Angst
Rambling and inconsistent
Oh my god Daftpanzer that drawing comparison of bodies and your envisioning of the species is so cool 
To The Great Beyond - Space Empires!
- Thread starter Daftpanzer
- Start date
Lord_Herobrine
Back in the Saddle
That looks great Daft! And I'm still here.
Daftpanzer
canonically ambiguous
A barrage of high-energy laser blasts glitters across the hull of the Hlur-Baiheen exploration ship. Within seconds, large parts of the hull are glowing red hot, with cracks already beginning to spew out vapour with explosive force. Here and there, comparatively small solid objects are flung into space, silhouetted against the strobing haze and the sinister orange glow. One of them is a Hlur-Baiheen without a sealed suit. It is instinctively trying to keep its shell closed, but to no avail; its insides are already vapourising into bloody jets, propelling its body ever further from safety, into a dizzying spiral; already blind, with limbs flailing and rupturing into useless rags of flesh. A flash of hot plasma finally carries it into oblivion, as the ship below desperately turns and fires its engines at full thrust, quickly narrowing to a small glowing point surrounded by billowing clouds of haze and debris.
Another first contact has been made…
Link to video.
GT-2: Awakenings (and recap)
Throughout the galaxy, an age of exploration and first contacts is in full swing. From the far north-west, we take an anti-clockwise, spiralling course through known space...
Galactic West
The first Peaceful Union exploration ship leaves the serenity of planet Dschera far behind, arriving several light years away at the edge of the nearby nebula. It is their first interstellar voyage; the explorers bring back stunning multi-spectrum imagery from the [Ara-3] binary system and its surroundings. No particularly habitable planets are found, but the people of Dschera happily celebrate this great milestone.
Unknown to the Dscheri, the Qui’Kho and Psilocybe races are also arriving at the edges of this nebula...
The arachniform Qui race continue their search for habitable worlds under the imperative of the Queen of Queens. So far, planet [Zal-80B] still looks most promising, though it is a primitive terrestrial world with difficult atmosphere and no complex life. The [Ten22] system is still being explored and surveyed
Around the icy chemical slushball that is [Ten-11B], the Qui encounter something else altogether. A Jaar’ar transport ship is in the system, dispatching a flotilla of smaller craft to perform a rough reconnaissance of several planets. Both sides close in cautiously, exchanging mutually-unintelligible messages. Eventually, after a prolonged and uneasy standoff, the Jaar’ar transport backs away and jumps to the far side of the system, where it awaits new orders from home. The crew are left with one haunting image transmission - what appears to be a representation of the physical form of the Qui, complete with no less than eight limbs.
The Jaar’ar Federation is alarmed by the discovery of intelligent aliens on their first interstellar voyage, especially ones that appear so different to their own biology. The Federation is confident that no matter what happens, Zhang will remain well defended, but for now the news of this encounter is tightly controlled. Public attention is focused on the completion of a new exploration ship in the home system, ready to depart on new voyages.
The Jaar’ar are unaware that a second sentient race approaches their homeworld, a race that is equally as alien to them...
The hexapedal Kowlint of the Torrhennian Confederacy are busy exploring the [Obs-134] system, finding only barren worlds and moons. However, a sweep of the sky reveals anomalous electromagnetic noise coming from a neighbouring system. The crew of the legendary exploration ship Perrel, having already ventured far from Torrhenn, suspect they are on the doorstep of another intelligent species, and the diplomatic team on board is eager to make contact, though to reach them would mean dangerously overstepping their line of supply.
Meanwhile, the shock of the Kowlint’s first encounter with aliens is taking place in the galactic south, in the [Mep-11] binary system. There, the crew of a Torrhennian utility ship encounter aliens who are radically different in their biological make-up. They call themselves Kul’hari. First contact is slow and cautious, but good progress is made towards communication; eventually the Kowlint understand that the biology of the Kul’hari is something that their own speculative fiction authors had written about - beings that are largely silicon-based, from a planet with an atmosphere that would be toxic to their lungs. The two species remain in their respective ships for now, and no face-to-face contact occurs.
At this point the Kul’hari are one of the fastest-expanding races, with settlements across three star systems, including a colony on a verdant terrestrial world they call Kul’verdia. With basic biological data on the Kowlint showing them to be similar in their biochemistry to the Kul’verdia fauna, and also to primitive forms of life found on planet [Mep-11B], the Kul’hari are beginning to suspect that they are something of an exception in this galaxy - and perhaps a superior form of life?
South-East Reaches
In the galactic east, the molluscoid Syru explorers of the Iqatha Andu arrive at the system they call Etros, finding a radioactive, metallic world orbiting this neutron star. Under the direction of their Sovereign, the shipyards of Andos have prepared a surplus of transport vessels, ensuring plenty of logistics support for future endeavours. The shell-less morph of the Syru remain something of an underclass, though they have produced some of the most renowned spaceship crew and astronauts, raising some questions in Syru society. The Syru have yet to encounter other forms of intelligent life, and are oblivious to the Hlur-Baiheen presence beyond their mountainous island colony on Mylos.
In the south-east corner of the galaxy, a heavily-armed expedition from the Beast’s Crusade continues on its course. At the [Dak-8] system, the Varyn explorers find icy, barren, but habitable moons in orbit of a gas giant. Colonists follow, but their efforts have to be postponed as their main outpost begins to be swallowed up by a giant chasm tearing through the ice below.
