Prominent Races (Maelstrom)

The Ubiquitous

While there are many races in the Orion Arm, a select few are so common and so widespread that they recieve special note.These are the Ubiquitous.Unlike most races which tend to form relatively monolithic population blocksin certain regions of space, Ubiquitous races are spread all across the Orion Arm.This means they tend to be some of the most populous races in the galaxy, though this rarely translates into any form of actual power, as they tend to be divided into a great many individual polities with limited interaction.It is telling that none of the major empires are Ubiquitous.

Any given sector will have at least a 50% chance of being inhabited by a specific Ubiquitous races; few sectors do not have at least one Ubiquitous polity in them.

Silver

Tall, slim and light skinned, with long silver hair from which they recieved their common name, at a glance Silver can be mistaken for Humans.However, this resemblance is only skin-deep and their internal physiology is markedly different.Despite many amateur attempts, no Human-Silver crossbreed has ever been born.

The Silver developed a large space fairing culture 'above' the galactic plane, eventually moving into the Orion Arm in search of new frontiers and resources.A bitter and drawn-out war with Chimerics did not help.

The Silvers are the one Ubiquitous species that maintains any degree of central control, and tend to be matriarchal in nature.

Chimerics

Deadly Enemy of the Silvers, the Chimerics are one of the most feared races in the galaxy. Physically they are large creatures, about the size of a great white shark. Their front half resembles a mixture of reptile and hunting cat, with long, shiny black quills instead of fur, and a mane of tentacles mounted at the back of the body that is their primary manipulator. Chimerics can spout additional tentacles from the front half of themselves if they wish, and many do. Their tentacles subdivide at the end to form hands with opposable thumbs and 6 fingers.

The Chimerics have high technology and control a series of empires across the galaxy, seized by conquest during their arrival from above the galactic disk.They also have various slave species working for them in capacities ranging from food animal to trusted soldiers.As a result, Chimeric ships are rarely allowed in civilised ports.

The last and mightiest Chimeric meta-empire was the Empire of a Thousand Kings, a truly massive and multi sector spanning Empire which was destroyed by the Silver over five hundred years ago. Since then no major Chimeric meta-polity has emerged, which is not to say that none ever will.

Veperis

The Veperis began life on a dark, cold, ice-locked, swamp world whose atmosphere’s most breathable element was methane. This world they named Filnir.

Life in the chill swamps of Filnir begun only a geological eye blink before life on earth, but the Veperis managed to evolve to sentience rather quicker than humanity, and despite an even longer period of barbarism beat the ape descendents of earth to the stars by a thousand years.

Originally evolved from fast moving ambush predators the Veperis are large, around two meters in length, with segmented bodies vague resembling that of a lobster. This resemblance ends at the head and eight long flukes however. The Flukes are used for movement both in the water and on the ice, and act as natural snow shoes. The head is long and pitted, with many eyes and spikes to detect heat, sound and light.

The Veperis manipulate using a series of long frond like tentacles on their tail, and two small arms by the head. Since their fronds are far more dexterous, the Veperis customary posture is one of staring back over its shoulder. Common modifications to the Veperis' basic body plan are the addition of various sensors to the tail and additional manipulators.

One very common form is the Kveperis, named after a monster from one of the specie’s legends. It looks fairly like a Veperis, except spiked and heavily armored, and with a pair of barbed tendrils at each end. Kveperis tend to be highly competitive, and often warlike.

Veperis have two sexes, and give birth to live young in great quantities. With technological civilization and the survival of most offspring, Veperis have become fairly aggressive about territory, and very inventive about Filnaforming, pioneering several rather exotic world shaping methods.

Bressleris

Evolved on a hot, desert world, the Bressleris are huge creatures as large as early earth mega fauna and looking rather like the unholy offspring of an elephant and a crab. The Bressleris are unique among the races of the Orion Arm in that they have only one central form, their original one, with most modifications being fairly minor and nearly universal protection from disease, aging, and the like.

The Bressleris single form does not prevent them from having a multitude of nations and groups, and some variations which occurs naturally, such as those in shell pigmentation and sexual differences.

Despite Humanis stereotypes, Bressleris are neither stolid and thoughtful nor angry berserkers. Rather, they tend to be sociable, gregarious go getters, quick to boast of their achievements.

These achievements are considerable as Bressleris are also superb builders, (they need to be given their size) and responsible for many of the engineering advances of the Orion arm.

Humans

In the words of one Human historian, Human entry to the galaxy was 'dandelion seeds of civilization propelled by the atomic blast of a runaway technological singularity'.And like dandelions, wherever those seeds landed, they proved difficult to uproot.Like many races, Humans went through a technological singularity, but theirs was both early and pervasive.Theotechnology spread them thin and wide, and now Humans make up minorities in many polities all across the Orion Arm.

