is their semipermeable membrane encasing their gel, allowing them to filter feed while keeping the undesirable matter out of their bodies. Their composition allows them to resist most sources of brute trauma, though energy will cause their limbs to become unstable and disintegrate. Prometheans are also void of most normal organs, possessing quite the different setup for their homeostasis.


===[[Vulpkanin]]===
Being an artificially created race, and a new one at that, Prometheans have no unified culture, though there are small populations of Prometheans scattered around the universe, the tropical planet of Aetolus in particular having roughly one thousand such individuals.
[[file:Background-Vulpkanin.png|left]]
'''Home Planet''': Altam


'''Home System''': Vazzend
Promethean stewardship varies from state to state. The Fyrds outright outlaw them, while the Eylsian Colonies oscillate between embracing them as fully independent citizens to outright slavery. The norm however is that they require a caretaker at all times to teach them civilization properly.


Vulpkanin or "Vulpa" is a species of sharp-witted canid bipeds residing on the planet Altam just barely within the binary Vazzend system. Their politically de-centralized society and independent natures have led them to become a species and culture both feared and respected for their scientific breakthroughs. Discovery, loyalty, and utilitarianism dominate their lifestyles to the degree it can cause conflict with more rigorous and strict authorities. They speak a guttural language known as 'Canilunzt' which has a heavy emphasis on utilizing tail positioning and ear twitches to communicate intent.
====[[Diona]]====
'''(( Whitelisted species - requires a special character application to play. ))'''


Vulpkanin are an omnivorous (with preference of meat and fish) bipedal furred race vaguely reminiscent of Terran vulpines, and in some cases, reminiscent of Terran Canines. Colorations are usually subdued but vary considerably on genetics, climate, and personal taste. Vulpa descended from the northern latitudes tend towards whites and rarely, very slight, almost unnoticeable blue tints. Vulpa descended from a more equatorial climate tend towards brighter browns and dusty reds. Vulpkanin in the between of both latitudes tend towards greys, muted reds, blacks, and tans. Bright colors, excluding whites from the arctic region, are unnatural as they are often dyes used by younger minded Vulpkanin to stand out from littermates. Genetic resequencing can make an otherwise impossible color a standard which has become a trend not unlike human 'tattoo' culture.
'''Home system''': Epsilon Ursae Majoris


Vazzend is a system undergoing significant solar activity due to the orbital habits of the primary F class star, Vazzend A also known as 'Kol', which due to the interaction between it and the M class star, Vazzend B 'Gol', causes large bouts of electromagnetic energy pulse out at significant range. The cycle is infrequent, but of great fascination. It was also a terror during the early industrial age of the Vulpkanin peoples when they had just started to unlock the principles of electricity. Altam is the second planet of 4 orbiting Gol, which is near Earth-like conditions, if a touch warmer during summer. Jungles are thick, Forests are about the same, deserts larger and oceans a smidge smaller.  
The diona are a group of omnivorous, slow-metabolism plantlike organisms that are in fact clusters of individual, smaller organisms. They exhibit a high degree of structural flexibility and come in a wide variety of shapes and colors to reflect the intelligence of each individual creature. They were discovered by the Skrell in 2194CE, not on a planet, but in open space between three stars, a figurative hell that made it difficult to discover, much less contact them.


These flares promoted the cultural drive to discover what, why, and how and gave the entire civilization a means to reach for the stars through scientific focus. One of their most prized technologies is the degree of EM resistance built into everything they develop; enabling the small fleet of space, then starships to be nearly impossible to disable with ionic weaponry. It was this tech that promoted interest from the Federation and NanoTrasen directly for use in insulating sensitive power equipment, such as harnessing singularities larger than a few microns in size.  
Diona spread by seeds and are asexual, no gender. When grown into their small 'nymph' state, they are known to eat large amounts of dead plant matter and fertilize plants while they learn from those around them by sampling their genetic code (usually through blood extractions), and as they grow further merge into larger and larger forms. It is not unheard of for Skrell explorers to be traveling in a ship composed of habitat modules and engines of Skrell make, with the body of the ship formed by their Diona allies to warble across the cosmos.


With access to both the stars and employment, Vulpkanin people are quickly finding themselves as honest working Engineers and Scientists for hire, their propensity for group efforts using the meticulous use of their materials ensures they're highly prized to any project team. They are also apt security officers and wardens due to the hierarchical mindset of the pack, but only a rare handful have the traits to actually lead as an alpha.
Introduced by the Skrell, and quite slow and peaceful, the Diona share good relations with humanity.


===[[Vasilissans]]===
====[[Vasilissans]]====
[[file:Background-Vasilissans.png|left]]
'''Home planet''': Varilak
'''Home planet''': Varilak


'''Home system''': Antares
'''Home system''': Antares


Vasilissans are a carnivorous, large spider-like people with tall, lanky bipedal bodies covered in chitin, and four large spider-like limbs protruding from their backs. They come in a variety of colors and are extremely diverse in that aspect. The females are usually about a foot taller than the males, averaging in at about seven feet. The females are also much stronger than the males. Their faces have four eyes of solid and varying colors. On the top of their heads are strange, thick, leg-like feelers that are normally styled in much the same way as hair. Their color varies greatly and isn’t normally the same color as the Vasilissan’s body. They have several feelers and sharp claw-like limbs around their lipped human-like mouths. These mouths contain only fangs, a strange, bulbous, long tongue, and spinnerets, giving them the ability to spit large strands of silk from their mouths. Their faces are traditionally very pretty, long, and elegant, almost elf-like despite their hard chitin plating and lack of a nose.  
Vasilissans are a carnivorous, large spider-like people with tall, lanky bipedal bodies covered in chitin, and four large spider-like limbs protruding from their backs. They come in a variety of colors and are extremely diverse in that aspect. The females are usually about a foot taller than the males, averaging in at about seven feet. The females are also much stronger than the males. Their faces have four eyes of solid and varying colors. On the top of their heads are strange, thick, leg-like feelers that are normally styled in much the same way as hair. Their color varies greatly and isn’t normally the same color as the Vasilissan’s body. They have several feelers and sharp claw-like limbs around their lipped human-like mouths. These mouths contain only fangs, a strange, bulbous, long tongue, and spinnerets, giving them the ability to spit large strands of silk from their mouths. Their faces are traditionally very pretty, long, and elegant, almost elf-like despite their hard chitin plating and lack of a nose.


From a temperate jungle planet, the Vasilissans were once a solitary, territorial people until great queens began to subjugate them. These 'Star Queens' ruled with an iron fist and urged their subjects to expand her territory and to attempt to build great towering cities tall enough to reach the stars and their sun, which they believed to be gems of great magical power and spiritual significance. They were eventually picked up and ‘uplifted’ by NT due to their world being rich in precious metals, but their ability to design and create vast, strong, and luxurious structures with their silk, stood out well among their talents, and due to their naturally somewhat solitary natures, they make great scouts and explorers.
From a temperate jungle planet, the Vasilissans were once solitary, territorial people until great queens began to subjugate them. These 'Star Queens' ruled with an iron fist and urged their subjects to expand her territory and to attempt to build great towering cities tall enough to reach the stars and their sun, which they believed to be gems of great magical power and spiritual significance. First contact has been made by NT, who rigorously tried to exploit their culture and adaptive architectural keenness, which went poorly for the Vasilissans until they have managed to contact the greater human diaspora.


===[[Xenochimera]]===
====[[Xenochimera]]====
[[file:Background-Xenochimera.png|left]]
'''(( Whitelisted species - requires a special character application to play. ))'''
'''(( Whitelisted species - requires a special character application to play. ))'''


'''Home planet''': Not known
'''Home planet''': Not known
 
'''Home system''': Not known
'''Home system''': Not known
An extraterrestrial colony organism, xenochimera are unusual in that they have no real defining physiology of their own - effectively, xenochimera mimic other beings, or parts of other beings, by consuming them and mutating their own cellular structure to imitate whatever evolutionary advantages they may find - or in layman's terms, they eat other creatures and copy features to create bizarre hybrids. As a result, no two examples of the species are alike, and they can, in fact, be wildly different in appearance.


Xenochimera are highly unusual and rare creatures, and thus of great interest to Nanotrasen's xenobiology division. Owing to the moral and legal constraints surrounding experimentation on (arguably) sentient creatures, NT's Landside Science Division on Virgo Prime has suggested simply hiring them with the hope that doing so will allow the company to observe and study them in a way that locking them in a xenobio pen would not - and if the scientists on the station can persuade them to ''volunteer'' themselves for examination, that's a bonus.
An extraterrestrial colony organism, xenochimera are unusual in that they have no real defining physiology of their own - effectively, xenochimera mimic other beings, or parts of other beings, by consuming them and mutating their own cellular structure to imitate whatever evolutionary advantages they may find - or in layman's terms, they eat other creatures and copy features to create bizarre hybrids. As a result, no two examples of the species are alike, and they can, in fact, be wildly different in appearance. So much so, that even when they popped up on various colonies, they were dismissed as distinct alien creatures and native wildlife before a connection was finally made.
 
Xenochimera are relative newcomers to the galactic stage, their existence as a distinct species having been only discovered a little over twenty years ago, and as such are of great interest to xenobiologists. Owing to the moral and legal constraints surrounding experimentation on (arguably) sentient creatures, some transstellar corporations hire them in the hope that doing so will allow them to be studied  in a way that locking them in a xenobio pen would not - and if the scientists on the station can persuade them to ''volunteer'' themselves for examination, that's a bonus.
 
The origins of the xenochimera are largely a mystery - xenochimera biomass and individual creatures have been found on numerous planets and even discovered embedded in asteroids and comets across a vast area, but no established populations have been found.


