Among the Sea of Endless Stars(Sci-Fi Nation)(OOC/Open)

[G-Tech Corporation]

Hmm. Perhaps they could add another species with which the brain worms live in parasitic symbiosis - a non-RPer species? That's a common trope for this type of species, that the intelligent parasites have realized they need a source of bodies for their uses, and so promote the growth of a secondary species.

Something like the Trill in Star Trek could be interesting.

With that being said, I also wonder how much - if any - contact the Azarûnaim would have with the Imperium.

I also wonder if we are going to get any egalitarian democracy or is democracy dead in this TL?

Largely up to where you decide to slap down your Dark Imperium, I imagine. The Stellar Ascendancy is based on the southern fringe of the galactic core.

[Sao Nova Europa]

Something like the Trill in Star Trek could be interesting.

With that being said, I also wonder how much - if any - contact the Azarûnaim would have with the Imperium.

I also wonder if we are going to get any egalitarian democracy or is democracy dead in this TL?

Largely up to where you decide to slap down your Dark Imperium, I imagine. The Stellar Ascendancy is based on the southern fringe of the galactic core.

To be honest, I haven't really thought in terms of galactic geography. I guess the Imperium would be far enough from Earth to justify its divergence from the rest of humanity but not close to the galactic core. So probably any contact would be limited or nonexistent.

[Atkemri]

Except you have to take over minds just to function. I mean brain worm does not scream they can be an empire without taking control of people. Why be a brain worm empire if you do not take control of people? That is the point of it, and I kinda find it hard to believe that a brain worm empire would be formed in the first place. Again, no to this idea since the idea is centered around taking control of people just to be an empire and taking control of more people to grow and expand.

Hmm. Perhaps they could add another species with which the brain worms live in parasitic symbiosis - a non-RPer species? That's a common trope for this type of species, that the intelligent parasites have realized they need a source of bodies for their uses, and so promote the growth of a secondary species.

This was my plan in fact. I didn’t mention it because you asked how they spread but I was planning for the worms to have another (non-RPer) species that they would be using to Y’know exist. As I said before it isn’t my intention to create some evil bug swarm or any variations thereof. What if I made my app first and then we can see if the idea is really totally incompatible with the RP?

[Theyra]

Hmm. Perhaps they could add another species with which the brain worms live in parasitic symbiosis - a non-RPer species? That's a common trope for this type of species, that the intelligent parasites have realized they need a source of bodies for their uses, and so promote the growth of a secondary species.

This was my plan in fact. I didn’t mention it because you asked how they spread but I was planning for the worms to have another (non-RPer) species that they would be using to Y’know exist. As I said before it isn’t my intention to create some evil bug swarm or any variations thereof. What if I made my app first and then we can see if the idea is really totally incompatible with the RP?

Well, if you really want to. Make a app and we will see how it fares.

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

I'm brainstorming an empire with its own particular 'brand' of racism. They are obsessed with evolution and highly adept at both cloning and genetic engineering, but at the same time they respect the process of natural evolution. They are genome collectors, hoping to one day create the perfect societal organism. Still a work in progress.

[G-Tech Corporation]

I'm brainstorming an empire with its own particular 'brand' of racism. They are obsessed with evolution and highly adept at both cloning and genetic engineering, but at the same time they respect the process of natural evolution. They are genome collectors, hoping to one day create the perfect societal organism. Still a work in progress.

Sounds like fun. I was hoping to explore a similar concept with the Starborn - collecting genotypes and varied expressions in the quest to one day recover their corporeal forms.

[Sao Nova Europa]

I've edited a bit my app to expand a bit more on the government section.

[Theyra]

I'm brainstorming an empire with its own particular 'brand' of racism. They are obsessed with evolution and highly adept at both cloning and genetic engineering, but at the same time they respect the process of natural evolution. They are genome collectors, hoping to one day create the perfect societal organism. Still a work in progress.

Okay, looking okay so far

And I will be looking at G-Tech and Sao Nova Europa apps right now

[G-Tech Corporation]

I'm brainstorming an empire with its own particular 'brand' of racism. They are obsessed with evolution and highly adept at both cloning and genetic engineering, but at the same time they respect the process of natural evolution. They are genome collectors, hoping to one day create the perfect societal organism. Still a work in progress.

Okay, looking okay so far

And I will be looking at G-Tech and Sao Nova Europa apps right now

Oh happy day!

[Theyra]

(Image)

Nation Name: Imperium (known as Dark Imperium due to its black banner)
Government type: Feudal Theocratic Monarchy
Government Description:

The head of the Imperium is the Imperator. In theory, he is the absolute ruler of the Imperium and his word is the law. The current Imperator is Alexandrian Theodosious, of the House of Theodosious. In practice, the Imperator is confined to his Heavenly Palace, surrounded by luxuries, consorts, and companions, but kept out of state affairs. With the Imperator reduced to the role of a ceremonial figurehead, the real power lies in the hands of the Apostolic Council.

The Twelve Apostles are the high priests of the Church of Light and comprise the Apostolic Council, acting as the collective head-of-government of the Imperium. Decisions usually are taken through consensus but in cases there is a tie, the Grand Admiral (head of the Imperial Military) is allowed to cast a decisive vote. As the Apostles tend to be seclusive and not appear before the public, the Consul is the public face of the central government. He is also responsible for overseeing the implementation of the policy decisions decided by the Apostles.

Below the Consul are four institutions:

- Chancellery: Headed by the Chancellor and comprised of multiple Ministries (Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Public Order, Ministry of Finance, etch). It is comparable to cabinets of other polities.
- Imperial Monetary Institution: Headed by a General Secretary, it is the central bank of the Imperium and is also responsible for price controls and inflationary policy.
- Grand Admirarity: Headed by the Grand Admiral, it controls not just the Imperial Fleet, but also the Imperial Legions (land forces). Though nominally the Grand Admiral is ranked below the Consul, in practice the office holds much more power than that of the Consul due to its control over the imperial military.
- Senate: Presided by a President, it is comprised of Kings, Dukes, Counts, Barons and those granted the privilege of nobility by the Imperial government. The Senate is a potent counterpoint to the Apostolic Council and represents the interests of the feudal nobility. At times (especially when the central government is deemed weak) it can issue a consulta (a formal decree after a consensus is reached) advising the Apostolic Council on the course of action it should take on government affairs: such decrees can be hard to ignore.

The Chancellery and the Imperial Monetary Institution are staffed by nobles who live in the imperial capital and reside in the Imperial Court. Imperial Courtiers - as they are called - are legendary for their scheming, backstabbing, and intrigues. It is said that Imperial Courtiers are more bloodthirsty than even the most vicious aliens. Yet they hide their schemes and ruthlessness under a civilized exterior, presenting to the outside world an image of culture, eloquence, and luxury.

The Order of the Emissaries is a secretive order under the control of the Apostolic Council that is used against political rivals of the central government (especially feudal nobles). Emissaries are part assassins, part diplomats, and part law-enforcement agents. They can mediate disputes, assess volatile situations, and assassinate political rivals. What makes them different from ordinary humans is that they make extensive use of - otherwise banned - cybernetic implants. Emissaries are not recruited: rather, they are abducted as children and molded by the best trainers of the Imperium - under grueling conditions that break them psychologically and physically - into deadly and highly-skilled servants of the Apostolic Council. There is no command hierarchy in the Order: each Emissary is an independent agent who answers only to the Council.

Whereas Emissaries concern themselves with domestic menaces, the Office of Intelligence concerns itself with foreign menaces. Under the direct control of the Apostolic Council, the Office is responsible for providing information on foreign polities and conducting covert intelligence and counterintelligence operations. The Office is headed by a Minister of Intelligence. Day-to-day operations are handled by Frumentarii who give orders to field agents.

The Church of Light enjoys considerable influence in imperial society. The Church of Light venerates the eldest Son of God and Lightbringer, Lucifer. The Lord of Hell is venerated as the punisher of the wicked and the unjust. The Church is led by the Twelve Apostles (who, as stated, comprise the Apostolic Council presiding over the empire). When an Apostle dies, the rest of the Apostles elevate by unanimous vote a priest to succeed him. The Order of Inquisitors - a holy martial order of the Church - is tasked with hunting down heretics, and can override local judicial and law enforcement authorities. There is no such thing as freedom of religion.

The Imperium is divided into five broad regions:

The Central System (known as Swagia) is ruled directly by the central government. It is the central solar system of the Imperium, and is centered on the ecumenopolis of Casilinum. It is the - political, military, financial, and cultural - heart of the empire.

The Imperial Systems are solar systems that are ruled by officials appointed directly by the imperial government and who - in contrast to their feudal counterparts - are term-limited. Subplanet divisions are ruled by Magistrates. An entire planet is ruled by a Prefect. A solar system is ruled by a Governor. Multiple solar systems are ruled by an Imperial Viceroy. Those imperial officials have authority over purely civil matters. The Imperial government appoints military counterparts to control regional military forces: a Lochagos for subplanet divisions, a Centurion for planetary military forces, a Legatus for the military forces of a solar system, and a General for the military forces of an Imperial Viceroyalty. This division of civil and military authority is meant to allow the central government to keep the Imperial Systems under tight control.

The Noble Systems are solar systems ruled by a hereditary noble aristocracy in a neo-feudalistic fashion, and they cannot be dismissed at will by the central government. Subplanet divisions are ruled by Barons. An entire planet is ruled by a Count. An entire solar system is ruled by a Duke. Multiple solar systems are ruled by a King. Unlike the Imperial Systems, the nobility of the Noble Systems maintain their own military forces which are independent of the Imperial Military. They are obliged, however, to provide a portion of their military forces to the central government if requested to do so.

The Corporate Systems are ruled by private corporations. Those corporations had bought ownership of those solar systems – often unexplored or abandoned – from the Imperial Court. They are in essence ruled by the CEO of the corporation that owns the system. They have lax regulations and flexible laws, allowing questionable going-ins. That is tolerated by the central government and the feudal vassals, as it drives away rowdy elements from their systems. The security in Corporate Systems is provided by private military companies. Those type of mercenary companies are illegal in the rest of the Imperium, but they are allowed to operate in Corporate Systems.

The Ecclesiastical Systems are ruled by the Church of Light. The Church enjoys freedom from taxation and is protected by the Imperium. Ecclesiastical systems house monastic communities, where monks isolate themselves from the lay world and study the Luciferian scriptures. Traveling to those systems without the explicit permission of the Church is strictly prohibited.

The Imperium has a poor record when it comes to human rights. There are no such things as civil liberties, with both the central government and its feudal vassals ruling in an absolutist manner over their subjects. Arbitrary arrests, torture, and executions are tools used by the government. The Imperium is also a highly stratified society, with the lucky few born into the nobility enjoying the best life and chance to rise to the highest offices while the rest are forced to bow their head to their betters. Those deemed 'impure' (heretics, violent criminals, rebels) are offered to the Church of Light as sacrifices to honor and satisfy Lucifer.

