SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS
Additional – Rejuve-Verse Races:
The Lucavi are the creation of "Nekochild" (who has seemingly completely vanished from the internet…)
The Kyyreni are the creation of "Kaido"
The Aspatrians are the creation of "Professor Bob"
All others (except the OC Elvaan) creations of original, "Lurking Dragon"
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES
-CHAPTER START-
Realm LDR-15 – Aluc System – Lucavos
There was a blur of motion as the Normandy II dropped out of standard FTL, its stealth systems already online; it had come out of slipspace far out in the system to avoid detection, then jumped in to Lucavos this way to stay 'quiet'. The battle for Lucavos was in full swing; Lucavi, Elvaan, and Kyyreni ships engaged Reapers at range and occasionally up-close, while down on the planet fires burned as Tripartate ground forces fought hard against Husks and the occasionally ground-bound Reaper. The invasion leader, an old Sovereign-type named Venator, had stationed himself somewhere on the planet, away from the bulk of the fighting; after the deaths of Pinnacle and Praetor, he wasn't taking any chances.
In the Normandy-II's war room, the team gathered.
"EDI, what's the situation?" Shepard asked.
"Tripartate forces are engaging the Reapers on all fronts" the AI reported. "They have taken losses, but are holding steady and have inflicted not-insignificant casualties upon Reaper forces as well. A Phoenix League battle-fleet is due to arrive and provide additional reinforcement in within the next eight to 12 hours."
"Any sign of who we came to find?"
"Scanning… Gamma-3's transponder is active, but is broadcasting from deep within a contested area. According to intercepted reports, the small garrison there is requesting assistance."
"Time to ride in and play the big damn heroes again, then" Garrus replied. "Just like old times…"
"Right. Garrus, Asa, James, Kal, report to the hangar bay in 10 minutes. We're goin' in."
-SCENE BREAK-
The blue Alliance Kodiak set down on a small rocky outcropping, depositing the five-person team and then bugging out. Shepard looked out over the several kilometers of sprawling flat plains, in the middle of which in the distance was a 'small' Lucavi city, the structures combining sharp angles with smooth curves in hues of grey and red; the sights of battle were visible even from here. But the team's objective was elsewhere, on the other side of the rock formation they'd been dropped off on one edge of. A path had been carved over and through the rocks, lined with the occasional sign or marker.
"Move out" Shepard ordered. "James, you have point."
The team moved single-file through the path, Kal'Reegar bringing up the rear. Over the next few minutes, they carefully crept through way through the rocks, keeping their eyes open for any trouble. Eventually, they began to hear the faint sounds of gunfire in the distance up ahead, and so they sped up a little. Suddenly, hearing something and picking it up on his motion tracker, Kal turned his shotgun skyward and blasted a Husk that had tried to leap down on him from the rocks above. As the cyber-zombie's corpse hit the ground behind the Quarian soldier, Garrus pointed his Phaeston up and took out another Husk scurrying along the upper edge. Two more Husks came from up ahead along the path, but James' assault rifle put one down while a Warp from Shepard sailed over James' head and took out the other one.
Team Shepard continued on, not encountering any further resistance in the next several minutes. Finally, they emerged into a flat open area a few hundred meters wide that contained a one-story structure in the center bearing the insignia of the Lucavi military and the Tripartate. Gunfire was being sent out by the defenders from firing ports and rooftop perches, trading fire with Cannibals and Marauders while basic Husks tried to make their way up or into the structure only to be cut down before making it too far. Straight ahead from the team's emergence point, a fireteam of Lucavi commandos and a pair of Kyyreni soldiers were taking cover behind some rocks as they traded fire with a squad of Cannibals and a pair of Marauders.
Shepard and Garrus sniped the two Marauders, surprising the Tripartate soldiers and leaving the Cannibals directionless. As the Batarian Husks tried to keep up their fire but without more intelligent Husks directing them, the Lucavi began cutting them down. Team Shepard hurried in, adding their fire to the cause, and Shepard slid in behind cover beside the commando leading the fireteam; it was Sergeant Terris, one of the Lucavi/ODST strike team members that had participated in the assault on the Collector Base.
"Commander Shepard?-!" the man was surprised. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but what are you doing on Lucavos?"