Varyn settlers are more successful on the black forest moon they have named Drift Harbour, after the first farms of sacred Kalai crystals outside of the homeworld are seeded there. On this world, towering dark-leaf trees blot out much of the reddened daylight, which is regularly interrupted by the shadow of its parent gas giant. The Varyn, for all their zeal, still find themselves unnerved by this twilight landscape. But the only animals discovered thus far are fairly primitive, and seem to have an adverse reaction to the radioactive technology used by the Varyn.
The Crusade leadership continues its efforts to resurrect the ‘Beast’, the remains of a giant bio-mechanical war machine that once contributed to the downfall of the previous Varyn civilisation in a nightmarish, apocalyptic war. Though paying for it with the desolation and tragic history of their homeworld, the Crusade has inherited the best level of technology of any race in the Galaxy, although they are not aware of this; their ship in the [Dak-8] system has however detected curious radiation signatures coming from the galactic north...
The ruling elite of the Yuma Confederacy, still unsure of what lurks in their galactic neighbourhood, now decide on a military buildup, ordering the construction of a new warship and new legions of soldier-drones to defend the Grand Hive from potential threats. So far, only primitive animals have been found, in the form of edible fish-like creatures on the ocean world [Sass-17B], hardly a danger to the Confederacy. Some of the lesser parties fear that some kind of purge is being planned; tensions and dissent rise among the aristocracy.
Yuma colonisation efforts continue, but they have no more luck than the Varyn; at the newly-explored binary orange dwarf system, [Asp-1], several hundred drones freeze to death in last-ditch efforts to repair broken life support systems on an icy world.
SCEDA - OSEC
Far to the galactic north, across empty regions of space and a vast nebula, lies the Preosa system, and one of the more crowded parts of the galaxy. Here the Rozu, a race of vulpine humanoids from the arid world Sureya, keep the amphibian Gelion race under watchful blockade, having won an interplanetary war several decades ago. The Rozu, as victors, have now expanded beyond their home system, under the guidance of their Cosmic Exploration and Defence Administration (SCEDA).
At the [NRA-44] star system, SCEDA has already encountered another space-faring race, or actually bi-species symbionts, known as the Sehoum and Baloum; the Sehoum ‘brains’ inhabit the sturdy, hexapedal Baloum bodies. These aliens also have an analogue of SCEDA called the Outer Space Exploration Corporation, or OSEC, which is busily engaged in the same tasks of exploration and colonisation.
A SCEDA exploration ship arrives to complete the Rozu survey of [NRA-44], bringing colonists in its wake. A shared colony is established on the planet ‘Aldeks’, roughly translated as ‘meeting place’ in the OSEC common tongue; it is an arid, chasm-laden world that actually suits both races rather well, with hidden rivers and gigantic waterfalls to explore, and nothing more than native worms to compete against (though there are arguable signs of cave-art at various sites, hinting that something intelligent lurks deeper in the giant cave systems). With SCEDA input, the planet rapidly becomes the most developed colony-world in the galaxy, with a large surface spaceport being built at the OSEC colony.
But despite the apparent cooperation, and a growing amount of trade (as much as limited SCEDA logistics allow), formal diplomatic relations have not been established; OSEC and SCEDA do not yet have powers to make diplomacy on behalf of their species. Indeed, OSEC is only slowly filtering news of the Rozu contacts to the larger Sehoum-Baloum population at home, wary of the social impact. But for now at least, there is still plenty of space on Aldeks for both sides.
Thus the old Rozu warship Murdizh returns home, to rejoin the blockade of the Gelions, while a second exploration ship is fitted out. The Gelions appear to be re-arming, or at least updating their defences, with missiles that could potentially threaten Sureya. Opinion is split among the Rozu leadership, with some calling for a resolution with the Gelions - peaceful or not. But at this point the Rozu are more accustomed to alien contacts than any other race, and there are many explorers in the ranks of SCEDA eager to venture further out into the galaxy.
OSEC, meanwhile, is exploring westwards, with a colony being established on the barren, dusty world of [NRA-1a]. A tenuous line of trade stretches dozens of light years, connecting the new colony to their homeworld of Almoth and to the SCEDA homeworld of Sureya. However, OSEC are unaware that they are closing in on Carvanian space...
Galactic North
Carvania, the united polity of the avian-esque Flavian race, has invested heavily in its exploration fleet, and is exploring to the east and west - though without great results so far. Insurgents also remain in control of some of the homeworld, Niao, after an uprising against industrial expansion into the last of the pristine forests, and the situation remains in stalemate.
Carvania does however already have a colony on the moons of the gas giant [Oro-2a], which they share with the Drok Imperium, in a situation similar to Aldeks. One moon in particular takes precedence, being a rather large body with surface lakes and towering, colourful mesa landscapes, though the atmosphere is unpleasant. The tall, hardened forms of the Drokmohx are much better suited to this world, but the Flavians persevere, and both sides are able to profit from exchanges of goods and materials, with the moon becoming a transport and trading hub.
The two races otherwise remain rather aloof from each other, but Drokmohx philosophy is already having an impact on the Flavians. Excerpts from several ancient Drokmohx books on spirituality and warrior code have been translated and circulated on Niao, where they are finding an especially eager audience among the insurgency.
The Drok’ are also exploring, but at a slower pace, finding only a calm, cold, barren world at the [Oro-1] system.
