Dahanese Commonwealth (FT Factbook)

[Planet Dahan]

The Dahanese Commonwealth

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The Dahanese Commonwealth is a sovereign nation comprised of an amalgamation of different species displaced by a great war which ravaged their region of space almost two centuries ago. It operates a democratic national government whilst giving extensive powers to its constituent member species, allowing them to keep some semblance of their original governmental organs. Though it has, since its formation almost a century ago, been a minor power, focussing its efforts on reconstruction and economic redevelopment, in recent years it has begun to build up a sizeable defensive force.

Though famous for nothing particularly noteworthy, the Commonwealth is home to a variety of distinct cultures and is well known for establishing recreational space stations all around the universe.



Planetology

Planet Dahan is the capital world of the Dahanese Commonwealth and the homeworld of the Dahanese species. It orbits a type G2 yellow dwarf star called Vel, which is roughly comparable in size, temperature and luminosity to Sol. The planet itself is very similar to Earth in terms of size, mass and atmospheric composition, but it is slightly warmer and has a greater water content, which also means its average humidity levels tend to be higher.

There are three continents, though one is larger than the other two combined and is biased towards the Northern hemisphere. The majority of the population of Dahan originally lived on the western side of this continent close to the equator, where tropical conditions prevail throughout the year. As the population has exploded over the past century, however, it has spread across most of the landmasses.

The zero line of longitude has been established as running through the central square area of Dahania City, with most high density industrialised cities being located to the east, and generally more agricultural and scientific areas and low-density towns and cities to the east. Mining takes place in locations all over the surface of the planet, as well as underwater and on both moons.

Although the planet was largely pollution-free before the establishment of the Commonwealth, with the arrival of industrious species such as Grouliens and Grekka Targ, environmental issues have shot to the forefront.

Physical Characteristics:
Mean Radius: 6,372 km
Mean Circumference: 40,016 km
Surface Area: 764,948,914 km²
Land Area: 107,092,848 km² (14%)
Water Area: 657,856,066 km² (86%)
Mass: 6.0736×1024 kg
Equatorial Rotational Velocity: 493.1 m/s

Orbital Characteristics:
Mean Orbital Distance: 1.0 A.U.
Average Orbital Speed: 31 km/s
Satellites: 1 (Geralos)

Atmosphere:
Pressure: 99.8 kPa (sea level)
Composition: 74.1% nitrogen, 25.21% oxygen, 0.6% argon, 0.029 carbon dioxide, trace water vapour

Environment:
Average Surface Temperature: 43.9 °C
Highest Surface Temperature: 64.9 °C
Lowest Surface Temperature: -21 °C
Environment: Frozen northern pole, small single continent consisting primaril yof rainforest with small temperate zones towards the northeast

Elevation Extremes:
Highest Point: Mount Varmela, 9,312 m
Lowest Point: Lake Seduc, -423 m

Natural Resources:
Iron, silicon, magnesium, nickel, titanium, aluminium, calcium, tin, copper, beryllium, boron, sodium, cobalt, potassium, uranium, carbon (oil & coal), zinc, uranium.

Natural Hazards:
Risk of flooding at all equatorial regions, annual thunderstorms and hurricanes all across the west coasts

Current Environmental Issues:
Arrival of new species to the Commonwealth has caused a sharp escalation in pollution from both mining and manufacturing efforts; Dahanese government taking steps to regulate

International Environmental Agreements:
Strict internal regulation only.



People

The people of the Commonwealth are difficult to categorise; the various species of various origins have, unsurprisingly, varying customs, beliefs, biologies and requirements. Though listed as averages for the most part, these figures do not properly representing the wildly different ages of the numerous Commonwealth species.

Population:
9,260,000,000

Age Structure:
0-14 years: 21%
15-64 years: 77%
65 years and over: 2%

Median Age:
Total: 33

Sex Ratio:
Females 51%

Life Expectancy At Birth:
Total Population: 98 years

Nationality:
Noun: Dahan
Adjective: Dahanese

Ethnic Groups:
Dahanese Sirens 34%, Kasvagorians 19%, Groulien Salt Hogs 15%, Grekka Targ 11%, Greys 8%, Karmaramans 6%, Turrakken 4.5%, Polvakian 1%, Zedem 0.5%

Religion(s):
Dahanism 52%, Atheist 22%, Kasvagorianism 14%, Zedem 12%

Languages:
Dahan (official)

Literacy:
Definition: Age 15 and over can read and write
Total Population: 97% (16/01/14 estimate)



Government

The Commonwealth government is a democratic body with a Dahanese Community Leader at its head, and a Congress of the Nine (so called because each species of the Commonwealth appoints its own representative, making for nine members) serving as both cabinet and unicameral legislature. Government in the Commonwealth is complex, as it tries to allow its individual member species some degree of leeway to maintain the organs of their old governments and laws, whilst still functioning effectively as a cohesive nation and giving each species an equal say. For example, the Greys maintain the ancient Gris High Council, which appoints its leader as the Grey representative to the Congress of the Nine.

Despite these efforts at multicultural government, Commonwealth law always supersedes the laws of individual species.

The current membership of the Congress of the Nine is as follows:

• Community Leader Jess'la (Head of the Commonwealth, Dahanese Community representative)
• Horde-Commander Gruto'tek (Head of Defence, Kasvagorian Empire representative)
• Supreme Commander Maelorn (Head of Health & Welfare, Gris Unity representative)
• Hive Leader Zzksk Vsks (Head of Crime & Punishment, Grekka-Targ Hegemony representative)
• Chief Yakky Gander-Gub (Head of Industry & Commerce, Groulien Star Confederation representative)
• Senior Professors Mordok-Vellen (Head of Science & Education, Turrakken Authority representative)
• Meekua (Head of Agriculture, Karmaraman Commune representative)
• Elder-Monk Velorii (Head of Spirituality, Zedem Conclave representative)
• Lord Vaal (Head of Foreign Affairs, Polvakian Majesty representative)

Country Name:
Long Form: Commonwealth of Planet Dahan
Short Form: Dahanese Commonwealth
Former: Dahan

Government Type:
Representative democracy

Capital:
Dahania

Administrative Divisions:
10 boroughs

Independence:
Dahanese Commonwealth established 55 years ago in Year Zero; previously known simply as Dahan and has been independent for most of recorded history

National Holiday:
Dahanese Commonwealth has no weekends, and instead has three national holidays per week in celebration of life, fertility and pleasure

Constitution:
Formal constitution was ratified by the Congress of the Nine in Year Zero

Legal System:
Civil court

Suffrage:
There is no age of suffrage, as there are no restrictions

Executive Branch:
Head of State: Community Leader Jess'la
Head of Government: Community Leader Jess'la
Legislature/Cabinet: Congress of the Nine
Elections: Annually

Legislative Branch:
Regional Representatives Committee

Judicial Branch:
Dahan Community Court is the highest court of appeal

Flag description:
For the formation of the Dahanese Commonwealth, a new flag was chosen to replace the old Planet Dahan flag, which symbolised love and passion. The new flag is the Dahanese pictograph for 'unity' - symbolising the Dahan belief that no matter your ideology or history, you are welcome in the Commonwealth.



Economy

Since its formation, the Dahanese Commonwealth has undergone a period of rapid transition, as the various new species it had amalgamated into its formerly agrarian society brought with them their own economies. For several years the resultant changes brought devastating recession upon the Commonwealth, for the influx of new people were not catered for by the extant infrastructure.