Capital: Casilinum (Swagia System)
Population: 4.8 Trillion
Size: 188 solar systems
Species: Human
Background:

The origins of the Imperium go centuries back to the colonization of solar systems by humans. Due to an unrecorded event, communication between a number of those colonies and their homeland ceased. Now independent polities, the many human colonies in this part of the Galaxy engaged in a number of brutal conflicts until a powerful human kingdom under the rule of the Theodosian Dynasty managed to unify all the human colonies into a single Imperium circa 2500. The newly-founded Imperium was a vast but unstable construct. The central government, being unable to rule such a vast territory and population, was forced to grant charters of autonomy to various solar systems: these became the basis of the current feudal system underpinning the Imperium.

The Imperium also came to embrace the Luciferian religion. Initially a small cult, after the isolation of the human colonies in this part of the Galaxy from their motherland, the Luciferian religion began to spread widely. Imperator Constantius II officially made Luciferianism the state religion of the Imperium in 2591. The Church of Light - the official Church of Luciferianism - gained increasingly greater influence, to the point where now the leadership of the Church (the Twelve Apostles) hold greater control over the empire than the Imperator himself.

The Imperium in its history had to grapple with a number of internal conflicts with caused billions of deaths (such as the Rebellion of the Twelve Dukes and the Revolt of King Johannes), but since circa 2710 there has been a balance between the imperial government, the feudal nobility, private corporations, and the Church.

Economic Info
Economic Ideology: Mixed economy

The Imperium has a mixed economy, with the reach of the government varying depending on the solar system. The Central System, being privileged due to its position as the capital of the Imperium, enjoys both minimal taxes and various welfare benefits (including healthcare, education, subsidies, etch). The Imperial Systems, on the other hand, have higher levels of taxation to finance the central government and the level of government welfare varies wildly depending on both local financial conditions and the interest of the central government. In both the Central System and the Imperial Systems, markets are highly regulated by the central government and in certain products, there are price controls.

The level of economic freedom and government welfare in the Noble Systems varies, as the various Kingdoms and Duchies have different approaches to the economy. Certain feudal rulers prefer a more interventionist economic policy whereas others prefer to trust in the invisible hand of the free market.

Corporate Systems enjoy the highest level of economic freedom, as they are owned by private corporations and multiple imperial laws and regulations do not apply to those systems. This allows for a greater degree of innovation, competition, and more opportunities for enrichment, but Corporate Systems also lack welfare support, lack behind in workers' rights, and can allow abusive practices (such as poor people being forced to sell their organs to survive).

Ecclesiastical Systems are tax-free and do not have much in the way of the economy, as they are comprised of isolated monastic communities that rely on limited agriculture, animal husbandry, and foreign imports. Nevertheless, they enforce a strict set of rules and regulations to ensure monks live according to the ascetic ideal of the Church.

Economy:

The level of economic development varies wildly: the ecumenopolis of Casilinum is probably one of the richest planets in the entire galaxy, but many planets of the Imperium are stricken by poverty and sluggish economic growth. Indeed, some agricultural planets resemble more the Middle-Ages than a modern economy. The central government of the Imperium is also unable to fully exploit the massive (human and material) resources of the Imperium due to its highly decentralized and feudal mode of governance. Overall, though, the Imperium is considered an impressive - if highly unequal in terms of income and opportunities - economy.

Manufacturing:

The Imperium is home to multiple private manufacturing corporations: indeed, some of them own solar systems. This competition has led to the growth of the manufacturing industry but also acts of industrial sabotage and espionage. Aside from private corporations, there are also state corporations. The central government maintains the Imperial Shipyards, in which starships for the Imperial Fleet are produced. Some of the feudal Kings and Dukes also maintain shipyards under their direct control, though others prefer to rely on the private sector to supply them with starships.

Agriculture:

The Imperium controls multiple agricultural worlds. Their level of development varies: certain agricultural worlds employ mass mechanization and mass produce agricultural goods while others resemble Middle-Age communities with the land toiled by peasants.

Military Info
Military Population:

It is hard to calculate the total military of the Imperium, since aside from the Imperial Military, the feudal vassals and corporate systems maintain their own military forces. It is estimated the central government employs 20 billion military personnel in the various solar systems under direct imperial rule. A good portion of them act as security/police forces. It is estimated 60 billion personnel are employed by the various Kings, Dukes, Barons, and Counts, and 2 billion by the corporate systems. Overall, the total number of military personnel is estimated at around 82 billion.

Branches:

The Imperial Military is comprised of the Imperial Fleet and the Imperial Legions.

The Imperial Fleet is comprised of Space Commands which are then divided into Squadrons. The Imperial Fleet is headed by the Grand Admiral (who is also in charge of the overall Imperial Military). Space Commands are under the command of Admirals, Squadrons under the command of Captains, and individual ships under the command of Chiefs.

The Imperial Legions are the land forces of the Imperium. They are comprised of the elite Imperial Guards and the more numerous Imperial Legionnaries. The Imperial Guard is under the command of an Imperial Palatine while the Imperial Legionnaires are commanded by Generals, Legates, and Centurions. Generals, though, have to report to the Grand Admiral as the land forces are subservient to the Imperial Fleet.

Kings, Dukes, Counts, and Barons maintain their own military forces. Their land forces are comparable to the Legionnaires, as they lack the training, discipline, and elite weaponry provided to the Imperial Guards. Their fleets also tend to be of inferior quality compared to the Imperial Fleet. On the other hand, their numerical superiority means the feudal vassals are afforded a great deal of autonomy by the central government. Only rarely have there been open wars between feudal nobles and the central government, but when this had happened, it was always a bloody and protracted affair.

Corporations in the Corporate Systems employ private mercenary companies for protection and law enforcement. Those companies are illegal in the rest of the Imperium but can operate freely in the Corporate Systems.

Standard infantry:

The Imperial Guards are recruited at the young age of six, and separated from their families. They are trained in facilities on planets with harsh conditions, away from habitable areas. They are made to suffer, being regularly denied food and sleep to toughen them up. They are also made to participate in virtual - and sometimes real in the last years of the training - massacres of unarmed civilians to break them psychologically and instill in them a sense of duty to the Imperator that overrides any moral concerns they may have. When their training is complete at the age of twenty, they are the "toughest, meanest grunts in the Imperium".

The Imperial Legionnaires are recruited as adults. Legionnaires lack the grueling but rewarding training of the Guards, and as such oftentimes lack the endurance, prowess, and discipline of the Guards. Nevertheless, they provide ample manpower and can be used in human waves tactics. The same holds true for the land forces of the feudal nobles.

The quality and experience of corporate mercenaries employed in the Corporate Systems varies. Some of them could match even Imperial Guards while others are mere thugs with zero training.

Standard weapons:

The Imperial Guards are equipped with Power Armors that enhance their martial prowess. Power armors allow soldiers to withstand high-gravity and low-gravity environments, to have enhanced physical power, and to run faster, while also providing adequate protection against most weapons. Helmets allow for night vision, X-ray vision, thermal vision, and VI assistance to pinpoint targets and analyze artifacts while also offering protection against poison gas and deadly environments. Their standard weapons are rifles, pistols, and laser knives.

The Imperial Legionnaires are also equipped with power armors - like the Imperial Guards - but unlike the Guards, their armors tend to be of lower quality and offer much less protection. On the other hand, their armor can be cheaply mass-produced. The same holds true for the land forces of the feudal nobles.

The equipment of corporate mercenaries employed in the Corporate Systems varies. A few have top-notch power armor, most are equipped with power armors comparable to those of legionnaires, and some even lack any kind of power armor.

Standard ship:

Starships are able to use FTL engines to travel across the Imperium. Starships are usually classified as racers, fighters, cruisers, frigates, and capital-class warships. Artificial gravity generators make space travels safer and easier than in the past.

Ship weapons:

Ships are often loaded with turrets, firing laser bolts and armor-piercing projectiles. Frigates have tens of turrets while Capital-Class warships have hundreds. Fighters are usually 29 feet (8.7m) in length and equipped with two forward-firing turrets firing 30mm, armor-piercing projectiles.

Accepted

Species Application

Name: The Azarûnaim (or, Children of the Stars)
Appearance: Most broadly resemble baseline humans of pale skin and wildly varied phenotypes, with the caveat that almost all the Starborn possess two shades of hue within their irises, which are in a constant state of flux.
Height/Weight: Again, not incomparable to baseline humanity, though most choose forms of what would be considered better than average height in non-augmented lineages. Weight tends to be significantly heavier than comparable organic races, massing it at around three hundred kilograms per individual.
Lifespan: From a theoretical standpoint, immortal. Functionally speaking, rampancy and mind-decay tends to claim individuals older than a few hundred years unless they aggressively edit their psyches - and such alterations are often considered the death of a person, even if the body and some of their memories persist.
Culture: Hedonistic, though optimistic, the nature of Starbon society means relationships are few but very deep, and their treatment of other races dismissive bordering on careless. At the same time, the sparse numbers of the Azarûnaim dictate a cautious approach to most things, and their extended lifespan means campaigns and projects which would be dismissed as overly longsighted in other cultures are far more common amongst the Starborn.
Biology: Nightmarish creatures, the Starborn were stripped of their natural cherished forms by the exotic conditions and warped universals of the regions near the galactic core; they neither breathe nor truly live, parodies of life trapped in synthetic non-baryonic shells their dying ancestors created to stave off annihilation.
Other Info: Little to speak of, save the general synthetic nature of the Azarûnaim.

Nation Application

Nation Name: The Stellar Ascendancy
Government Type: Feudal Empire
Government Description: The Ascendancy operates under the will of the High Council, who oversee the two largest factions of the Great Houses, the Techsins and the Aviatus. Nominally, all individuals within the Ascendancy owe fealty to a variety of persons and organizations, who in turn owe fealty to other persons and organizations in a great chain of loyalty stretching all the way to the High Council. These links of fealty determine the allocation of resources, individuals, and warships, as well as the various territorial claims of Houses both Major and Minor.
Capital: The World-Ship, Armenelos the First
Population: Less than ten million individuals compose the Ascendancy, a number which is usually more or less static due to carefully planned sentience replication procedures.
Size: Variable; the Ascendancy is a nation concerned more stars than worlds, and are functionally nomadic on large enough timescales, though most of their systems have been controlled for several centuries. Some one hundred and fifty systems are currently actively being utilized by Starborn vessels.
Species: The Azarûnaim; other species are not unwelcome in the Ascendancy's space, but usually find their planets inhospitable and their culture too solitary to flourish.
Background: Centuries ago, before the rise of the Ascendancy, was Earth. Mankind dreamt of opportunity beyond bounds of his cradle, and simultaneously feared for what might come if he were trapped there. So he sent his seed-ships to the far reaches of space, so his children might live on, even if he himself never saw the future his children would make.

One of those ships, by a quirk of fate, encountered a spatial anomaly not far from 61 Cygni A; this anomaly cast it across vast distances in mere moments, by a process which remains elusive - historical records are far from clear if this was due to meddling by races beyond the knowledge of man, an artifact of ancient empires, or a simple quirk in the fabric of the cosmos. Suffice to say, the seedship Far Horizon found itself not far from the galactic core, and with little in the way of habitable worlds anywhere it could reach before her systems failed. She did not know it, the tender AI, but something had hitched a ride within her bosom along with her charges, something from the realm beyond realms. A seed within the seedship, eventually to blossom.