To the galactic west lies the Tarnakkian Empire. This race of feline-like humanoids has already colonised the planet Laddar, covered in native life which resembles slime-moulds. Tarnakki colonists have found that the slime has various psychoactive and medically-useful effects, and there is a booming business in selling slime extracts back on Tarnakk, even if relatively few can afford them. Emperor Honnan has sent some of his best forces to guard Laddar, perhaps to ensure loyalty, but this has allowed some traditionalist tribes on the homeworld to re-assert themselves and claim semi-autonomy for their lands.
Tarnakki exploration continues; the highlight of the [Yrt-3] system turns out to be a cold, dusty world with little promise. They remain unaware of their galactic neighbours; the white dwarf star close to Laddar is not considered as a candidate for life or habitable planets...
Psilocybe Space
Yet there lies the homeworld of the Psilocybe, one of the more biologically unique races, whose air-floating bodies resemble jellyish or mushrooms, studded with eye-spots, bio-luminescent patches and chromatophores with which they communicate visually. After mastering the technology to escape from their homeworld (in close-orbit of its parent white dwarf), the Psilocybe have invested heavily in their explorations.
One of the planets already discovered, dubbed Lagimae, is teeming with complex native life. One of the native species is a rodent-like, sentient form, with stone-age technology. These Lagomids have come to know the Psilocybe as terrifying sky-gods who require sacrifice; the Lagomids are occasionally hunted for science, or for sport. Any communication between the two races has been very difficult, but some colonists have made breakthroughs, and the Lagomids have shown a capacity to understand concepts such as planets, chemistry, and space travel. The question now arises as to whether or not Lagomids should be educated and integrated into the colony, potentially providing masses of manpower in an environment that is not ideal for the Psilocybe.
Meanwhile, Psilocybe explorers find yet another sentient species close to home. It is not the Tarnakki, though Psilocybe radio observations are clear that a technological civilisation exists in the galactic east. Instead they find a race inhabiting a triple star system who call themselves Rurrican. Biologically, they are similar to the ’cybe in that they have air-floating bodies in dense atmosphere, but are bilateral beings with a flexible trunk and two grasping arms. The Psilocybe exploration vessel remains silent, following a chasing orbit of the Rurrican homeworld, keeping its distance and making many observations through the use of probes, and simply listening in to the bombardment of radio noise washing over its hull.
The Rurricans appear to have plateaued in the nuclear age, and the Psilocybe are able to discern that their large homeworld is divided into three main power blocs, stuck in a triple cold-war standoff, with huge military expenses on all sides; at this point their planet is in fact the most militarised planet in the galaxy. Yet enough resources are still found to put together gigantic space rockets, which regularly brute-force their way through the thick atmosphere and high gravity, for the propaganda value of sending astronauts to plant flags on barren planetoids. While the Rurricans may be a ticking time bomb, it seems their planet would otherwise be very habitable for the Psilocybe.
Tacci Contacts
To the galactic south, on the other side of the flaring supergiant star [Sax-2], lies the Skitarii Mercantile Conglomerate. The Skitarii are almost a dying race, the descendents of an infertile worker-caste, genetically-engineered by masters who have long since died out. After inheriting a massively polluted homeworld, they have been able to do little to repair the damage. Instead the Skitarii have survived through technology and science, and most of them now rely on mechanical implants or exo-suits to overcome the limitations of their small, humanoid bodies which are often riddled with genetic disorders. Industry and commercial interests hold the reigns of power.
The Skitarii have yet to see a truly natural, living world. At the [Kor-A] pulsar system, their explorers encounter a world streaked with mineral veins that fluoresce vivid colours under the intense stellar wind. Meanwhile at the [Daz-1] system, the crew of a utility ship encounter an unknown vessel, and cautiously begin to investigate..
The vessel is an explorer of the United Tac. The Skitarii crew are relieved to discover these aliens to be friendly, even over-friendly, though they can scarcely comprehend who or what they are talking to; the Tac are small, pink, air-buoyant beings with no visible eyes, and only two small appendages as limbs. As efforts to communicate drag on, where they find a common language is in the exchange of goods. It seems these aliens are eager to ‘gift’. For now, the Conglomerate inner circle censors all news of the encounter, while it debates how best to profit from the situation.
The Tac, meanwhile, are busy with other explorations, having little doubt that the galaxy has many more intelligent beings to find. Soon they run into a double encounter with the Hurrunn Agreement; a Hurrunn explorer ship enters the [Zen9] system, where the Tac have built an outpost on a habitable world, while a Tac envoy ship arrives unannounced in orbit of Hmmaia, the Hurrunn home moon. The initial Hurrunn reaction is one of alarm, which soon softens to a kind of cautious optimism as rough communications are worked out..
Thus on the surface of Hmmaia, at a fairly utilitarian spaceport near the entrance to the underground capital city, a galactic first takes place, as official diplomats from both sides meet almost face-to-face (unable to survive the thin atmosphere of Hmmaia, the group of Tac envoys emerge inside a communal life-support orb). Unlike other galactic contacts, here the representatives are able to talk on behalf of their respective species. The Tac encounter squat, six-limbed, land-walking beings of an individual size much greater than theirs, with oddly large sensory organs on their faces, while the Hurrunn encounter what must be living proof of the diversity of life in the galaxy.