===[[Xenomorph-Hybrid]]===
====[[Teshari]]====
[[file:Background-Xenomorph-Hybrid.png|left]]
'''Home planet''': Qerr'balak (Native : Sirisai)
'''(( Whitelisted species - requires a special character application to play. ))'''
 
'''Home system''': Qerr'Vallis
 
The Teshari are reptilian pack predators from the Skrell homeworld. While they evolved alongside the Skrell, their interactions with them tended to be confused and violent, and until peaceful contact was made they largely stayed in their territories on and around the poles, in tundra terrain far too desolate and cold to be of interest to the Skrell.
 
In more recent times, the Teshari were technologically uplifted by the Skrell to be a space-faring race of their own, one that's ready to prove its worth to the galaxy at large, much to the glee of the Skrell, as they see this as the first real, successful uplifting that has benefited all sides.
 
The Skrell love to rub that in with the other species.
 
====[[Synthetics]]====
'''Home System''': N/A
 
'''Home System''': N/A
 
Synthetics are spread throughout known space and serve a myriad variety of roles that range from a tiny drone scrubbing a floor to a nearly omnipotent AI used in a combat-ready interstellar vessel. Most known sufficiently-advanced races use synthetics in some way; very often as prosthetic bodies when their own bodies fail. There are three basic kinds of synthetic intelligences found in the universe today:
 
●'''Drone''': A drone is a catch-all term for intelligences working on “traditional” programming and hardware, such as optotronics, electronics or carbon-crystal computing. They range from simpler expert systems to truly sapient, powerful intelligences, who are utterly alien to the eye of the beholder.
 
●'''Cyborg''': A cyborg is a synthetic that uses an organic brain to function via an MMI, short for Man-Machine Interface. Cyborgs come in many shapes and sizes and most sentient cyborgs are free-willed, although some, especially in the Elysian Colonies, are beholden to hardcoded obedience protocols that limit their interaction to the outside world if they do not follow specific protocols. A sapient brain is required for more sophisticated machinery.
 
●'''Positronic Brain''': Positronic Brains are synthetic intelligences equaling the intellect of a particularly clever sapient being and are generalized artificial intelligences that can be seen as equal (or superior) to organic sapience. They possess a neural network not dissimilar to a brain made out of flesh; and have similar properties of neuroplasticity and mental resilience, as they cannot be rewritten externally like drones.
 
Synthetics have the unique capability of serving in different bodies. This can take shape of a [[Synthmorph]], a [[AI|lawbound AI]], or [[Cyborg|lawbound mobile chassis]].
 
====[[Angels]] and [[Demons]]====
'''Home planet''': Sanctorum / Infernum
 
'''Home system''': Sanctum
 
Perhaps the most quintessential of all colonies in the Elysian Colonies is the system of Sanctum, found in the earliest years of Humanity’s sprawl into the galaxy and colonized as a mundane agricultural world at first. However, close contact with the Skrell led to leaps and bounds of advancement in gene-resequencing technology and ambitious plans to steer the direction of Humanity.
 
The leaders of Sanctorum (renamed from its original name, lost to time) seen to it that the humans under their care soon transformed into abrahamic paragons of virtue, physically making them look like the popular depictions of angels and turning into a stern surveillance state extolling virtue, self-reflection and rejection of earthly pleasures and vices.
 
This led to an underbelly of dissidents, criminal elements and rogues, who refused to follow these party lines and resisted any attempt of therapy until the Sanctorum authorities were fed up and put them in a penal colony inside the Sanctum system - now dubbed Infernum. There people formed a libertine society of extreme libertarianism and purposefully celebrating all the sinful vices and joys of the flesh their compatriots have forsaken.
 
While relations and extreme societies have mellowed over the time, Sanctorum and Infernum have developed far differently from normal Humanity, focusing less on ever-expanding exploration and instead polishing their societies into their vision of perfection. It is true that Angels live in an early post-scarcity society where they want for little and most labour is automated - while it is also true that they live in a quite repressive state and have forgotten some goods and services to actually want. Meanwhile demons enjoy their excess and free lives, while balancing dangerously on one ambitious person to put them all under the yoke or tear themselves apart with no clear direction on how to spread their libertine ideals outside their small sphere of influence.
 
====[[Alraune]] (currently outdated)====
'''Home planet:''' Abundance in All Things Serene
 
'''Home system:''' Beta-Carnelium Ventrum
 
The Alraune are the native species of a planet within the territory of no less than five Elysian Colonies, concurrently under protection by just these to develop on their own pace. However, previous to this non-contact policy, many Alraune were displaced by Angels and Elysians as companions, garden flowers and pet projects in uplifting, ultimately leading to a Diaspora of more culturally advanced Alraune living in Elysian Colonies and even the Coreward Periphery.
 
====[[Akula]]====
'''Home planet''': Jorhul
 
'''Home system''': Barkalis
 
The Akula are a curious species first found by a human Kosaky fleet while they were scouting for a place to recuperate, take on perishables and potable water. Fierce and aggressive and in a developing society of an amphibian iron age, frequent contact on Jorhul eventually led to the adaptation of Akula into many nomad fleets, as the lifestyle seemed to suit them. Today, the Akulas are found in nearly any nomad fleet as security, explorers and engineers, having largely abandoned their planet to strive for adventure among the stars.
 
==Origins and Factions==
One person is alone, two are a couple. Five is a family. Beyond this, it’s a tribe. Any sapient species eventually form their factions, polities and governments, some of them more important than others. For the Coreward Periphery, these are the most important ones, from which a solid chunk of their population hails from one way or the other.
 
These are the major backgrounds one could possibly have.
 
===[[Greater Human Diaspora]]===
Also called “Earthling Rabble” by older species, there is no doubt about it that Humanity as a whole is very far flung and claims many a star under their name - however, an overwhelming majority are independent and sparsely populated, preferring to enforce their way of life and their prosperity without interference of other humans or centralized governments. These many micronations and habitats can be found all over the Orion Spur. And more often, their ruins.
 
===[[Commonwealth of Sol-Procyon]]===
Also known as: ''Terran Commonwealth, Commonwealth, SolCom''
 
Mayhap the greatest of all star states of Humanity is the Commonwealth of Sol-Procyon or Terran Commonwealth in vernacular, an evolution of the goods and ills of the 21st century nation states coalescing into a federal, parliamentary democracy spanning not only planets but entire solar systems.
 
While the Terran Commonwealth sees itself as protector of Humanity and Freedom, Liberty and Equality, reality slightly differs, where idealism wanes for realpolitik and greed - The Commonwealth combats practically itself, competing political interests and lobbyism making its government at best slightly ineffective in its less developed regions and at worst corrupt and abusing its exalted offices for profit and power. Nothing like the old days, it seems.
 
In itself it's a Federation made up of Star Systems and habitats and covering over sixty federal member star systems - however politically relevant is the "core" of Humanity - the oldest settled colonies of Sol, Procyon, Sirius, Proxima Centauri and Altair, which are cultural, industrial and economic powerhouses, overshadowing other settled systems within their sphere of influence with sheer population numbers and political clout.
 
Beyond that are the self-organized, but not federally represented territories, the appointed-dependent colonies and the “satellites”, smaller states and nomadic lifestyles who are saddled with Commonwealth taxes in exchange for freedom of movement and (not always present) military protection.
 
Deeply entrenched in Commonwealth culture is the fear of losing the tenuous social cohesion as dissatisfied workers and the apathetic middle class are almost always at each other's throat, leading to reactionary movements to about everything - from xenos, to gene editing, to any ideas coming from the Trailing and Coreward Colonies.
 
===[[Unitary Alliance of Salthan Fyrds]]===
Also known as: ''The Fyrds, The War States, Fyrders, Mighty Fighty''
 
A product of neglect, born out of fires of war, reforged into the most militaristic state of Humanity. The Unitary Alliance of Salthan Fyrds has seen its share of loss and tragedy and as hard times made hard people, the governments of the Fyrds have become a self-imposed Aegis for Humanity.
 
At first, they were simply the coreward part of the Commonwealth, prosperously developing as relatively closely clustered planets shown either high habitality or richness in rare materials, especially of Scandium and Helium-3.
 
This changed with the Hegemony War, the cataclysmic (in the eyes of the Fyrds) conflict with the Unathi, who have offered the colonies status as client species - either by the pen or by the sword. Naturally, as humans do, they chose the sword.
 
As the Commonwealth was dragged into the conflict, Salthan was the main battleground, bringing all the horror with it - but the Salthanians never gave up. Rebels, guerillas, irregular troops, they kept fighting for their freedom and eventually the stalemate turned into a peace treaty and a Status Quo Ante Bellum.
 
However, the industries that made the sector prosperous were destroyed and profits sharply declined. Partially abandoned, partially forced into labour by mega corporations and even some less scrupulous Commonwealth officials, the Salthasians finally broke off completely and violently revolted, forming their own Fyrds (nostalgically called after ancient history) and declaring the Perpetual Vigilance, their form of constitution.
 
Today, each planet is a fortress, each citizen a soldier - Each fyrd (planet) led by a general, who sits in the Allied Council, its form of overarching government. A stratocracy to the extremest sense, the Salthasians are trained from birth to fight - there is no such thing as a civilian in their society.
 
Surprisingly, their war machine never turned to other aliens or humans - their conflict is eternally with their most bitter of foes - the Unathi. They both raid and skirmish with each other, testing strength and honing their warriors.
 
===[[The Elysian Colonies]]===
Also known as: ''The Demi-Monde, Slavers, Squabblers, Elysians''


'''Home planet''': N/A
Spinward colonies have always been trouble for the Terran Commonwealth. Nebulae makes communications and travel difficult. Chosen colonists often turned out to be subversive elements. Corporations got defrauded or emasculated in their influence by the colonists... Many things have gone wrong with centralizing power in the surprisingly habitable  worlds of Cygnus and beyond. But the most detrimental factor for a centralized government for the Commonwealth was the Skrell.
'''Home system''': N/A
Xenomorph hybrids are an extraterrestrial species. The origins of xenomorphs are primarily unknown, although hybrids have been formed through various ways. One of the most common ways they are created is by genetic experimentation. This is done either by splicing xenomorph DNA into a humanoid, or splicing humanoid DNA into a xenomorph, although the former is much more common. This process creates a hybrid of the two species with them sharing various traits.