So the AI which was overseeing the frozen sleepers, the colonists yearning for a new home, made a decision - a decision which has echoed down through the centuries. A world was selected, far from perfect for human habitation, but less than lethal. The world was named: Armenelos, the Dream of Home. Exactly what transpired during those first decades as man struggled to tame this world is unclear, but what is known is that his struggle was doomed. Exotic radiation from the nearby galactic core swept away his biosphere, devoured his crops, ravaged his genome. Creatures of flesh and blood were never meant to survive so close to the singularity at the heart of the cosmos, and so they dwindled from the hundreds of thousands which had been sent out to thousands, and then hundreds, as men worked feverishly upon a solution.

Flesh and blood could not survive, aye. But something more than flesh and blood - that they could become. That was the hope. The result was... no, not that. Not more. Less? Hard to say. But different, certainly. The less said about the strange interactions beneath the veil of reality which the scientists called upon, the better, for the scribbled notes of that time are enough to drive weak minds mad, and strong minds to the most bitter of sorrow.

But so came the Starborn, no longer flesh, but not mere machine - souls trapped in chariots of matter, aye, and the black flower of that which was their curse and salvation both, the eternal maw of the fabric of reality. It had no mind, only a ravenous hunger, and it took root in their hearts, their false forms. Terrible strength, yes, that was a boon, but vast emptiness also. The scientists would never have succeeded without the unknown assistance of the Below, if assistance it can be even have said to have lent in truth. Perhaps resonance would be a better word. Is a man a creature of carbon and oxygen and nitrogen and bonds, or is he more? In this manner the Starborn were not merely machines of iron and titanium and the lovely baryonic compounds which we know, but more.

What is that more? Ah, gentle reader. Now that is a tale we shall tell.

Economic Information
Economic Ideology: Incoherent. Insofar as each individual commands the economic potential they can hew from the territories of their chosen fealty, and passes on a portion of that potential to their betters, a feudal economy is the closest analogy.
Economy: Nearly nonexistent. Trade is rare in all but intellectual properties and services, ideas and their implementation not so much exchanged as shared between those who have relational capital to cultivate. External powers find it difficult to make heads or tails of Stellarborne technology, but the exchange of raw materials for military assistance or the right to exploit systems is not unknown - or vice-versa.
Manufacturing: Formidable. The whims of an individual Starborn captain or lord might be capable of marshalling several warships of considerable might, each of which is not only a military vessel but a production facility in her own right. The instinctual understanding of material sciences which the composition of the Ascendancy's citizens possess means fabrication processes are precise and tailored to to the needs of the moment, though rare materials and high potential-energy substances such as the transuranic elements are much valued for their difficulty of manufacture.
Agriculture: Pathetic. As a race which has devoted itself categorically to engineering and physics, biology is a very niche vein of knowledge, one which only eccentrics have any real use for. Some of those eccentrics may be rather proficient, but in equal measure the larger populace is all but ignorant.

Military Information
Military Population: None, functionally. Members of the Techsin school of thought are the closest the state possesses to an interventionistic military, and their protocols for assembling warships and warforms are the most advanced, but usually inactive. Military formations coalesce as they are needed from the citizenry along lines of fealty.
Branches: Functionally, there is one Branch - the Fleet. All ground forces and the like will be deployed from dedicated naval vessels as needed, but are viewed as supplementary to these formations, not worthy of consideration in their own right.
Standard Infantry: The most common Servitor Warform is the Munit, a basic near-humanoid combat machine equipped with projectile weapons tailored to the foe. These machines are neither durable nor very intelligent, but designed to be utterly replaceable and so overwhelm any opposition on an attritional basis.
Standard Weapons: Most ground forces are equipped with kinetic weapons, usually utilizing magnetic acceleration. Larger weapons platforms designed to engage beyond the horizon have a strong preference for thrust vectored explosives, nearly to exclusivity, due to the precision capabilities ground forces are called upon to specialize in.
Standard Ship: Ships are fabricated by individuals according to their designs, and so have near infinite variety; most mass in at around five thousand mkgs, with an average displacement of a hundred standard meters.
Ship Weapons: Militarily inclined Starborn usually deploy thrust vectored explosives as their near exclusive weapon, due to a cultural aversion to close range warfare with risk to an individual sentience. Kinetics might be deployed against planetary targets, but such a conflict is rare.

Just wondering how a race with 10 million can control 150 systems. Even if nomadic.

[G-Tech Corporation]

@ Theyra: Varying levels of control, really. Most of those systems would just be utilized for resource extraction fiefs, so you might have a factory ship and few dozen outriders larking around and nothing more in the entire gravity well. Not to mention extensive automation. For less valuable or newly charted systems, a hundred Starborn setting up remote heliosphere mining operations might be the only presence.

[Theyra]

Species Application

Name: The Azarûnaim (or, Children of the Stars)
Appearance: Most broadly resemble baseline humans of pale skin and wildly varied phenotypes, with the caveat that almost all the Starborn possess two shades of hue within their irises, which are in a constant state of flux.
Height/Weight: Again, not incomparable to baseline humanity, though most choose forms of what would be considered better than average height in non-augmented lineages. Weight tends to be significantly heavier than comparable organic races, massing it at around three hundred kilograms per individual.
Lifespan: From a theoretical standpoint, immortal. Functionally speaking, rampancy and mind-decay tends to claim individuals older than a few hundred years unless they aggressively edit their psyches - and such alterations are often considered the death of a person, even if the body and some of their memories persist.
Culture: Hedonistic, though optimistic, the nature of Starbon society means relationships are few but very deep, and their treatment of other races dismissive bordering on careless. At the same time, the sparse numbers of the Azarûnaim dictate a cautious approach to most things, and their extended lifespan means campaigns and projects which would be dismissed as overly longsighted in other cultures are far more common amongst the Starborn.
Biology: Nightmarish creatures, the Starborn were stripped of their natural cherished forms by the exotic conditions and warped universals of the regions near the galactic core; they neither breathe nor truly live, parodies of life trapped in synthetic non-baryonic shells their dying ancestors created to stave off annihilation.
Other Info: Little to speak of, save the general synthetic nature of the Azarûnaim.

Nation Application

Nation Name: The Stellar Ascendancy
Government Type: Feudal Empire
Government Description: The Ascendancy operates under the will of the High Council, who oversee the two largest factions of the Great Houses, the Techsins and the Aviatus. Nominally, all individuals within the Ascendancy owe fealty to a variety of persons and organizations, who in turn owe fealty to other persons and organizations in a great chain of loyalty stretching all the way to the High Council. These links of fealty determine the allocation of resources, individuals, and warships, as well as the various territorial claims of Houses both Major and Minor.
Capital: The World-Ship, Armenelos the First
Population: Less than ten million individuals compose the Ascendancy, a number which is usually more or less static due to carefully planned sentience replication procedures.
Size: Variable; the Ascendancy is a nation concerned more stars than worlds, and are functionally nomadic on large enough timescales, though most of their systems have been controlled for several centuries. Some one hundred and fifty systems are currently actively being utilized by Starborn vessels.
Species: The Azarûnaim; other species are not unwelcome in the Ascendancy's space, but usually find their planets inhospitable and their culture too solitary to flourish.
Background: Centuries ago, before the rise of the Ascendancy, was Earth. Mankind dreamt of opportunity beyond bounds of his cradle, and simultaneously feared for what might come if he were trapped there. So he sent his seed-ships to the far reaches of space, so his children might live on, even if he himself never saw the future his children would make.

One of those ships, by a quirk of fate, encountered a spatial anomaly not far from 61 Cygni A; this anomaly cast it across vast distances in mere moments, by a process which remains elusive - historical records are far from clear if this was due to meddling by races beyond the knowledge of man, an artifact of ancient empires, or a simple quirk in the fabric of the cosmos. Suffice to say, the seedship Far Horizon found itself not far from the galactic core, and with little in the way of habitable worlds anywhere it could reach before her systems failed. She did not know it, the tender AI, but something had hitched a ride within her bosom along with her charges, something from the realm beyond realms. A seed within the seedship, eventually to blossom.

So the AI which was overseeing the frozen sleepers, the colonists yearning for a new home, made a decision - a decision which has echoed down through the centuries. A world was selected, far from perfect for human habitation, but less than lethal. The world was named: Armenelos, the Dream of Home. Exactly what transpired during those first decades as man struggled to tame this world is unclear, but what is known is that his struggle was doomed. Exotic radiation from the nearby galactic core swept away his biosphere, devoured his crops, ravaged his genome. Creatures of flesh and blood were never meant to survive so close to the singularity at the heart of the cosmos, and so they dwindled from the hundreds of thousands which had been sent out to thousands, and then hundreds, as men worked feverishly upon a solution.

Flesh and blood could not survive, aye. But something more than flesh and blood - that they could become. That was the hope. The result was... no, not that. Not more. Less? Hard to say. But different, certainly. The less said about the strange interactions beneath the veil of reality which the scientists called upon, the better, for the scribbled notes of that time are enough to drive weak minds mad, and strong minds to the most bitter of sorrow.

But so came the Starborn, no longer flesh, but not mere machine - souls trapped in chariots of matter, aye, and the black flower of that which was their curse and salvation both, the eternal maw of the fabric of reality. It had no mind, only a ravenous hunger, and it took root in their hearts, their false forms. Terrible strength, yes, that was a boon, but vast emptiness also. The scientists would never have succeeded without the unknown assistance of the Below, if assistance it can be even have said to have lent in truth. Perhaps resonance would be a better word. Is a man a creature of carbon and oxygen and nitrogen and bonds, or is he more? In this manner the Starborn were not merely machines of iron and titanium and the lovely baryonic compounds which we know, but more.

What is that more? Ah, gentle reader. Now that is a tale we shall tell.

Economic Information
Economic Ideology: Incoherent. Insofar as each individual commands the economic potential they can hew from the territories of their chosen fealty, and passes on a portion of that potential to their betters, a feudal economy is the closest analogy.
Economy: Nearly nonexistent. Trade is rare in all but intellectual properties and services, ideas and their implementation not so much exchanged as shared between those who have relational capital to cultivate. External powers find it difficult to make heads or tails of Stellarborne technology, but the exchange of raw materials for military assistance or the right to exploit systems is not unknown - or vice-versa.
Manufacturing: Formidable. The whims of an individual Starborn captain or lord might be capable of marshalling several warships of considerable might, each of which is not only a military vessel but a production facility in her own right. The instinctual understanding of material sciences which the composition of the Ascendancy's citizens possess means fabrication processes are precise and tailored to to the needs of the moment, though rare materials and high potential-energy substances such as the transuranic elements are much valued for their difficulty of manufacture.
Agriculture: Pathetic. As a race which has devoted itself categorically to engineering and physics, biology is a very niche vein of knowledge, one which only eccentrics have any real use for. Some of those eccentrics may be rather proficient, but in equal measure the larger populace is all but ignorant.