"We came to help, and also to find someone" Shepard replied. "Is Gamma-3 here?"
"Fuyō? Yeah, she's in the main structure up ahead, probably using her rifle to pick targets off from the roof. We were tryin' to get to there but these bastards pinned us."
"Stick with us; we'll carve a path."
Kal'Reegar and Asa used their assault rifles to cut down on the enemy's numbers, while a Kyyreni soldier killed a Cannibal with his shotgun, and Shepard took out another with an Incinerate blast. One of the Lucavi threw a grenade, the blast killing a few more of the Cannibals, with James joining the two Kyyreni in shotgunning those that were wounded by the blast but survived. Garrus' Phaeston and Shepard's Hurricane made short work of the remainder.
"Move out!"
Kal'Reegar and one of the Kyyreni led with shotguns out, the mixed group making their way down a slight incline toward the base. A ways down, a pack of Husks emerged in their path; Shepard sent out his Combat Drone, the construct firing electric bolts and incendiary rockets at the cyber-zombies, making the shotgun-wielders' jobs easier. A magic-based Shockwave attack from Asa cleared out the survivors, enabling the teams to keep moving. Nearing the structure, they caught a pack of Cannibals from behind, Shepard tossing out a Chain-Shockwave that bowled them over, taking some of the heat off the structure's defenders and allowing them to counterattack. Caught between two squads of well-armed soldiers, the Reaper troops were quickly cut down.
"Kal, James, stay down here and help with defense at ground level!" Shepard said. "Garrus, Asa, we're going up to the roof!"
As the two soldiers nodded and moved out, Shepard and Garrus made their way into the structure to find a ladder up to the roof, while Asa simply made a magic-powered leap up. Up on the roof, she finally caught sight from behind of a certain orange-haired girl, currently wearing her custom armor and firing her M395 DMR down at Husk forces attacking the facility from below. However, focusing through her rifle's scope, Kaede failed to notice a Husk stealthily climbing up the wall to the right of and behind her. Acting fast, Asa drew and fired her M2 Lancer, a barrage of rounds catching the Husk from the side. Kaede startled and turned just in time to see the dead Husk lose its grip and plummet off the roof, and then she saw the person who'd just saved her. Before she could react to Asa's presence, a nearby hatch in the roof opened, and Shepard & Garrus climbed up.
"W… What are you all doing here?" Kaede asked.
"We were in the neighborhood," Asa replied, "thought you could use a hand."
"Actually," Shepard said, "as soon as Shigure here found out you were still here and in trouble, she was insistent we hurry here to render assistance."
Kaede looked at Asa with a mixture of emotions, but before she could even settle on which feeling to feel, there was a nearby small explosion as a grenade launched by a Cannibal impacted against the edge of the roof.
"Explanations can wait" Garrus said, readying his Mantis. "First we need to drive these bastards off!"
Realizing the Turian was right, Kaede nodded, and she and everyone else took positions along the raised 'lip' of the roof's edges (made this way partly for aesthetics and partly for cover in just this sort of situation) and started picking off Reaper forces. Garrus sniped a Marauder trying to direct Husks to the east of the base, while Shepard rained Warps and Incinerates down on Husks and Cannibals approaching from the south. Down below, Kal'Reegar and James led Lucavi forces in repelling attackers from the north. Thankfully, the west was clear, and so the defenders only had to divide their attention between three points instead of all four.
"Brute, coming from the east!" Garrus shouted.
Kaede turned to look, and was surprised to see a hulking monster of a Husk, with a huge pincer-like claw on its right arm, charging with startling speed toward a quartet of Kyyreni soldiers, their assault rifle rounds doing almost nothing to the beast's armored hide. The Brute swung its massive claw, sending one soldier flying, and then grabbed another by the head with it and crushed his skull. Kaede leapt down, firing a Lightning-type Sagitta Magica strike, the kinetic and electrical force making the Brute stagger back but doing less damage than she'd hoped. The monster beat its chest and then charged at her, and she formed a bone spike from her right palm, 'charging' it with Fire-type chakra and rushing to meet the beast. She thrusted her weapon out, but the Brute's thick armor withstood it, making it slide to the side, leaving a glowing line across the metal plates, and unbalancing Kaede. She then barely managed to harden her body a split-second before a swing of the Brute's claw sent her flying, rolling to a stop a few meters away. The Brute charged at her again, but suddenly a rocket struck it from the side, the explosion hurling it to the side as a blasted, smoldering corpse. Kaede looked over to where the rocket had come from and saw Kal'Reegar hefting a UNSC M41 rocket launcher; he then used the other rocket in the magazine to take out a trio of Cannibals.