Some of the traits xenomorph hybrids have are: A thick chitinous exoskeleton of varying hardness, much like a lobster, an elongated curved head, a toothed maw which hides a proboscis-like inner mouth, a jaw somewhat similar to a moray eel, green blood of varying acidity, a vertebrate-like body, and a long flexible tail. This can vary from hybrid to hybrid.
With the Skrell came technology and a strangely familiar style of government - instead of puppets and an overlord, the colonies sought to emulate the Skrell by having each their own sovereign government and decision to rule as they see fit and how they see fit - much to the chagrin of the Commonwealth, they have achieved their autarky.


Additionally, most, if not all hybrids '''do not''' appear to share the hive-mind that most feral xenomorphs seem to possess, along with their ability to produce resin, and their increased ability to sense prey. This can also be assumed to be due to the intensive mutation process.
However, this style of self-rule has been tainted by ruthless power brokers, greed and the will to perpetuate singular power structures - as quickly as they broke off from the Commonwealth, as quickly did their ideas of an ideal society wildly diverge from each other. Vanity states rub shoulders with utopian projects, autocracies shake hands with direct democracies. The Demi-Monde is known to have such wildly different styles of governance, culture and even genetic make-up that one gets a whiplash of the mind.


===[[Angels]] and [[Demons]]===
Everything and nothing is allowed in the Demi-Monde. Slaves are happily traded or freed in righteous crusades. People are forced into eugenic projects or reassembled into the figures of ancient mythology. Whatever strives their fancy, Elysians probably have done it at some point or the other. Only their united desire to remain free and self-determinant drives them to ally with each other by convenience to drive out any meddler who tries to impose rules over them.
[[file:Background-Angels.png|left]]
'''Home Planet''': Sanctorum


'''Home System''': Sanctum
They are the most xenophile of all human factions, since people already heavily genesplice here, so nobody can tell if the sapient creature before them is a gene-edited human or an alien.


===[[Third Ares Confederation]]===
Also known as: ''ArConFed, Aresians, Exile-Martians, Formers, Commies''


[[file:Background-Demons.png|left]]
The situation in the Terran Commonwealth has not always been cemented. With the advent of the colonisation of Mars, Venus and later the asteroid belt, there were dissidents, rabble rousers, thinkers and firebrands, pushing for separate societies in which everyone is equitable, the torch of socialism passing down to Humanity in the stars.
'''Home Planet''': Infernum


'''Home System''': Sanctum
Especially the first and second Confederation were seminal times in the history of the Red Planet as they quickly spread out to the disparate and isolated Mars colonies in the beginning and later in the underbelly of dissatisfied and maltreated workers. Both times, the uprising left its mark in the fledgling interstellar civilization, but both times they have ultimately failed to create their sought after polities.


[[Angels]] are a species of winged humanoids. They essentially look like humans but have white feathered wings and a much lighter body. Their bones are hollowed similarly to birds and retain little fat. Sanctum's society isn't commonly known about, while Infernum might have a few more words because of it's tourists.
And thus, the “government in exile” of the Confederation fled into deep space to build their home on foreign shores. They succeeded, in a region now called the Coreward Periphery, where a small, if prosperous Confederation of a dozen systems, held together by their economic and military alliance. While individual member states differ in their ideologies on how to implement socialism and there is much leeway from the Central Government situated at Sars Mara, the Confederation endured the initial hardships of early colonisation with barely any support and now enjoys an Age of Expansionism.
Their society tends to have an elegant yet minimalist taste to it, due to their early post-scarcity state. The majority of their work tends to be automated with the use of machines, and their medicines are advanced. They a significantly older race than many of the others. There are Angels who are heavily genetically modified, who tend to live in Infernum. They are known as [[Demons]].


===[[Rapala]]===
They are experts in large scale efforts, such as terraforming and microgravity engineering - a necessity from where they have started. They readily help other colonies in the Trailing Periphery, with the express purpose of fomenting solidarity and a wish to join them - much to the chagrin of the Commonwealth. However, they are still cooperating and trading with each other. For now.


[[file:Rapala-background.png|left]]
Mostly as the Ares Confederation never saw much need for a strong federal military, letting individual states assemble their own external and internal militia forces, based upon volunteer service. The federal army is rather perfunctory, made up of officers, militia veterans and engineering personnel to train and guide the militias if they so request or maintain the sparse defensive infrastructure within the space of the Confederation.


'''Home Planet''': Verita
===[[Skrell Consensus]]===
The Skrell are peculiar. They think any government beyond a city level would just turn into corruption and imperial ambition. And still their actions after often in unison as their philosopher kings lead them in decisive times. The Skrell Consensus is less a faction and more an ideal - what is right is self-evident for many Skrell and therefore many city states cooperate with each other on an interstellar stage to bring prosperity to all partners involved.


'''Home System''': Kastra-71
A rather idealistic idea, but for the Skrell it works most of the time as their strict caste system has led to very similar cultures and way of thinking for the Consensus, ensuring a smooth operation at almost any given time.


An Avian species, coming from a distant planet, the Rapalas are the very proud race. Sol researchers have commented on them having a very close resemblance to the mythical race called 'Harpies', who are known for having massive winged arms and talons as feet. They've been clocked at speeds of over 35 miles per hour chasing the planet's many fish-like faunae. The Rapalan's home-world 'Verita' is a strangely habitable gas giant, while no physical earth exists, there are fertile floating islands orbiting around the planet from past asteroid activity." 
However, the Skrell are known for, if not outright infighting, of “competitions” on who is the better philosopher king, leading them to unwittingly support or oppose others if they would’ve done otherwise or stay neutral.


===[[Alraune]]===
===[[Unathi Hegemony]]===
'''Home Planet:''' [[Abundane in All Things Serene|Abundance in All Things Serene]]
Presumably one of the oldest governments of the interstellar stage is the Unathi Hegemony, a decentralized state led by the Moghes Priesthood, whose sacrosanct planet arbitrates between and is paid tribute to by the several “Allegiances”, who are part noble family, part extended family and part political party. These Allegiances in turn administer the star systems belonging to the Hegemony and assemble their armies and navies.


'''Home System:''' [[Beta-Carnelium Ventrum]]
Allegiances also have taken up the banner of client species, aliens that are to be taught how to be Unathi while being an underling to their specific allegiance, not the Hegemony itself. As warfare is forbidden by holy law between Unathi, these client species are used to play the everchanging conflict between the Allegiances for dominance.


The Alraune are the native species of a planet within the Territory of Sanctum, concurrently under protection for them to develop on their own pace. However, previous to this non-contact policy, many Alraune were displaced by angels as companions and pet projects in uplifting, ultimately leading to a Diaspora of more culturally advanced Alraune living on Sanctum, Virgo-Erigone, Vilous and other Virgo-Erigone colonies.
The Unathi Hegemony ,if united, is almost unstoppable. However, the Allegiances almost work as a check of balances themselves, as not one of them likes the others and rather see them wiped out instead of them achieving Imperial Glory.
==Important Groups==
===[[List of Trans-Stellar Corporations|Trans-Stellar Corporations]]===


These are the big corporate forces, major companies whose reach cover numerous star systems and are nearly government forces of their own. While [[Sol Central]] does keep them in check to make
===[[Tajaran Diaspora]]===
certain nothing too inhumane or against humanity's interest is being performed, they actually police each other in a way. Keep in mind while many corporations do have their own security forces, some of them armed well enough to make some governmental military forces jealous, they are all used for 'asset protection'.
Tajaran are a complicated bunch. All manners of governments, nation states and empire are found on Meralar and their innate desire to fulfill their ambitions and manifesting their destiny has led to the situation where they have not one united government but rather a byzantine web of overlords, colonies, dependencies and break-off states from former colonies. Allegiances, intrigue and hatred are dense and outsiders of their culture often struggle to fully see through this system.


The major seven trans-stellars are: [[NanoTrasen]], [[Ward-Takahashi GMB]], [[Gilthari Exports]], [[Grayson Manufactories Ltd.]], [[Aether Atmospherics and Recycling]], [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]] and [[Hesphaistos Industries]].
However, consolidation and centralization of power is an ongoing progress for the Tajaran, a matter of decades on whose culture, ideals and government will finally reign supreme. Until then, they happily spread amongst the stars anyway, to ensure their future and the prosperity of Tajarankind.


Other important trans-stellars are: [[Vey-Med]], [[Advent Life Biolabs]], [[mercenary|Aerospace Combat Escort Services]] (aka ACES), [[RauMauser]], [[Donk Co.]], and [[Cybersun Industries]].
===[[Nomads]]===
Also known as: ''Kosaky, Ordu, Spacers, Counterskrell, Nerahni''


===[[Free Trade Union]]===
Nomadic traditions have received quite the revival whenever a species reaches space. The call for calling nothing and everything your home, the constant push of adventure and exploration enamours many people to abandon sedentary lifestyles and join one of the many nomad fleets. Some are born into it and drop out later, when they had their fill. Nomads usually are experts in long-term habitation of ships and trouble to reacclimate to a “grounder” life.