The Dahan economy of old had relied heavily on the other powers of the region to survive. Previous to the Commonwealth, the Dahans had only ever made any significant income by opening toroid entertainment space stations in foreign lands, which are still seen to this day. It simply wasn't prepared for the massive amount of immigrants that arrived in quick succession.

After several decades of modernisation and reform, however, the new industries were largely assimilated successfully, and overnight Dahan was changed from a quiet farm world and into a bustling planet of many different specialisations. Grouliens, Grekka Targ, Kasvagorians, Turrakkens and the Grey all introduced heavy industries to the Commonwealth, with various different advancements made in the more sophisticated production of advanced technologies. The economy started to become more self-sufficient than it had ever been, as the various 'old economies' of the region were combined into a single - albeit heavily reduced - financial force. Growth began at pace.

Most industry has become highly automated, requiring few workers yet contributing heavily to gross domestic product. Agriculture has become similar, with advanced machines taking over from workers and yet becoming more productive.

Today, though nowhere near amongst the financial giants of the universe, the Dahanese Commonwealth has a respectable marketplace, producing a variety of products and largely possessing a good quality of life. Social reform has attempted to address the disparity between certain species - such as the Greys when compared to the Grouliens - but for the most part, this disparity still exists.

Gross Domestic Product:
$147,022,039,136,513 (^)

GDP Per Capita:
$15,866 (^)

GDP -- Composition By Sector:
Agriculture: 4%
Industry (Inc. Logging): 46%
Retail: 50%

Labour Force:
77% of the total population

Labour Force -- By Occupation:
Agriculture: 1%
Industry (Inc. Logging): 14%
Retail: 85%

Unemployment Rate:
5.6% (\/)

Budget:
Revenues: $110,061,599,542,125 (^)
Expenditures: $104,558,519,565,018 (^)

Agriculture -- Products:
Various native fruits and vegetables

Industries:
Agriculture, tourism, limited mining of various precious gems and practical metals, ship building, communications equipment, computing

Electricity:
Fusion generators supported by microwave solar energy

Currency:
Dahan credit



Military

The Dahanese Commonwealth Militia is the primary defence force of Planet Dahan, comprising of both the army and the navy. It reasonably well-funded organisation that has been slowly rebuilt over the years since the Great Interstellar War, with over four hundred highly advanced warships (of various designs) and tens of millions of active service personnel as of writing. Upon their arrival, the Kasvagorians established a network of defensive exotic particle weapon satellites in orbit around the planet to bolster its survivability, and development to establish a planetary shielding grid is now underway.

The Commonwealth Navy (formerly, and still sometimes known as, the Dahanese Navy) is responsible for the defence of Planet Dahan as well as undertaking any expeditionary missions which may be necessary. Prior to the establishment of the Commonwealth, Dahan had access to only five Dahanese Cruisers, which were unarmed and poorly shielded but quite fast, manoeuvrable and with a large cargo capacity. Once the remnants of the Kasvagorian Empire merged with the Commonwealth, they brought with them ten highly formidable Kasvagorian Annihilators, which are heavily armed and shielded battlecruisers of moderate size, which were added to the Dahanese Navy forces. The Grey Unity brought with them an additional Type 35 Galactic Explorer which was also added to the navy ranks. Military expansion projects have since constructed additional ships of all these classes plus some of Grekka-Targ design, increasing the size of the Navy to its present size.

Additionally, the Kasvagorians made a point of upgrading Dahanese Cruisers with Kasvagorian exotic particle weapons and more powerful shielding systems, making them into quite capable vessels. All Dahanese Cruisers now have a small contingent of Kasvagorian warriors aboard, not only to operate the new Kasvagorian technology now found on the Cruisers, but also to provide general security for the largely pacifistic Dahanese Sirens. Kasvagorian Annihilators are primarily crewed by Kasvagorians themselves, however, with one or two Dahan representatives aboard to act as diplomats. Grey Galactic Explorers are, predictably, crewed primarily by Greys, only rarely hosting a mix of other species aboard as well.

The army has also been rapidly improved. Until the Kasvagorian Horde merged its forces with Dahan there was essentially *no* army at all, which is why the army is still known as the Kasvagorian Horde to this day. In modern times the army has access to over 15,000,000 troops after a significant rise in population and military spend, mostly Kasvagorian warriors with a few tens of thousand Grouliens and Grekka Targ filling in the gaps. They are primarily armed with Kasvagorian particle weapons, although there are a few weapons belonging to the other member species in service as well. An additional 30,000,000 Mark 2 Security Scuzzers have also been deployed throughout the armed forces, which are durable and heavily armed artificially intelligent robots originally of Grey design, capable of fulfilling multiple tasks.

Of late, the Grey Special Assault Force has been rebuilt, based on the original such force from the Grey's earlier times. Although Greys are not especially physically threatening, nor given to violence, the GSAF - consisting entirely of Greys - utilises their highly advanced technologies to turn the Grey soldiers into lethal fighters. Their powered and shielded exoskeletons with stealth technology, when combined with their high degree of intelligence and affinity for ingenuity and stratagem, makes them a dangerous force.

As the Dahanese Commonwealth grows and becomes more involved in universal politics, and as the economy continues to expand, the Militia continues to grow in size and funding. While small compared to some, per capita spend on the Militia is significantly high, affording it decent capabilities regardless of its size.

Military Branches:
CommonwealthNavy
Kasvagorian Horde
Grey Special Assault Forces

Military Age & Obligation:
No obligation. All sentients of the Commonwealth are allowed to join voluntarily from the age of 15.

Current Military Personnel:
Kasvagorian Horde: 15,017,500 (plus 29,980,196 Mark 2 Security Scuzzers)
Grey Special Assault Forces: 129,500
Commonwealth Navy: 11,549,000

Military Expenditures:
$4,182,340,782,600 (^)



History

The history of the Stophiaex Cluster, the region of the galaxy that set the stage for the Great Interstellar War, is extremely long and complex, and much of it has little relevance to the Commonwealth as it presently exists. There are several key facts and events from its more recent history which have a direct influence on the Commonwealth, however, and indeed prompted its formation.

For as long as anybody can remember, the Stophiaex region of the galaxy was dominated by three great powers - the Grekka Targ Hegemony, the Gris Unity (or 'Grey' Unity, in common vernacular) and, most importantly, the Kasvagorian Empire. The Kasvagorians were by far the most powerful of the 'Big Three', and kept the other powers in the region largely at peace - purely through the threat of armageddon. Thus while their neighbours were kept in check, the Kasvagorians were free to expand their large empire beyond the borders of the Cluster, gaining them some recognition in the histories of foreign powers.

At this time the Dahanese were little more than a negligible interest - their franchise of recreational space stations was somewhat popular, and the species itself was often lusted after by slavers, but otherwise they were a non-issue in Cluster politics.

Some 350 years ago however a significant event occurred that would change the political structure of the Stophiaex Cluster beyond all recognition - an extra-galactic foe began a systematic invasion of every power in the Cluster indiscriminately; the Kring Imperium. Possessing technology as advanced as the Gris Unity, and a multitude of ships more powerful even than Kasvagorian Annihilators, the Kring initially operated with impunity in the region, enslaving the Karmaramans and the Grouliens first, before clashing with the Kasvagorian Empire. In them, the Kring found a challenge.