Finally, the flow of attackers dried up, the Husks having given up… for now. Everyone started checking the wounded and tending to the dead, beginning repairs, inspecting their weapons and gathering ammo, and the like. Shepard, Garrus, and Asa made their way down from the roof, joining up with James, Kal, and Kaede.
"Alright, Shigure," Kaede said the girl's surname like it were a curse, "what are you trying to pull? Did you want to come and see my corpse personally so you'd know for certain there would be one less 'competitor' for Rin-kun? Or did you want to keep me alive so you could make me watch you and him some more, rub my face in it?"
"N-No!" Asa replied defensively. "Kaede-chan, that's not it at all! How could you ever think-"
"Then why?-! What possessed you to travel clear across the realms to here just for one person who hates you because you stole the only boy I ever loved from me?-!"
"…Because I still care about you" Asa said in a quiet tone, her voice trembling a bit. "Because I still remember what it was like before this thing with Rin, back when you and I were friends… I know you hate me now, and I know those days can never come back, but… no matter what, even though you hate me, took out my eye, tried to kill me, I still love you as a friend – as a sister – and I probably always will…"
Kaede was speechless, shock overcoming anger for just this moment in time… along with the faintest twinge of regret, remembering those days long gone.
"…All I wanted was for him to love me back…" Kaede said softly, her tone sad and despondent but no longer quite angry. "I wouldn't have even cared if he had a bunch of girls he loved and did things with, just so long as I was one of them. And instead you kept him for yourself…"
"I hadn't intended to" Asa replied. "I never wanted him to ignore or shut out any of you girls, even accidentally. Hell, if he'd wanted to be with you or Sia or Nerine or anyone else in addition to me, I would've been fine with sharing. …I actually would've preferred you being the third member… Every time you've made known your dark feelings toward me and/or Rin, it's made my heart ache so badly… No matter how much you hate me, I'll always see you as my beautiful and precious friend."
"It's like something out of a telenovela…" James muttered.
"…How did it all come to this, Asa?" Kaede asked wearily. "How did you and I get to this point?"
"Rin was an oblivious doofus who didn't notice your feelings and never even thought about how this all would affect you until it was too late… and I was so caught up in things that I didn't, either. Neither of us thought to make sure you were okay until things had already gone downhill, and I haven't been able to bring myself to say what I'm saying now because I've been too afraid of hurting you more… or, well, of being hurt by you more…"
"And I haven't given you the chance to before now. …Maybe if I'd talked to him before everything, I could've… told him how I felt; he could've let me down gently instead of ignoring me and thinking I'd be okay on my own… or something; I would've still been heartbroken and angry, but maybe not to the point of hate… Or if I'd talked to you, you could've stopped him from ignoring me before I… deteriorated like I did…"
"Like the old woman in that one Star Wars game I played once said: 'it is all that is left unsaid upon which tragedies are built'…"
"Yeah…"
Slowly and cautiously, Kaede took a few steps forward, stopping in front of Asa. The green-haired girl was nervous as she saw the shorter girl's right arm lift up, but then it stopped, and she realized Kaede was holding her hand out. Gasping softly, Asa slowly returned the gesture, grasping Kaede's hand with her own… and then pulled Kaede into a tight hug, holding her old friend close. Kaede felt a twinge of discomfort, not yet 100% sure if she was ready to go this far, but after a few seconds she decided to let it slide this time. She was still angry and heartbroken, hadn't really completely forgiven either party yet, and it would probably be a long time before she could actually call Asa 'friend' again. But the hatred was no longer present.
Suddenly, everyone was startled by a faint boom from high overhead. They looked up, and a Reaper Destroyer was plummeting from the sky, a sizable hole burned clean through its center.
"Yeah, I caught this bastard trying to sneak up on you guys from above" Joker radioed. "Thanix Cannon said 'no' to that. You're welcome, by the way."