The Tac, immersed in a culture of altruism, proceed to offer ‘gifting’, but are frustrated by the strange slowness of the Hurrunn, who seem to be in no hurry; after all, this encounter has been millions of years in the making, and the important kinships and councils of Hmmaia ought to be thoroughly consulted at every turn. Eventually the Hurrunn accept certain gifts and even reciprocate with their own, beginning a trickle of trade between the two civilisations; Tacci ornaments and electronic devices and are exchanged for a collection of fossils, geological samples and some of the favourite vegetables of the Hurrunn, along with a collection of antique computer systems (some over a thousand years old).
Encounter at Dolak
The Stabilizing Directorate of the Hlur-Baiheen continues on its mission of finding suitable planets to relieve the population pressure on the homeworld, Seeoo, which has already seen its natural ecosystem almost entirely replaced by aeroplankton farming industry. First an explorer arrives at the [Dak-9] system, finding a marginally-habitable snowball world. From this vantage point, the discordant radio transmissions coming from [Pos-3] are much stronger, and remain just as unintelligible.
Another Hlur-Baiheen explorer arrives in a triple red-dwarf system close to their homeworld of Seeoo, and to their surprise, finds it to be inhabited by some kind of civilisation...
The Flallorean Collective continues its explorations, sending a ship to investigate the massive, young, hot star [Ser-55]. While investigating the nascent asteroid belts and planetoids which circle the star, the explorer ship is struck by an unexpectedly-strong solar flare, putting many of its systems out of action, and making the faster-than-light drive dangerous to use. The Flallore are gripped by the unfolding drama, as the crew attempt emergency repairs, and the government on Desmong promises a rescue mission, with only intermittent signals getting through.
The Flallore have already colonised the Dolak trinary-red dwarf system, founding a colony and space observatory on the cold, desert world named Ferron; its red dust reminds the Flallore of some of the more scenic deserts on their world. In the wake of anomalous radio signals being detected in the galactic south, the Collective takes a cautious approach, and sends a heavily-armed ship from the homeworld to guard this colony, along with a replacement roster of scientists and engineers.
Not long afterwards, a Hlur-Baiheen explorer arrives in orbit of the planet and straight away begins launching probes down onto the surface, including some directly onto the Flallore colony. To the Flallore, this looks very much like an attack; a warning message is broadcast from the Fallore ship, but it receives no immediate response from the Hlur-Baiheen, who fail to recognise it as language, being nothing like the singing and musical tones with which they communicate.
With only moments to respond, the Flallore ship opens fire with its high-powered lasers. Automated systems on the Hlur-Baiheen ship return fire with an assortment of less powerful beams and asteroid-sampling projectiles. Within seconds, and with a cacophony of warning sounds erupting from the ship’s computers, the Hlur-Baiheen captain decides to flee to the other side of the system, making a successful faster-than-light escape with most of its ship intact, though badly damaged. The Flallore ship, though largely unscathed, does not attempt to pursue, as it awaits instructions from home. Thus the galaxy’s first space battle begins and ends.
Later, in orbit of Ferron, the Flallore recover the vacuum-exposed shell of a Hlur-Baiheen, with blackened remnants of flesh still attached. It takes a while before any of the Flallore realise that this is not a piece of debris from the alien ship’s structure, but even then they can only guess what kind of life form this originally was. Likewise, the Hlur-Baiheen have no idea what kind of beings they have just encountered, or if they even have a biological form. Analysis of the Flallore transmission only yields some hints about their vocal and audial abilities. Meanwhile, emergency repairs are carried out and the ship is readied to make a dangerous jump back to Seeoo...
Map and Stats:
Galaxy Map
Faction Stats
Species portrait artwork (my first attempt )
Another first contact has been made…
Link to video.
GT-2: Awakenings (and recap)
Throughout the galaxy, an age of exploration and first contacts is in full swing. From the far north-west, we take an anti-clockwise, spiralling course through known space...
Galactic West
The first Peaceful Union exploration ship leaves the serenity of planet Dschera far behind, arriving several light years away at the edge of the nearby nebula. It is their first interstellar voyage; the explorers bring back stunning multi-spectrum imagery from the [Ara-3] binary system and its surroundings. No particularly habitable planets are found, but the people of Dschera happily celebrate this great milestone.
Unknown to the Dscheri, the Qui’Kho and Psilocybe races are also arriving at the edges of this nebula...
The arachniform Qui race continue their search for habitable worlds under the imperative of the Queen of Queens. So far, planet [Zal-80B] still looks most promising, though it is a primitive terrestrial world with difficult atmosphere and no complex life. The [Ten22] system is still being explored and surveyed
Around the icy chemical slushball that is [Ten-11B], the Qui encounter something else altogether. A Jaar’ar transport ship is in the system, dispatching a flotilla of smaller craft to perform a rough reconnaissance of several planets. Both sides close in cautiously, exchanging mutually-unintelligible messages. Eventually, after a prolonged and uneasy standoff, the Jaar’ar transport backs away and jumps to the far side of the system, where it awaits new orders from home. The crew are left with one haunting image transmission - what appears to be a representation of the physical form of the Qui, complete with no less than eight limbs.
The Jaar’ar Federation is alarmed by the discovery of intelligent aliens on their first interstellar voyage, especially ones that appear so different to their own biology. The Federation is confident that no matter what happens, Zhang will remain well defended, but for now the news of this encounter is tightly controlled. Public attention is focused on the completion of a new exploration ship in the home system, ready to depart on new voyages.
The Jaar’ar are unaware that a second sentient race approaches their homeworld, a race that is equally as alien to them...