At the onset of the war, the Kasvagorians held the Kring at bay with remarkable efficiency. The highly organised and technologically advanced horde of Kring starships seemed unable to penetrate the line of the Kasvagorian war bands, despite the odds being heavily in their favour. This stalemate continued for two decades, and the numerous battles between the two powers caused horrific damage to the region and the species that inhabited it. The Gris Unity, after putting up an admirable fight, was destroyed with only a few scattered survivors, and the Turrakken Authority was overrun numerous times, each time driven back again by a Kasvagorian war band - these constant battles all but wiped out the two-headed race of scientists.

The Kring appeared to have unlimited resources, while the Kasvagorians could not construct new vessels fast enough to match the invaders head-on. Determined to force the Kring out of the galaxy, the Kasvagorians allied with the Grekka Targ Hegemony and the remnants of the Gris Unity and, with their combined resources, liberated the Grouliens, gaining their alliance as well. After several epic battles, one of which resulted in the complete destruction of an entire planet, the Kasvagorian-Grekka Targ-Groulien alliance, with the assistance of the Grey remnants, engaged the bulk of the Kring fleet at the outer regions of the Cluster.

It was the Kasvagorians who won the battle. By that point, the Grekka Targ Hegemony was a dwindling force, their small empire exhausted from the constant fighting, and the Grouliens had reverted to industrial support. Over three thousand Kasvagorian Annihilators, supported by twenty Grey Galactic Explorers and two hundred Grekka Targ Penetrators, converged on the significantly larger Kring fleet and began a brutal, quick assault. Their first targets were support ships rather than Kring warships, hoping that even if the battle was lost, the destruction of their supplies and hatchery ships would force them to concession, and this campaign was successful. The Grey starships proved to be highly resistant to Kring weaponry and ran interference, drawing a much larger force of Kring away from the main battle and destroying them soundly.

The Kasvagorians took heavy losses. By the time the last Kring vessel was destroyed, believed to be their flagship, only ten Annihilators survived. The Greys lost all but a single vessel, with the remaining Galactic Explorer largely intact, and the Grekka Targ fleet was completely wiped out. But the Kring were gone.

Unfortunately, the entire Cluster lay in cataclysmic ruin. The Kasvagorian Empire had essentially sacrificed itself to destroy the Kring, and the Kasvagorian species itself was threatened with resource shortages, horrific numbers of injuries, and even extinction. The Grekka Targ Hegemony, a large but thinly-dispersed power, had suffered massive casualties and had no fleet left to speak of, and the Gris Unity lay in ruins. Even the lesser powers, such as the Grouliens, the Turrakken Authority, and the Zedem Conclave in particular, had been ravaged by Kring assaults, economic instability, and slavery.

Only the Dahans had been left reasonably unscathed. Their biology offered no particular advantages to the Kring, who were immune to their mood-altering abilities, their military presented no threat, and their planet was largely devoid of appreciable resources or technologies.

Disheartened by the suffering around them, the Dahans first approached the Kasvagorians, who had given so much to defend the region, and proposed something previously unheard of - a unity of the surviving species of the region. They believed that by inviting the remains of the various species of the Cluster to live on the unharmed and fertile Planet Dahan, their combined resources on an untouched world would allow the survival and prosperity of them all. It was to be called the Dahanese Commonwealth.

Whether pressured by their imminent extinction, the threat of future Kring incursions, or perhaps influenced by the Dahanese Sirens' ability to manipulate the moods of others during negotiations, the Kasvagorians shocked the galaxy by agreeing to become one of the original founding members of the Commonwealth. With their martial expertise, Planet Dahan suddenly looked to be a safe-haven, untouched by the war and protected by the Kasvagorians.

Other species flocked to the Commonwealth, and the region suddenly birthed a new major power - one headed by the previously unimportant Dahans.

[Planet Dahan]

Species of the Commonwealth

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The Dahanese Commonwealth is an amalgamation of several different species from across the region. On the brink of extinction after the end of a great series of Interstellar Wars, these species were saved from their fates by the Dahanese Sirens, who united them all under a common banner or cooperation and mutual assistance. Although Dahanese law makes no distinction between species, the first few years of their unity has been difficult as previously adversarial species are forced to co-exist. Nevertheless, the different cultures, behaviours and skills of the various species have gifted the Commonwealth with a wide diversity and a growing economy.



Syraines Dahani (Dahanese Sirens)



Dahanese Sirens, or simply Dahans, are bipedal mammals originating from Planet Dahan, and they are the founding species of the Commonwealth. The name of their species is actually a nickname which they adopted, a nickname which they earned thanks to some of their more unique abilities which will be detailed further below. The scientific name for the Dahan species is Syraines Dahani.

Dahans are fairly similar to Caucasian humans in appearance; females are six feet tall on average, whilst males are usually about a half foot shorter, and they typically have slender, yet toned, physiques. While their hair is primarily either blonde, brown or black in colour, most have colourful natural highlights - either violet, blue or red most often - which are thought to serve a purpose in their mating rituals. Their most distinctive visual features are their large, feathery, angelic wings which adorn their backs, however. These wings are capable of allowing them to hover, as well as fly for moderate distances at moderate speed. For this reason, Dahans are notably lighter and somewhat more fragile when compared to other species; their bones are quite lightweight to allow them to fly, and high-gravity environments can be damaging to them in remarkably short periods of time. Dahan wings are one of their primary erogenous zones, and they play an important a part in Dahan sexuality.

Perhaps their most unusual ability of all, however, is their ability to influence the mood - particularly, the sexual mood - of other beings using a combination of powerful, highly potent pheromones and low-level telepathy. Both genders are capable of this, but females tend to have the most influence and control. Actually capable of inducing sexual pleasure in other beings without even touching them, this ability plays a central role in their entire culture, and is often provided to other species as a service on their numerous recreational space stations - hence the name, Sirens. Dahans view sexuality itself as a spiritual force, and have established an entire religion around the concept of persistent gratification. Biologically speaking, the act of influencing another's mood actually stimulates the production of potent hormones within their bodies similar to adrenaline, which makes them particularly eager to use it frequently. In more serious matters, however, this powerful ability allows them to guide difficult negotiations and debates by discretely improving the mood of their opponents, and they have also been known to diffuse potential wars in this manner. Many believe that they have used this ability to form and maintain the Commonwealth itself, as it seems unlikely that so many contrasting species could coexist so peacefully for so long. For this reason, it is advised that if on official business with Dahans, a strong-willed representative be sent, and even then the risk of their being influenced is still quite high.

Pacifistic to a fault, Dahans have an almost religious respect for life in all its forms, from the most powerful superbeings to the lowliest bacteria, and make a point of protecting it wherever possible - through non-violent means, of course. This can be a weakness at times, as without the aid of Kasvagorians they do not even make an effort to defend themselves from aggressors, and when attacked they will either flee, attempt to reason with, or influence the mood of, their opponent, or die trying. Dahans are very intelligent, despite their hedonistic culture, and have actually achieved a very high level of technology on their own, but because none of it is applied to defensive technologies it is rarely appreciated by outsiders. Their religious beliefs make them very passionate beings, who do not think twice about intimate physical contact with complete strangers and see no fault in using their unusual abilities on others.



Kasvagorians



Kasvagorians (scientific name Kasgorvien) are a powerful species which defy classification - some believe them to be reptiles, some believe them to be mammals, some believe them to be both, whilst others believe them to be something else entirely. Regardless, they are extremely large beings (standing on average ten or eleven feet in height, with some having shoulders as broad as five feet) with extremely high muscle density. With thick skin, enormously strong and heavy bones, and numerous redundant internal organs, they are very durable creatures that are difficult to kill. Aside from their size, their most visually distinctive features are the large spikes that typically adorn their shoulders, and sometimes their lower arms. They are immensely strong, several times stronger than a human and immeasurably more powerful than a Dahan. Despite this, they are also intelligent, and developed a high level of technology of their own accord.