"Thanks for that, Joker" Shepard replied. He then turned to the Lucavi Army Captain who'd been in charge of this small base. "Are there any other DDF individuals of import around here?" he asked.
"A PreCure team" Kaede spoke up. "The Smile Cures; they were here on Lucavos as… well, tourists, basically. The other two teams are either on their respective Earths or getting deployed, but Miyuki-chan and her friends are here somewhere."
"Any idea where they are?"
"We'll try tracking their transponders" the Captain said. "And hope we have enough orbital infrastructure left to find them."
"There's a Phoenix League fleet due to arrive within the next half-day. They should provide a little relief. My team and I will head back to our ship until you find the Cures' locations."
Soon, a Kodiak shuttle descended to retrieve the ground team; notably, as they walked toward the waiting craft, Asa still had an arm around Kaede's shoulders.
-CODEX ENTRIES – REALM LDR-15 NATIVE SPECIES-
Lucavi: "The Lucavi, or Homo sapiens sanguinus, are a subspecies of human native to the world of Lucavos in Realm LDR-15, a cool world of forests, plains, and the occasional semi-arid zone orbiting a K4-type star. While initially suspected to be a separate Homo species, genetic analysis and the presence of fertile human-Lucavi offspring confirmed the race to be a separate subspecies of Homo sapiens. They are distinguished from baseline H. s. sapiens humans by significantly better night vision, and by the need to feed upon the blood of living beings, preferably sapient ones, to remain healthy, though the amount of blood drawn is rarely fatal to the person being fed upon unless the Lucavi they encounter is enraged or starving; they generally take no more than what is given in the average blood donation. They can survive on other foods, but going too long without properly 'feeding' leaves them weak and sickly. In addition, they can only safely consume the blood of levo-amino-acid species.
"Lucavi, especially military personnel, are renowned for their skill in stealth, making them scouts and assassins of near-unparalleled skill. They have developed similar stealth skill in space; Lucavi starships, especially warships, use a combination of ablative coating, limited active camouflage, and emission-capture technology similar to that introduced by the Systems Alliance Normandy SR-1, to render them nigh-undetectable in anything other than the visual spectrum, and not very easy to find in that. Unfortunately, their ships are rarely capable of surviving, let alone winning, protracted firefights against their counterparts wielded by other races due to comparatively weak armor; however, adoption of Elvaan shield technology and the introduction of the Eclipse-class supercarrier, an unsubtle behemoth of extraordinary offensive and defensive power, are changing this.
"Lucavi government is a federation of multiple member-states called Clans; each Clan is composed of hundreds to dozens of thousands of families, all of which share a common ancestry with other families in the Clan. Each Clan democratically elects its leaders, and the Clan Heads in turn form a council that serves as the primary governing body for the Lucavi as a whole. In addition, the Lucavi armed forces are deliberately engineered to not be loyal to any one Clan above any others, with members of all Clans integrated near-seamlessly. One of the oldest, largest, and most influential is the Nightsailer Clan, the members of which have a strong military tradition; many Nightsailers become either special-forces operatives or naval personnel. Due to their size and presence, and due to their younger members' common drive to explore the galaxy, they typically act as the 'face' of the Lucavi when dealing with other races.
"The Lucavi have been rather isolationist for most of their time as a spacefaring race, conducting the occasional quiet trade with other species or hiring out their services to those who can keep quiet and professional about it. However, in February of 2552 they formed a long-term politico-military and trade alliance with the Elvaan and the Kyyreni. This alliance, semi-formally known as the Tripartate, has quickly made a name for itself as a dominant power in the galaxy due to its combined economic and military strength. Fortunately, they do not seem keen to pick fights with any of the galaxy's other players, and in fact enjoy warm relations with the Phoenix League Federation and its allies."