The hexapedal Kowlint of the Torrhennian Confederacy are busy exploring the [Obs-134] system, finding only barren worlds and moons. However, a sweep of the sky reveals anomalous electromagnetic noise coming from a neighbouring system. The crew of the legendary exploration ship Perrel, having already ventured far from Torrhenn, suspect they are on the doorstep of another intelligent species, and the diplomatic team on board is eager to make contact, though to reach them would mean dangerously overstepping their line of supply.
Meanwhile, the shock of the Kowlint’s first encounter with aliens is taking place in the galactic south, in the [Mep-11] binary system. There, the crew of a Torrhennian utility ship encounter aliens who are radically different in their biological make-up. They call themselves Kul’hari. First contact is slow and cautious, but good progress is made towards communication; eventually the Kowlint understand that the biology of the Kul’hari is something that their own speculative fiction authors had written about - beings that are largely silicon-based, from a planet with an atmosphere that would be toxic to their lungs. The two species remain in their respective ships for now, and no face-to-face contact occurs.
At this point the Kul’hari are one of the fastest-expanding races, with settlements across three star systems, including a colony on a verdant terrestrial world they call Kul’verdia. With basic biological data on the Kowlint showing them to be similar in their biochemistry to the Kul’verdia fauna, and also to primitive forms of life found on planet [Mep-11B], the Kul’hari are beginning to suspect that they are something of an exception in this galaxy - and perhaps a superior form of life?
South-East Reaches
In the galactic east, the molluscoid Syru explorers of the Iqatha Andu arrive at the system they call Etros, finding a radioactive, metallic world orbiting this neutron star. Under the direction of their Sovereign, the shipyards of Andos have prepared a surplus of transport vessels, ensuring plenty of logistics support for future endeavours. The shell-less morph of the Syru remain something of an underclass, though they have produced some of the most renowned spaceship crew and astronauts, raising some questions in Syru society. The Syru have yet to encounter other forms of intelligent life, and are oblivious to the Hlur-Baiheen presence beyond their mountainous island colony on Mylos.
In the south-east corner of the galaxy, a heavily-armed expedition from the Beast’s Crusade continues on its course. At the [Dak-8] system, the Varyn explorers find icy, barren, but habitable moons in orbit of a gas giant. Colonists follow, but their efforts have to be postponed as their main outpost begins to be swallowed up by a giant chasm tearing through the ice below.
Varyn settlers are more successful on the black forest moon they have named Drift Harbour, after the first farms of sacred Kalai crystals outside of the homeworld are seeded there. On this world, towering dark-leaf trees blot out much of the reddened daylight, which is regularly interrupted by the shadow of its parent gas giant. The Varyn, for all their zeal, still find themselves unnerved by this twilight landscape. But the only animals discovered thus far are fairly primitive, and seem to have an adverse reaction to the radioactive technology used by the Varyn.
The Crusade leadership continues its efforts to resurrect the ‘Beast’, the remains of a giant bio-mechanical war machine that once contributed to the downfall of the previous Varyn civilisation in a nightmarish, apocalyptic war. Though paying for it with the desolation and tragic history of their homeworld, the Crusade has inherited the best level of technology of any race in the Galaxy, although they are not aware of this; their ship in the [Dak-8] system has however detected curious radiation signatures coming from the galactic north...
The ruling elite of the Yuma Confederacy, still unsure of what lurks in their galactic neighbourhood, now decide on a military buildup, ordering the construction of a new warship and new legions of soldier-drones to defend the Grand Hive from potential threats. So far, only primitive animals have been found, in the form of edible fish-like creatures on the ocean world [Sass-17B], hardly a danger to the Confederacy. Some of the lesser parties fear that some kind of purge is being planned; tensions and dissent rise among the aristocracy.
Yuma colonisation efforts continue, but they have no more luck than the Varyn; at the newly-explored binary orange dwarf system, [Asp-1], several hundred drones freeze to death in last-ditch efforts to repair broken life support systems on an icy world.
SCEDA - OSEC
Far to the galactic north, across empty regions of space and a vast nebula, lies the Preosa system, and one of the more crowded parts of the galaxy. Here the Rozu, a race of vulpine humanoids from the arid world Sureya, keep the amphibian Gelion race under watchful blockade, having won an interplanetary war several decades ago. The Rozu, as victors, have now expanded beyond their home system, under the guidance of their Cosmic Exploration and Defence Administration (SCEDA).
At the [NRA-44] star system, SCEDA has already encountered another space-faring race, or actually bi-species symbionts, known as the Sehoum and Baloum; the Sehoum ‘brains’ inhabit the sturdy, hexapedal Baloum bodies. These aliens also have an analogue of SCEDA called the Outer Space Exploration Corporation, or OSEC, which is busily engaged in the same tasks of exploration and colonisation.
A SCEDA exploration ship arrives to complete the Rozu survey of [NRA-44], bringing colonists in its wake. A shared colony is established on the planet ‘Aldeks’, roughly translated as ‘meeting place’ in the OSEC common tongue; it is an arid, chasm-laden world that actually suits both races rather well, with hidden rivers and gigantic waterfalls to explore, and nothing more than native worms to compete against (though there are arguable signs of cave-art at various sites, hinting that something intelligent lurks deeper in the giant cave systems). With SCEDA input, the planet rapidly becomes the most developed colony-world in the galaxy, with a large surface spaceport being built at the OSEC colony.
