Youkai (Maelstrom)
The Youkai are a type of strange matter life form within the Deliverance sector. Their recent excursions into neighbouring areas has caused their existence to become a growing rumor in those areas.
Full Name: Youkai Space
Species: Youkai, Familiars, Non-Sentient Strange Matter Life Forms
Territory: Deliverance
Government: Feudal Community
Head of State: none
Capital: Arcanum (conceptual)
Population: ?
Size: ?
History
The first few waves of human colonisation travelled at a relative snail's pace, acting independently on poor information and even worse communications with the homeworld. While successive advancements allowed newer ships to quickly overtake and recollect those destined to get into trouble, a few inevitably slipped through the gaps. Running on a primitive, early model hyperdrive, the colony ship Arcanum was targeted at the Deliverance sector and quickly became mired in the depths of its shredded space-time. Off course and off schedule, the ship was eventually stumbled upon by the strange matter life form for which it became the seed of sentience.
Strange Matter Life Form (at the time singular) originated from the activation of a certain Tivlin superweapon and is possibly linked to the creation of the Deliverance sector itself. Its "homeworld" as such was probably one of a few candidate strange stars in the region. Spontaneous genesis was followed by the achievement of rapid, arbitrary, and self-directed improvement. This evolutionary singularity resulted in a corporeal, metastable strange matter but, perhaps due to unique nature, did not produce sentience in the ordinary sense. The end result was a dangerous equilibrium – what could be considered an exceptionally lethal piece of Dawn War fallout on the edge of becoming malevolent – until humanity was assimilated.
The life form consumed and assimilated the ship, its sleeping passengers and its culture, attaining sentience using human cognition as a reference. Obviously, every single human died in that encounter, but they left a legacy in a way they could not have imagined. The being split permanently into an entire tiny shadow civilization that began to think, grow, and develop in independently. This civilization took the ship's name as its own and its present growth is essentially a new singularity in progress.
Biology
The technical name of these beings, for the purposes of xenobiology, is strange matter life form or less formally, "strange critter". Their own name for themselves is shorter and more colorful. Although they aspire to humanity, most individuals are cognizant of their true natures and thus contrast themselves as youkai, or "monsters". The term also applies to any and all strange matter life, in contrast to carbon-based life, which they conceptualize at some level as "human-like". It would actually be comparable to humans referring to themselves as "mammals".
In terms of structure, even the material composition (much less biology) of a youkai would be beyond the reach of most polities' physical sciences. Their bodies are hyperdimensional (albeit to a negligible extent in most cases) forms composed of living strange matter and so-called dark energy. The precise mechanism of how they are alive and able to shadow the workings of ordinary life is not known but this quality is essential to maintaining integrity. Left on its own, strange matter would rapidly disintegrate in the presence of nuclear matter.
Youkai wear human or human-derived forms consistent with ordinary biology, though the illusion fades as damage is sustained or the youkai willingly changes itself for other reasons. This mimicry provides vital framework and structure for consciousness, without which their awareness would cease to be. Youkai can and do pass themselves off as human quite readily, though appropriately advanced scanning will make their nature obvious. They possess superhuman powers, but forces that are not deflected before striking the true body will disrupt strange matter and enough damage will cause the form to disintegrate. Many youkai still cannot be killed in such a manner, but they will cease to exist at the location. If integrity does not totally collapse however, individuals with sufficient reserves can regenerate quite rapidly. Naturally, "soft-kill" catered to carbon life, such as bioweapons or ionising radiation are ineffective.
Psychology
Youkai use humanity as a reference point with which to regard the rest of the universe. For this reason, they often come across as fairly human. They have (and greatly value) emotions, creativity, morals (both good and evil ones) and are strongly drawn to environments, activities, and cultures appropriate to humans. By some measures, they are much more human than the more extreme transhuman offshoots. On the other hand, they are generally aware just how far from being human they actually are, which inflicts them with a certain sociopathic detachment exacerbated by their generally great power. Many have a certain optimism, considering humanity to essentially be good. However, this means they contrast themselves (being non-human) as monsters and tend to be up to no good by default. Ultimately, their nature and situation means they have far fewer inhibitions than humans and are thus much more unpredictable. Civilized beings encountering them should definitely consider them as very dangerous.
Society
Youkai have some difficulty maintaining a coherent society as they are drawn to fundamentally human systems that do not always line up well to their own reality. The top "legislative" body is the Council of 72 which can technically make binding decisions for the entirety of Youkai Space. However, this requires a consensus, which is never achievable. In practice, the council is a forum for discussion, argument and clarification of position for those powerful youkai who choose to attend on any given occasion. Battle between closely matched individuals is recognized as bad for all parties, and these meetings help avoid miscalculation. The council membership hovers between 100-110, including many who have never attended at all.
Form of government could be described as a feudal community of sorts. Weaker individuals serve stronger ones in return for benefits. Favors are exchanged. There is no one monarch at the top of the heirarchy, and some have interlocked loyalties. The political situation would be quite cutthroat if not for the sheer vastness of the universe. As it is, wanting something is usually just a matter of taking something that is unclaimed (or is non-youkai) and there are few resources in such shortage that it is worthwhile competing directly with each other for.
Youkai continually produce new forms of strange matter life, either through genesis or transmutation. Many are spread into the region while others are retained as children, underlings, ships, and so on. Beings produced via transmutation are known as familiars. Most things created by Youkai are "living" strange matter which is less stable but more easily worked. Such objects are considered "alive", or at least spiritually active. They do also create significant quantities of "dead" things, though these are never used independently. Production of this sort is centered around compact stars.
Technology
- Main Article: Youkai Technology
Youkai technology is primarily founded on their own nature as strange matter life forms and the relatively common Dawn War relics in Deliverance sector. They have broadly inherited Tivlin and, to a lesser extent, other Dawn War combatants' knowledge, excelling especially in physics and superluminal travel. The human condition, including humanity's own singularity, continues to strongly influence how this technology is applied. Youkai themselves have yet to experience any personal ascensions and are conflicted in how to achieve this, since the human model would cause them to disappear.
Forces
- Main Article: Youkai Forces
Youkai Space doesn't have an organised military so much as a presence, within the penumbra of which travel or exploration becomes dangerous. They do not conduct war in the usual manner but do have a great deal to throw around, with units ranging from nuisances to apocalyptically powerful.