Few truly powerful Human polities exist; the Solar System itself was (and remains in process of being) converted into an array of megastructures with the immediate stellar area ruled by the highly transhuman Solar Authority.The Ameratsu are the only large Human power of note, an aggressively anti-AI civilization that developed as a backlash against the excesses of Humanity's singularity.

Outside of Archaic (eg, 20th century-equivalent), Baseline and various transhuman variations, notably modified subspecies of Humanity exist, such as the physically-remodelled Silicon and the entirely virtual AIps.

Naxol

Naxol are a roughly human-sized species of tripeds. Long in spine, Naxol are tall and flexible, their two-armed upper bodies mobile atop their long, stretchy spine which allows their overall height vary by as much as two feet in seconds. Three long legs, with multiple joints, stabilize them. These split in two at the ankle, each branch ending in a narrow hoof.

Naxol have three eyes, two providing binocular vision, and a third jutting out like a fish's, offering color definition and a wide field of vision. Their faces push out into snouts, more reminiscent of a terrestrial mammal than a lizard. Naxol tend to be less aggressive than humans and many other sapients, though not pacifistic. They have a reputation for patience and long tempers. This alone has earned them success, as individuals and as a species, in the metropolitan environment of the Orion arm.

Sichi

Sichi are not particularly smart, fast, large, or strong. They are creatures evolved in the context of the constant rise and fall of civilization. They trace descent back to rat-like creatures that stowed away on warships over the millennia. Through sheer, traditional evolution, they have developed a niche in galactic meta-civilization, and thus outlived creatures that rightly outmatched them in every way that matters.

Today, Sichi are creatures that tend to be roughly human sized, upright, with two arms and two legs. They always posses two eyes, distinguished by four-lobed pupils and green sclera, four ears (two directional, two focused forwards), and square, omnivorous teeth. Beyond this, a Sichi grows into its environment. A Sichi cannot mutate, but a population of them will, over time, begin to look and act more agreeably with those they are around. They will take on scales, fur, skin, or even carapace depending on the aesthetics of whatever society they live amongst. Their brains and mouths can adapt to many languages, and they can fit in among the majority of societies.

A Sichi cannot grow into a new form once it has matured, nor is the illusion ever perfect, nor even necessarily convincing. Their facial structure has difficulty adapting to many creatures, since their internals can only change so far. As such, they never blend in, and through trial and error, tend to avoid the uncanny valley as well, for whatever species display this psychological phenomenon. They simply fit in, taking jobs and roles however they can manage, and weathering prejudices until they're accepted.

Sichi tend towards a wide range of mental traits and aptitudes. This allows them, as a species if not individuals, to test the waters, and more quickly adapt. It also means that while Sichi are as a species unremarkable, there are few lines of work that are totally lacking in their presence, thanks to abnormal or exemplary individuals.

Antagonists and Fauna

The galaxy is not inhabited solely by rational state actors and powerful multisystem polities.Many smaller groups of sentients that serve no flag inhabit the less-orderly corners of space.On top of these sometimes hostile individuals, aeons of posticivilization evolution has filled the galaxy with strange vaccum-dwelling creatures both biological and mechanical.

Despite the inherent [i]dangers[/i] posed by those listed below, they are not automatically a threat to life and property.Antagonists will have their own motivations and goals, while Fauna will tend to operate instinctively.Caution, of course, is warranted at the best of times.

Kabandi

One of the very few sophonts to have emerged out of the Saggitarius arm, the Kabandi's early history and world of origin is shrouded in mystery.They've left their mark on the galaxy however, by spreading unnervingly rapidly across the Orion Arm and either joining with or outright sweeping aside the various small-time criminal elements that dotted the arm.As a result, 'Space Pirate' and 'Kabandi' are practically synonymous, though not for lack of trying by various other races.

Having apparently evolved from some sort of amphibious creature, the vaguely salamanderlike Kabandi require a moist environment to survive for any length of time.On the small ships they tend to prefer this takes the form of a hydrating membrane, a 'drysuit' in effect.The Kabandi have developed little technology of their own, instead taking it from others and using what is useful.They do have a preference for deceptive technologies such as holographic maskers and cloaking devices though, one of the few fields where they seem to do any noteworthy amount of applied research.

The Digital Preservation

Infamous for their uncompromising, sometimes fanatical adherence to their guiding philosophy-religion of maximal efficiency and minimal entropy, the upload polity known as the Digital Preservation are the natural opponents of those who are 'inefficient' in thoughts or actions.An obscure race that barely survived the Dawn Wars by uploading themselves, the original precepts of Preservation were formulated as a response to the gratuitous and wasteful destruction of the era.Ensonced in their servers they lasted half a million years in splendid isolated as one of the several Retired races that were scattered across the arm.