Military Information
Military Population: None, functionally. Members of the Techsin school of thought are the closest the state possesses to an interventionistic military, and their protocols for assembling warships and warforms are the most advanced, but usually inactive. Military formations coalesce as they are needed from the citizenry along lines of fealty.
Branches: Functionally, there is one Branch - the Fleet. All ground forces and the like will be deployed from dedicated naval vessels as needed, but are viewed as supplementary to these formations, not worthy of consideration in their own right.
Standard Infantry: The most common Servitor Warform is the Munit, a basic near-humanoid combat machine equipped with projectile weapons tailored to the foe. These machines are neither durable nor very intelligent, but designed to be utterly replaceable and so overwhelm any opposition on an attritional basis.
Standard Weapons: Most ground forces are equipped with kinetic weapons, usually utilizing magnetic acceleration. Larger weapons platforms designed to engage beyond the horizon have a strong preference for thrust vectored explosives, nearly to exclusivity, due to the precision capabilities ground forces are called upon to specialize in.
Standard Ship: Ships are fabricated by individuals according to their designs, and so have near infinite variety; most mass in at around five thousand mkgs, with an average displacement of a hundred standard meters.
Ship Weapons: Militarily inclined Starborn usually deploy thrust vectored explosives as their near exclusive weapon, due to a cultural aversion to close range warfare with risk to an individual sentience. Kinetics might be deployed against planetary targets, but such a conflict is rare.

Accepted in that case

[Hahoalki]

SPECIES APP I

Name: Karigai (singular Karig, possessive Karigan)

Appearance: If you've ever played D&D, think "sapient owlbear," and you'll be wrong only in ways that don't matter.

Height/Weight: Up to about 3.75 meters tall and 1,000 kg for the largest/most thoroughly enhanced individuals. 2.5 meters and 300 kg is more typical.

Lifespan: 400 years on average with access to adequate biotech.

Culture: The basic unit of society is the family - a male Karig, a female Karig, united by a pair-bond, and inclusive of their children. Within each Caste are innumerable clans - extended families that may only share an ancestor nine generations back. Generally, Karigai marry outside of their clans, resulting in a tangled web of relations and obligations.

On the larger scale, there is a tripartite division of society into economic, military, and sacred dimensions (with "science" being a part of the sacred sphere, and "technology" being the application of the sacred to the economic), and multiple bio-engineered "castes" corresponding to each dimension. The "purpose" of society is to cultivate the virtues of wisdom, courage, moderation, and integrity. The tripartite division tends to place the sacred above the military, and the military above the economic, but a strong notion of complementarity - each Caste having its own dignity and role to play in society - balances out the hierarchical nature of the system.

Religion honors a single Deity, seen as the Transcendent, Infinite, and Unique Source of all that is, the Supreme Being with no equals - let alone superiors - and the standard of Justice and Purpose that will judge all intelligent beings upon death. God reveals Himself, not through prophets and miracles, but through the very existence and regularity of the natural world. Lesser spirits, not worthy of proper worship, are associated with each clan.

The existence of a set "mating period" every year, combined with the tendency for sexual impulses to override reason, results in a culturally ingrained suspicion of sex, and a highly conservative approach to morality generally. If you think about the Catholic Church's attitudes towards fornication, divorce, adultery, and other acts that will remain unnamed, you'll have a good idea of the sorts of values they hold.

Karigan music is almost certainly the best in the galaxy. They may resemble birds of prey, but their ancestors were more analogous to songbirds, parrots, or corvids. That, combined with literal millennia of genetic engineering and eugenics, means that a modestly sized Karigan choral group can mimic - or even excel - a full Terran orchestra. Art is generally designed to inculate virtue in the populace, and will vary according to the Caste of the expected consumer.

Biology: Extensively modified by a combination of eugenics and genetic engineering. Warrior Caste Karigai can lift up to 10 tonnes, can run at up to 120 km/h, and can survive multiple shots from high-caliber rounds (or one shot from a man-portable plasma cannon), though more typical members of the species are less thoroughly augmented.

Psionics: None.

SPECIES APP II

Name: Serhask (plural Sehask, possessive Serhaskite)

Appearance: Short-snouted reptilian with intricately patterned iridescent scales.

Height/Weight: Typically around 1.5 meters in height and under 60 kg.

Lifespan: up to 600. With the right biotech.

Culture: Originally shamaanistic. Due to countless generations of assimilation into Karigan society, the Serhaskite culture is more or less identical to Karigan. Due to their high intelligence and perceived "mystical powers" (actually advanced psionics), their clans are typically incorporated into the priestly-scientific Caste, though it's not particularly rare for them to be members of the military Caste.

Biology: Nothing of note, other than that they are warm blooded.

Psionics: Very psi-capable. Psionics is divided into four disciplines: Manipulation of the mind (including various forms of ESP), Manipulation of the body (biokinesis and healing powers), Manipulation of the physical (telekinesis, pyrokinesis, electrokinesis, and the like), and "Advanced Techniques" (precognition, various methods of physical attack and defense, mind control, and/or psionic interface with technology would all fall under this heading). The strongest of the Liz'zards (as their psions are known) are capable of astonishing feats, but are far from omnipotent.

SPECIES APP III

Name: Tlik'katsk (plural Tlik'katska, possessive Tlik'katskan)

Appearance: very arthropod-like, somewhat mantis-shaped, with four pairs of "walking limbs" and two pairs of "manipulating limbs." Plus a menagerie of mouthparts that are better left to the imagination. They are very off-putting to most humans.

Height/Weight: Generally up to 1.5 meters in height, but 200 kg on average.

Lifespan: 200 years, with extensive biotech.

Culture: Effectively assimilated into the Karigan society. Their rational nature, lightning-fast thinking and decision making, high speed, durability, and calmness under duress have made them extremely well suited to the military Castes, though some clans have been incorporated into the priestly-scientific Castes instead.

Biology: Due to the hyper-oxidizing environment of Chitek'ks, the Tlik'katska have evolved to require an atmosphere of about 10% Flourine and 30% Oxygen - a mix that would poison (or, in some cases, positively ignite) most other species. Their metabolism is much faster than that of more "conventional" life forms, and they run on temperatures in excess of 60 degrees Celsius.

Psionics: No

SPECIES APP IV

Name: Quarn (plural Quarn, possessive Quarnian)

Appearance: vaguely akin to the Kzinti, I guess.

Height/Weight: 2 meters and 100 kg on average.

Lifespan: 300 years with biotech

Culture: Highly mercantile, albeit somewhat integrated into Karigan society. The majority are members of the economic Castes - disproportionately represented among the upper and middle classes of the economic sector of Holkaian society - though some are members of the military Castes. They are responsible for a considerable majority of Holkaian trade, both inside and outside the borders of the empire.

Biology: Never actually got around to being amniotic (or equivalent). Instead, amphibian-like eggs are carried by the female of the species in a moisturized pouch until the young are capable of breathing the open air.

Psionics: No

NATION APP

Nation Name: Empire of Holkai

Government type: Philosopher-Kingdom - it's complicated.

Government Description: Okay, so remember the priestly-scientific Caste? There's a ruling council of 182 individuals of multiple species, all of "priestly lineage and undisputable virtue" who determine policy by vote. When one member dies, their replacement is elected by the remaining 181. Local governments are typically partial democracies of the sort described in Plato's dialog "The Laws."

Capital: the planet of Durgets.

Population: 4.52 trillion

Size: 192 Star Systems

Species: Karigai, Tlik'katska, Serhask, and Quarn.

Background: Karigan society took shape over the millennia it spent stuck on Durgets. Initially balkanized (as second and early third Millennium Earth was), one state - the state of Holkai - tried something that had never been done before. While the nation's around it tried to build societies that were based around liberty, equality, and fraternity (or, later, diversity, equity, and inclusion), the tiny nation of Holkai essentially forced the virtuous people who wanted nothing to do with politics to take charge - God knows that they wouldn't have gone back into the cave with the normies of their own accord - and build a society based around the notion of true virtue. Freedom and equality took the back seat to notions of justice and the common good. Accordingly, a eugenics program began - not to weed out undesirables or poor people, but rather to ensure that the diversity of roles would be matched by a diversity of persons to fill them.

By 5000 BC (according to the Terran calendar), all of the other nations on Durgets had imploded due to a combination of demographic collapse, food shortages caused by excessive environmentalism and a fear of nuclear power, and general destruction of the social hierarchies that make civilization possible. Those looking for security found themselves forced to seek shelter under the wings of the nation of Holkai.

By 2500 BC, Holkai (by that time the sole polity in Durgets' star system, and firmly in control of every planetary body therein) discovered effective Alcubierre travel. Expansion throughout the local stellar volume began shortly thereafter.

Over time, expansion resulted in contact with (comparatively) primitive alien species, each of which was assimilated into Holkaian society, and "indoctrinated" with Holkaian values. After about 180 planets had been taken, and three alien species had been discovered, Holkaian expansion slowed. The resources of this many systems were essentially inexhaustible, so there was no reason to expand further. Occasionally, new planets would be explored and claimed, but by and large, Holkai is simply interested in maintaining business as usual.

Economic Info

Economic Ideology: Vaguely Distributist? Democratized in general? Lots of guilds and worker co-ops. Definitely a major focus on concrete goods and services, rather than the financial sector.

Economy: Ehhhh... decent? I mean, the fiscal sector is basically non-existent, usury laws are extremely strict and preclude most of the financial tricks you'd find in a typical stock market. The entertainment sector is also essentially controlled by the government, as stories that glorify wealth and pleasure as opposed to integrity, courage, wisdom, and moderation are banned. As for trade, that mostly occurs within Holkaian borders - the culture doesn't need anything from the outside world. But these sorts of strict regulations mask the fact that the society is effectively post-scarcity, and will remain so for as long as the stars still burn. It's just that Holkai as a whole doesn't seek out prosperity as it's primary goal.

Manufacturing: advanced nanotech, industrial scale transmutation, and extensive antimatter production make this very strong.

Agriculture: above average, but not exceptional. Holkai has the capacity to produce about 20% more food than it consumes, so there's a sizable surplus.

Military Info

Military Population: 20 billion "Active Duty" personnel, plus an additional 70 billion "reservists" - all males in the military Castes.

Branches: the Astry is the branch concerned with void combat. For situations where boarding actions need to take place, the Espatier Corps exists. The Drop Corps are the ones who take part in battles on planets, and they are supported by the Aerospace Corps. But whichever branch is brought to bear, it's the Astry that has to get them to where they need to go.

Standard infantry: to take your average soldier from the Drop Corps, you're looking at a 300 kg Karig in over a tonne of Power-Armor.

Standard weapons: Highly variable. Antimatter catalyzed fission or fusion bombs are fairly popular - fitting, as they do, in the 23.02 mm caliber preferred by the Karigan war machine. Rapid-fire flechette weapons are also popular. Energy weapons include the plasma-based "hellbore," the multifunctional pulsed laser (capable of stunning, killing, or drilling as needed), and the highly penetrative - but also highly dangerous - fusion gun, which turns a stick of lithium deuteride into a searing beam of neutrons and high-energy plasma. To a substantial degree, it depends on the needs of the mission.