To keep the TSC's in check, and to help protect the smaller businesses striving to just make a living, the Free Trade Union was formed 200 years ago. Each FTU branch is different from system to system, but each offer lawyers, copyright enforcement, and even anti-pirate asset protection forces for any non-TSC business. All FTU stations are renowned for their open markets where all are welcomed to sell and trade, even the [[Vox]]. They're the vocal defenders of the mom and pop stores, basically.
Human nomads have developed from ancient traditions of the savannah and steppe and translated them into space during the initial colonization of Sol, preying on weak merchant ships and then later working as prospectors and screening fleets. They prefer to call themselves Kosaky or Ordu, after ancient steppe forebears.


===[[Sol Central]]===
Nerahni were an aquatic nomad culture of the Tajaran, living on generation ships they have lovingly carved their history upon. This tradition they have carried to a spacer life, engraving the hulls with the deeds of the ship and crew.


The banner over which most of humanity is united under. They focus on keeping humanity's best interest in check and tend to keep out of a system's personal problems unless they are in a dire state of emergency. They are protected by the USDF.
Counterskrells are mostly young Skrells who reject the local autocracy of the Skrell Philosopher kings, instead bumbling around in space on massive yachts, exploring the depths of the skrellian psyche. With drugs. A lot of them.


===[[Military Groups]]===
===[[Corporations|Mega-Corporations]]===
Mega-Corporations, an outcrop of late-stage capitalism or commercial interests on an interstellar age. While the corporate culture differs from corporation to corporation, one thing is for sure - they are an important influence on the politics of their “home species” and often transcend the boundaries of their species to deal with everything and everyone.


Not only are there corporate interests out in deep space, but also military ones. These factions tend to be neutral to corporate empires like NanoTrasen, but occasionally NanoTrasen will find its self in the crossfire of an ongoing conflict.
Mega-Corporations often field private military contractors in regions where government forces are not available, protecting their interests beyond the grasp of where they can have repercussions for their actions.  


The most well known trans-stellar military group is the [[United Nations Space Command]] (USDF), based out of Earth in Sol Central, as well as its mostly defunct grandfather organization, the United States Colonial Marines. NanoTrasen is non-hostile to the USDF and has a number of lobbyists in Sol Central's government to ensure the USDF's cooperation.
They are seen as scummy and inhumane at worst, but the mega-corporations try to maintain a good image and just call this “healthy for-profit mindsets”. After all, they have an obligation to fulfill.


Another group, wary of the influence of Sol Central and hostile to any Trans-Stellar Corporation is the [[Ares Confederation]], a dozen of colony worlds on the fringe of human-occupied space. Obviously, considering NT is one of their "sworn" enemies, relationships are frosty at best, although no open hostility broke out yet. They are cordial to both the Soviets and the United Federation, while rumors persist that they back up the Syndicate as well.
The seven major human Mega-Corporations are: [[NanoTrasen]], [[Ward-Takahashi GMB]], [[Gilthari Exports]], [[Grayson Manufactories Ltd.]], [[Aether Atmospherics and Recycling]], [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]] and [[Hephaestus Industries]].


Also out of Sol Central is the [[3rd Soviet Union]], which hails from [[Europa]] and continues to exist despite tensions with the USDF thanks to supporters from scattered colonies and sympathizers across the galaxy providing weapons and resources. NanoTrasen maintains a shakey neutrality with the Soviets, often through the exchange of technology. The Soviets also purchase weapons from NanoTrasen to use against the USDF.
Other important Mega-Corporations are: [[Vey-Med]], Xion,  Advent Life Biolabs, Royal Meralar Shipyards, Mahrar-Kitsurah Industries, Donk Co., and Cybersun Industries.


Contrasty, there is the [[Nazis|Fourth Reich]], which is a small but rabidly fascist military group which preys upon the hearts of disenfranchised citizens in colonies otherwise left for dead by groups like NanoTrasen once the phoron has dried up. Originally overlooked by NanoTrasen, the Fourth Reich became a threat during the [[November Crisis]] of 2558, where Reich forces fired upon the [[Virgo Orbital Research Establishment]] and [[NDV Brutus]]. The small [[NDV Icarus]] was also completely destroyed in the conflict. The Reich is hostile toward the USDF, the Federation, and the Soviets, but are generally neutral toward the Syndicate.
===[[Free Trade Union]]===
While often compared to a mega corporation in their own right, the Free Trade Union is an ever expansive umbrella organisation for the attempted countering of monolithic, monopolized mega-corporations strangling the free market. And thus, every smaller corporation, mom and pop firms and independent freighter traders can get a license of the Free Trade Union, which often wheels and deals around to circumvent higher tariffs or taxes. In exchange, the administration takes a portion of the profit and redistributes it to members as insurance and to smooth out local governments. While many independent corporations and smaller labour unions join the FTU, some dislike the idea of the inherent flair of corruption and bribery the FTU is happily being accused of.


Finally, there is the infamous [[Syndicate]] paramilitary group, which is a conglomerate of rogue governments and criminal forces who are hostile to the perceived corporate dictatorship imposed by NanoTrasen. The Syndicate also receive aid from rival corporate entities who would like to see NanoTrasen dethroned from its near-monopoly over the galaxy's phoron supply. The Syndicate is neutral to everyone else but NanoTrasen, toward whom the Syndicate is viciously hostile.
===[[Orion Spur Civilizations]]===
A catch-all term for every sapient life within the Orion Spur - Space is insurmountably vast and the Orion Spur is just a tiny region of it and even then it is host to a myriad of alien species, isolated by vast distances and dead planets. Here you find the downtrodden colonies mega-corporation in the Trailing Periphery, who have carved their own, little kingdoms under the “Trailing Colony Development Scheme” as heralded by the Commonwealth of Sol-Procyon or the hundreds of independent colonies away from all of the major species or simple pirates, who carve out their way of life with blood and lasers, deep in the underbelly of the void between the stars.


To defend against belligerent forces, NanoTrasen also employs a vast number of mercenaries to serve in the [[NanoTrasen Defense Navy]], whose weapons and armaments are a mishmash of hardware purchased from surplus USDF military stockpiles or developed on their own.
==I want to know more than this page!==


==Pirates and Smugglers==
The following pages go into further detail about the lore itself, with topics that are not necessary to know absolutely, but will help you flesh out your character more.
Not all in the Virgo system seek to gain an honest paycheck. Crooks and creeps are commonplace in a system like Virgo—far away from the governing bodies that would otherwise stomp them out of existence.
[[File:BullPirateFlag.png|200px|thumbnail|right|Blackstar Marauders Emblem]]
===Blackstar Marauders===
Consisting of a variety of alien species, the Blackstar Marauders are a group of ruthless space pirates once run by a man named Jarome Rognvaldr. When their leader was imprisoned by NanoTrasen five years ago, and later turned over to Earth government forces, the Blackstar Marauders were eventually taken over by an unknown individual who swiftly returned the group to its former glory as the largest piracy group on the outskirts of inhabited space. They prey mostly on cargo shuttles and fortunately a station like V.O.R.E. is of little interest as a target, but they do still occasionally perform kidnappings for ransom against NanoTrasen employees.


Some of their former members who have been arrested over the years, including Jarome, now work for NanoTrasen. They are not to be trusted, but still, have old connections to the black market if you need to make a special order.
===[[Bluespace]]===


==Hostile Forces==
===[[Timeline]]===


As mentioned before, there are several smaller antagonistic forces out in Virgo, a brief overview of commonly known knowledge is below, further information can be found on the [[Identifying Antagonists]] page:
===[[Infrastructure]]===


===Disloyals===
{{Lore table}}
Virgo has many opportunities for less than loyal individuals to get themselves into important positions. Reasons for betrayal are many: some could be looking for money, have a personal agenda, extreme political/religious ideals, suffering from some form of insanity, or could be more than they appear. Either way, in Virgo, the wise watch their back and do not give out their trust freely.


[[Category:Lore]]
[[Category:Lore]]

Latest revision as of 19:26, 10 September 2023

Welcome to the VORE Station background page!

This is the starting page into VORE Station's lore, also commonly known as 'fluff' (but we usually just call it lore). This is the basic, common knowledge that the vast majority of characters should know and helps introduce you, the player, into the world of our server. While you do not have to know every little detail by heart it would be wise to skim through some of the pages. At least to know how our lore differs from the other SS13 servers.

Many wiki lore pages are constantly under construction and open to change, If you feel like you may have something to add, please join our discord and pop your head into the #Lore channel.

Note: Unlike other pages of this wiki, changes to these pages must be approved by our Loremaster or another admin.

Once again welcome to VORE Station, we hope your stay here is a long and enjoyable one!

The year is 2324CE (Common Era) and Humanity has spread amongst the stars, forming a diverse and enduring diaspora of political and cultural ideas, thought streams and creeds. Spearheaded by the Terran Commonwealth, which serves as a rump state and soft dominant cultural power, Humanity is slowly spreading through the Orion Spur and ensures the perpetual endurance of the Human race in one way or another. With the discovery of the mysterious properties of the Alden-Saraspova particle and the abundance of it in the naturally occuring substance of Phoron, FTL travel and communication has become a reality through utilizing Bluespace Technology and enabling the massive energy requirements for truly wondrous public projects of shaping entire planets to a habitable atmosphere in decades, not centuries.

But Humanity is not alone - not only do the diverse human factions compete under each other, but also with other intelligent life, like the ambitious Tajaran, the imperial Unathi or the enigmatic Skrell and many more smaller and greater alien species.

It’s a brave, new world.

Welcome to the Frontier

Welcome to Virgo-Erigone (Virgo for short), a system within the Coreward Periphery, one of the two current frontiers of Humanity they pay even a modicum of attention to. This is due to the reason you are stationed on one of the moons of Virgo 3, Virgo 3B. The gas giant, being a massive ball of liquid and gaseous phoron is one of the many of the Coreward Periphery, where a phoron heavy star has gone supernova millenia ago, scattering the coveted material over nearby star systems, just waiting to be exploited.