It is the total absence of sexual dimorphism within their species that is most unusual, however. Both genders have internal reproductive systems, and they are outwardly identical. Both genders have roughly equal muscle mass and bone structure, and neither has any visual identifier or secondary sexual characteristics that would allow an outsider to determine their gender. Kasvagorians can tell the difference quite easily via smell alone, but outsiders will not have that luxury. It is for this reason, and due to their fairly masculine appearance, that outsiders will often assume that they have only ever seen male Kasvagorians, and that their females are oppressed or enslaved somehow behind closed doors. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. Kasvagorians make no distinction between male and female on either a legal or cultural level, and will only even acknowledge the difference when reproducing. While outsiders tend to refer to them as males whether they are male or not, Kasvagorians will often use gender neutral terms when dealing with each other, and both have identical rights under the law.

Most people know Kasvagorians from the Kasvagorian Empire, which was a hegemonic interstellar empire that held several dozen worlds and several hundred billion citizens at its peak. As one of the primary combatants in the Great Interstellar War against the Kring Imperium, however, their strength was heavily depleted and their empire systematically destroyed, to the point where they were besieged on their own homeworld. By the end of the wars, only a couple of hundred thousand Kasvagorians had survived, along with ten of their iconic Annihlator battlecruisers. Their homeworld in ruins and their people at risk of extinction, they eagerly joined the Commonwealth and became its second member species, and they are largely recognised as one of the founding members. Since then they have filled a very crucial gap in Dahanese society - security and warriors, providing martial strength to the previously-unarmed state and equipping the dwindling navy with powerful weapons of their own design. Because of their crucial role in the Commonwealth and their sacrifice in the Great Interstellar Wars (and the fact that nobody dares think any less of them), they are very highly respected by all Commonwealth members.

As a warrior species by nature, Kasvagorians have a strict honour code. Although violent and bloodthirsty, they are surprisingly hard to provoke, and possess a deep respect for the other species' cultures. This is perhaps the reason why such a violent race is able to befriend a pacifistic race like the Dahans; even though the Dahans have never earned battle honour, the very act of selflessly saving the Kasvagorians from extinction has earned them their respect.



Groulien Salt Hogs



Originally hailing from Groulius IV and properly called Pourceaux Grouliens, these small, diminutive creatures are mammals, notable for the hard shell which covers their backs and the top of their heads, and the peculiar beaks which adorn the end of their long snout. They are usually grey in colour with a light brown shell, and have small, black eyes similar in appearance to those of a mole. Despite their size of roughly three feet high (on average), they are surprisingly strong - easily overpowering the fragile Dahans and challenging humans, they can even give a Kasvagorian a run for his money in the right circumstances. Though not given to violence, provoking a diminutive Groulien could be something of a mistake. Thanks to the hard, bony shell which covers their backs and the tops of their heads, they are quite tough to injure as well. Some have said that the part of their shell which covers their heads looks a little bit like a flat cap, which is an amusing coincidence considering the 'working class' stigma that is associated to them.

Their nickname, 'salt hogs', is two-fold. In regards to the 'salt' portion, their entire species has an unusual taste for eating salt. While other species snack on biscuits and crisps, it is not uncommon to find Grouliens eating cubes of salt. Indeed, it appears to benefit their health rather than damage it, and Grouliens deprived of the substance completely will suffer from ill health. As for the 'hog' part of their nickname, their language (replete with squealing and snorting sounds) simply reminds people of swine.

Their greatest atribute of all, however, is their ability to survive in hostile environments. Grouliens can happily work in hot, radioactive, high gravity environments without the aid of an environmental suit, and can survive in a vacuum for a few minutes before succumbing. Even Kasvagorian particle beam weapons take a couple of shots to down a Groulien, and so far as kinetic weapons are concerned anything less than a railgun will fail to penetrate their hide. For this reason, Grouliens are in high demand for industrial work, which is fortunate because this is their speciality.

The Groulien homeworld was noted for its massive industrial base, and was heavily polluted for many centuries as a result. Although never having established a particularly impressive empire or anything of that sort, the Groulien reputation for industrial ability earned them a superb economy, especially as they had long-standing shipbuilding contracts with the Kavagorians and the Greys, and the developed sophisticated industrial technologies of their own. Their own - self-invented - technology wasn't particularly impressive by galactic standards, but it is said that Grouliens were so industrious that they could build anything if they had the right materials - with some reports claiming that they had, in the past, managed to replicate some of the more advanced Grey technologies (much to the chagrin of the Gris Unity, which believed such a thing to be impossible).

During the Great Interstellar Wars many Grouliens were taken as slaves to work in dangerous factories or mines, with more killed during slaving raids and repeated invasions, and their numbers were heavily depleted as a result. With their homeworld on the verge of a major ecological and economical disaster and their numbers too few to do anything about it, the Grouliens became the third member race of the Commonwealth.

Despite their status as one of the founding species, however, they do not command a great deal of respect with the other species, and the feeling tends to be mutual. Many species, particularly Karmaramans and Polvakians, view them with disdain due to the working-class stereotype they are tainted with. They get along well with the Dahans and the Kasvagorians, but few others prefer to spend time with them. In general they enjoy to live a simple life, with Groulien communities consisting of little more than a few basic houses and a pub-like bar on every street. On the whole they have less personal wealth than most other species put together, despite being the third most numerous.



Grekka Targ



Grekka Targ are odd-looking insectoid lifeforms, whose original homeworld has become lost to posterity. Roughly the same size as Grouliens, they have mottled green exoskeletons with big, black compound eyes and small, translucent wings on their backs. They too have small beaks instead of mouths, but their faces are much flatter than that of a Groulien. Their strength is roughly as one would expect for a creature of their size, but their hard exoskeleton makes them somewhat difficult to injure, and their insectoid physiology makes them immune to many illnesses (as well as being difficult to drown or suffocate).

As a species, Grekka Targ are especially noted for their speed and reaction times. Having relatively short lifespans of only thirty or forty years, Grekka Targ tend to live life at a faster pace than anybody else and it often shows in their work. Intelligent and single-minded, Grekka Targ are often found working in repetitive tasks, which many people would consider to be dull.

The Grekka Targ Hegemony was considered to be one of the 'big three' nations in the region before the war, and was also one of the three oldest nations. Unfortunately the Grekka Targ Hegemony was spread quite thinly when the war began and they suffered heavy losses simply by proximity, as well as being used as slave labour by the nefarious Kring Imperium. Upon joining the Commonwealth they have most commonly been found performing analytical roles - many find positions monitoring sensor systems or communications devices. Being intelligent and somewhat technologically advanced, they have brought with them certain technologies which have greatly improved Dahanese sensing and communicating systems, though they can also be found in a wide variety of other roles.

Grekka Targ are considered by many to be quite dull, as they have a group mentality and individuality suffers as a result. Many people find Grekka Targ to have no sense of humour, and they are difficult to talk to about anything other than work - and even then, they will say as little as possible. They prefer to keep to themselves, and they feel a very strong sense of kinship with others of their kind, but this is not to say that they do not value their allies.