Elvaan: "The Elvaan, scientific name Homo longevinus, are a 'sister species' to humanity native to the Realm LDR-15; their homeworld is Bihl'Tan, a mountainous world with substantial ocean cover orbiting an F8-type star. Elvaan have few physiological differences from humans; their hair comes in a wider range of natural colors (including blues, purples, whites, and pinks), their ears are long and pointed with considerable sensitivity to touch, and most notably they possess extremely long lifespans; Elvaan can live up to around 1,000 Terran years of age (the oldest on record was 1,157 at time of death). Like the Asari and Protoss, this is due to multiple factors such as extremely robust cellular regeneration and advanced telomere self-repair. However, unlike those two races, Elvaan age at a rate only around 150% that of the human-normal rate until completion of puberty before their aging then slows down to match those of other comparably-long-lived species. Elvaan and humans are capable of producing healthy offspring via mating, but said hybrids will always be sterile, similar to the mules and ligers of Earth; thus, unlike their contemporaries the Lucavi, the Elvaan are classed as a separate species of the Homo genus.
"Elvaan are renowned for being graceful; their dancers, gymnasts, and other physical performers are renowned across Realm LDR-15 by those fortunate enough to witness them. Elvaan society is traditionally matriarchal, due in part to females making up approximately 72% of the species population, though recent centuries have seen an equalizing of gender rights. Motherhood is treated in very high regard, near or at the point of reverence, even in 'surrogate mother' roles such as babysitters, schoolteachers of young children, and children's-hospital workers. In addition, it is not uncommon for a mother Elvaan's close friends to assume the role of additional or 'secondary' mothers for her children, assisting in raising, caring for, and nurturing them as if they were their own.
"Despite their matriarchal, graceful, motherly nature, the Elvaan also have a strong martial culture. Most Elvaan will spend at least a couple decades of his or her life in military service at some point; every Elvaan has some degree of combat training, even if just martial arts for self-defense. The Elvaan military prides itself on honor and discipline, much like the Sangheili or the Turians, though they are reasonably tactically flexible as well. They believe that a good defense can make for a better offense, and this is reflected in their doctrine and in their gear. Elvaan forces will, in a conventional battle, start off defensively, withstanding and dodging enemy fire and luring the enemy in close, only to then pounce in a counterattack of startling speed and surprising power (this leaves them slightly lacking in running-offense or force-recon operations, but their alliance with the Kyyreni and the Lucavi makes up for that). They also field exquisitely-trained starfighter groups; Elvaan fighter pilots are renowned for their skill. Elvaan-made energy shields, from personnel- to warship-scale, are among the most durable of LDR-15, and their designs were borrowed from and incorporated into the Phoenix League's more recent warships.
"Elvaan government is a federation of 'clans' composed of hundreds of families each, much like the Lucavi. Each 'clan' elects a representative from its own governing body to be part of a Council that oversees and makes decisions for the race of the whole. Amongst the Council, no one Councilor is leader; all are equal, and important decisions are made by three-quarters majority vote. Due to their long lifespans, Elvaan can afford to spend many years deliberating over any significant decision before putting it to a final vote, though they are also capable of being considerate of other races' shorter lifespans by 'rushing' decisions affecting them through more quickly.
"In February of 2552, the Elvaan formed a long-term politico-military and trade alliance with the Lucavi and the Kyyreni. This alliance, semi-formally known as the Tripartate, has quickly made a name for itself as a dominant power in the galaxy due to its combined economic and military strength. Fortunately, they do not seem keen to pick fights with any of the galaxy's other players, and in fact enjoy warm relations with the Phoenix League Federation and its allies."
Kyyreni: "The Kyyreni are a race of canid bipeds from the Realm LDR-15 world of Urokon, a harsh planet tidally locked to its Type-M1 parent star. Kyyreni have been described by humans as 'anthropomorphic wolf/lion hybrids' in appearance, with digitigrade lower limbs and a wolf-like muzzle, their males possessing a thick mane and a tuft of fur at the ends of their tails. Kyyreni have superb low-light vision, slightly better than that of the Lucavi, as well as heat-sensitive skin patches that allow them to 'see' a little ways into the infrared spectrum. They also shed and regrow teeth constantly throughout their lives. The Kyyreni body is well adapted to surviving in harsh conditions; Kyyreni have two livers, four kidneys and a three-section stomach, all of which working together allow them to ingest and neutralize a myriad of toxic substances. However, Kyyreni do not live long by most species' standards; to see a Kyyreni over the age of 50 Terran years is a rarity, their lifespans third only to the Salarians and Vorcha amongst sapient races known by the Dimensional Defense Force.