Standard ship: there isn't one. There are, however, clear "types." Destroyers are for saturation attacks against defended targets. Cruisers are primarily for C4ISTAR and fleet defense. Dreadnoughts use heavy long-range weapons. And Carriers, well, carry things.

Ship weapons: Destroyers typically carry large numbers of Zubrin-drive missiles with nuclear shaped charge warheads, though antimatter bombs aren't unpopular as an alternative. Cruisers can utilize their full-spectrum phased arrays to engage in EWAR, point defense, and even full-on attack in a pinch. Dreadnoughts come in two configurations: the "bombardment" Dreadnought which mounts a heavy mass driver for attacking stationary targets with k-rods and high explosives, and the "capital" Dreadnought, which utilizes particle beams for multiple effects. One and the same weapon system can fire tiny guided grains at relativistic velocities, a laser-cooled neutral particle beam, or a hard x-ray laser of stupendous range - all depending on the needs of the moment (I can provide details for how this works if required - it's basically a matter of where you divert the beam of your linear accelerator). Carriers are primarily used for transporting elements of the Drop Corps, Espatier Corps, or Aerospace Corps.

[Thai Sweet Billy]

Name: Avaran (plural Avarans)
Appearance: The Avaran are a humanoid amphibious species harboring multiple mammalian and amphibian traits, though seem to have adapted most efficiently to aquatic environments. They possess human-shaped eyes that typically vary in hues, ranging from reds, blues, greens, and violets. Any hair is usually dark and straight and somewhat vestigial. The skin is usually in a monochrome bluish, almost white or gray tone, with various markings visible varying per individual, such as markings along the eyes, face, or other extremities. The ears are usually long and pointed, angled backwards to reduce drag while swimming. Fins tip each ear, elbows, knee joints, and heels, and the hands and feet are webbed.
Height/Weight: Usually 5 feet 4 (~162cm), 55 kg (121 lbs), though this varies per individual.
Lifespan: ~100 years, with proper health and diet.
Culture: Although a mostly peaceful and open race, the Avarans still are no stranger to war, but are quicker to shy away from open warfare than outright fighting. Many of the old tribal mindsets have since weaned away in favor of a more cosmopolitan and modern worldview, although this has also led to a veritable increase in individualistic pride among the species. The Avarans are a very philosophical race by nature, having cast aside most of the prehistoric concepts of gods and goddesses in favor of a deep, metaphysical understanding of the world and their (supposed) synergy with the universe. To an Avaran, death only truly occurs when one is forgotten.

At the homefront, Avarans live somewhat communal lifestyles, and it is not unfamiliar for multiple families to share the same dwelling.
Biology: Being a semi-aquatic species, the Avaran possess various features allowing them to thrive within aquatic environments. They possess hard, yet sleek fish-like scales over their entire body, which are protected in a thin mucous layer to help retain moisture while above the surface and wade off parasites and other critters, giving them a "wet" or "slick" feel to their skin. The Avaran possess pointed teeth and are cold-blooded. They also possess a unique and difficult to understand circulatory system which has adapted to function as a sort of dual-purpose mechanism, with a set of gills on the sides of the neck functioning only while underwater, while a regular set of lungs and nose function above the surface.

Avaran young have a gestation period of six months and are birthed in a manner similar to humans. Avarans typically begin showing psychic potential at the age of six, and most other information is transferred psychically. The Avarans breathe a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, similar to humans. Although amphibious, they do not fare well in environments without humidity, which will induce feelings of nausea and disorientation if not rectified by the introduction of moisture.

Avarans possess a natural hardiness to radiation, although this is not a resistance at all — Atris' proximity to 1 Myrtilus' rather unexpected solar activity has meant that most life has simply adapted to harden itself to radiation.

Avaran brains are highly complex, comparable to human brains, although an as yet poorly understood gland in the frontal lobe separates them from humans drastically. The purpose of this lobe is unknown to most scientists outside of Atris, but is believed to be connected to the species' psychic ability.

Psionics: Very much so. The advancement in psychic theory has been an important impetus in the development of the species and the civilization. The average Avaran is an ESPers able to instantly transfer information between themselves through telepathy, but more intense training and meditation are required for more advanced offensive and defensive techniques, like telekinesis, pyrokinesis, electrokinesis, precognition, etc. Avarans also are capable of conducting psionic activity while in groups; the effect and scope of their abilities are increased relative to the number of individuals active in the working.
Other Info: N/A

Name: Eruszir
Appearance: The Eruszir are a six-legged terrestrial species native to Atris. They possess dark, blubbery skin and long necks and heads, tipped with four eyes and sensory antennae. The mouth splits open four ways to reveal a teeth-filled mouth and long feeding proboscis.
Height/Weight: 6 feet 3 (~190cm), 90 kg (200 lbs), though this varies per individual.
Lifespan: ~82 years, with proper health and diet.
Culture: The Eruszir have grown symbiotically alongside the Avarans, with the latter having domesticated them roughly in the prehistoric period. They have been used to assist with hunting, labor, and warfare, but in more recent years have become pets and companion animals, and also sources of livestock for farmers. In the wild, they live in large herds for protection against hunters.
Biology: The Eruszir have dark, blubbery and water-resistant skin. They possess six legs which can easily fit into grooves in rocks and mount obstacles like trees and rocks. The Eruszir are capable of galloping up to 50 miles per hour and can swim decently well, but cannot dive. Their sense of hearing, taste, and smell are top notch, with an Eruszir able to sense blood and contaminants from a mile away.

Eruszir can understand the Avaran language, both in the pictogram, telepathic, and spoken form. Eruszir young are born by eggs, with freshly birthed young able to keep up with the rest of their pack or herd.

Psionics: Yes, among other Eruszir or when addressed telepathically by Avarans.
Other Info: N/A

Nation Name: Avaran Union, or simply The Union
Government Type: Self-Determinate "E-Democracy"
Government Description: By default a stateless society, the Avaran Union's "government" is more or less comparable to an "E-Democracy" functioning primarily through the transfer of information, both on the OmniNet (a sort of Internet analogue) and on the Noosphere, an umbrella term for the psychic sphere of information enveloping Atris. While most local decision-making is handled on an ad-hoc, almost familial nature, the more frequent broader decisions are put to a vote which all Avarans are expected to take part in.
Capital: Atris Ecumenopolis, Atris, 1 Myrtilus System
Population: 8 billion
Size: 1 system, containing 8 planets, two of which (Atris and Pelops) are habitable. Pelops is currently being explored by expeditionary teams.
Species: Avarans and Eruszir, a terrestrial domesticated species used in roles analagous to dogs and horses.
Background: The Avarans can draw their history back to primitive cave paintings within the underwater caverns dotting Atris. Most stories tell of a great fish-shaped being of pure metal descending from the sky one day, using its body to plant all life seen on Atris. Much of these myths are still able to be seen in a number of vast and elaborate temples built all over the planet, most of which survive today amid the expansive underwater ecumenopolis that has grown to consume Atris. For some time, the Avarans remained in relative peace with one another, save for the occasional world war, but thanks to their naturally pacifistic nature and increasingly interconnected society, advancement was not difficult. Advancements in technology occurred alongside advancements in philosophy, and by the 20th century on their calendars, the Avarans had achieved world peace.

Signals from outer space, mostly drifting broadcast messages from other powers within the Orion Arm, were detected by primitive (in the galactic sense, at least) satellites approximately six months before the start of the events of the roleplay. The Avarans immediately initiated a vote for how first contact would be made if another species entered the 1 Myrtilus system. This vote has been left inconclusive for the past six months...

Economic Info
Economic Ideology: The closest real-world analogy to the Union's economic theory is socialism, where all citizens of the Union equally share economic resources. Inequality is aggressively combatted and a combination of careful mathematics and pragmatism is utilized to ensure the most efficient distribution.
Economy: Trade is almost completely nonexistent, save for the transfer of ideas, knowledge, and menial services. Drafts for ideas on how commerce would be performed with hypothetical extraterrestrials are still underway.
Manufacturing: Decent. Given production is made to ensure the equal distribution of resources among all citizens, Avaran manufacturing is surprisingly efficient in an interstellar sense.
Agriculture: Average. Most agriculture at this point is automated, although it is not uncommon to see individual Avarans running farming operations with their Eruszir.

Military Info
Military Population: Technically 0, although there are ~250,000 Avarans composing the so-called "Union Peace Corps", the closest analogy to a military or police force in the Union. The UPC was a completely self-organized vigilante operation created at the advent of the so-called "noosphere age," although its legitimacy outside of any vote within the Union is still up for debate. Its authority and jurisdiction extends throughout the entirety of the Atris ecumenopolis, and, theoretically, other Avaran settlements.
Branches: None, save for the UPC.
Standard infantry: A typical UPC Peace Officer is a well-educated and well-respected member either from a community, or a volunteer who believes themselves to be worthy of the position. Training can take upwards of seventeen weeks due to the strict physical and psionic requirements for the UPC. There is a roughly equal split between psionic meditation, physical training, and proficiency training with weapons and Union laws. Typically a UPC Peace Officer in training (known as a Cadet) is assigned to a Peace Officer whom he or she will grow a close bond to. The UPC Peace Officer and their Cadet will work alongside each other until the Officer retires or dies, even after the Cadet graduates.

Promotions are conducted via a board vote among the entirety of the UPC on an "as-needed" basis. Concerns of nepotism have been brought up a few times in some of these votes.

UPC Peace Officers are universally regarded as exceptional melee and ranged combatants, but are also expert criminal psychologists, paramedics, and negotiators. More often than not, they save their weaponry for dangerous situations. Their psychic abilities are generally considered the best among the Avarans, with UPC Peace Officers possessing a versatile blend of utilitarian, defensive, and offensive psychic abilities.
Standard weapons: UPC Peace Officers are well-equipped with a variety of tools for law enforcement, investigatory, and security purposes. They possess full-body CBRN-rated armor which is vacuum-rated for space activity, although while underwater the user may simply rely on their natural ability to breathe underwater. It possesses ports for reaction control system thrusters which, through the use of monopropellant fuel, allow the user to maneuver themselves underwater and in space with unprecedented agility. The armor itself is composed of a temperature-resistant ceramic-titanium composite, generally giving it exceptional protection against most conventional Avaran firearms, although its protectiveness against hypothetical alien weaponry has yet to be tested.

The undersuit is made of a synthetic climate-protected mesh, which also functions as a sort of wetsuit for aquatic operations. Moisture is capable of being captured on special traps throughout the armor. The helmet possesses a HUD linked with the Omninet and Noosphere. The helmet also possesses IR, night vision, thermal vision, and augmented reality vision modes to assist Peace Officers.

UPC Peace Officers rely mostly on non-lethal weaponry like stun batons and stun guns, but still possess an arsenal of conventional weaponry. While swords are still issued, they are mostly sidelined to a melee role in comparison to the standard Smart Gun. Smart Guns are a catchall term describing UPC-issued firearms, mostly lightweight and rugged pieces of equipment. They are sealed against corrosion, dirt and moisture, and their electronics are hardened against electromagnetic radiation, making it functional within a vacuum. The weapon uses an electronic pulse action to fire steel-jacketed and explosive-tipped smart munitions effective against foes with armor. These rounds can be programmed to explode beyond cover or after a certain distance. Most of these weapons are semi-automatic, but there exists variants for automatic support weapons and marksman rifles.