Greys



Greys are, as their name suggests, grey in colour, although the actual name for their species is Gris. They bear a striking similarity to the 'Roswell greys' that reportedly visited Earth throughout the 20th century, which has given them a somewhat nefarious reputation amongst the few humans who meet them. Despite these similarities however, they vociferously claim to be completely unrelated and appear thoroughly offended at the very suggestion.

Greys are quite small, standing roughly four or five feet on average, and they are very frail due to their over-dependence on technology. Their main strength lies in their incredible intelligence, and their species has become completely reliant upon the advanced technologies their society is famed for. No Grey has ever taken an IQ test, but they would find the content of such trivial, and their brains are often called the 'supercomputers of the natural world' being as they are able to solve complicated mathematical problems very quickly. Much like the Kasvagorians, Greys have little sexual dimorphism - however, this has more to do with the physical degradation their species has experienced as a result of too much reliance on technology.

Throughout the region, Greys are renowned for their extremely advanced technology, particularly their impressive grasp of medical technology. Greys are famous for being able to cure most known diseases and heal most wounds, and can quickly learn how to do so on a completely alien species. Their medical technology is second to none - so advanced that even other space-faring races have mistaken it for magic in the past. Having an acute understanding of how brains work, and the ability to heal extensive damage fairly easily, they can even revive dead people over a day after complete brain death, which is a feat few can accomplish. Indeed, it is said that thanks to a combination of genetic engineering and their medical technology, short of shooting a Grey in the head with a particle weapon, they are functionally immortal - they do not age, are never ill, and even if killed from injuries they can usually be brought back to life and repaired quite easily provided that their brains are left intact.

Despite being a race of peaceful explorers, doctors and scientists, this advanced technology extends to their military capabilities. Grey Galactic Explorers, despite their size and purpose, are formidable combat vessels and proved more than a match for numerous Kring warships during the war. It is estimated that it would take at least ten Kasvagorian Annihilators to properly challenge a single Galactic Explorer in a fight - even at such comparatively diminutive dimensions, a Galactic Explorer is believed to possess more than double the firepower of an Annihilator with only a fraction of the number of weapons, and their shields and exotic hull plating are virtually impregnable. Complementing their survivability, Grey starships are amongst the fastest known to exist in the galaxy, and incorporate advanced sensors, matter teleportation, and more sophisticated science labs than can be found in some dedicated universities.

But the Greys guard their martial technologies more zealously than Zedem monks pursue their faith - many of these abilities are mere guesswork, for even after joining the Commonwealth, the Greys won't share their more advanced technologies with 'those who are not ready for them'.

Unfortunately for the Greys, however, such incredible technology and knowledge is especially valuable during war. The Gris Unity and its formidable martial technology was considered a grave threat by the Kring Imperium, and after its defeat the Greys were 'recruited' heavily during the Great Interstellar Wars as 'intellectual slaves'. Millions of Greys were lost, their species not being especially numerous to start off with, and their conquered homeworld was considered collateral damage in a particularly massive battle between Kring and Kasvagorian forces. Despite this, the 'Exiled Grey Remnant' forces played a key role in the final battle of the war.

With nowhere else to turn, the remains of the Gris Unity begrudgingly joined the Commonwealth and settled on Planet Dahan, bringing with them their impressive medical technology and scientific knowledge. The Gris High Council was a model of democracy and efficiency, and its overall organisation became the basis for the new Dahanese Commonwealth government.

Of the various species of the Commonwealth, Greys have no particular favourite; they find them all fascinating and study them with equal fervour. That said, they have the most in common with the Turrekken, who they find particularly fascinating and amusing in equal measure. When it comes to their reputation with the other species - each species has seen lives saved by Grey medical technology, so if any one species in the Commonwealth could be said to be looked upon the 'most favourably' by the rest, it would be the Greys. Even the Zedem overlook their scientific leanings, if reluctantly, and admire their peaceful and inquisitive nature.



Karmaramans



Almost as peculiar as their names, Karmaramans are bright purple mammals with four arms, two legs and bright green hair. Standing roughly five to six feet in height and having strength and mental capacity roughly equivalent to humans, they do have a unique ability to multitask. They can use all four of their arms for completely separate tasks at the same time, and they have excellent reaction times. Aside from their arms, they noteworthy for having particularly complicated mating rituals, which can last for several days and incorporate elaborate dances.

Prior to the commencement of the wars, Karmaramans were a primitive people comprised primarily of farmers. When the wars began their world was quickly taken by the Kring Imperium as one of many agricultural worlds under their command, which saw the defenceless and pacifistic Karmaramans enslaved and forced to work, to death in many cases. In order to feed an army of millions their world was plundered, raped and pillaged to the point where virtually none of its surface was fertile any more, despite entire forests being destroyed to clear room for fields. By the end of the war, the Karmaraman people were starving and only a few thousand were left alive when they were finally liberated from Kring rule by a Kasvagorian war band. The Dahans immediately offered to help relocate them to Planet Dahan, where they could begin new lives helping to farm food for the rapidly growing Commonwealth.

Since relocating, however, the Karmaramans have become somewhat disjointed and many have turned to recreational drugs. Culturally, many consider them to be roughly comparable to hippies on Earth, and they have developed an image as being work-shy 'stoners'. They continue to farm, but their output and efficiency is considerably lower than before the wars and machinery has had to take over.

Being pacifists and somewhat hedonistic they get along well with their saviours, the Dahans, and members of the two species intermingle frequently. They get on less well with the warlike Kasvagorians, whom they disdain for their violent ways and blame for the wars, despite it being the Kasvagorians who ultimately liberated them from Kring rule. Groulien Salt Hogs are also on their bad books, as the Karmaramans are environmentalists by nature and take offence at the industrious nature of the Grouliens. They are fond of the Greys however, probably because many Karmaramans are addicted to drugs of Grey origin. Most Karmaramans can be found living in the rural wilderness of Planet Dahan, retaining their primitive lifestyles despite access to modern technologies, and they will rarely be encountered by foreigners.



Turrakken



Turrakken are certainly the most unusual species of the Commonwealth, and perhaps one of the most unusual in the universe. Technically reptiles, they look more like mammals with scaly green skin, but their most distinctive feature of all is their second head. Essentially natural Siamese twins, both heads have independent brains which share their powerful, singular respiratory and nervous systems - which means that while both heads have separate personalities, both share the same bodily functions.

This can often cause conflict. Both heads will often (sometimes humorously) be seen talking to each other, and even arguing over such simple things as which direction to walk in. Ultimately the victor of such arguments is simply the head with the strongest will, and there will invariably be one dominant personality and one submissive personality.

Both brains are also very intelligent, however, and the phrase 'two heads are better than one' has never been more apt than when referring to the scientific potential of the Turrakken. They are renowned for having advanced scientific technologies, and they have an acute understanding of some extremely complicated scientific theories and mathematical equations. Their technology, though advanced, was more focused on 'understanding the universe' and making life easier, rather than on more general applications as pursued by the Greys. While the Greys built hugely impressive and formidable space vessels to explore the cosmos and defend themselves with, and developed their medical technology to near-perfection, Turrakken technology was more impressive in such areas as deep space telescopes, unmanned space exploration vehicles, computers capable of more calculations per second than any known to exist, and more efficient food storage systems that automatically restocked themselves (this is not a joke). They rarely left their homeworld, unlike the Greys, preferring to stay indoors and work on mathematical equations.