"Kyyreni culture is divided into three groups, depending on whether they hail from Urokon's perpetually-scorched day side, its frozen night side, or the twilight belt in the middle. Night-siders are reclusive and nomadic but amiable and patient with outsiders; Day-siders are nearly all anarchic raiders, cruel and vicious even by their race's standards and wholly rejecting of any outside influence or presence; and the 'Dawn-dwellers' form the technically-dominant portion of their society. The Dawn-dwellers have a bloody history; in centuries past, brutal wars exacerbated plagues and famines to cause widespread devastation. A rigid code of honor was established to curb the Kyyreni's worst impulses and bring about some semblance of peace, and for the most part it has worked. Whilst the Dawn-siders are often referred to collectively as "The Dawn Kingdom", and in theory are a single, unified nation, in practice the Dawn remains politically fractured.
"Chivalry and martial honor form the core of current Kyyreni moral structure; the Kyyreni are born and raised believing that honor and glory are the most important things in life, and they dedicate their lives to this pursuit not only for themselves, but for their family and comrades as well. The Kyyreni society is made up of numerous social tiers; Houses – divided into Common, Noble, and Royal – sit above the 'Thrall' case composed of Guilds, Cabals, and Collectives. Each gender has their own distinct roles to play in Kyyreni society. Men are expected to be warriors, whilst women pursue mercantile or political careers. This cultural militarization would normally result in extreme casualties, so the Kyyreni have highly ritualized conflict between Houses and Guilds to the point where such battles are resolved by duels with swords, axes and other primitive weapons. Fleet battles and 'modern' battles still occur, though they too often have strict rules as to how they may be conducted. Kyyreni enjoy a good fight, however; non-lethal sparring, war games, and the like are frequent, and they are quite happy to participate in an actual war if their honor code allows it.
"In the past, the Kyyreni were prolific raiders and even slavers, preying on the ships of other races. This almost brought them into conflict with a human colony cluster centered around the world of Icarus, but the Kyyreni Tu'ri House managed to negotiate a ceasefire before things could get too out of hand, publicly 'punishing' the offenders (actually only doing so to the most violent and sadistic offenders, the rest being relocated to interstellar guard posts on the other side of Kyyreni Space) and setting up a tentative trade system with the colonists. However, this agreement was nullified with the outbreak of the League-Confederacy War across all human worlds, the Kyyreni choosing to quietly offer moral support to the League.
"In recent years, Kyyreni society has undergone a bit of a shift. Piracy is no longer officially sanctioned and is on the decline, thanks in part to the alliance with the Lucavi and Elvaan providing the Kyyreni with plentiful resources, such that raiding is no longer required for obtaining resources or luxury goods. The Tu'ri House has become the semi-official representative body for the race as a whole, having done their best to study extra-species diplomacy, even studying under some Night-siders to fine-tune that craft. The species as a whole has 'mellowed out' some since being inducted into the Tripartate, though some still believe that the Lucavi and the Elvaan are crucial in keeping the Kyyreni in check."
Jalaxians: "The Jalaxians are a bipedal feline race native to Realm LDR-15's Jalaxia, a large, humid world orbiting the F6-type star Caprici. Looking much like anthropomorphic cats, their bodies are mostly covered in a fine, soft fur, with markings and colors varying by region. They tend to be slightly smaller on average than humans, but otherwise have the same build and body shape (excepting their digitigrade lower limbs). Jalaxia's gravity is markedly higher than Earth's, and as a result Jalaxians are considerably stronger physically than their lithe frames would suggest due to high muscle density, and they can move with bewildering speed and agility in Earth-standard gravity.
"Jalaxian culture bears very strong resemblance to that of humans, in governmental structure, education, military, financial/economic, and other properties. Jalaxian urban and suburban areas are meticulously-planned mergers of technology and nature, with gardens, bodies of water, and copses of trees set amongst cities, seamlessly merging. However, Jalaxian architecture features virtually no sharp angles; everything curves – gardens, roads, buildings. The tall towers in the cities, round like turrets on a castle and some half a mile wide, hold layers of open-plan buildings and offices that buzz with activity. Artificial-gravity is used in transportation, 'hover cars' being used instead of ground-based wheeled vehicles.