But despite the apparent cooperation, and a growing amount of trade (as much as limited SCEDA logistics allow), formal diplomatic relations have not been established; OSEC and SCEDA do not yet have powers to make diplomacy on behalf of their species. Indeed, OSEC is only slowly filtering news of the Rozu contacts to the larger Sehoum-Baloum population at home, wary of the social impact. But for now at least, there is still plenty of space on Aldeks for both sides.
Thus the old Rozu warship Murdizh returns home, to rejoin the blockade of the Gelions, while a second exploration ship is fitted out. The Gelions appear to be re-arming, or at least updating their defences, with missiles that could potentially threaten Sureya. Opinion is split among the Rozu leadership, with some calling for a resolution with the Gelions - peaceful or not. But at this point the Rozu are more accustomed to alien contacts than any other race, and there are many explorers in the ranks of SCEDA eager to venture further out into the galaxy.
OSEC, meanwhile, is exploring westwards, with a colony being established on the barren, dusty world of [NRA-1a]. A tenuous line of trade stretches dozens of light years, connecting the new colony to their homeworld of Almoth and to the SCEDA homeworld of Sureya. However, OSEC are unaware that they are closing in on Carvanian space...
Galactic North
Carvania, the united polity of the avian-esque Flavian race, has invested heavily in its exploration fleet, and is exploring to the east and west - though without great results so far. Insurgents also remain in control of some of the homeworld, Niao, after an uprising against industrial expansion into the last of the pristine forests, and the situation remains in stalemate.
Carvania does however already have a colony on the moons of the gas giant [Oro-2a], which they share with the Drok Imperium, in a situation similar to Aldeks. One moon in particular takes precedence, being a rather large body with surface lakes and towering, colourful mesa landscapes, though the atmosphere is unpleasant. The tall, hardened forms of the Drokmohx are much better suited to this world, but the Flavians persevere, and both sides are able to profit from exchanges of goods and materials, with the moon becoming a transport and trading hub.
The two races otherwise remain rather aloof from each other, but Drokmohx philosophy is already having an impact on the Flavians. Excerpts from several ancient Drokmohx books on spirituality and warrior code have been translated and circulated on Niao, where they are finding an especially eager audience among the insurgency.
The Drok’ are also exploring, but at a slower pace, finding only a calm, cold, barren world at the [Oro-1] system.
To the galactic west lies the Tarnakkian Empire. This race of feline-like humanoids has already colonised the planet Laddar, covered in native life which resembles slime-moulds. Tarnakki colonists have found that the slime has various psychoactive and medically-useful effects, and there is a booming business in selling slime extracts back on Tarnakk, even if relatively few can afford them. Emperor Honnan has sent some of his best forces to guard Laddar, perhaps to ensure loyalty, but this has allowed some traditionalist tribes on the homeworld to re-assert themselves and claim semi-autonomy for their lands.
Tarnakki exploration continues; the highlight of the [Yrt-3] system turns out to be a cold, dusty world with little promise. They remain unaware of their galactic neighbours; the white dwarf star close to Laddar is not considered as a candidate for life or habitable planets...
Psilocybe Space
Yet there lies the homeworld of the Psilocybe, one of the more biologically unique races, whose air-floating bodies resemble jellyish or mushrooms, studded with eye-spots, bio-luminescent patches and chromatophores with which they communicate visually. After mastering the technology to escape from their homeworld (in close-orbit of its parent white dwarf), the Psilocybe have invested heavily in their explorations.
One of the planets already discovered, dubbed Lagimae, is teeming with complex native life. One of the native species is a rodent-like, sentient form, with stone-age technology. These Lagomids have come to know the Psilocybe as terrifying sky-gods who require sacrifice; the Lagomids are occasionally hunted for science, or for sport. Any communication between the two races has been very difficult, but some colonists have made breakthroughs, and the Lagomids have shown a capacity to understand concepts such as planets, chemistry, and space travel. The question now arises as to whether or not Lagomids should be educated and integrated into the colony, potentially providing masses of manpower in an environment that is not ideal for the Psilocybe.
Meanwhile, Psilocybe explorers find yet another sentient species close to home. It is not the Tarnakki, though Psilocybe radio observations are clear that a technological civilisation exists in the galactic east. Instead they find a race inhabiting a triple star system who call themselves Rurrican. Biologically, they are similar to the ’cybe in that they have air-floating bodies in dense atmosphere, but are bilateral beings with a flexible trunk and two grasping arms. The Psilocybe exploration vessel remains silent, following a chasing orbit of the Rurrican homeworld, keeping its distance and making many observations through the use of probes, and simply listening in to the bombardment of radio noise washing over its hull.
The Rurricans appear to have plateaued in the nuclear age, and the Psilocybe are able to discern that their large homeworld is divided into three main power blocs, stuck in a triple cold-war standoff, with huge military expenses on all sides; at this point their planet is in fact the most militarised planet in the galaxy. Yet enough resources are still found to put together gigantic space rockets, which regularly brute-force their way through the thick atmosphere and high gravity, for the propaganda value of sending astronauts to plant flags on barren planetoids. While the Rurricans may be a ticking time bomb, it seems their planet would otherwise be very habitable for the Psilocybe.
Tacci Contacts
To the galactic south, on the other side of the flaring supergiant star [Sax-2], lies the Skitarii Mercantile Conglomerate. The Skitarii are almost a dying race, the descendents of an infertile worker-caste, genetically-engineered by masters who have long since died out. After inheriting a massively polluted homeworld, they have been able to do little to repair the damage. Instead the Skitarii have survived through technology and science, and most of them now rely on mechanical implants or exo-suits to overcome the limitations of their small, humanoid bodies which are often riddled with genetic disorders. Industry and commercial interests hold the reigns of power.