For this reason Virgo-Erigone is colonized much like many other systems by a mess of charters working under Mega Corporations (such as your workplace), personal charters of wealthier individuals pitching together in a start-up, independents and other unions and polities,all keen on receiving one slice of the Phoron pie. Sometimes competing, sometimes supporting each other, sometimes being outright hostile to each other - life in the Coreward Periphery is dictated by opportunity and a certain clannishness between each other, as there is no central authority whatsoever and living standards can rise and fall on a dime with just one poor decision or one windfall.

The universal currency of the Coreward Periphery, introduced by a conglomerate of mega corporations and simply accepted as a good standard, if one could call it that, is the Thaler representing a fraction of FTL travel expenses.  In theory, one Thaler represents one second of flight within bluespace. This makes the currency precious in the Rim, but less so in the developed systems of Humanity and Aliens, where it is required to be exchanged to more conventional currencies, either backed by fiat or by kilowatt hours of energy.

Life in the Periphery

While automated labour is common in the core worlds, there are several problems that hinder its widespread implementation in the Periphery. Drones are incredibly inflexible in their programming and any program sophisticated enough to handle the, often changing, circumstances in the Frontier will likely be a positronic brain, which has requirements like any sapient being of having social contact and friends if one does not want to make them go mad in isolation.

Then, there is the issue of actually maintaining all this infrastructure without human input and the very real danger of pirates simply bombing the facility with EMPs as soon as they find out that only machines operate there.

Thus, the Periphery is populated with a plethora of contractors milling in one station to the next to earn their paycheck, handling any work more sophisticated than simple labour and even that is done in the spirit of either being incapable of affording drone swarms or plain refusing to do so due to the cost.  They also serve the purpose of being a higher barrier to attack and maybe even murder for pirates, as property damage is a whole other unethical step than outright killing a fellow sapient being - and well, to keep AIs company.

As contractors earn their license without questions asked as soon as they pass standardized tests offered by the NGO “Galactic Labour Pool”, there is a rich tapestry of creeds, cultures and species working in the Periphery. In a sense, it is a great melting pot of the galaxy as everyone is united either by the lust for a big paycheck or by the dogged adventurous spirit of taming the wild unknown.

Travel to the Coreward Periphery varies depending on urgency and affluence when going from or to the Terran Commonwealth and specifically Sol. The shortest amount is three weeks, the longest amount is 2 months. Holidays back home need to be planned well in advance due to it!

Due to a lack of a central authority, many colonies either rule themselves or have appointed managers of their respective charter holders. It isn’t uncommon for to see colonies within a system to work as loose confederation, but so far no real effort for a “real” government has been considered - most colonies are purely erected due to economic interests and often just abandoned to the cold, harsh mistress of space when the Phoron runs out.

Life in Virgo-Erigone specific

NT’s presence in Virgo-Erigone is actually relatively small - they are much more active in Amaterasu, Tenebrae and First Footfall, but the buyout of a royal charter company of the Zorren Kingdom An-Tahk-Et led to them occupying several ruins of the old Zorren Empire at Virgo 3B and Virgo Prime, paying homage and minor taxes in exchange for continued quasi-sovereignty over their installations - as such Zorren law holds little sway over these pockets of soil.

The main installations that are the most important are “Central Command”, an old basalt quarry of the Old Zorren Empire, now re-functioned as central communication and administrative hub for the region and the Tether itself - the NSB Adephagia, also an old Zorren Ruin, initially excavated by An-Tahk-Et, before leased to NT in exchange for helping them to develop more dry docks.

Refurbished as staging point for drone tankers filling themselves richly with harvested Phoron from surrounding facilities, the Tether serves also as staging point for xenoarcheological, xenobiological, xenobotanical and other scientific expeditions into the surrounding ruins, old quarries and mines of the planet and the star system as a whole - and, under the table, the occasional salvaging of competitor’s derelicts in both space and the surface.

The tether is a relatively comfy posting as NT tried to use it as staging point for more fervent colonization of the system. However, the Zorren blocked such attempts, leaving a strangely comfy fuel station and administrative hub, serving the orbiting NIS Orator with a direct fuel pipeline, which it uses happily to sell phoron fuel to any nearby ship, attracting a lot of air traffic of the myriad factions within the Virgo-Erigone system.

Non-Catalogued Species

Custom Species

Home planet: ???

Home system: ???

Here on Virgo our users and staff have created a varied back catalog of bits and bobs for species not specifically listed below. We do not enforce players play one of the canon species listed below. You may bring in your own special snowflake! As long as they, and by extension you, follow our rules over playing server appropriate characters. If you are having trouble creating your character please refer to our "Character Creation" guide.

Catalogued Species

Humans

Home planet: Earth

Home system: Sol

Humanity, everything and nothing can be said about them. As diverse is their thinking, as fractured is their society. Intrepid and mercantile, brutal if needed to, Humanity has formed a great diaspora among the stars primarily driven by their innate curiosity and love for adventure and exploration. While a good half of them live under the wing of the Terran Commonwealth, centered around their home planet Earth, the extremely diverse political theory they have accumulated over the centuries led to many splits, arguments and secessions.

While most humans are accepting of other species and simply want to earn an honest paycheck, the best and worst are found among them. You never know what a human is going to be like when you first meet them.

Humans are most well-known for the stalemate and eventual peace with the Unathi during the Hegemony War, firmly cementing them as one of the major species in the Orion Spur.

Unathi

Home planet: Moghes

Home system: Uueoa-Esa

The Unathi are a race of tall, reptilian humanoids that possess both crocodile-like and serpent-like features. Their scales are hard and plate-like, save for the softer ones that line the inside of their legs, armpits, and groin. Originating from the planet of Moghes, the Unathi live in a complex, almost byzantine bureaucracy developed over the centuries of their Hegemony of their pocket of space.

The Unathi believe in a rigid honour system, following their duty to the Hegemony itself, then their respective allegiance and finally their own family, valuing dignity, strength and expertise above all. Learning crafts, however peaceful or martial, is seen as the perfect expression of Unathi pride.

The Unathi were humanity's second major race contact, but due to their imperialistic nature, engaged in an interstellar war with humanity known as the Sol-Hegemony Conflict. Although the conflict has long since ended, and relations have slowly improved, Unathi are still often considered to be haughty and arrogant for their much older culture, often leading to tensions between them and younger species.

Skrell

Home planet: Qerr'balak

Home system: Qerr'Vallis

The Skrell is a species of amphibious humanoids, distinguished by their green-blue gelatinous appearance and head tentacles. Skrell warble from the world of Qerrbalak (or as the lore once called it, Jargon 4), a humid planet with plenty of swamps and jungles. Currently more technologically advanced than humanity, they emphasize the study of the mind and the mystery of the natural world through philosophy and mmemotics.

Gender has little meaning to Skrell outside of reproduction, and in fact, many other species have a difficult time telling the difference between male and female Skrell apart. The most obvious signs (voice in a slightly higher register, longer head-tails for females) are never a guarantee.

Due to their extremely decentralized, but locally total rule, colonisation always has been an issue for the Skrell and even though they are among the oldest species known to Humanity still occupy just as much space as the diaspora of humans - so far they know. It is indisputable however that humans and skrell consider each other, if not natural allies, at least cordial partners for the joint exploration of Space.

Tajaran

Home planet: Meralar

Home system: Rarkajar

A relatively young species, much like the humans, the Tajaran are a humanoid race possessing cat-like features. Hailing from Meralar, they possess insulating fur and felinoid stability to better survive in their harsh native environment. Their home planet is a cold planet of vast tundra and arctic zones.

If one follows their turbulent history, many would see a defining cultural trait for many Tajaran - an innate sense of ambition and pride. Empires fell and rose with the pride of their leaders and pride of what they are, driving them to throw off the yoke of others. Tajaran might be the most aggressive colonisers concurrently, leaving their political landscape volatile and unpredictable.

They, however, care little for such. They see themselves as masters of their destiny - it only has to be manifest.

Tajaran are usually less trusted due to their ambitions and upstart nature, but this attitude is greatly diminished in the Coreward Periphery - where every person is gladly taken.

Sergals

Home planet: Tal

Home system: Vilous

Sergals are a race of furry shark-like headed creatures from the planet Tal in the Vilous system. They are one of two intelligent races living in the system, the other being Nevreans. They are split into four main ethnic groups,  being the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western sergals.

Humanity encountered the Sergals during the colonisation of Tal by Yantzu Mining, a now defunct corporation, who disregarded them as savages due to the first contact with the northern sergals, who live in primarily agrarian and hunter-gatherer societies, an attitude that did not change with the much more developed Eastern and southern Sergals, who grasped complex economics and trade networks under their various confederations and leagues of city states in the climates with many artificial or natural waterways.

This led to the Sergals making the humans first connected and then dependent on their goods (mostly agricultural), before just driving them out with relatively simple tariff wars, leading to Yantzu Mining losing standing in the Human Diaspora and to their eventual bankruptcy. Acknowledging their intelligence and culture, most human enterprises now lead mutually beneficial development and trading charters with the Sergals, who often stride out into the world to learn about the technology and crafts of the galaxy to bring them back home and transplant them into their home cities. 

Nevreans

Home planet: Tal

Home system: Vilous

Flighty and avian, the Nevrean share their home planet with the Sergals, who is their relatively close genetic cousin, although their appearance is quite different, rather looking like a mixture between a feathered dinosaur and a bird, with clear sexual dimorphism between male and female Nevreans. Some take to genemodding, diverging from the appearance of the baseline species.

Nevreans are properly spacefaring, with many having moved beyond Tal and the Vilous system, but the majority still living within the system. Their culture encourages a storied oral tradition, although modern recordkeeping means this is mostly as a form of art rather than accounting. Cooperative with neighboring stellar powers, their history with the second sapient species of Tal might have been the reason why most of their cultures are very much accommodating to xenos.