Most Smart Guns are issued in either a handheld pistol form, but use of a rifled variant is becoming more common. Smart Guns are linked to a Peace Officer's HUD, and will automatically distinguish friend from foe to prevent collateral damage. Rounds may also be programmed to not explode to prevent unnecessary damage to civilian livelihoods.
Standard ship: UPC Patrol Craft are generally small but highly-maneuverable exoatmospheric spacecraft that are launched from space stations, planetary hangars, and larger spacecraft. Most UPC spacecraft are not warp or FTL-capable, given the concept of faster-than-light travel still has yet to be introduced; although most Patrol Craft are large enough to contain mechanisms to put a Peace Officer or pilot into stasis for long trips. Propulsion is done through nuclear powered propulsion.
Ship weapons: A combination of conventional autocannons, missiles, bombs, and other weaponry. UPC Spacecraft also possess generous electronic warfare suites and surveillance equipment. The most noteworthy and powerful weapon in a UPC spacecraft's arsenal is a Casaba Howitzer-like weapon, deployed via a missile with a shaped nuclear charge. In larger vessels, a spinal mounted Casaba Howitzer is deployed.

[Sao Nova Europa]

It seems we've gotten our first democracy.

Also, it seems that, for now at least, the Imperium is the only human polity (technically the Azarûnaim are human too, but they might as well be a new species). I wonder what happened to Earth itself in this TL and if there will be more human polities.

[The National Dominion of Hungary]

Nation Name: The Yaaric Harmony
Government type: Caste-based Oligarchy
Government Description:

The Celestial Caste rules the Yaaric Harmony, making up around 2% of the state's population. Born to counsel, advise and steer the Yaaric people on the path of constructing the Great Society, the Celestials embody the roles of both an aristocracy and a priesthood in Yaaric society, the utter deference paid to them by the other Castes is deeply mysticist in nature and they command near-total authority over the other Castes. As their role in Yaaric society is a potent combination of spiritual and political command, their declarations shape and steer every facet of the Harmony.

The Harmony is ruled by the Grand Celestial Supreme who sits at the head of and presides over the Celestial High Council. The High Council is made up of 600 members who are voted in by the Sept Councils of each Sept while the Grand Celestial Supreme is voted on by the members of the High Council after the previous Grand Celestial dies. The High Council is the central legislative branch of the Harmony's government. It's decisions are then implemented by a number of Ministries, each controlled by a Hierarch, a member of the High Council appointed to the position by the Grand Celestial Supreme.

Each Sept (cluster of colonized star-systems) has it's own local Sept Council made up of the highest ranking Celestials from the local region. Local authority is as expected also handled by the ruling cast, with young, lower ranked members finding themselves at the head of a rural Commune all they way up to planetary governors and furthest to the post of the Grand Celestial Supreme. Power in the Harmony is largely quite centralized and tends to flow downward from the Grand Celestial Supreme and the High Council. The orders and edicts it issues and are followed without question across the Harmony, for the Ethereal Caste members who issue them are revered by countless billions, and their wisdom is, of course, beyond doubt. This centralization does sometimes lead to inflexibility and delayed reaction and response times but then also has a lot of focus.

Capital: Thash'Vhar'Ishaghan - Kenuyais System
Population: 420 Billion Yaar - 48 Billion Zorvoshi - 30 Billion Saahl. 498 Billion in total.
Size: 165 colonized systems divided into 18 Septs.
Species: Yaar / Zorvoshi / Saahl
Background:

The long and arduous story of the Yaar almost ended in their extinction. 800 years ago, their homeworld Thaelin was facing great problems due to over-industrialization, critical levels of pollution and with the Yaar being a rather fertile species, severe overpopulation. Various nation states and power-blocks went to war with each other across the globe, trying to secure energy resources, arable land and indeed, even drinkable water for their burgeoning populations. These wars were fought for resources, for nation, for culture and for faith. Armies marched across the continents, each refusing to back down, each convinced that they were in the right. The so-called Global Conflict was not a single great war but a series of conflicts, large and small fought more or less at the same time, new ones bubbling up as old enemies made peace and former allies now turned on each other. It lasted 72 years, and when it ended the problems that sparked the wars had not been solved, no, they only got worse. Of course the overpopulation issue was not as bad with over 800 million dying as a result of the conflict, but the environmental issues had only gotten worse, many resources had been spent on fueling the wars, pollution was reaching critical levels and environmental degradation led to terrible destruction. Extreme weather was much more common, coastlines flooded as polar ice melted and billions of climate refugees were forced inland. The global economy was in shambles and rising levels of extreme poverty all took an ever increasing toll on the population.

That is when the Celestials came. People with strange powers and followers of the until then obscure philosopher and social theorist Filaurel Nelthyra, disciples of her philosophy as outlined in the Once and Future Unity. They gained a massive amount of followers and only 35 years after the Global Conflict had ended they had consolidated power, the upheaval of the Global Conflict had left the people disillusioned with the old order, and so, the Celestials presided over the first global government in Yaaric history, the Yaaric Harmony. This new state faced an uphill battle, the planet's infrastructure was largely in ruins and the very survival of the Yaar species was in question. Indeed the first two decades required great amounts of sacrifice to tread the first step in the path toward what the Celestials called the "Great Society". Strict rationing, martial law, a mandatory one child policy were the new realities of the day. People were divided into a caste system and opportunities were first and foremost given to those whose labor and knowledge could help stabilize the global situation. Millions of climate refugees died in vast relief camps where the bare necessities were exchanged for back-breaking physical labor and it is said even among the first Celestial High Councilors there were those who were horrified by the heavy hand needed to restore civilization. After two decades however, the situation began stabilizing. Crop yields rose by the year, cities were rebuilt, infrastructure restored and the harshest measures imposed on the population were lifted. Large amounts of funds were spent on space research and soon, manned spaceflight resumed and soon after that, economically viable interplanetary travel on a large scale was made available. Mining stations and colonies were established across the solar system, Yryal was settled on mass and grew into a thriving hub. Resources flowed back to the homeworld and soon rationing was a thing of the past, the economy was gradually more liberalized, the one child policy was lifted and soon the Yaar proliferated across their home system. It seemed the Great Society was more than rhetoric, it was achievable. The Yaar would survive, even thrive.

Peace finally reigned across the Kenuyais system. It was a golden age, the economy flourished, the population grew, the flourishing economy gave rise to many great works of industry, commerce and art. Of course, this is not to say that there were no problems at all, pirates attempted to get rich by raiding the many busy trade routes but were mostly efficiently dispatched by the warriors of the Steel Caste. Terrorist threats popped up occasionally as small fringe political and religious groups clinging to the last vestiges of the Old World radicalized to violence but most were soon put down. 600 years ago a milestone on the same level of importance as the mastery of fire occurred, for this discovery led to a complete transformation of Yaaric life. Two brilliant scientists by the names of Hagas Petrieth and Falael Triscyne unveiled the Petrieth-Triscyne Shockpoint Drivecore, an economically viable Warp Drive that would make faster than light travel on a large scale a real possibility. It took another eighteen years of experiments and automated tests, but in 2448 the ship Yllanquial completed the first interstellar FTL journey ever attempted by the Yaaric race. The crew of the Yllanquial found themselves in the Hoxith system, the star closest to the three dancing suns of the Kenuyais System and there, they made a startling discovery. Circling around the dim red star was a planet that while cold and unpleasant, could support Thaelin-native life without the use of pressurized colony domes or the use of sealed vacuum suits for outdoor activity. While perhaps not a warm tropical paradise, the planet, named Yrmaes became the site of the first extrasolar colony ever built by the Yaaric species.

The fact that there were indeed livable planets in the galaxy made the Harmony embark on one of the greatest projects since the stabilization of the homeworld. This project was named Leap 1. Resources were stockpiled and FTL drives fitted into many more ships, space vessels were constructed by the dozens and soon more FTL exploration vessels left the home system, followed by colony ships and warships. This was a dynamic period that saw the Yaar rapidly take from their home system and to the stars. Losses among the initial colonists were high, but under the protection of the Fire Caste and guidance of the Celestials the expansion continued undeterred. By the end of this period, eight major Septs had been established and the Harmony went through a period of great economic, technological and demographic growth and contact with alien species. At this time both the Jirael and Zorvoshi were assimilated into the Harmony, the Jirrael however died out from an unprecedented plague in the first few decades after first contact and assimilation. The Yaar, immune to the pathogen soon settled their empty homeworld on mass as it was perfect for the importation of Thaelit-native organisms. Leap One lasted for around two centuries, limited only by the technological limits of early Yaaric FTL technology. It would take a century after the end of the first Leap for the second Leap to begin, spurred on by the invention of the ZFU Horizon Acceleration Drivecore. The Second Leap lasted around a century and was characterized by more contact with aliens and much larger wars, as well as the first contact between the Yaar and Humanity and the integration of the Saahl species into the Harmony. At this point the Yaar began to realize the true enormity of the galaxy and what they were up against, still, it did not temper their confidence and drive to expand the Great Society across the stars with the launch of the Third Leap, another wave of exploration, colonization and conquest that ended five decades ago, giving way to another period of consolidation.

Economic Info
Economic Ideology: Mixed would describe it best, with a tilt towards state control.

Economy: The Harmony's economy can be described as Mixed, with the level of state control depending on a variety of factors. It has managed some impressive achievements but it as also hampered by things such as restrictive regulation in several fields as well as a sense of cultural disinterest in economics present in much of the Yaaric population. The economy is large and capable of impressive levels of production when compared to other nations of similar size and population. The state controlled tilting and the caste system greatly influences economics. One's caste and even internal rank within the cast determines things such as what type of education and employment a person is allowed to seek all the way down to how much water is allotted to their shower each week. A large system of social support and services is in place, offering high quality childcare, healthcare, elderly care, education, training and other forms of assistance free of charge.

Manufacturing: Manufacturing, at least when it comes to heavy industries that produce primary goods tends to be under the complete control of the state, the same goes for mining and military industries. When one comes to lighter industries and artisanal workshops working towards the production of mainly various civilian consumer goods, more leeway is present with private actors mostly controlling the market.

Agriculture: Farming is done by rural Communes, while each farmer has their own land, the Commune is responsible for providing a certain quota of foodstuffs each year. Anything that is grown beyond the quota the farmers can dispose of as they want and sell at prices they themselves set. Some Communes pool private land and work it jointly, buying inputs together and then splitting the profits from the excess according to pre-arranged agreements.

Military Info
Military Population: 12.25 billion Steel Warriors serve the Harmony, in addition to 1.4 billion Zorvoshi and 900 million Saahl Auxiliaries.

Branches: The military of the Yaaric Unity is not really divided into separate branches as one would understand it. It is divided into Fleets, these fleets are composed of both warships and land forces in a given region. Some Septs have multiple fleets while others only have one. Fleets come ranging from small battle groups to entire armadas. Various task-based groups serve under these fleets, including special operations units and the ground forces, of which the Myriad is the largest level of organization, comprising among 30 000 troops while the Banner is the smallest, consisting of around 120. Ground Installations are under the authority of the ranking Steel Caste member on the planet who serves as a sort of Garrison Commander and makes sure planetside military infrastructure and installations are maintained.