Unfortunately for the civilized galaxy, the recent expansionistic burst of colonization, wars, singularities and other messy [i]biological[/i] activities have roused the Preservation.Having long-abandoned any pretense of connection to their biological roots, they now seek to convince the messy fleshlings to upload themselves into a newer, more perfect existence.

Those that cannot be convinced are destructively uploaded 'for their and the universal good'.

The Preservation's technology is highly advanced and dangerously comparable to that used by the Dawn War powers.However, they prefer to use violence only as a last resort, due to the inherent inefficiency of its application.If, however, they are roused, they can be deadly opponents.Of greater concern are the rumors of 'seedships' have been recently flung out into the galaxy which embody a particularly unilateral and extreme interpretation of the Preservation.

Autowars

The galaxy was no stranger to vast industrial power being deployed to the purpose of making war, and while the way the Precursors fought is a matter for speculation, the Dawn War saw the industrial-combat complex blurred into a single gradation.Even beyond that however were the Autowars developed by several upload or AI clades; these were fully-automated warships capable of copying themselves.Of course such powerful weapons could never have 100% success rate and over time successive mutations make them more and more difficult to control.

The oldest known Autowar lineages date to the Dawn War, apparently released by a minor power in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to fend off the destructive advance of the Cybaeon by turning their technology against them.Other, more recent lineages have sprung up from several wars of significance, though in this day and age, the danger posed by feral autowars (a not-insignificant portion of the Orion Arm is considered no-go zones due to autowar infestation) has led to several treaties limiting or outright banning their construction.

Not all feral autowars are berserkers out to destroy all organic life they come across; many of these machines rate those they encounter based on their military value or lack thereof.Individuals or groups of no relevance or threat to their mission (whatever it may be) may be ignored entirely.Other autowars will trade physical or informational goods and yet others that have lost purpose have found their way into mercenary or philanthropic warfare pursuits.

Machine Hives

Autowards are not the only machine life that fills the cosmos.Much more common are Machine Hives which differ in various aspects, but most notably in that unlike autowars that can essentially 'clone' themselves and often operate alone, Hives are collections of semi-specialized social machines.Often escaped or abandoned construction drones they will rarely show true intelligenc.In some cases they have an intelligent 'queen' controlling them, in others they act as a subsentient hive mind or pack.

While oftentimes not originating from military machines, Hives will generally scavenge anything technological they can and integrate it into themselves, evolving at a rapid rate.Travellers must be cautious near them, as without the various safeguards put into Autowar design, they can be [i]highly[/i] unpredictable in both ability and action.

Other Prominent Races

(Credit to Ralson for the Churess, Thrashi, Tozol and Valciens, Singh for the Brothers and Ciras Ne)

Balwar

Weighing in at around three hundred kilograms, Balwar are massive, predatory looking beings that seem to humans rather to resemble bears, but with aspects of wolf, shark and meerkat added to the basic structure.

Balwar can walk upright or on all fours, preferring the latter posture for running and the former for complex interaction. They are extremely strong, with muscles a dozen times more effective than humans by weight. Despite being lighter, a Balwarwould have no problem winning a wrestling contest with a polar bear. Many Balwar also possess strong psionic talents, especially in the field of telekinetics.

A Balwar’s strength lies not just in its muscles though, their nervous system runs almost twice as fast as a humans, and they are highly intelligent with a seemingly inborn knack for small unit tactics and survival. Balwar are naturally long lived, aging at about the same rate as the Silver.

The Balwar’s home world is a hostile high gravity environment filled with lethal mega fauna, Balwar evolved as the dominant species with fierce competition, including several other near sentient species, such as the lethal murku swamp raptors. Unfortunately their home world was rather sparse in resources and this caused further conflict between Balwar nations even as they advanced technology enough to tame their environment.

It was this porosity of resources and the military advantages of space travel that drove the Balwar into space. However, their world lacked the materials for a truly extensive interstellar effort. Fortunately for the Balwar they were found by a passing Silver ship, and, after initial hostility agreed to serve the Silver for a time as mercenaries in exchange for technology and materials.

That arrangement expired long ago, and the Balwar became their own species again. Balwar culture tends to be boisterous, and good-naturedly cynical, violence and warfare are common, and looked on philosophically. Many Balwar serve in mercenary units.

The Brothers

Other names: The Yin and Yang, The Sky and Earth; Ice and Fire; King and Queen or any other similar concept of opposites meeting and existing in harmony

The Brothers are machine and biological hive intelligences working together in harmony.