The Skitarii have yet to see a truly natural, living world. At the [Kor-A] pulsar system, their explorers encounter a world streaked with mineral veins that fluoresce vivid colours under the intense stellar wind. Meanwhile at the [Daz-1] system, the crew of a utility ship encounter an unknown vessel, and cautiously begin to investigate..
The vessel is an explorer of the United Tac. The Skitarii crew are relieved to discover these aliens to be friendly, even over-friendly, though they can scarcely comprehend who or what they are talking to; the Tac are small, pink, air-buoyant beings with no visible eyes, and only two small appendages as limbs. As efforts to communicate drag on, where they find a common language is in the exchange of goods. It seems these aliens are eager to ‘gift’. For now, the Conglomerate inner circle censors all news of the encounter, while it debates how best to profit from the situation.
The Tac, meanwhile, are busy with other explorations, having little doubt that the galaxy has many more intelligent beings to find. Soon they run into a double encounter with the Hurrunn Agreement; a Hurrunn explorer ship enters the [Zen9] system, where the Tac have built an outpost on a habitable world, while a Tac envoy ship arrives unannounced in orbit of Hmmaia, the Hurrunn home moon. The initial Hurrunn reaction is one of alarm, which soon softens to a kind of cautious optimism as rough communications are worked out..
Thus on the surface of Hmmaia, at a fairly utilitarian spaceport near the entrance to the underground capital city, a galactic first takes place, as official diplomats from both sides meet almost face-to-face (unable to survive the thin atmosphere of Hmmaia, the group of Tac envoys emerge inside a communal life-support orb). Unlike other galactic contacts, here the representatives are able to talk on behalf of their respective species. The Tac encounter squat, six-limbed, land-walking beings of an individual size much greater than theirs, with oddly large sensory organs on their faces, while the Hurrunn encounter what must be living proof of the diversity of life in the galaxy.
The Tac, immersed in a culture of altruism, proceed to offer ‘gifting’, but are frustrated by the strange slowness of the Hurrunn, who seem to be in no hurry; after all, this encounter has been millions of years in the making, and the important kinships and councils of Hmmaia ought to be thoroughly consulted at every turn. Eventually the Hurrunn accept certain gifts and even reciprocate with their own, beginning a trickle of trade between the two civilisations; Tacci ornaments and electronic devices and are exchanged for a collection of fossils, geological samples and some of the favourite vegetables of the Hurrunn, along with a collection of antique computer systems (some over a thousand years old).
Encounter at Dolak
The Stabilizing Directorate of the Hlur-Baiheen continues on its mission of finding suitable planets to relieve the population pressure on the homeworld, Seeoo, which has already seen its natural ecosystem almost entirely replaced by aeroplankton farming industry. First an explorer arrives at the [Dak-9] system, finding a marginally-habitable snowball world. From this vantage point, the discordant radio transmissions coming from [Pos-3] are much stronger, and remain just as unintelligible.
Another Hlur-Baiheen explorer arrives in a triple red-dwarf system close to their homeworld of Seeoo, and to their surprise, finds it to be inhabited by some kind of civilisation...
The Flallorean Collective continues its explorations, sending a ship to investigate the massive, young, hot star [Ser-55]. While investigating the nascent asteroid belts and planetoids which circle the star, the explorer ship is struck by an unexpectedly-strong solar flare, putting many of its systems out of action, and making the faster-than-light drive dangerous to use. The Flallore are gripped by the unfolding drama, as the crew attempt emergency repairs, and the government on Desmong promises a rescue mission, with only intermittent signals getting through.
The Flallore have already colonised the Dolak trinary-red dwarf system, founding a colony and space observatory on the cold, desert world named Ferron; its red dust reminds the Flallore of some of the more scenic deserts on their world. In the wake of anomalous radio signals being detected in the galactic south, the Collective takes a cautious approach, and sends a heavily-armed ship from the homeworld to guard this colony, along with a replacement roster of scientists and engineers.
Not long afterwards, a Hlur-Baiheen explorer arrives in orbit of the planet and straight away begins launching probes down onto the surface, including some directly onto the Flallore colony. To the Flallore, this looks very much like an attack; a warning message is broadcast from the Fallore ship, but it receives no immediate response from the Hlur-Baiheen, who fail to recognise it as language, being nothing like the singing and musical tones with which they communicate.
With only moments to respond, the Flallore ship opens fire with its high-powered lasers. Automated systems on the Hlur-Baiheen ship return fire with an assortment of less powerful beams and asteroid-sampling projectiles. Within seconds, and with a cacophony of warning sounds erupting from the ship’s computers, the Hlur-Baiheen captain decides to flee to the other side of the system, making a successful faster-than-light escape with most of its ship intact, though badly damaged. The Flallore ship, though largely unscathed, does not attempt to pursue, as it awaits instructions from home. Thus the galaxy’s first space battle begins and ends.