"Their dominant religious system, Tra-sehluk, is a belief in everything having a 'spirit', similar to human Shintoism or the dominant belief system of the Turians. Respect of other people and of the environment is very important, as is the maintaining and strengthening of bonds with family and friends; Jalaxians keep their friends and relatives close, forming very firm bonds with those they care for. Also, dance holds a very important place in their culture, seen as a way of expressing oneself that is truer than words. Though, since meeting humanity and other races, they have become accepting – and amused – that not all races are as good at it as they are.
"The Jalaxians were the second sapient race to be encountered by the humans of Realm LDR-15. Trade relations were set up, and a few centuries of peaceful cooperation and sharing of information and trade ensued. However, in the decades leading up to the League-Confederacy War, the Jalaxians' leadership became suspicious of the Sol Confederacy, gradually and quietly reducing contact and trade while keeping a sharp eye on the humans. When war broke out and the Confederacy's centuries of depravity were revealed, the Jalaxians immediately dissolved all trade with the Sol Confederacy and supported the League, some Jalaxian soldiers even joining the League soldiers on the battlefield against Confederate forces. After the war's end, the Jalaxians forged strong bonds with the Phoenix League, assisting in strengthening the new government's infrastructure and military; today, efficient and powerful Jalaxian-designed power plants and sublight engines are featured in most League ships."
Drakonians: "The Drakonians are a saurian race from Realm LDR-15, hailing from Drakonia, a very humid forested world orbiting a binary G3-M7 star pair. They are omnivorous dromaeasorid beings, with large strong legs counterbalanced by thick heavy tails, and fully dexterous forelimbs. Females grow to 7-9 feet in length, while males reach 6-7 feet. Despite their large and fearsome appearances, however, they are not as physically formidable as they appear; due in part to coming from a world with only 89% Earth's gravity, they tend to only be as strong physically as the average human, relying instead on speed.
"Drakonians are a matriarchal society, with females holding most positions of power. Their government is a republic, though with some meritocratic undertones. Drakonians are known as a species to be emotionally strong and somewhat prideful, but also stubborn and conservative. They are generally slow to adopt changes unless events forced the changes upon them, and in debates and arguments they can hold their position for days if need be. Their military values tradition, and strategies outside the accept norm are treated with suspicion. Most Drakonian soldiers use a form of strength-enhancing powered armor, and a few wield traditional battle-axes with minor gravitic-boost drives in the heads in addition to more modern firearms.
"The Drakonians were the first contact for the humans of Realm LDR-15, the two races encountering one another in 2147. Despite a language barrier (the different throat structures make it impossible for either species to speak the other's language), translation software enabled the two races to quickly begin sharing knowledge and tech, advancing each other as they traded and explored. The Drakonians held onto this bond in the centuries that followed, but this left them unable to see the Sol Confederacy's growing corruption. Even when war broke out between the Confederacy and the Phoenix League, with the Jalaxians supporting the League, most Drakonians – including their government – refused to believe the charges leveled against the Confederacy. However, after the details of the Oakland Atrocity of 2553 were made public a day after, the horrified Drakonians immediately withdrew support of the Confederacy and stepped out of the war altogether, forming trade alliances with the Phoenix League in the aftermath.
"Today, the Drakonians are political-military allies with the Phoenix League, their lightweight yet very durable armor designs being incorporated into League ships. Feeling a sense of betrayal at their former allies, they keep a watchful eye on the remnants of the Confederacy, now banished to the world of Outreach on the far edge of human space."
Rigellians: "The Rigellians are an insectoid race from Realm LDR-15, their homeworld being Rigellia, a rocky forested world around 85% the size of Earth orbiting a G4-type star. They look like 1.5-meter-tall, semi-anthropomorphized wasps, though their facial structure has some humanoid qualities, and their mouths and throats are similar enough for them to – with a bit of difficulty – speak some human languages. They are capable of very limited 'flight' (more like brief hovering) in Earth-standard gravity, and their abdomens bear an 8cm stinger used for self-defense.