The machine hives are in many ways a sight to behold. The ships exist as a combination of different geometric shapes that can slide around to take on any form that they desire. Some remain as simple cubes or pyramids; others form dazzling arrays of patterns that, when combined with the shifting colors of their external hulls are used as displays of magnificence or beauty at times when it tries to show off. They can be as large as they prefer depending on the shape chosen, but at the most compact and in a roughly spherical configuration has a radius of one kilometer.

The shape of each individual drone itself is never fixed; instead variating according to the task it must perform. The main “Queen” or “Commander” AI is little more than a giant diamond-shaped core in the center of the hive.

The Biological Hives on the other hand have a definite structure and pattern and are almost always spherical or near-spherical structures of pure biological mass with a radius of one or two kilometers. Occasionally this is pitted with several craters all along the surface, depending on the age of the hive. The more craters it has, generally the older it is. The external texture is almost always knotted and is a permanent chestnut color.

In terms of the individuals itself, the Biological hive’s drones exist in several varieties vaguely resembling insects. Some are more like Earth insects like the common ‘ant’ drones, while others are just far stranger. None of them are sentient however and almost all are sterile females. The leader of the colony is – contrary to most other insect-based creatures – a fertile male or the “King” if you will. It appears largely like a cross between a bee and a wasp, but with significantly more appendages and a large set of wings.

There are many hives that roam across the great cosmoses of the Galaxy, both machine and organic. Many of these species are solitary; more often than not focused on pure expansion of their numbers, taking over the local sector or other similar motives and purposes. None of them are quite like the unique pair of hives known only as the Brothers

Discovered by the Silver several centuries ago, the Brothers are quite simply two complete opposites coming together in perfect harmony. In this case it comes in the form of a race of machine hives and an organic hive species that had formed a symbiotic relationship several million years ago.

Nobody quite knows how exactly this relationship began or even how it persists for so long. All that is known is that sometime several million years ago, the ‘originator’ hives of both the two species met and they’ve been inseparable companions ever since. Nobody is quite certain how the harmonious existence of pure organics and machine can exist; nor does anyone know of their true purpose. But all that can be gleamed is that both species’ only care in the world is the other as they dance across space and time.

This unusual union has of course caused great controversy amongst many species, both organic and inorganic and thus created more than a few attempts to remove the Brothers. While they may exist as separate entities, the pair of hives almost always fight in unison and die in unison and are known to be extremely competent in terms of military force, facing down the Chimerics, Silver, Vesperis some cases even the Dawn War races in many separate occasions and coming the victor.

It is said that even as the war between the machines and organics continues for millennia, the Brothers will still be there; continuing their eternal dance.

Both the machine and organic hives work on communal structures, which each hive forming a single consciousness that exists largely independently of other hives. But at the same time, each hive almost always has an ‘opposite’ machine or organic hive which is its companions. The exact communication structure is currently unknown, but it is thought that both hives share almost a telepathic link that lets them behave like one despite being very separate (and different) entities.

As such, a functioning unit is almost always described as a pair (or in rare cases, two pairs) of hives; one organic the other machine. From what is known the intensity of this bond is such that if one hive were to be killed, the other would slowly waste away and eventually die off unless united with another separated hive of the opposite species – but even then life expectancies are almost always in decades as opposed to millennia.

Relations with foreign powers have always been a bit of a dicey affair. While at a state of war with the Dawn War Races, Chimerics and Silvers, the Brothers are best at neutral with the Ferros and generally friendly to younger and smaller powers, especially those that are more pacifistic or have had peaceful lives. They have no tolerance for pirates or similar species and will ruthlessly defend their space against them. On the overall, their expansion has been slow – which is unsurprising as they operate and multiply on time scales that range over millennia – but they still represent a significantly powerful face even in the modern day and age.

The Empire of Ciras Ne

The history of the Ciras Ne is a long and troubled one; starting from well over a millennia ago in the story of thirty six species that inhabited the local star cluster. They were originally fairly isolated; existing in remote space away from the conflicts of the Dawn War or that of the Silver and Chimerics. Indeed, even when they went into space (coincidentally around the same time) the sheer distance (and sparse Grid infrastructure) between the powers allowed them to remain isolated for well over a century.

It all changed however, when an expedition to explore the grid network led to the discovery of each of the other races in the span of mere hours, creating thirty-six simultaneous outside context problems at once. Fortunately the first few meetings ended with more of the ships staring at each other and not sure what to do, as opposed to fighting or outbreak of war.

Over the next decade as communication and diplomatic infrastructure was established lines began to appear between the species as they gravitated to those that shared similar ideologies. Eventually those that didn’t were distanced and several power blocs began to form. Eventually there were increased tensions and skirmishes and the entire sector almost completely erupted into war, if not for the arrival of remnants of the dawn war.