Later, in orbit of Ferron, the Flallore recover the vacuum-exposed shell of a Hlur-Baiheen, with blackened remnants of flesh still attached. It takes a while before any of the Flallore realise that this is not a piece of debris from the alien ship’s structure, but even then they can only guess what kind of life form this originally was. Likewise, the Hlur-Baiheen have no idea what kind of beings they have just encountered, or if they even have a biological form. Analysis of the Flallore transmission only yields some hints about their vocal and audial abilities. Meanwhile, emergency repairs are carried out and the ship is readied to make a dangerous jump back to Seeoo...
Map and Stats:
Galaxy Map
Faction Stats
Species portrait artwork (my first attempt
)
Last edited:
Lord_Herobrine
Back in the Saddle
YES! Excellent update Daft
christos200
Never tell me the odds
Great update.
Angst
Rambling and inconsistent
OOC
Ooh, a tasty surprise! Great update Daft
Ooh, a tasty surprise! Great update Daft
Daftpanzer
canonically ambiguous
*mic drop*
Although, apologies for how long this took!
I'm not fishing for orders yet, this is probably a lot to take in, and we need to confirm who's still interested (though that is looking promising ^^).
Although, apologies for how long this took!
I'm not fishing for orders yet, this is probably a lot to take in, and we need to confirm who's still interested (though that is looking promising ^^).
gay_Aleks
from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!
Damnit I forgot to send in orders! 
Angst
Rambling and inconsistent
OOC
I am still going to play my civ
I am still going to play my civ
Seon
Not An Evil Liar
A minor issue!
Yuma race is run by aristocratic male drones as opposed to the Queens, who, in a bizarre form of sexual dimorphism, are much larger than the males and also not fully sentient, even though they tend to be good at crunching numbers and improvising on the fly (like most non-sentient female drones).
Yuma race is run by aristocratic male drones as opposed to the Queens, who, in a bizarre form of sexual dimorphism, are much larger than the males and also not fully sentient, even though they tend to be good at crunching numbers and improvising on the fly (like most non-sentient female drones).
Daftpanzer
canonically ambiguous
Thank you 
@Tolni, no worries! With the rules and stats being changed, it was probably easier that you didn't.
Apologies, I had mis-read your initial description. I will amend the update. Could you clarify who among the Yuma is fully sentient, if any are?
@Tolni, no worries! With the rules and stats being changed, it was probably easier that you didn't.
Apologies, I had mis-read your initial description. I will amend the update. Could you clarify who among the Yuma is fully sentient, if any are?
Daftpanzer
canonically ambiguous
BTW, my orders will be something like this:
$15 EP to spend
$3 on upkeep
$6 on new UU prototype: Diplomatic Vessel (having already discussed this with... myself as GM)
$4 on a colonisation attempt at Zen-9B (pending diplomacy with Tacci)
$2 on a new Freighter
No direct tech spending this turn.
= $0 left over
We will be slowly opening to trade and cultural exchange with the Tacci, and sending our diplomat on an explorer ship to the Tacci homeworld, pending discussions on a right-of-passage and trade agreement.
The Tacci diplomat will be welcome to stay on Hmmaia as an ambassador, if he/she/they wishes.
Another explorer will head to the, as yet unexplored, [Dax-3] system.
$15 EP to spend
$3 on upkeep
$6 on new UU prototype: Diplomatic Vessel (having already discussed this with... myself as GM)
$4 on a colonisation attempt at Zen-9B (pending diplomacy with Tacci)
$2 on a new Freighter
No direct tech spending this turn.
= $0 left over
We will be slowly opening to trade and cultural exchange with the Tacci, and sending our diplomat on an explorer ship to the Tacci homeworld, pending discussions on a right-of-passage and trade agreement.
The Tacci diplomat will be welcome to stay on Hmmaia as an ambassador, if he/she/they wishes.
Another explorer will head to the, as yet unexplored, [Dax-3] system.
Seon
Not An Evil Liar
Thank you
@Tolni, no worries! With the rules and stats being changed, it was probably easier that you didn't.
Apologies, I had mis-read your initial description. I will amend the update. Could you clarify who among the Yuma is fully sentient, if any are?
Only the male drones are fully sentient and considered the Aristocracy.
Female worker drones are non-sentient and serve the whim of the aristocracy.
While it is true that the Queens exert pheromones that are capable of binding and commanding the drones of both gender, the male sentient drones have long ago rebelled and took their own Queens hostage, manipulating them to behave in certain fashion.
Golden1Knight
Emperor
Confirming my interest, glory to the people Tarnakki!
filli_noctus
Hmmn
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2010
- Messages
- 2,221
Great update. I couldn't find the planet stats, are they still being updated or have I gone blind?
Point about the Kowlint, they're four armed hexapeds, not quadrapeds.
Point about the Kowlint, they're four armed hexapeds, not quadrapeds.
Daftpanzer
canonically ambiguous
Hmm, something got lost in translation there, my apologies. I think I will have to re-draw them
EDIT EDIT: no I'm right, hexaped would mean 6 legs - is that how you imagined the Kowlint?Ah yes, I haven't added revised planet stats/descriptions - I was thinking of only having a list of a few 'notable' planets, which I'll add at a later point. In the current rules, its mainly the habitability rating that matters, which is visually on the map as a little satellite icon (how workable this is in the long term, we'll see).
Going back to memories of SLYNES (a space NES from pre-2010), much of the fun came from creating my own descriptions of planets, based on a simple ratings they were given. So I'd rather let players do that, if wished. Otherwise we will have a rough idea of what the planet is (ocean, ice, desert, inferno, etc).
Robert Can't
Éponine
Those are some great looking maps and species portraits and just a beautiful update in general!