Standard infantry: The rank and file Steel Warrior has in many ways been born and bred for battle, raised in one of the Steel Fortresses on their homeworld, to call Steel Warriors professional soldiers is nothing if not an understatement. In some ways, their training regimen begins moments after their birth, for the great Steel Fortress communes are fully given over to raising the best soldiers and not much else. Discipline, fitness, hard work and following orders are drilled into the growing warriors. It is customary for teams to be raised and trained together, allowing the troops to form strong connections, a comradeship-in-arms that will serve them well no matter where in the great Void they are sent off to fight. Steel Warriors wear a standard-issue combat uniform, armor and equipment that is common to all members of the Steel Caste when they are in the field. Their body armor is constructed in three layers. First is a personal energy shield, the outer face of the armor itself is a hard, ultra-dense nanocrystalline alloy, bonded to an inner layer of high-performance, thermo-set molecular polyethene. The outer layer is supposed to deflect projectiles and boil or ablate in case of a hit from a DEW instead of burning the wearer. The inner layer of the armor acts as a form of energy-absorbent padding for the dispersal of impact energy and helps blunt trauma effects from high-velocity impacts. The elongated and thickened left shoulder plate acts as an additional protective shield, especially when the Warrior is kneeling with the weapon at his shoulder, covering that side of the warrior's body with extra armor. The Yaaric combat helmet includes many different tactical systems. Communication equipment, augmented reality HUD, night vision and thermal sensors, targeting and range-finder information and access to the command communications network for his unit.

Standard weapons: The standard-issue Steel Caste Plasma Rifle is a very long weapon, with a length many times its width and height. The bulk of the barrel is surrounded by coils of conductive material which produce a solenoid. When a current is passed through them, these coils generate an electromagnetic field oriented along the barrel. In effect, it is a miniature mass accelerator. On firing, a ferromagnetic, solid slug is chambered from the magazine and turned into plasma by electromagnetic induction as coil's current alternates at frequencies sufficient enough to heat the coil to an extreme temperature while keeping it in the chamber. The solenoid is then charged fully, propelling the newly produced plasma out of the gun at an extreme velocity while keeping it cohesive. To the rear of the barrel mechanism is the primary magazine, and behind that the trigger assembly and stock. Within the stock is the secondary magazine, or power cell, which is able to provide up to 300 shots before it needs to be replaced. A multifunctional sighting unit is placed atop and slightly forward of the trigger assembly. The targeting system combined with the weapon's advanced stabilizers and recoil reduction make the Plasma Rifle famously accurate.

Standard ship: The Yaaric Voidfleet is mostly composed of Corvettes, Frigates, Destroyers, Cruisers, Battleships and Carriers though some more specialized classes and types are in service as well. Yaaric starships were powered by pinched fusion reactors and are constructed from durable and heat resistant Nanolaminate. Most Yaaric ships also make use of Energy shielding to prevent damage.

Ship weapons: Yaaric warship are typically armed with a number of weapon-systems, these being.

Plasma Lances: Energy projectors that employ the use of gravitic impellors and magnetic lensing to accelerate, focus and direct beams of high-intensity plasma generated by the ship's pinch fusion reactor. The weapon fires a thin beam of highly energetic particles. It typically requires a brief charging period, during which a visible "maelstrom" of plasma appears around the emitter. The energy projector's long range allows a ship armed with such weapons to 'snipe' at targets during ship-to-ship combat. The weapon has been observed to gut unshielded ships from stem to stern at close ranges.

Plasma Cannons: These cannons are most prominently mounted in arrays or turrets on a variety of Yaaric warship classes for use in ship-to-ship combat, they feature manned control stations from which each cannon can be operated individually. Instead of being fed by the reactor however, the guns need to be reloaded with plasma canisters in battle.

Pulse Laser Turrets: Pulse lasers are typically used in point-defense roles against strike-craft and inbound weapons such as missiles, though they can be used in a limited anti-ship role when needed. Since lasers move at light speed, they cannot be dodged by anything moving at subluminal speeds. Unless the beam is aimed poorly, it will always hit its target. As battle continues however, the effects of laser overheat will allow the attackers to press ever closer to the ship. Constant use will burn out a laser. The point defense lasers on Yaaric warship typically operate in infrared frequencies. Some however use near-ultraviolet frequency lasers.

Plasma Torpedoes: Guided missiles with plasmatic warheads fired in large volleys often in the beginning-phase of a naval engagement. Upon contact, a plasma torpedo causes severe damage to the target, boiling armor or overloading shields.

Name: Yaar
Appearance: Something along these lines.
Height/Weight: The average height is about 5'6. The average weight for an average height Yaar is 150 to 140 lbs for a male and female respectively.
Lifespan: Approx 120 years.
Culture:

Filaurel Nelthyra's philosophy as outlined in her work, the Once and Future Unity and Pursuit of a Great Society permeate the Yaaric culture from top to bottom. It is a highly spiritual, almost quasi-religious, socio-political philosophy that promotes striving for personal inner harmony as well as social harmony between the citizens of the state and service to the Yaaric people as a whole. It's goal is to combine the particular strengths of each Caste to overcome the many weaknesses and divisions Yaaric culture once possessed, as the ideology rose to prominence after the Yaaric homeworld of Thaelin was almost rendered uninhabitable by over-industrialization and bloody resource-wars. The broad role a Yaar fulfills in their society is dictated by the Caste into which they are born. The Yaar of the Steel Caste are the warriors of Yaaric society, and are the most massive and physically powerful of the Yaar as generations upon generations of selective breeding and gene-therapy having weeded out infirmity. Yaar of the Stone Caste are the most numerous of all the Castes, they fill the roles of farmers, workers, laborers and small-scale businessmen while their best and brightest minds go on to be scientists, engineers and doctors. Yaar of the Water Caste are the civil servants, merchants, administrators, bureaucrats, and businessmen of Yaaric society, flowing among both the other castes and other integrated species and ensuring that all have what they need to optimally serve the cause of the Great Society. Yaar of the Celestial Caste are the psionically sensitive ruling elite of Yaaric society, both the spiritual and political leaders of the Yaar and Yaar of other castes submit to their authority in all things. Should an Celestial order a Yaar of a different caste to kill themselves, they would probably be obeyed instantly and without question. The nature of this obedience and mysterious origins of the Celestials has raised questions among some beyond the Harmony, many assume that there is some form of innate psionic ability in the Celestials that affects other Yaar making them highly suggestible. Others feel that the faultless loyalty the Celestial inspire has been contrived by some strange implanted technology all the way to conspiracy theories of prenatal indoctrination or even the result of some pheromone-based biochemical reaction. On the bottom of the social ladder are the Casteless, who have been "rejected" by society for some grave misdeed or dishonor making their living on the bottom of society or falling into the criminal underworld. Casteless often make up the bulk of the Yaaric corsair gangs that prowl the galaxy.

Biology:

The Yaar are generally a bit shorter than humans, smaller in stature and with less muscle mass and body weight they are a humanoid species however, even "near-human" as some xenobiologists have put it. They have two arms, two legs and a single head. Their skin is relatively tough, slightly leathery and exudes little moisture owing to the generally arid conditions of their homeworld. Their eyes can see slightly into the infrared and ultraviolet spectrums. Yaaric eyesight is good, but they focus on distant objects slower than humans. Their hearing is however exceptional, with their large ears and almost 48 muscles attached to them, they can swivel around and align to detect even slight sounds. Yaar blood is bluish-purple as it contains trace amounts of cobalt.

Psionics: The Yaar are Psi-Sensitive, at least the Celestial Caste are. Children of other Castes who display psionic abilities are as a rule taken and adopted into a Celestial family.

Other Info:

Name: Zorvoshi
Appearance: Something along these lines.
Height/Weight: Approx 6.2. Weight is around 195–205 lbs for a healthy individual.
Lifespan: Approx 85 years.
Culture:

Zorvoshi society is matriarchal and clan-based. However as Zorvoshi society progressed, it's governments would eventually spread power more widely and equally among the species, though females generally remained at the top. Even today, female Zorvoshi are largely in control of breeding rights, territory, clan organization, and hold of major assets. The Zorvoshi today serve the Harmony largely for the possible opportunities and monetary rewards offered to them. Most are above all loyal to their clans and matriarchs, with service to the Great Society coming as an afterthough. However, after centuries of being part of the Harmony, a large number of them have also come to accept the Yaaric worldview. A more business-minded species many Zorvoshi see their service in the Harmony as a business arrangement, rather than a true spiritual journey in pursuit of some "great society" or other. They have an outsized presence in the Harmony's criminal underworld. Complex social rules regarding mating prevent all but a fraction of eggs from being fertilized. As a result, over 90% of the species is male. Due to their method of reproduction, Zorvoshi have no conception of romantic love.

Biology:

Zorvoshi share many features with Earth reptiles as well as avians. Often at a first glance mistaken for carnivores, the Zorvoshi are actually an omnivorous species. Zorvoshi possess very sharp teeth. Both their hands and are armed with sharp talons. Their eyes are protected by a membrane that sweeps across the eyes horizontally. They are gifted with extraordinarily acute senses of sight, hearing, and smell, making them adept as scouts and snipers while serving in the Steel Caste's alien auxiliaries. Zorvoshi are also very agile and can leap great distances and cover ground at extremely high speeds. They are oviparous and Zorvoshi females lay between one and four eggs every year when in fertile age with unfertilized eggs becoming males and fertilized eggs becoming females. Their blood is bright purple in color. They also lack high amounts of calcium in their skeletons.

Psionics: Not really, probably missing the needed genetics.
Other Info:

Name: Saahl
Appearance: Something along these lines.
Height/Weight: Their average height is around 5.8 and the average weight is around 160 lbs. Queens are much larger however.
Lifespan: Approx 40 years. Queens can live for up to 100 years however.
Culture:

Saahl have an utterly alien mindset. Initially, the Yaar were not only unable to communicate but incapable of getting the Saahl to even register that they were fellow sentients. As a result, little progress could be made. The matter was eventually resolved when, at the command of the Celestial Caste, who issued instructions for the construction of an interface device that forged a connection between the two species facilitated communication. When the device was employed, the Saahl Queens not only registered the Yaar as fellow sentients, but also soon understood the concept of the Great Society and their potential place within it thanks to long negotiations and cultural exchange. By gifting Saahl Queens with Communion Systems fitted with the interface device, the Yaar are able to communicate with the species at large. The Saahl , unlike the more "mercenary" attitudes of many Zorvoshi, believe in their place in Great Society alongside their Yaar allies. This breeds a sort of camaraderie between the two very different species that is not always shared with the third.