Nevrean are perceived as industrious and excellent crafters, largely in part to Vilous's successful and unique shipbuilding industry. However, Nevreans will take any job, particularly ones that allow creative expression. It is not unusual to find a Nevrean in a spacer's crew across many parts of known space.

Zorren and Vulpkanin

Home Planet: Menhir (Virgo 4) / Altam

Home System: Alat-Hahr (Virgo-Erigone)/ Vazzend

The origin of these two diverse species is subject to debate in the specifics, but DNA sequencing and archeology determined that Zorren and Vulpkanin have both belonged to a progenitor species that has been spacefaring before Humanity reached industrialization. While the decline and eventual complete collapse is still unknown, the Coreward Periphery is dotted with old outposts, cities and facilities, most often almost completely lost to the wastes of time.

The Zorren and Vulpkanin are the only known descendants of this precursor empire, living on planets that have been to some significance for the precursors, although it’s not quite understood what exactly made them special. In case of Virgo 4, it is suspected to be either an industrial-focussed planet or a weapon testing facility, due to evidence that the planet had several moons before its asteroid rings, while the clement conditions of Altam and the much higher population of Vulpkanin leads to the theory that it was either a market or waystation of an important supply line.

While genetic drift and deliberate DNA manipulation (such as Zorren having hemocyanic blood instead of red blood like Vulpkanin) drifted them apart considerably, both Zorren and Vulpkanin are curious about their respective cousins and their heritage.

However, while Vulpkanin’s interest is mostly relegated to a passing academic interest, Zorren are obsessed with their ancient heritage and deliberately try to shape their societies according to ancient customs, social mores and culture, seeing themselves as inheritors of a lost Golden Age.

Altevian

Home Planet: None

Home System: AHX-PK9 (Dead System)

The Altevians are a species of tall, rodent humanoids that are akin to rats for their features. Unlike most species, they do not have a home planet, or system. Instead, they have opted to live in massive super capital-class colony ships with a flagship as the place they would call home.

The Altevian Hegemony has a constitutional monarchy that ensures the ships and ruling of their fleets are operating under the interests of the majority of its people. They are also heavily invested in trade and mercantile relations between the other empires and sectors.

The Altevians first alliance was with The Vox, and served as a rather unique entry into the foray into the galactic circle, still being newer in terms of working and operating within the galactic core. Unlike The Vox, they are way more welcomed to migration, trade, and working along with others.

Vox

Home planet: ???

Home system: ???


The Vox are an enigmatic nomad species hailing from gigantic arks and their tender fleets. Not much known is about them as they prefer to keep to their own, only having contact to other species when trading resources or "acquiring" loot through more clandestine or overtly hostile means.


The Vox themselves are quilled, raptor-like species with various configurations that have not been fully catalogued as many attempts to see anything but the common, short "Primalis" often ends in extreme violence. Vox are also phoron-breathing, making extended contact with them a rather difficult challenge, as either party has to live under constant precautions to not be poisoned by each other's breathing mix.


Vox are, in general, seen with much wariness due to their proclivity to use violence and banditry to achieve their goals, which often seem to revolve around resource acquisition. However, some Vox and presumed exiled Vox work in human space as mercenaries, engineers and other employees, usually regarded with a cautious amount of respect as they are tireless and determined workers.

Rapala

Home planet: Uh'Zata

Home system: Kelezakata

The Rapala are a species of winged humanoids, whose arms are instead large wings with a large range of colouration (especially as genemodding expanded the "natural" colour spectrum). Beyond their wings, they seem deceptively human, to the point were confusion arose if they are actually an alien species - however this is a case of convergent evolution as Rapala sexual differentiation does not involve two genes, but four, along the axis of having a female or male reproductive system and along the axis if they present more feminine or masculine.

Rapala live in matriarchic oligarchies, centered around an upper class of feminine Rapala acting as a ruling class, while the masculine Rapala are delegated to an almost second class citizenry.

Rapala are formally the "Rapala-Unathi", a client species of the Unathi and do function in their hierarchy as pilots (due to their excellent navigational and 3D orientation skills) or diplomats and emissaries to human colonies (due to them looking so similar), however they resent their status and are playing a precarious game of achieving more and more autonomy over their overlords.

Zaddat

Home planet: Xohok

Home system: Uueoa-Esa

The Zaddat are an Unathi client race only recently introduced to civilized space. Having evolved in the high-pressure and post-apocalyptic world of Xohok in the Vengeful Father system, Zaddat require an environmental suit to survive in usual planetary and station atmospheres. Despite these restrictions, worsening conditions on Xohok and the blessing of the Moghes Hegemony have led the Zaddat to enter human space in search of work and living space. The vast majority of Zaddat now live in nomadic spacer fleets.

Promethean

Home planet: None

Home system: None

A gelatinous race of mimics evolved from their slime predecessors that were first discovered aboard the research station Prometheus, these colorful humanoids are best characterized by their ability to repurpose and shape their bodies for whatever a situation may warrant by means of their semi-solid structure. Along with this is their semipermeable membrane encasing their gel, allowing them to filter feed while keeping the undesirable matter out of their bodies. Their composition allows them to resist most sources of brute trauma, though energy will cause their limbs to become unstable and disintegrate. Prometheans are also void of most normal organs, possessing quite the different setup for their homeostasis.

Being an artificially created race, and a new one at that, Prometheans have no unified culture, though there are small populations of Prometheans scattered around the universe, the tropical planet of Aetolus in particular having roughly one thousand such individuals.

Promethean stewardship varies from state to state. The Fyrds outright outlaw them, while the Eylsian Colonies oscillate between embracing them as fully independent citizens to outright slavery. The norm however is that they require a caretaker at all times to teach them civilization properly.

Diona

(( Whitelisted species - requires a special character application to play. ))

Home system: Epsilon Ursae Majoris

The diona are a group of omnivorous, slow-metabolism plantlike organisms that are in fact clusters of individual, smaller organisms. They exhibit a high degree of structural flexibility and come in a wide variety of shapes and colors to reflect the intelligence of each individual creature. They were discovered by the Skrell in 2194CE, not on a planet, but in open space between three stars, a figurative hell that made it difficult to discover, much less contact them.

Diona spread by seeds and are asexual, no gender. When grown into their small 'nymph' state, they are known to eat large amounts of dead plant matter and fertilize plants while they learn from those around them by sampling their genetic code (usually through blood extractions), and as they grow further merge into larger and larger forms. It is not unheard of for Skrell explorers to be traveling in a ship composed of habitat modules and engines of Skrell make, with the body of the ship formed by their Diona allies to warble across the cosmos.

Introduced by the Skrell, and quite slow and peaceful, the Diona share good relations with humanity.

Vasilissans

Home planet: Varilak

Home system: Antares

Vasilissans are a carnivorous, large spider-like people with tall, lanky bipedal bodies covered in chitin, and four large spider-like limbs protruding from their backs. They come in a variety of colors and are extremely diverse in that aspect. The females are usually about a foot taller than the males, averaging in at about seven feet. The females are also much stronger than the males. Their faces have four eyes of solid and varying colors. On the top of their heads are strange, thick, leg-like feelers that are normally styled in much the same way as hair. Their color varies greatly and isn’t normally the same color as the Vasilissan’s body. They have several feelers and sharp claw-like limbs around their lipped human-like mouths. These mouths contain only fangs, a strange, bulbous, long tongue, and spinnerets, giving them the ability to spit large strands of silk from their mouths. Their faces are traditionally very pretty, long, and elegant, almost elf-like despite their hard chitin plating and lack of a nose.

From a temperate jungle planet, the Vasilissans were once solitary, territorial people until great queens began to subjugate them. These 'Star Queens' ruled with an iron fist and urged their subjects to expand her territory and to attempt to build great towering cities tall enough to reach the stars and their sun, which they believed to be gems of great magical power and spiritual significance. First contact has been made by NT, who rigorously tried to exploit their culture and adaptive architectural keenness, which went poorly for the Vasilissans until they have managed to contact the greater human diaspora.

Xenochimera

(( Whitelisted species - requires a special character application to play. ))

Home planet: Not known

Home system: Not known

An extraterrestrial colony organism, xenochimera are unusual in that they have no real defining physiology of their own - effectively, xenochimera mimic other beings, or parts of other beings, by consuming them and mutating their own cellular structure to imitate whatever evolutionary advantages they may find - or in layman's terms, they eat other creatures and copy features to create bizarre hybrids. As a result, no two examples of the species are alike, and they can, in fact, be wildly different in appearance. So much so, that even when they popped up on various colonies, they were dismissed as distinct alien creatures and native wildlife before a connection was finally made.

Xenochimera are relative newcomers to the galactic stage, their existence as a distinct species having been only discovered a little over twenty years ago, and as such are of great interest to xenobiologists. Owing to the moral and legal constraints surrounding experimentation on (arguably) sentient creatures, some transstellar corporations hire them in the hope that doing so will allow them to be studied  in a way that locking them in a xenobio pen would not - and if the scientists on the station can persuade them to volunteer themselves for examination, that's a bonus.

The origins of the xenochimera are largely a mystery - xenochimera biomass and individual creatures have been found on numerous planets and even discovered embedded in asteroids and comets across a vast area, but no established populations have been found.

Teshari

Home planet: Qerr'balak (Native : Sirisai)

Home system: Qerr'Vallis

The Teshari are reptilian pack predators from the Skrell homeworld. While they evolved alongside the Skrell, their interactions with them tended to be confused and violent, and until peaceful contact was made they largely stayed in their territories on and around the poles, in tundra terrain far too desolate and cold to be of interest to the Skrell.

In more recent times, the Teshari were technologically uplifted by the Skrell to be a space-faring race of their own, one that's ready to prove its worth to the galaxy at large, much to the glee of the Skrell, as they see this as the first real, successful uplifting that has benefited all sides.