This came in the form of several Cybaeon ships, which immediately setup shop in the sector and began to sweep aside the races in an attempt to harvest the resources of the area. It took almost two months and the genocide of sixteen of the species to finally convince the others to unite together to fight the Cybaeon. They continued in a holding pattern for well over a year; halting the Cybaeon advance - but began to eventually falter.

In desperation they tried to raid one of the closed Precursor stations for resources or some form of technology that could aid them. What they got as a reward was, at best, a mixed blessing.

Their raid awakened what appeared to be a powerful precursor AI; one that apparently fairly angry. All attempts to communicate with it failed as its first reaction took over ship after ship of the younger races and in turn using them against their systems, taking them over. Eventually the AI spread itself across dozens of systems till it ran up against the Cybaeon and understood what was going on.

It was at that point that it finally contacted the surviving younger races and set up a deal. It would rid them of the Cybaeon and give them advanced technology. In exchange it wanted only one thing – servitude for a period of 600 years till the local grid network could be restored and repaired; after which the protocols keeping it awake would end and it would be able to go back to rest again. Facing extinction, the younger races had little choice but to accept. It took little more than a year to push back the Cybaeon after that and the Empire of Ciras Ne was formed and has existed for the past 200 years.

The Empire of Ciras Ne is led by the AI of the same name. The surviving 20 races have all more or less been united together under its banner and follow it’s directions to the letter. While the AI’s rule is a fair bit strict but the truth is that it doesn’t really care all that much about the younger races, so generally leaves them free to ‘govern’ themselves as they see fit. Instead, its presence and iron grip is most greatly felt in the handling and repair of the grid.

It’s only concern (and where most of its interaction with them takes place) is to get the grid network around it working so that it can just go back to sleep again. For the moment though, it distracts itself by playing emperor; indulging it’s slightly megalomaniac side. However, it still remains a significant force and underestimating is has caused both the Chimerics and the Silver a fair few bloody noses over the past two centuries.

Chan-Su

For all that the precursors are long gone, their legacy remains, not just in the form of their many works and artifacts but the races they have left behind in the galaxy. The Chan-Su are perhaps the most common, an enduring design which stayed in production, with a staggered series of improvements, for almost as long as the precursors existed in the galaxy.

Rather than soldiers, the Chan-Su were peacekeepers, serving as the Precursor’s police and perhaps to administer possessions conquered by force (Though the latter is pure conjecture).

The Chan-Su survived the end of their master’s empire and due to their strength and large numbers have become one of the galaxies most prominent species. Their green and black ships, adorned with many spikes and angles are a source of fear for many, however, they are also known to trade, negotiate and the like, providing the other party does not disturb the precursor ruins they guard.

Physically Chan-Su are truly large beings, bigger than an Earth Horse, they stand centaur like, usually walking on four legs and then using the front two to manipulate objects. They also have large, sharp toothed jaws, usually set in a frightening smile. Chan-Su skin is blue, blue-grey or green.

Churess

The Churess are a species of intelligent octopods possessing six multisegmented grasping motile limbs and two manipulators sprouting from a squat central torso. They have no discernable head or other body segments, instead mounting three widely spaced eyes and a mouth on the forward area of their torso. They have evolved as arboreal creatures, capable of speedily moving along the branches of the canopy covering most undeveloped sections of their homeworld, and more clumsily traversing the ground. Their cities are likewise suited for such biology, although most places are at least marginally accessible by creatures of other physiologies. Their intelligence level is roughly equal to the known interstellar median.

Technologically speaking, the Churess are decidedly average, having neither notable 'edges' over the norm, nor glaring weaknesses. Their primary weapon is a “hybrid” (employing gravitic, electromagnetic and chemical force) mass-driver, which fires slugs containing so-called ‘Sixth Generation’ chemical explosives: Complex large-scale molecular structures requiring very large amounts of energy input to form, and capable of releasing that energy on command. This technique is typically used to store power, but is in this case put to use as a warhead, releasing all its’ energy on impact in the form of an explosion. Other weapons include charged particle beam weapons and missiles carrying similar warheads. Churessan fleets is also known for the incredible number of fighters they can pack into a fleet carrier.

Deepers

The Deepers are strange beings, their origins shrouded in legend. They were old when the Silver came to the Orion Arm, existing within Creation’s Fountain and converting massive amounts of material into megastructures.

It is hard to tell whether Deepers are biological or machine, indeed the distinction may well be irrelevant when talking about the order of life to which the deepers belong.

Deepers sail through space in vast body ships, each one containing numerous deeper minds. The most prominent theories suggest that the ships are more like the shell of a hermit crab than an actual body, merely housing the actual deepers themselves.

The Deepers appear to live far faster than a human or a silver, experiencing time at a much accelerated rate, with entire generations growing and dying in only a few short years. This makes the Deepers incredibly dangerous in combat, as their reflexes are far beyond what can usually be achieved.