Unsurprisingly, the Turrakken homeworld was a technological goldmine, but with none of it focussed on defence the Turrakken Authority was raped for this technology by the Kring Imperium the moment their invasion began. Their homeworld was the site of numerous large battles as the Kring and the Kasvagorians sought to wrest control of it from each other time after time. When the wars were over, the remaining Turrakken promptly requested to join the growing Commonwealth, and were welcomed by the Dahans.

Turrakken get along very well with the Greys, who they have a lot in common with. They are also fond of the Dahanese Sirens, although that has more to do with the Dahanese hedonistic tendencies than anything - Turrakken have a particularly conservative culture, and find the Dahanese willingness to share their sexuality to be a welcome change. On the other hand, they consider Kasvagorians to be simplistic brutes (although would never call them such to their faces) and Grouliens to be primitive imbeciles. They do not get along well with Grekka Targ either, although there is no obvious reason for this, and they have a particular disliking of Polvakians and Karmaramans, whom they view as lazy and unintelligent. As for the Zedem, they view them with more disdain than anybody - their groundless and zealous faith in an unfounded religious philosophy is considered despicable by the ever-rational Turraken.



Polvakians



Molass Polvakienne is an invertebrate species that resembles oversized green slugs - with faces. It is for this reason, and the fact that they often defecate precious, sparkling blue mineral deposits called turdites, that many have nicknamed them 'gem slugs'. Polvakians are quite fragile and incapable of defending themselves, and require a constant supply of food and water lest they suffer illness and die quite quickly. Whether their slug-like appearance is a potential evolutionary path for other species is unclear, nor is it clear whether or not Polvakians ever had limbs - they are a very old species, and fossils are not easy to come by on Polkavia. In modern times, however, they tend to get around on hoversleds which are specifically designed to support their significant weight.

Polvakians originated on a swampy world called Polkavia, and their economy was unusual in that it was almost entirely outsourced - Polvak had the highest proportion of aristocrats to workers of any civilised world known to exist. It is unclear how this came to be, as historical records in the region do not record a time when this was not so. Spending their cash off-world, Polvakians became renowned for living a life of excess and sloth. Although naturally capable of intelligence, Polvakians engage in no intellectual activities and often seem dim-witted, and their unwillingness to do anything for themselves resulted in them becoming quite overweight and weak. When the Great Interstellar Wars gripped the region the Polvakians were largely clear of the fighting - however, the plunging economy and the destruction of most of their off-world businesses caused them more harm than any particle beam weapon could have done. Polkavia fell into a depression, and Polvakians began to die off rapidly.

Upon being allowed to join the Dahanese Commonwealth - after considerable opposition from most member species - they once again settled into their life of laziness and luxury. Unfortunately they cannot afford to do so anymore without draining money from the government, and they are widely disliked by the majority of species on the planet (minus the ever-tolerant Dahans), who view them as lazy and selfish. Unfortunately, encouraging them to do any work has proved impossible to date, and few people can think of a vocation that would suit a Polvakian anyway.



Zedem



Zedem are mysterious and unusual in that their entire species are members of the Zedem Monkhood, a religious organisation devoted to the worship of their god, converting alien heretics, and engaging in humanitarian missions. They are quite tall at just over six feet, although they are not especially physically powerful or durable. They have tall heads with long faces, with distinctive red stripes down their noses, large, flap ears protruding from the sides of their heads, and small, slit-like eyes.

Zedem monks are able to devote their lives to spirituality by relying entirely on the charity of others - particularly, those they convert, who become Zedem penitents. Upon conversion to the Zedem religion, one must surrender one's personal possessions to the 'greater community', as Zedem monks do not believe in material wealth. All of their possessions are then sold, and any money is used to buy provisions and supplies. Meanwhile, the penitent is forced to spend upwards of a year locked inside a claustrophobic metal robotic suit as penance for their sins. The process by which Zedem monks are able to convert people is unclear and subject to some controversy - it is not unusual to find an individual who once swore off the Zedem religion as nonsense, wandering around trapped in a penitent's robotic suit shortly afterwards. Many suspect foul play, but the monks refuse to divulge any details, and there is no real evidence of nefarious behaviour.

The Kring Imperium considered the Zedem to be heretical filth, and made a point of trying to exterminate them wherever they found Zedem enclaves. As a result their numbers - which weren't great to begin with - dwindled to dangerous levels. They were the last species to be invited into the Commonweath, but since arriving they have already established temples and begun trying to convert locals. Most non-believers hate them, regardless of what species they are, unless of course they find themselves converted. Zedem monks find it extremely difficult to get along with Dahans, due primarily to their sexual beliefs - Zedem monks must abstain except for reproduction, whereas Dahans cannot live without sexual gratification, making the two quite incompatible.



Kring

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Kring were a tyrannical, humanoid species of reptiles thought to have originated outside of our galaxy. Possessing strength that rivalled that of the Kasvagorians and the intelligence of Greys, Kring were a formidable species of highly intelligent warriors who were renowned for their aggression and bloodlust. They had visually distinctive green scaled skin, with long, slender snouts and muscular bodies. Although smaller than Kasvagorians, they had a much denser musculature.

Kring had established an empire known as the Kring Imperium, which made an incursion into the Stophiaex Cluster of the Milky Way more than three centuries ago. It has been claimed that the Kring Imperium was thousands of years old, and certainly older than any of the great empires in that region of space such as the Kasvagorian Empire, the Grekka Targ Hegemony or the Gris Unity. Establishing a small foothold on uninhabited planets on the outer rim, they quickly began to annex inhabited worlds and quickly demonstrated their expansionist tendencies. At the time their greatest rival in the Cluster was the Kasvagorian Empire, whom they formally entered into war with after attempting to annex a Kasvagorian stronghold. Thanks to their intelligence, Kring starships were more technologically advanced than Kasvagorian warships, and so saw some success in the beginning stages of the war. As the Kasvagorians brought in their allies and recruited the Grouliens to construct ships at a greater pace, however, the war became more of a stalemate which saw the entire region devastated. Fought to a standstill, the Kring were eventually defeated by a combined Kasvagorian-Groulien-Grekka Targ-Gris fleet, and have not been seen in the Milky Way since. It is theorised that the Kring may be a nomadic species, in which case this last engagement could have seen them wiped out completely, however others believe that the Kring Imperium may well have control of an entire galaxy elsewhere in the universe, meaning that there could be trillions of them still at large.

As formal contact was never established with the Kring, even by the ever-persuasive Dahanese Sirens, little is known about their culture or society. It is known that the Kring Imperium was a monarchy, which oppressed its people and demanded military service from all its citizens at some point in their lives. It is also known that Kring are fully-grown after only ten years of life, and they breed quite rapidly. Kasvagorian warships made a point of attacking Kring ships known as 'hatcheries', as these large, oval ships were essentially enormous flying nests filled with Kring eggs (which is used as evidence that Kring are a nomadic species, incidentally).

[Planet Dahan]

Commonwealth Navy

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The Commonwealth Navy (also commonly referred to as the Dahanese Navy, from which it was formed) is the principle line of defence for the Dahanese Commonwealth, as well as undertaking any expeditionary missions which may be necessary, and transporting personnel across space.

Presently undergoing a period of expansion, in their period of isolation the Commonwealth Navy has expanded their paltry 16 starships into a much more impressive 430 vessels - this includes 70 Dahanese Cruisers, 162 Kasvagorian Annihilators, and 20 Type 35 Galactic Explorers. Additionally, 168 Grekka-Targ Penetrators have more recently been completed, with numbers of this light vessel expected to eclipse those of other classes considerably within ten years, and the first Groulien Factory Ship of 10 was recently commissioned.