The Skrell love to rub that in with the other species.

Synthetics

Home System: N/A

Home System: N/A

Synthetics are spread throughout known space and serve a myriad variety of roles that range from a tiny drone scrubbing a floor to a nearly omnipotent AI used in a combat-ready interstellar vessel. Most known sufficiently-advanced races use synthetics in some way; very often as prosthetic bodies when their own bodies fail. There are three basic kinds of synthetic intelligences found in the universe today:

●Drone: A drone is a catch-all term for intelligences working on “traditional” programming and hardware, such as optotronics, electronics or carbon-crystal computing. They range from simpler expert systems to truly sapient, powerful intelligences, who are utterly alien to the eye of the beholder.

●Cyborg: A cyborg is a synthetic that uses an organic brain to function via an MMI, short for Man-Machine Interface. Cyborgs come in many shapes and sizes and most sentient cyborgs are free-willed, although some, especially in the Elysian Colonies, are beholden to hardcoded obedience protocols that limit their interaction to the outside world if they do not follow specific protocols. A sapient brain is required for more sophisticated machinery.

●Positronic Brain: Positronic Brains are synthetic intelligences equaling the intellect of a particularly clever sapient being and are generalized artificial intelligences that can be seen as equal (or superior) to organic sapience. They possess a neural network not dissimilar to a brain made out of flesh; and have similar properties of neuroplasticity and mental resilience, as they cannot be rewritten externally like drones.

Synthetics have the unique capability of serving in different bodies. This can take shape of a Synthmorph, a lawbound AI, or lawbound mobile chassis.

Angels and Demons

Home planet: Sanctorum / Infernum

Home system: Sanctum

Perhaps the most quintessential of all colonies in the Elysian Colonies is the system of Sanctum, found in the earliest years of Humanity’s sprawl into the galaxy and colonized as a mundane agricultural world at first. However, close contact with the Skrell led to leaps and bounds of advancement in gene-resequencing technology and ambitious plans to steer the direction of Humanity.

The leaders of Sanctorum (renamed from its original name, lost to time) seen to it that the humans under their care soon transformed into abrahamic paragons of virtue, physically making them look like the popular depictions of angels and turning into a stern surveillance state extolling virtue, self-reflection and rejection of earthly pleasures and vices.

This led to an underbelly of dissidents, criminal elements and rogues, who refused to follow these party lines and resisted any attempt of therapy until the Sanctorum authorities were fed up and put them in a penal colony inside the Sanctum system - now dubbed Infernum. There people formed a libertine society of extreme libertarianism and purposefully celebrating all the sinful vices and joys of the flesh their compatriots have forsaken.

While relations and extreme societies have mellowed over the time, Sanctorum and Infernum have developed far differently from normal Humanity, focusing less on ever-expanding exploration and instead polishing their societies into their vision of perfection. It is true that Angels live in an early post-scarcity society where they want for little and most labour is automated - while it is also true that they live in a quite repressive state and have forgotten some goods and services to actually want. Meanwhile demons enjoy their excess and free lives, while balancing dangerously on one ambitious person to put them all under the yoke or tear themselves apart with no clear direction on how to spread their libertine ideals outside their small sphere of influence.

Alraune (currently outdated)

Home planet: Abundance in All Things Serene

Home system: Beta-Carnelium Ventrum

The Alraune are the native species of a planet within the territory of no less than five Elysian Colonies, concurrently under protection by just these to develop on their own pace. However, previous to this non-contact policy, many Alraune were displaced by Angels and Elysians as companions, garden flowers and pet projects in uplifting, ultimately leading to a Diaspora of more culturally advanced Alraune living in Elysian Colonies and even the Coreward Periphery.

Akula

Home planet: Jorhul

Home system: Barkalis

The Akula are a curious species first found by a human Kosaky fleet while they were scouting for a place to recuperate, take on perishables and potable water. Fierce and aggressive and in a developing society of an amphibian iron age, frequent contact on Jorhul eventually led to the adaptation of Akula into many nomad fleets, as the lifestyle seemed to suit them. Today, the Akulas are found in nearly any nomad fleet as security, explorers and engineers, having largely abandoned their planet to strive for adventure among the stars.

Origins and Factions

One person is alone, two are a couple. Five is a family. Beyond this, it’s a tribe. Any sapient species eventually form their factions, polities and governments, some of them more important than others. For the Coreward Periphery, these are the most important ones, from which a solid chunk of their population hails from one way or the other.

These are the major backgrounds one could possibly have.

Greater Human Diaspora

Also called “Earthling Rabble” by older species, there is no doubt about it that Humanity as a whole is very far flung and claims many a star under their name - however, an overwhelming majority are independent and sparsely populated, preferring to enforce their way of life and their prosperity without interference of other humans or centralized governments. These many micronations and habitats can be found all over the Orion Spur. And more often, their ruins.

Commonwealth of Sol-Procyon

Also known as: Terran Commonwealth, Commonwealth, SolCom

Mayhap the greatest of all star states of Humanity is the Commonwealth of Sol-Procyon or Terran Commonwealth in vernacular, an evolution of the goods and ills of the 21st century nation states coalescing into a federal, parliamentary democracy spanning not only planets but entire solar systems.

While the Terran Commonwealth sees itself as protector of Humanity and Freedom, Liberty and Equality, reality slightly differs, where idealism wanes for realpolitik and greed - The Commonwealth combats practically itself, competing political interests and lobbyism making its government at best slightly ineffective in its less developed regions and at worst corrupt and abusing its exalted offices for profit and power. Nothing like the old days, it seems.

In itself it's a Federation made up of Star Systems and habitats and covering over sixty federal member star systems - however politically relevant is the "core" of Humanity - the oldest settled colonies of Sol, Procyon, Sirius, Proxima Centauri and Altair, which are cultural, industrial and economic powerhouses, overshadowing other settled systems within their sphere of influence with sheer population numbers and political clout.

Beyond that are the self-organized, but not federally represented territories, the appointed-dependent colonies and the “satellites”, smaller states and nomadic lifestyles who are saddled with Commonwealth taxes in exchange for freedom of movement and (not always present) military protection.

Deeply entrenched in Commonwealth culture is the fear of losing the tenuous social cohesion as dissatisfied workers and the apathetic middle class are almost always at each other's throat, leading to reactionary movements to about everything - from xenos, to gene editing, to any ideas coming from the Trailing and Coreward Colonies.

Unitary Alliance of Salthan Fyrds

Also known as: The Fyrds, The War States, Fyrders, Mighty Fighty

A product of neglect, born out of fires of war, reforged into the most militaristic state of Humanity. The Unitary Alliance of Salthan Fyrds has seen its share of loss and tragedy and as hard times made hard people, the governments of the Fyrds have become a self-imposed Aegis for Humanity.

At first, they were simply the coreward part of the Commonwealth, prosperously developing as relatively closely clustered planets shown either high habitality or richness in rare materials, especially of Scandium and Helium-3.

This changed with the Hegemony War, the cataclysmic (in the eyes of the Fyrds) conflict with the Unathi, who have offered the colonies status as client species - either by the pen or by the sword. Naturally, as humans do, they chose the sword.

As the Commonwealth was dragged into the conflict, Salthan was the main battleground, bringing all the horror with it - but the Salthanians never gave up. Rebels, guerillas, irregular troops, they kept fighting for their freedom and eventually the stalemate turned into a peace treaty and a Status Quo Ante Bellum.

However, the industries that made the sector prosperous were destroyed and profits sharply declined. Partially abandoned, partially forced into labour by mega corporations and even some less scrupulous Commonwealth officials, the Salthasians finally broke off completely and violently revolted, forming their own Fyrds (nostalgically called after ancient history) and declaring the Perpetual Vigilance, their form of constitution.

Today, each planet is a fortress, each citizen a soldier - Each fyrd (planet) led by a general, who sits in the Allied Council, its form of overarching government. A stratocracy to the extremest sense, the Salthasians are trained from birth to fight - there is no such thing as a civilian in their society.

Surprisingly, their war machine never turned to other aliens or humans - their conflict is eternally with their most bitter of foes - the Unathi. They both raid and skirmish with each other, testing strength and honing their warriors.

The Elysian Colonies

Also known as: The Demi-Monde, Slavers, Squabblers, Elysians

Spinward colonies have always been trouble for the Terran Commonwealth. Nebulae makes communications and travel difficult. Chosen colonists often turned out to be subversive elements. Corporations got defrauded or emasculated in their influence by the colonists... Many things have gone wrong with centralizing power in the surprisingly habitable  worlds of Cygnus and beyond. But the most detrimental factor for a centralized government for the Commonwealth was the Skrell.

With the Skrell came technology and a strangely familiar style of government - instead of puppets and an overlord, the colonies sought to emulate the Skrell by having each their own sovereign government and decision to rule as they see fit and how they see fit - much to the chagrin of the Commonwealth, they have achieved their autarky.

However, this style of self-rule has been tainted by ruthless power brokers, greed and the will to perpetuate singular power structures - as quickly as they broke off from the Commonwealth, as quickly did their ideas of an ideal society wildly diverge from each other. Vanity states rub shoulders with utopian projects, autocracies shake hands with direct democracies. The Demi-Monde is known to have such wildly different styles of governance, culture and even genetic make-up that one gets a whiplash of the mind.

Everything and nothing is allowed in the Demi-Monde. Slaves are happily traded or freed in righteous crusades. People are forced into eugenic projects or reassembled into the figures of ancient mythology. Whatever strives their fancy, Elysians probably have done it at some point or the other. Only their united desire to remain free and self-determinant drives them to ally with each other by convenience to drive out any meddler who tries to impose rules over them.

They are the most xenophile of all human factions, since people already heavily genesplice here, so nobody can tell if the sapient creature before them is a gene-edited human or an alien.