The Deepers culture seems to be centered around the building of vast megastructures, especially Dyson spheres, for unknown purposes. They react with hostility to those who interfere with this task, but seem to care not for other sentient species who settle on their constructs.

Garni

Long, spindly beings that evolved in a low gravity environment, Garni are a relatively expansionist young species, with lower technology than the galactic norm, but a strong work ethic and growing technical prowess.

Garni have some aspects in common with both earth spiders and birds, in that they are feathery, multi limbed and fleshy. Their long legs double as glide wings, and they have an array of eyes around their heads.

Because of the low gravity of the Garni homeworld, they have set out to develop various methods of compensating for acceleration and gravity fields to allow their ships higher performance. Many of these devices are more advanced even than those used by the great races of the Orion Arm.

Howlers

The exact origin of the Howlers is unknown, but evidence suggests that they are native to the cloud sea sector, perhaps merely another life form on one of it’s few life zone planets.

Physically, Howlers are long, furry beings with aspects that to human bring out a goat, a cockroach and a gorilla. They have six limbs and long fur, with a largely insectoid body plan, but the ability to walk on two, four or all six legs. Howlers do not appear to be sentient, and it is likely they were nothing more than mere animals till some form of post singularity life form subjected them to its experiments. Each Howler has a small theotech implant in the back of their brain, a woven lattice of molecular and atomic technology which supports the Howlers brain and allows it to Howl. The Howl is a largely electromagnetic phenomena, though it also causes spikes on exotic sensors. What purpose it serves is unknown, but it is presumed to be the method by which Howlers communicate.

Though they do not appear sentient, and no hive mind has ever been contacted, Howlers are tool using, capable of constructing cities, weapons, even starships and other super tech devices to spread themselves across space in search of new resources. This has predictably led to conflict with other races.

Jalk

Another species created by the Precursor, Jalk were created as soldiers. They are a physically intimidating race, the average male standing seven to eight feet tall, and being shaped in a way that reminds humans of a giant, humanoid wolf.

Jalk are hugely strong and tough, apparently designed to be able to carry very heavy infantry weapons about the battlefield, and are also fast, much quicker than all but heavily augmented humans. An average Jalk is more than a match for an unaugmented human in powered battle armour.

As well as their speed and strength, Jalk can spit acid or generate a whole variety of drugs including everything from quick healing drugs to will weakening poisons. They also have extremely acute senses and near total voluntary control over the functions of their own body.

There are a great variety of Jalk polities spread through out the Galaxy, with a whole variety of different systems. Many Jalk however live under rather feudalist regimes, backed up by their religion, which worships the precursors as the next thing to incarnate gods, and longs for their return one day.

Tozol

The Tozol are Precursor-designed light infantry. Lacking the redundant organs, chemical suite, and other multimission features of the Jalk or many other such creatures, the Tozol are wiry, weasel-like humanoids averaging five and a half feet in height. Despite their reduced size and minimalist design, there is evidence that the Tozol are two design generations in advance of the Jalk, representing one of the last military projects that the Precursors created before their mysterious disappearance.

Tozol prowess is legendary. A complex structure of their brain is devoted purely to marksmanship, and the rest is optimized towards focus and tactical creativity. They are fast, agile, stronger than most, and thankfully few in number even today.

Feral Tozol and Jalk

Twenty five million years is a long time. Precursor bioengineering was startlingly advanced, but even they weren't perfect.

'True' Tozol are few and far between in this day and age. Caches of the soldiers were kept in stasis around the galaxy, and from time to time, some are released, and form into polities, or join with others. However, the majority, rare though they are, have diverged from the original. Widely separated populations have had time to evolve in different ways, forming into subspecies, re-mixing, and into further subspecies. Morphological differences exist, but what makes a Tozol Feral is mental. Determining this is difficult for outsiders, but tends to result in internal disagreements that can sometimes escalate to warfare between Precursor-designed creatures, unthinkable if they were functioning to spec.

Despite being older, Jalk are more homogenous, simply because they aren't widely separated enough to commonly diverge. However, this means that almost no Jalk now exist which maintain their intended mental states. Without the intended form of rigid, instinctive discipline, the Jalk have grown prideful, even arrogant, maintaining their reverence for the Old Masters, but succombing to petty disagreements and lust for power for its own sake. By Precursor standards, they've grown dangerous and corrupt. By less rigid ones, they've become surprisingly human.

Malkinshi

Descended from Raptor like pack hunters on a high-G, high oxygen content world in what is now Rampant, the Malkinshi are a species fighting for its survival in a supremely hostile sector.