Dahanese Cruiser

Type: Cruiser
Length: 356 metres
Displacement: 512,640 metric tons
Powerplant: Grade Six Antimatter Annihilation Core
Sublight Propulsion: Ion drive
FTL Propulsion: Space-warp FTL system
Armaments: 16x medium particle beam emitters; 2x torpedo launchers
Defences: Medium strength deflector shield grid (one emitter); 10x point defence laser emitters
Crew: 10x officers; 350x enlisted

The Dahanese Cruiser was originally an unarmed exploratory, diplomatic, and recreational class of vessel, designed to be fast, luxurious, and capable of scanning in detail at long range. Designed and built by the Dahanese Sirens themselves, it was clearly built with aesthetics in mind as its striking design and unusual purple colouring suggest. Though the Dahanese have never been especially powerful, through their own intelligence - and contracts with Turrakken scientists - they had nevertheless attained an impressive level of technology, which resulted in the Cruiser having a fairly high top speed and a potent antimatter annihilation power plant, as well as being equipped with all manner of advanced technologies such as transporters and matter replicators. At the dawn of the Commonwealth only five Cruisers existed, but subsequent construction has taken that number to seventy, and ten more are under construction.

When the Commonwealth was formed and the Kasvagorian Empire merged with the Dahanese, the Kasvagorians, having been given charge of military policy and finding themselves disgusted with the design of the Cruiser, made significant efforts to bring it up to their standards by installing numerous powerful particle beam emitters and more capable shield systems onto the diminutive craft. This was a particularly important project in the early days, when vessels capable of combat were in short supply. When combined with its high speed and generous power plant, these changes made the Cruiser a surprisingly formidable vessel, and all subsequent ships of the class have carried these upgrades.



Kasvagorian Annihilator

Type: Dreadnought
Length: 1,790 metres
Displacement: 21,188,800,000 metric tons
Powerplant: Class 1 hyperfusion reactor core
Sublight Propulsion: Impulse drive
FTL Propulsion: Mark VIII Hyperdrive system; dark energy generator, grade VII
Armaments: 145x heavy particle beam emitters; 22x magnetic accelerator cannons; 40x torpedo launchers
Defences: High strength deflector shield grid (five emitters); 50x point defence laser emitters
Crew: 60x officers; 1,500x enlisted

The Kasvagorian Annihilator was originally designed with one simple goal in mind, as its name suggests - destroying the opposition. Like the Kasvagorians themselves it was to be large, brutish and powerful, built efficiently to fulfil its purpose absolutely. During the height of the Kasvagorian Empire the Annihilator was their main naval craft, and it was an iconic sight for hundreds of lightyears around. They served with distinction during the Great Interstellar Wars and developed an intimidating reputation amongst their enemies, in no small part due to the tenacity and bloodlust of their crews. Despite the technological superiority of the Kring, Annihilators could often be found engaged in solitary combat against numerous enemy ships without succumbing, and became almost legendary amongst the forces resisting the Kring - allies would cheer at the sight of one of these potent warships arriving on the battlefield, as it invariably meant the tides were about to turn in their favour. By the end of the wars, only ten of these powerful craft had survived the final battles - but none of their enemy's ships did.

Capable of laying waste to planets and other capital ships alike, the Annihilator is equipped with large numbers of some of the most devastating particle beam emitters the Kasvagorians ever built, and they are also armed with antimatter torpedoes and quantum torpedoes. Should these prove insufficient, she also has over twenty large kinetic impactor weapons at her disposal. Her shields are the most powerful available, and they protect a dense, heavily-armoured hull. Regardless of her size, the Annihilator is a powerful foe capable of engaging and defeating craft significantly larger than herself, and she is invariably crewed by Kasvagorians willing to make this happen.

Powered by a cavernous fusion reactor, which provides thrust to its fast and efficient fusion impulse engines, the Annihilator is capable of maintaining its heavy shielding at full strength for a prolonged period of time and propelling itself through hyperspace at some 1,500ly/h. Since joining the Commonwealth, the Annihilators have also been refit to include certain advanced technologies from the other member races which the Kasvagorians did not previously have access to, such as the sophisticated medical facilities and more powerful energy generation systems of the Greys, the communications and command and control systems of the Grekka-Targ, and the matter transportation and replication systems of the Dahanese.

These upgrades have subsequently been implemented in the new generation of Annihilators. The Commonwealth, at the persistent behest of the Kasvagorians, resumed construction of the Annihilator class several decades ago. Although it takes almost two years to complete a single vessel, over the last forty years the Commonwealth has constructed over 160 of them, and a further 30 are on order. The original 10 vessels that survived the Great Interstellar War remain in active service despite their age, and are revered by their crews as 'honoured warriors'.



Type 35 Galactic Explorer

Type: Special
Length: 630 metres
Displacement: 3,402,000 metric tons
Powerplant: Dark energy reactor, grade VI
Sublight Propulsion: Reactionless neg-mass drive
FTL Propulsion: Grade IV Grey Hyperdrive system
Armaments: 10x heavy exotic particle beam emitters
Defences: Very high strength deflector shield grid (four emitters); gravity field emitter
Crew: 10x officers; 250x enlisted

The Type 35 Galactic Explorer originated in the Gris Unity, whom only had a single surviving example of the ship left when they joined the Dahanese Commonwealth, the rest having been destroyed in combat with the Kring. Fully equipped with the advanced technologies that the Grey are renowned for, the Galactic Explorer is a very fast craft, capable of travelling over 23,000 ly/h with its highly advanced - and closely guarded - Grey hyperspace system, thus allowing it to earn its name.

Despite its size and purpose it is also an extremely formidable attack vessel thanks to the highly advanced technologies the Greys employed in her construction, with shields several times more powerful than those of a Kasvagorian Annihilator and ten powerful exotic particle beam weapons of Grey design, estimated to have double the combined yield of the entire Annihilator arsenal. Additionally, her hull is constructed from sophisticated exotic alloys of unknown type, and it can withstand significant punishment before being breached. Thanks to her unusual negative mass sublight drive systems, it is highly agile and can also be quite difficult to detect and follow, as it has no exhaust and employs an active stealth system that is difficult to breach. In 80% of simulations, and much to the chagrin of the Kasvagorians, it has been determined that a single Galactic Explorer could defeat up to 10 Kasvagorian Annihilators single-handedly. This impressive martial capability was demonstrated with astonishing effect several times during the Great Interstellar War; during the Second Battle to Liberate Turrakken for example, a single Galactic Explorer, attached to an allied Kasvagorian fleet, destroyed nearly 50 Kring battlecruisers and turned the tide in their favour. It is thought that the heavily outnumbered Kasvagorians would almost certainly have lost the battle had the Galactic Explorer not been present. Unfortunately, the Galactic Explorer is not indestructible, and due to their complex systems not many were built, so only a single vessel survived the war.

But the primary function of the Galactic Explorer, and that which it is used most frequently for, is exactly as its name suggests - exploration. With a scientific mission, the Galactic Explorer is equipped with some of the most powerful FTL sensors that exist in the Commonwealth, capable of scanning for several lightyears around and at an extremely high level of detail, making it a superb scout or command and control vessel during fleet operations. Many science labs are present aboard, often better outfitted than most university labs, allowing the Explorer to conduct continuing scientific research projects on the move. In typical Grey tradition, the Galactic Explorer is also equipped with a comprehensive medical facility, and is capable of acting as a hospital ship. When deployed on exploration duties, a Galactic Explorer can map entire sectors by itself in a very small amount of time, and can catalogue an entire planet in only a day. When deployed as a hospital ship, it can effectively treat a global pandemic on a moderately-sized colony world by itself.