Third Ares Confederation

Also known as: ArConFed, Aresians, Exile-Martians, Formers, Commies

The situation in the Terran Commonwealth has not always been cemented. With the advent of the colonisation of Mars, Venus and later the asteroid belt, there were dissidents, rabble rousers, thinkers and firebrands, pushing for separate societies in which everyone is equitable, the torch of socialism passing down to Humanity in the stars.

Especially the first and second Confederation were seminal times in the history of the Red Planet as they quickly spread out to the disparate and isolated Mars colonies in the beginning and later in the underbelly of dissatisfied and maltreated workers. Both times, the uprising left its mark in the fledgling interstellar civilization, but both times they have ultimately failed to create their sought after polities.

And thus, the “government in exile” of the Confederation fled into deep space to build their home on foreign shores. They succeeded, in a region now called the Coreward Periphery, where a small, if prosperous Confederation of a dozen systems, held together by their economic and military alliance. While individual member states differ in their ideologies on how to implement socialism and there is much leeway from the Central Government situated at Sars Mara, the Confederation endured the initial hardships of early colonisation with barely any support and now enjoys an Age of Expansionism.

They are experts in large scale efforts, such as terraforming and microgravity engineering - a necessity from where they have started. They readily help other colonies in the Trailing Periphery, with the express purpose of fomenting solidarity and a wish to join them - much to the chagrin of the Commonwealth. However, they are still cooperating and trading with each other. For now.

Mostly as the Ares Confederation never saw much need for a strong federal military, letting individual states assemble their own external and internal militia forces, based upon volunteer service. The federal army is rather perfunctory, made up of officers, militia veterans and engineering personnel to train and guide the militias if they so request or maintain the sparse defensive infrastructure within the space of the Confederation.

Skrell Consensus

The Skrell are peculiar. They think any government beyond a city level would just turn into corruption and imperial ambition. And still their actions after often in unison as their philosopher kings lead them in decisive times. The Skrell Consensus is less a faction and more an ideal - what is right is self-evident for many Skrell and therefore many city states cooperate with each other on an interstellar stage to bring prosperity to all partners involved.

A rather idealistic idea, but for the Skrell it works most of the time as their strict caste system has led to very similar cultures and way of thinking for the Consensus, ensuring a smooth operation at almost any given time.

However, the Skrell are known for, if not outright infighting, of “competitions” on who is the better philosopher king, leading them to unwittingly support or oppose others if they would’ve done otherwise or stay neutral.

Unathi Hegemony

Presumably one of the oldest governments of the interstellar stage is the Unathi Hegemony, a decentralized state led by the Moghes Priesthood, whose sacrosanct planet arbitrates between and is paid tribute to by the several “Allegiances”, who are part noble family, part extended family and part political party. These Allegiances in turn administer the star systems belonging to the Hegemony and assemble their armies and navies.

Allegiances also have taken up the banner of client species, aliens that are to be taught how to be Unathi while being an underling to their specific allegiance, not the Hegemony itself. As warfare is forbidden by holy law between Unathi, these client species are used to play the everchanging conflict between the Allegiances for dominance.

The Unathi Hegemony ,if united, is almost unstoppable. However, the Allegiances almost work as a check of balances themselves, as not one of them likes the others and rather see them wiped out instead of them achieving Imperial Glory.

Tajaran Diaspora

Tajaran are a complicated bunch. All manners of governments, nation states and empire are found on Meralar and their innate desire to fulfill their ambitions and manifesting their destiny has led to the situation where they have not one united government but rather a byzantine web of overlords, colonies, dependencies and break-off states from former colonies. Allegiances, intrigue and hatred are dense and outsiders of their culture often struggle to fully see through this system.

However, consolidation and centralization of power is an ongoing progress for the Tajaran, a matter of decades on whose culture, ideals and government will finally reign supreme. Until then, they happily spread amongst the stars anyway, to ensure their future and the prosperity of Tajarankind.

Nomads

Also known as: Kosaky, Ordu, Spacers, Counterskrell, Nerahni

Nomadic traditions have received quite the revival whenever a species reaches space. The call for calling nothing and everything your home, the constant push of adventure and exploration enamours many people to abandon sedentary lifestyles and join one of the many nomad fleets. Some are born into it and drop out later, when they had their fill. Nomads usually are experts in long-term habitation of ships and trouble to reacclimate to a “grounder” life.

Human nomads have developed from ancient traditions of the savannah and steppe and translated them into space during the initial colonization of Sol, preying on weak merchant ships and then later working as prospectors and screening fleets. They prefer to call themselves Kosaky or Ordu, after ancient steppe forebears.

Nerahni were an aquatic nomad culture of the Tajaran, living on generation ships they have lovingly carved their history upon. This tradition they have carried to a spacer life, engraving the hulls with the deeds of the ship and crew.

Counterskrells are mostly young Skrells who reject the local autocracy of the Skrell Philosopher kings, instead bumbling around in space on massive yachts, exploring the depths of the skrellian psyche. With drugs. A lot of them.

Mega-Corporations

Mega-Corporations, an outcrop of late-stage capitalism or commercial interests on an interstellar age. While the corporate culture differs from corporation to corporation, one thing is for sure - they are an important influence on the politics of their “home species” and often transcend the boundaries of their species to deal with everything and everyone.

Mega-Corporations often field private military contractors in regions where government forces are not available, protecting their interests beyond the grasp of where they can have repercussions for their actions.

They are seen as scummy and inhumane at worst, but the mega-corporations try to maintain a good image and just call this “healthy for-profit mindsets”. After all, they have an obligation to fulfill.

The seven major human Mega-Corporations are: NanoTrasen, Ward-Takahashi GMB, Gilthari Exports, Grayson Manufactories Ltd., Aether Atmospherics and Recycling, Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and Hephaestus Industries.

Other important Mega-Corporations are: Vey-Med, Xion,  Advent Life Biolabs, Royal Meralar Shipyards, Mahrar-Kitsurah Industries, Donk Co., and Cybersun Industries.

Free Trade Union

While often compared to a mega corporation in their own right, the Free Trade Union is an ever expansive umbrella organisation for the attempted countering of monolithic, monopolized mega-corporations strangling the free market. And thus, every smaller corporation, mom and pop firms and independent freighter traders can get a license of the Free Trade Union, which often wheels and deals around to circumvent higher tariffs or taxes. In exchange, the administration takes a portion of the profit and redistributes it to members as insurance and to smooth out local governments. While many independent corporations and smaller labour unions join the FTU, some dislike the idea of the inherent flair of corruption and bribery the FTU is happily being accused of.

Orion Spur Civilizations

A catch-all term for every sapient life within the Orion Spur - Space is insurmountably vast and the Orion Spur is just a tiny region of it and even then it is host to a myriad of alien species, isolated by vast distances and dead planets. Here you find the downtrodden colonies mega-corporation in the Trailing Periphery, who have carved their own, little kingdoms under the “Trailing Colony Development Scheme” as heralded by the Commonwealth of Sol-Procyon or the hundreds of independent colonies away from all of the major species or simple pirates, who carve out their way of life with blood and lasers, deep in the underbelly of the void between the stars.

I want to know more than this page!

The following pages go into further detail about the lore itself, with topics that are not necessary to know absolutely, but will help you flesh out your character more.

Bluespace

Timeline

Infrastructure

Lore IconBackstory.png
Essentials Factions Locations Species News Miscellaneous

GreenDot.pngVital Lore

GreenDot.pngBackstory

GreenDot.pngTimeline

YellowDot.pngNanoTrasen

GreenDot.pngCommonwealth of Sol-Procyon

YellowDot.pngAres Confederation

GreenDot.pngUnitary Alliance of Salthan Fyrds

YellowDot.pngFree Trade Union

GreenDot.pngTrans-Stellar Corporations

YellowDot.pngUnited Federation

GreenDot.pngUnited Solar Defense Force

YellowDot.pngUnathi Culture

YellowDot.pngVirgo Orbital Research Establishment

GreenDot.pngVirgo-Erigone

GreenDot.pngVirgo-Prime

GreenDot.pngAl'Qasbah

RedDot.pngITV Talon

YellowDot.pngMoghes (Unathi Homeworld)

GreenDot.pngSol

GreenDot.pngInfernum

GreenDot.pngSanctorum

RedDot.pngAkula

YellowDot.pngAlraune

GreenDot.pngAltevian

GreenDot.pngBlack Eyed Shadekin

GreenDot.pngDiona

GreenDot.pngHanner Lleill

YellowDot.pngHuman

GreenDot.pngLleill

GreenDot.pngNevreans

YellowDot.pngPromethean

GreenDot.pngProteans

GreenDot.pngShadekin

YellowDot.pngSkrell

GreenDot.pngSynthetics

YellowDot.pngTajaran

YellowDot.pngTeshari

YellowDot.pngUnathi

YellowDot.pngVasilissans

RedDot.pngVox

GreenDot.pngVulpkanin

GreenDot.pngXenochimera

YellowDot.pngZaddat

GreenDot.pngZorren

GreenDot.pngCustom Species

GreenDot.pngPeriphery Post

GreenDot.pngFree Anur Tribune

GreenDot.pngInfrastructure

GreenDot.pngThaler

YellowDot.pngStandard Operating Procedure

YellowDot.pngAdmiralty law

GreenDot.pngBluespace

GreenDot.pngPhoron

YellowDot.pngLanguages

YellowDot.pngPersonal Lore

GreenDot.pngCatslug

Legend: GreenDot.pngUp-to-date YellowDot.pngPartially outdated RedDot.pngHeavily outdated

Partially outdated pages need a pass from lore masters to ensure they conform to current lore, but may be correct as they stand.

Heavily outdated pages directly contradict established lore OR are severely lacking in lore.

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