Malkinshi are amphibious, capable of activity both in and out of water, having evolved on the great flood plains near their worlds shallow, fresh water oceans. They evolved space travel long after humanity, and since they left their world have been fighting almost constantly against wave upon wave of autowars and AI hives that now infest their sector of space.

Malkinshi politics are now controlled by the Emir, their supreme ruler, who rules with the brutal fist of emergency powers, and have recently aligned themselves with the Amaterasu in order to fight against the encroaching hordes of AI war machines.

Milskri

The Milskri are creations of a long finished non-human singularity. Physically they are around two meters long plus tail, with a body like a snake and yellow grey scales. They have six arms mounted along their spine, the joints apparently designed for amazing flexibility and acrobatics.

Milskri are hugely muscular and agile and possesses superior senses. They are all but immune to poison, to disease, and have an amazingly strong skeleton general body structure. Finally they are amazingly stealthy, capable of evading even the most high tech sensors.

The Milskri were created not as some superior life form but rather as germs, biological weapons for the godlike AI that built them in its war against other godlike AI.

The Milskri proved all too good at their task, getting lose and ending up destroying almost all AI god in the sector.

Milskri tactics revolve around hacking, sabotage and lots of explosives. While they are capable fighters they are not as good at fighting fellow sentients as they are the massive Godlike AIs they were designed to kill. Their technology is often designed to prevent exploitation by such AI, but this can leave them vulnerable to the capacities such devices (such as fully networked communications) that they give the enemy.

Milskri ideologies believe it is their duty to propagate entropy in the universe, to bring everything tumbling down. Of course, there are some Milskri who reject this course, but there are just as many fanatical true believers.

Natsumi

Evolved on a hot world in the life zone of a blue star, the Namitsu are known as a disciplined, orderly race that love to farm, build and cultivate. The desert conditions of their planet forced initial generations of Namitsu to pull together in order to grow enough to survive, and many of their major religions hold farmer to be life’s highest calling.

Namitsu cities are laid out precisely, speed limits are obeyed, and public transport runs to schedule. The Namitsu are a hard working folk, and seem far more willing to follow orders from those they regard as their superiors than most other races.

The preferred profession of the stereotypical Namitsu is farmer, but what the Namitsu are known for across the League is being among the finest soldiers in the galaxy. Even Namitsu conscripts are willing to serve long tours, and Namitsu units are models of discipline and formation.

Physically Namitsu are lizard like, but larger and more upright. They have thick skin and large horns which act as radiators during the heat of their homeworld’s day.

The Namitsu developed their own star flight technology without outside assistance from anyone, a fact of which many of them are justifiable proud. Various Namitsu nation states spread themselves out into the galaxy, eagerly settling even marginal systems and terraforming them into Namitsu habitable ones.

Nilfari

The descendents of tree dwelling omnivores the Nilfari somewhat resemble earth squirrels, lemurs or felines. An Adult Nilfari stands around five feet tall and with a strange, eight limbed configuration, usually grip with six limbs and use two to interact with objects. Nilfari also possess blue green camouflage pattern fur.

Nilfari are highly intelligent with an average IQ slightly higher than an unaugmented human. However, they are much more prone to careful consideration and regulation than humans, and usually put new equipment through testing regimes humans would find ludicrously exacting. This regulatory and testing regime has slowed their technical progress some what, but has let them avoid potentially destructive pitfalls such as singularity.

Sociology is a much respected science among the Nilfari, its popularity equalling or exceeding that of psychology for humans, and sociologists are often asked to advice during the testing process of new technologies, making sure they have a desirable social impact.

The Nilfari Hegemony is the governing confederation of the Nilfari species, though it includes several others. Most notably the Bejinjak who make up much of its armed forces, the Bejinjak are an even older race than the Nilfari, resembling giant crocodiles or dinosaurs. They have advanced technology and specialise in land warfare.

The primary ideology of the Nilfari Hegemony is the pursuit of happiness and joy, which is regarded as the Hegemony’s founding principle. Misery is to be avoided at all costs and regimes that allow their citizens to be to miserable are hated and despised, even invaded.

Tannedeya

Somewhat bigger than humans, Tannedeya resemble a pair of four armed starfish stacked one atop the other. The top section acts as arms and contains the body’s sensory organs as well as the brain. Between the two bodies is a central joint that allows the Tannedeya to swivel their top half through almost three hundred and sixty degrees of motion.

Tannedaya are significantly stronger than unaugmented humans, as well as being significantly more durable, with stronger bones and a more robust organ system. Their senses are also very sharp, and due to pockets of harmful radiation on their homeworld they possess the ability to detect radiation sources.

Tannedaya are also significantly more intelligent than humans, and also significantly better at cooperating, remembering orders and following plans made by others. All of these aspects make them some of the best military units in the Orion Arm.