Greys continually expressed a desire to renew construction of this impressive, multi-role ship under the flag of the Commonwealth since they became members, though the resource-intensive ships were not affordable during the Commonwealth's early years. But 35 years ago their wish was granted by the Congress of the Nine, as part of its military expansion period, and they allocated sufficient resources to the Greys to build several extra ships of the class. The exotic materials and highly complex construction processes involved in manufacturing Explorers precludes rapid development of the class, however, and after decades they have only produced 20 ships. The rate of ship production is not helped by the fact that the Greys refuse to allow any other species to be involved in the construction process, concerned as they are that their most sensitive technologies must remain a closely-guarded secret even among their Commonwealth allies.

The Kasvagorians would much rather used the same resources to build Annihilators equipped with Grey technology instead, but despite being members of the Commonwealth the Greys still guard their technology carefully, making Type 35s the only way to deploy their formidable technology on the battlefield - much to the chagrin of the Kasvagorians in charge of military policy.



Grekka Targ Penetrator

Type: Destroyer
Length: 320 metres
Displacement: 1,402,000 metric tons
Powerplant: GT-H-91 fusion reactor
Sublight Propulsion: Fusion torch drive
FTL Propulsion: Type 2 Grekka Targ hyperspace drive
Armaments: 8x medium particle beam emitters
Defences: Light strength deflector shield grid (four emitters); 35x point defence laser emitters
Crew: 15x officers; 590x enlisted

The Grekka Targ Penetrator is a class of legacy ship that had not been seen in operation since the end of the Great Interstellar War, when the remaining Grekka Targ Hegemony forces were completely destroyed by the Kring in the final battle of the conflict. Construction on the class recently resumed, but only after considerable petitioning from the Grekka Targ in the Commonwealth. This was partly a political decision; as one of the original 'Big Three' powers in the Cluster, the Grekka Targ were offended that both the Gris Unity and the Kasvagorian Empire were represented by their own iconic vessels in the Commonwealth fleet, but no trace of the Grekka Targ Hegemony could be found. Besides this, the Penetrator is a potent vessel in its own right, and fulfils a valuable niche in the Navy - and being small and easier to produce than either the Annihilator or the Galactic Explorer, it has also expanded the Navy's numbers and flexibility considerably.

The Penetrator is roughly equivalent to a destroyer-type vessel; it is lightly-armed and shielded compared to the juggernauts that are the Annihilator and the Galactic Explorer, but it is capable of great feats of acceleration and agility. It cannot take or deal significant amounts of punishment, but in a fleet support role it is useful, particularly as its point defence system offers more capacity than is necessary for a ship of this size, allowing it to provide cover to larger ships. Outside of fleet operations, the Penetrator is typically deployed in 'wolf packs' of three vessels, a tradition that dates back to the days of the Hegemony. Its hyperspace system, though more primitive than that employed by Kasvagorian Annihilators, allows for slightly faster FTL velocities, making the Penetrator an ideal advance scout ship. And as is typical of the Grekka Targ, the Penetrator's command and control systems are second only to the vastly more advanced Type 35, allowing them to coordinate fleet operations with relative ease.

It is cheap and easy to build, too, a fact that the Grekka Targ Hegemony once used to its advantage to quickly field a large fleet to defend their territory, despite their limited resources compared to the Kasvagorian Empire or the Gris Unity. The Commonwealth has leveraged this advantage too, and almost 400 of the craft have been placed on order - so far almost 170 have been completed. Its low cost and rapid build times offer an attractive way for the Commonwealth to quickly bolster its fleet size, and frees up more valuable Annihilators and Galactic Explorers from more mundane duties. In fleet operations it is expected that Penetrators will provide a support role, using their sophisticated communications and sensor equipment to provide command and control, using their point defence systems to protect larger ships, and using their larger numbers to run interference. During peacetime, they will serve as patrol vessels for Commonwealth space - freeing up larger, more valuable, and less flexible warships for more important duties.



Groulien Factory Ship

Type: Support / carrier
Length: 2,520 metres
Displacement: 11,462,000 metric tons
Powerplant: 100x MOX fission reactors
Sublight Propulsion: Ion thruster
FTL Propulsion: Groulien Space Tearer
Armaments: 150 railguns
Defences: Heavy strength deflector shield grid (twelve emitters); 150x point defence laser emitters
Crew: 12x officers; 1,590x enlisted

The Groulien Factory Ship is a relatively recent addition to the Commonwealth. Once famous across the Cluster, Factory Ships are essentially self-sufficient carriers, roving factories, and heavy cruisers all rolled into one. Before the Great Interstellar War, the Grouliens produced dozens of these craft, though they were all destroyed during the Kring invasion of Groulious.

While somewhat primitive by most species' standards, the 100 MOX-fuelled nuclear reactors provide it with enormous power potential, certainly enough to power its basic railgun armaments, heavy deflector shields, and its factory equipment. They are not especially fast either, with the Groulien 'space tearer' being a primitive form of hyperdrive. Due to the power requirements of this rudimentary FTL drive, the Factory Ship must first charge a capacitor system before it can engage its engines and enter hyperspace. Despite these limitations it is capable of defending itself well, and while its railguns are not especially sophisticated, they are still capable of delivering considerable kinetic energy to their targets, given that they accelerate heavy tungsten projectiles to almost 5% of c. Provided it has access to raw materials, it will never run out of ammunition either, as it can manufacture it even in the midst of battle.

Their cavernous hulls are home to various types of sophisticated industrial machinery, while their bows operate as giant ramscoops, collecting asteroids and stray matter via the use of ionising lasers and huge magnetic fields. This combination allows them to produce virtually any manufactured goods on-the-move, and during the wars this ability was most most commonly used to produce snub fighters en mass. While this was insufficient to protect Groulious against the Kring invasion fleet, under normal circumstances it allows the Factory Ship to operate as a power projector akin to a carrier. During peacetime, they could be found orbiting clients' worlds, taking on production contracts and manufacturing all manner of things - the Grouliens, familiar with the phrase 'power projection' used by some species to explain the function of carriers, nicknamed this capability 'economy projection'. It greatly expanded the reach of the Groulien industrial base, and earned them considerable income whilst simultaneously reducing the costs of their interstellar trade. Given their comparatively primitive FTL technology, the Grouliens found it cheaper to manufacture goods in orbit of the worlds they were intended for. Once the Factory Ship was in orbit, delivery to the client became a trivial matter.

While none of these ships survived the wars, the Grouliens repeatedly petitioned the Commonwealth to commence construction on new vessels of the type. Last year, the Congress of the Nine agreed and placed an order for 10 such craft. Unlike the vessels that represent the other species, the Grouliens point-blank refused to allow the Greys or the Kasvagorians to upgrade the design with their own, more sophisticated technologies; this was both a matter of pride, and also to ensure that the Grouliens would be capable of building and maintaining the vessels without outside help. This also kept the production costs quite low for a ship of such size - indeed, the first Factory Ship has already been completed only a year after being authorised, and it has earmarked to be part of a project to begin reclaiming the Groulien homeworld.