"The Rigellians possess a powerful innate psychic ability in the form of telepathy and empathy – the ability to read someone's emotions and unguarded surface thoughts at close range and – with physical contact with the head – probe deeper into a person's mind. However, perhaps as a result of this ability, the Rigellians are a very empathic and kind people, sensitive to the needs of others and loathe to 'read' someone with such depth unless consent is given or it is otherwise necessary. They are well-known as healers and psychologists, using their keen understanding of the 'inner workings' of other races to help them deal with problems and issues.
"Rigellian government is divided into 'hives', each ruled by a queen and her chosen consort or consorts. Each queen oversees her hive, making decisions regarding things that affect the hive as a whole, while leaving 'lesser' decisions and problems to her attendants and advisors. The queens, in turn, collaborate to make decisions that affect the Rigellian race as a whole, such as those regarding interactions with other species or warfare. The Rigellians do possess a standing military, but it is heavily automated – battle droids and auto-defenses outnumber live soldiers by a significant margin. However, the few chitin-and-blood soldiers are expertly trained in many forms of lethal and non-lethal combat, and carry weapons of organic appearance and surprising technological complexity.
"Though understanding the occasional need for it, the Rigellians do not care for armed conflict. Their empathic nature makes it difficult for them to stomach the idea of causing other beings pain or taking lives; they would much rather hang back and then, once the fighting is over, sweep in and do what psychotherapeutic damage control they can for the survivors. If forced to actually fight, they work to end conflicts with a minimum of unnecessary bloodshed, targeting vital supply lines and machinery to render their enemies incapable of continuing the fight without killing them all. Nonetheless, if they feel a particular battle must be won in a 'final' matter, they will do so without hesitation, deploying their war droids with the express purpose of rendering a foe incapable of fighting back."
Aspatrians: "The Aspatrians are a race of vulpine sapients from LDR-15; they come from the damaged world of Aspatria, its recovering but still-polluted atmosphere dulling the light from its K1-type star Asgard. They have been described as anthropomorphic foxes, covered in red-to-orange fur and with a sleek yet lean-muscled build.
"The Aspatrians have a rather ugly history. For a very long time, the planet was under the control of a vicious, misogynistic dictatorship. All females, as well as male children under the age of 13, were seen as property of males, able to be abused, beaten, raped, sold, even killed without guilt or repercussions; in fact, the state-established dominant religion of the time actually sanctioned and encouraged it. Due to rampant and unregulated industry, the planet was heavily polluted – toxins in the air, water, and soil led to deaths from famine and disease being the number-one causes of death in society. Overpopulation was a serious concern, one that the dictatorship 'solved' by occasionally sending soldiers to massacre the entire populations of the very crowded slums.
"In 2560, the Phoenix League caught wind of the situation. Horrified and outraged by what they saw, they collaborated with the Tripartate in a joint invasion, intent on toppling the dictatorship – at the time headed by 'Emperor' Francias Renacross – and liberating the populace. It was a short and brutal war; in a matter of months, the dictatorship was defeated, and Renacross publicly executed (by females, to add insult to injury). The significant majority of adult and late-adolescent male Aspatrians were too 'indoctrinated' by their society; they fought viciously and to the death against the League-Tripartate-Resistance forces, with most of the survivors committing suicide at the war's end rather than live in a society where females held power. This resulted in a population ratio of nearly four females to every one male when everything was said and done; thankfully, some adult males (particularly from the poorer classes) were opposed to the violent treatment of women and children their government had sanctioned, had assisted in the fight against the dictatorship and were now able and willing to help what was left of their people rebuild and restructure.
"After some deliberation, the Aspatrians were made a client/protectorate race of the Tripartate. The Phoenix League donated a 'fleet' of ultra-advanced, automated 'scubber' drones manufactured by the Forerunner mega-forge they possessed; these constructs would work tirelessly to cleanse Aspatria's atmosphere, soil, and water of toxins and pollutants; as of this entry, they are still hard at work, and it is projected to take decades more work before the process is complete, but already changes for the better are beginning to become noticeable. A confederation-style government has been set up, gender-neutral in theory but matriarchal in practice, with Tripartate advisors helping the new society adjust and develop healthily. The Aspatrians do maintain a standing military for defense, but they mainly rely upon Tripartate military forces for protection against outside threats."
-CHAPTER END-
Next Time: Lucavos, Part 2. I've got a couple big things planned…