The Tannedeya’s homeworld and main centres of control lie at the Eastern end of the Orion Arm, specifically the so called Inner and Outer Empire which is fighting a ceaseless war with the various species of the galactic east. It is primarily this war, fought mostly against precursor engineered Jalk and Tozol that has kept the Tannedeya from expanding to the point of becoming one of the Orion Arm’s dominant species.

Tannedaya do not tend to use a large amount of biological augmentations, though many of them do employ a level of cybernetic technology including weapon smart links and the like.

Thrashi

Long ago, a race of creatures delved into the fields of telepathy and psionics. Within a few centuries, the non-telepaths had been outcompeted. The telepaths clustered, cooperating, forming into bonds. Newly born entities would be incorporated into these hives in the womb. With time, the idea of individuals as independent creatures was a fading memory, and Thrashi, hives of one to ten thousand, comprised the population.

Thrashi today engineer new bodies for their immortal hive-minds at will, creating soldier, worker, or diplomatic forms. They are highly industrialized, and rely on technology as few hive minds do.

Thrashi are an old race, but one new to the galaxy at large. They evolved long ago, tucked away in a slow-zone pocket, without Grid access. Even as the slow zone deteriorated, their best engines could not bring them within range of any other sapient species. Believing themselves alone, the Thrashi turned inward. They colonized at a glacial pace, peace and affluence sapping their drive as a polity. That changed less than ten years ago, when scouts from the Expanse happened across a prosperous Thrashi colony, shaking their stagnancy, and revealing the tremendous power they had built up over the millennia.

An uneasy peace existed between the Thrashi and the Expanse, but the latter began to see them for the threat they were. Thrashi, roused from their sessile state, were growing at an alarming pace. With superior technology and frightening intellect, Thrashi hives were moving in amongst Expanse worlds, demanding citizenship and weaving through the Expanse's complex interlinking political situation, some setting themselves up as kings. Conflicts grew, until, a little over a year ago, the White Flame, the political, ideological, and technological hard-liner core of the Expanse, demanded an expulsion of all Thrashi from the Expanse, including those worlds that they had essentially made their own. Open war broke out mere months later, and for the last year, the Thrashi have held their own, revealing one gut-wrenching surprise after another, and proving all but impossible to pin down.

Thrashi technology is some of the best being produced today, with ships both durable and stealthy, making them frustrating to the extreme to fight, despite their small numbers.

Valcien

Valcien are living starships, varying greatly in size and shape, but always streamlined, evoking birds or sharks. They are typically fast and agile, for warships, preferring stealthy, lightning attacks and fluid defenses over flying fortresses.

Valcien fly in pods when on a job, and congregate into huge schools called Fleets when mobile, or Shoals when settled into a solar system. A thriving Shoal is an impressive sight, and involves the growth of sessile organisms bearing Valcien biochemistry. Despite this, intelligent Valcien are always mobile, even if their adolescants are sometimes not space capable. Their life-cycle varies greatly, with young sometimes burrowing slowly through planets, consuming raw materials and biological matter, or flitting through asteroid belts, or gestating in comets.

The Valcien lifestyle, for the most part, is dictated by their Fleets. Their homeworld was destroyed in a cataclysm lost to the mists of time. Fleets may seek to remain hidden, or make a grand display of their entrance to a system or region, renting a star system and settling down into a Shoal. Valcien integrate as best they can into their surroundings and economy, aquiring treasure and credits to trade for raw materials and star systems to live and work in. Traders ply the spacelanes in many regions, offering refined metals or bioengineered wares in exchange for technology, which they cannot reproduce themselves. Valcien adventurers sell their skills far and wide, bringing their heroic traditions to fleet engagements and patrol routes, though ground combat is entirely alien to them.

Dedicated Valcien warships and armed scouts are called 'male,' while industrial craft, freighters, and miners are always called 'female,' even if they also carry weapons. They are not prone to explosive growth, requiring time to grow new ships comparable to construction rates of other species. Valcien brains are quite capable, making them skilled combatants, shrewd intellects, and it is rumored, powerful Psis. However, these do not scale down well. No intelligent Valcien has yet been seen smaller than a gunboat. Additionally, Valcien are at a disadvantage in dealings involving body language, inflection, harmonics, phermones, and the multitude of other ways air-breathing creatures communicate.

Zeppels

Not so much a single creature as an order of like, Zeppels are hydrogen breathing creatures that inhabit gas giants across the Orion arm, and it appears, across the entire milkyway.

Numerous clans and clades of Zeppels exist, along with numerous different body plans, ideologies and so on. Some Zeppels are willing to trade with humans while others. It can be dangerous to try however as certain Zeppel clades are willing to blast any rock dweller who has the misfortune to attempt to contact them.