Biology:

The Saahl share many similarities with Earthly beetles and colony-building insects. They are bipedal arthropods with hard exoskeletons as well as two pairs wings. These adaptations are a response to the high gravity of the Saahl homeworld of Kharnash. Their shells allow them to withstand hard falls, and the thick atmosphere of Kharnash allows Saahls to achieve just enough lift to perform fluttering leaps or naturally short bursts of flight. In lower-gravity environments, Saahl are capable of using their wings for actual aerial maneuvering but the weight of their exoskeletons prevent them from flying over a long distance. The Saahl are also impressively strong despite their frail appearance. Their mouths consist of several sets of mandibles, they are also capable of using both their hands and feet to operate tools. The Saahl are a carnivorous species, domesticating several types of livestock early in their history. Saahls are a eusocial species, and therefore their intelligence is geared toward working in concert with large groups. They can accomplish tasks swiftly and efficiently when working together, and their knowledge of machinery seems almost second nature, making many of them prized assistants to Stone Caste engineers and technicians.

Psionics: Not really, probably missing the needed genetics.
Other Info:

[G-Tech Corporation]

A note for those claiming antimatter containment - keep in mind that breeding the transuranic elements necessary to effectively utilize antimatter is… energetically intensive. Even bootstrapping AM-annihilation reactors into transmuting those base materials, your most effective route, PTUs effectively mean your civilization will be far behind those of other nations who haven’t devoted such intensive efforts into WMDs. Antimatter warheads very much mean your nation must be either ancient beyond reckoning, which I believe Theyra has explicitly ruled out, or function Space North Korea.

[Theyra]

Hey Theyra, what do you think of my app so far, keep in mind this is no where near complete.

Well, the background is kinda bare, and not two paragraphs. Also, they apparently have a very very good economy and manufacturing and agriculture. No one is that good at all three. Going to ask you to make adjustments to that. Like lower it and make it less good across the board.

I think I was a bit hard here, your species is fine and so is your nation. Just need to address my concerns since your nation can't be very very good at economy, manufacturing and agriculture at the same time.

[Hahoalki]

A note for those claiming antimatter containment - keep in mind that breeding the transuranic elements necessary to effectively utilize antimatter is… energetically intensive. Even bootstrapping AM-annihilation reactors into transmuting those base materials, your most effective route, PTUs effectively mean your civilization will be far behind those of other nations who haven’t devoted such intensive efforts into WMDs. Antimatter warheads very much mean your nation must be either ancient beyond reckoning, which I believe Theyra has explicitly ruled out, or function Space North Korea.

Star Trek uses antimatter for everything, and reasonable assumptions make it very attractive for propulsion and weapon applications. I'm not seeing why this should be a problem. Perhaps if you could explain the relevance of elements in the hypothetical "Island of stability" (what I presume "PTU" refers to), I would understand where you're coming from.

[Hahoalki]

Well, the background is kinda bare, and not two paragraphs. Also, they apparently have a very very good economy and manufacturing and agriculture. No one is that good at all three. Going to ask you to make adjustments to that. Like lower it and make it less good across the board.

I think I was a bit hard here, your species is fine and so is your nation. Just need to address my concerns since your nation can't be very very good at economy, manufacturing and agriculture at the same time.

Any thoughts on my nation?

[G-Tech Corporation]

A note for those claiming antimatter containment - keep in mind that breeding the transuranic elements necessary to effectively utilize antimatter is… energetically intensive. Even bootstrapping AM-annihilation reactors into transmuting those base materials, your most effective route, PTUs effectively mean your civilization will be far behind those of other nations who haven’t devoted such intensive efforts into WMDs. Antimatter warheads very much mean your nation must be either ancient beyond reckoning, which I believe Theyra has explicitly ruled out, or function Space North Korea.

Star Trek uses antimatter for everything, and reasonable assumptions make it very attractive for propulsion and weapon applications. I'm not seeing why this should be a problem. Perhaps if you could explain the relevance of elements in the hypothetical "Island of stability" (what I presume "PTU" refers to), I would understand where you're coming from.

Ah, you’re working off of Star Trek? That’s probably not the most useful source for a RP with max size nations of 200 systems and folks maxing out ~Kardashev I-II, just as a warning.

I’m on mobile, so I can explain more fully later, but effectively the containment and controlled annihilation of antimatter is likely to be dependent on post-transuranic element-based alloys (PTUs) due to the gravitic stresses involved. In tandem, however, the manufacture of those PTUs is best done with the energy output of neutronium annihilation reactions, which presents that bootstrap problem I talked about.

Basically using antimatter as a power source takes lots of time and energy to spool up, most of the output of which has to be put back into that spooling up process.

Though that’s largely dependent on how hard-science Theyra wants to run things. If he doesn’t mind Star Trek, that’s his call.

[Hahoalki]

Star Trek uses antimatter for everything, and reasonable assumptions make it very attractive for propulsion and weapon applications. I'm not seeing why this should be a problem. Perhaps if you could explain the relevance of elements in the hypothetical "Island of stability" (what I presume "PTU" refers to), I would understand where you're coming from.

Ah, you’re working off of Star Trek? That’s probably not the most useful source for a RP with max size nations of 200 systems and folks maxing out ~Kardashev I-II, just as a warning.

I’m on mobile, so I can explain more fully later, but effectively the containment and controlled annihilation of antimatter is likely to be dependent on post-transuranic element-based alloys (PTUs) due to the gravitic stresses involved. In tandem, however, the manufacture of those PTUs is best done with the energy output of neutronium annihilation reactions, which presents that bootstrap problem I talked about.

Basically using antimatter as a power source takes lots of time and energy to spool up, most of the output of which has to be put back into that spooling up process.

Though that’s largely dependent on how hard-science Theyra wants to run things. If he doesn’t mind Star Trek, that’s his call.

To be fair, it seems like you're relying on Schlock Mercenary for your knowledge of physics. As awesome as that webcomic was (and it is absolutely one of my favorites), Annie Plants, neutronium, and gravitics are all places where Howard Taylor took some liberties with reality.

Doesn't make his work bad, just makes it less than fully accurate.

Also, my use of antimatter will be less "Star Trek," and more "Orion's Arm." While the more outre technologies in OA (metric weapons, Q-balls, and magmatter) are obviously unsuitable for this RP, the "modotech antimatter" systems - which include antimatter catalyzed explosive rounds and antimatter catalyzed fission propulsion - don't seem particularly overpowered for a Kardashev 1.5-ish nation.

EDIT: all that having been said, I would be elated if the OP allowed me to utilize Schlock-esque technologies for this RP. I actually have access to the Planet Mercenary RPG, and for whatever it's worth, the Annie Plants of a battleplate have a "doubling time" of "several years." Assuming I've been in space for at least a hundred years, I could easily have a thousand battleplates *and* a sizable amount of antimatter.

[G-Tech Corporation]

Ah, you’re working off of Star Trek? That’s probably not the most useful source for a RP with max size nations of 200 systems and folks maxing out ~Kardashev I-II, just as a warning.

I’m on mobile, so I can explain more fully later, but effectively the containment and controlled annihilation of antimatter is likely to be dependent on post-transuranic element-based alloys (PTUs) due to the gravitic stresses involved. In tandem, however, the manufacture of those PTUs is best done with the energy output of neutronium annihilation reactions, which presents that bootstrap problem I talked about.

Basically using antimatter as a power source takes lots of time and energy to spool up, most of the output of which has to be put back into that spooling up process.

Though that’s largely dependent on how hard-science Theyra wants to run things. If he doesn’t mind Star Trek, that’s his call.

To be fair, it seems like you're relying on Schlock Mercenary for your knowledge of physics. As awesome as that webcomic was (and it is absolutely one of my favorites), Annie Plants, neutronium, and gravitics are all places where Howard Taylor took some liberties with reality.

Doesn't make his work bad, just makes it less than fully accurate.

Also, my use of antimatter will be less "Star Trek," and more "Orion's Arm." While the more outre technologies in OA (metric weapons, Q-balls, and magmatter) are obviously unsuitable for this RP, the "modotech antimatter" systems - which include antimatter catalyzed explosive rounds and antimatter catalyzed fission propulsion - don't seem particularly overpowered for a Kardashev 1.5-ish nation.

Schock what now? I’m not familiar with that material, I’m afraid. I’m not as well read in far-future fiction as I should be.

My main point is that manufacturing and using antimatter is a heavily energy intensive process, and outside of the mass-scale energy collection of things like Dyson Spheres that aren’t on our IC horizon yet, creating weapons that rely on it as a mainstay weapon will leave your society substantively invested in that angle of your nation, compared to equivalent nations.

Nothing wrong with that, of course. Guns and butter and whatnot.

[Hahoalki]

To be fair, it seems like you're relying on Schlock Mercenary for your knowledge of physics. As awesome as that webcomic was (and it is absolutely one of my favorites), Annie Plants, neutronium, and gravitics are all places where Howard Taylor took some liberties with reality.

Doesn't make his work bad, just makes it less than fully accurate.

Also, my use of antimatter will be less "Star Trek," and more "Orion's Arm." While the more outre technologies in OA (metric weapons, Q-balls, and magmatter) are obviously unsuitable for this RP, the "modotech antimatter" systems - which include antimatter catalyzed explosive rounds and antimatter catalyzed fission propulsion - don't seem particularly overpowered for a Kardashev 1.5-ish nation.

Schock what now? I’m not familiar with that material, I’m afraid. I’m not as well read in far-future fiction as I should be.

My main point is that manufacturing and using antimatter is a heavily energy intensive process, and outside of the mass-scale energy collection of things like Dyson Spheres that aren’t on our IC horizon yet, creating weapons that rely on it as a mainstay weapon will leave your society substantively invested in that angle of your nation, compared to equivalent nations.

Nothing wrong with that, of course. Guns and butter and whatnot.

Assuming a Kardashev 1.5 civilization (which is, based on your comments, about where we are), and that 1% of the energy produced is devoted to making antimatter at 1% efficiency, and that 1% of that can be used for weapons applications (the remainder, obviously, being used for antimatter catalyzed fusion drives), we're talking about 35 tonnes per year for weapons applications alone. That's enough for about 200 billion antimatter catalyzed explosive rounds.

Suffice it to say that I can get what I need from a fairly small investment.

[G-Tech Corporation]

Schock what now? I’m not familiar with that material, I’m afraid. I’m not as well read in far-future fiction as I should be.

My main point is that manufacturing and using antimatter is a heavily energy intensive process, and outside of the mass-scale energy collection of things like Dyson Spheres that aren’t on our IC horizon yet, creating weapons that rely on it as a mainstay weapon will leave your society substantively invested in that angle of your nation, compared to equivalent nations.

Nothing wrong with that, of course. Guns and butter and whatnot.

Assuming a Kardashev 1.5 civilization (which is, based on your comments, about where we are), and that 1% of the energy produced is devoted to making antimatter at 1% efficiency, and that 1% of that can be used for weapons applications (the remainder, obviously, being used for antimatter catalyzed fusion drives), we're talking about 35 tonnes per year for weapons applications alone. That's enough for about 200 billion antimatter catalyzed explosive rounds.

Suffice it to say that I can get what I need from a fairly small investment.

Sure, sure.

Or that equivalent industrial energy can manufacture and arm ~40,000 warships of approximately 100,000 long tonnes of aviation-grade titanium alloys.

I’ve made my point. You can take it or leave it; I’m mainly clarifying it for other folks who might interact with you.