#creasers

[ben-drabbles]

Psycho-Tech

A general term for devices that interact directly with sentient minds or reproduce psychic effects. Examples have been developed independently in many different civilizations over time, and our modern understanding stems significantly from research into older examples.

Ancient psycho-tech is found in nearly ever chr'tai ruin, though many other examples are found in old human colony ships or other places of long-dead civilization. Due to the near-universal nature of psychic communication, once these devices are reactivated, they can usually be used by any sentient person; as such, they are some of our best understood records of these ancient civilizations, alongside being useful pieces of technology in and of themselves. Examples include the ubiquitous chr'tai memory injectors, true ai cores, and the original foldspace drives.

A common variant of those aforementioned 'true' ai cores are what we now call psy-bots. While we don't understand the inner workings of their cores or the reason for their similarity across cultures, we know that they can be installed in psycho-tech exoskeletons, allowing them to effectively "inhabit" mobile bodies. They can even, rarely, exhibit psychic capabilities once activated. However, every core yet uncovered has had no remaining memory of their original design or purpose - effectively, they have become new beings after their long slumber. There is some contention as to their place in the galaxy, most placing them somewhere between simple technology and fully sentient people, some considering them a potential danger due to their unknown origin. While it is not our place to comment on ethics, we prefer visiting the places where they are considered people.

Modern psycho-tech, while easier to produce and understand, has more limited capabilities. Still, direct connection with a sentient mind has many useful applications. Mechanical exoskeletons can be controlled as one would move their own body. Foldspace drives allow ships to 'move at the speed of thought,' if you listen to the advertisements. Psy-com terminals allow psychic communication over interstellar distances. The list goes on - while we haven't yet cracked true AI technology, we continue to explore many new frontiers. With any luck, this record can become something of a living document.

[ben-drabbles]

Humans

The most widely-spread species in the known galaxy. The founding members of the Galactic Council, the original arbiters of language and culture, and the standard around which the galaxy has been shaped. Respect them, hate them, fear them, love them - humans are everywhere, and we'd best get used to it.

That is not to say that humanity is a monolith - far from it. The whole reason that the GC is a council at all is because of all the different homes humanity re-emerged from, after the mysterious calamity of their lost homeworld Earth. A fleet of massive sub-light colony ships spread humans across the stars, carrying the seeds of civilization and the people to back it up. Some found habitable worlds, some were lost to the void of space, and some collided with the species we now celebrate as the varying peoples of the galaxy. It was generations before these humans found each other again, and these generations of cultural differences defined the galaxy we live in today.

One of the most well-known colony ships, and the keepers of almost everything we know of Earth, was the Hero's Journey. While their physical records of the stories of Earth were lost over their centuries-long voyage and generations of solitude, they kept oral histories and reconstructed what they could. While almost nothing strictly factual remains, we know of how humans used to tell stories, and of what they begged the stars to remember. I can't think of anything better to know them by.

Efforts have been made to find Earth, especially after the re-discovery of foldspace travel and the formation of the Galactic Council. Strangely, none of the colony ships yet found contain any information as to Earth's location - even their trajectories were seemingly scrambled to mask their source. We like to think of our galaxy as "settled", every corner known - but truthfully, we only occupy pockets of society around the odd permanent wormhole and safe foldspace route. So much of our galaxy is undiscovered, and Earth would be the "needle in the haystack," as the humans put it. Still, we explore - we find new wormhole routes, we establish more foldspace lanes. One day, surely, we'll find that pale blue dot. In the meantime, we have the rest of the galaxy to see.

[ben-drabbles]

Lacretians

A stout, four-legged species of rocklike people. Hailing originally from the now-dead planet Lacron, they have since settled on a number of asteroids and small moons, from which they bring their impressive technological advancements to the rest of the galaxy. Their natural magnetic fields led to a relatively early development of electronics, even compared to the humans who had colony ships to work from. Much like the slurm and their decentralized nervous system, this magnetism also gives them a rather unique relationship with modern galactic tech - not to mention their taste for the precious metals said tech is made from. We all have to eat, I suppose.

Lacron was once a resource-rich world full of natural fuels and precious metals, but their regrettable history of exploitation and industrialization poisoned it to the point of uninhabitability. The high gravity and now-deadly atmosphere prevent true exploration, but the longevity of automated lacretian systems lead some to theorize that, despite centuries of neglect, some of their Lacron-based factories may still be running. At the very least, an entire planet's worth of culture and technology still remains, beneath the roiling toxic clouds.

While some lacretians still cling to the 'glory days' on Lacron, they are widely unpopular, even among their own people. Most lacretians have moved on, embracing cleaner energy and greener tech; some even hope to one day heal Lacron, though they know that process will take much longer than their lifespans, if it's even possible at all. Their new asteroid homes suit them just fine - after they perfected gravity generators, they were even able to stave off most of the ill effects of living in a lower-gravity environment, and subsist partially on the metals found within their new homes. Some joke lacretians always land on their feet - lacretians say they never fall at all.

Lacretian ships are, much like the the people themselves, sturdy and strong. Often built from hollowed-out asteroids directly, they sport heavy engines, metal walkways, dim lighting, and sophisticated lacretian grav generators - along with the shielding to boot, to ward off any debris caught in the gravity field. They are reliable and efficient, a real spacer's ship, but don't typically make for a comfortable living space. Though, that's starting to change - as the lacretians become more self-sufficient and find themselves with more room for leisure, it's more and more common to see small decorations, the odd cushion or two, or even lightly scented air recyclers.

Though, lacretians are much more than their industrialism and tenacity. Much like any people, they can now be found almost anywhere in the galaxy. Wandering asteroid homes or businesses might find and rescue stranded ships; mercs and scrappers can always use a durable friend. Lacretian technicians are natural experts at the repair and optimization of failing systems, often able to 'feel' where the electrical breakpoints are. Scientists, performers, artists, leaders - the lacretian people have certainly seen a comeback, and have well earned their place in the galaxy.

[ben-drabbles]

Creaselings

A territorial and violent species of alien that has recently emerged around certain Foldspace highways. Their long, jagged ears, lengthy segmented limbs, and light but frail bodies adapt them well to zero-gravity environments, and their strangely-shaped vessels seem almost non-euclidian at a glance. They seem keen to destroy or capture any passing Foldspace ships, and attempts to communicate have been met with violence and a strange, almost jerky language. Direct contact with the creatures is rarely survived, but those that have report that the crease beasts themselves are shaped as strangely as their ships. In the words of one particular survivor, it was "like someone had taken their vertices and dragged them around, willy-nilly, and hit save without checking if it would render."

Some ships have recently reported completing a Foldspace trip and soon after discovering a creaseling, or a whole group of them, had somehow stowed aboard mid-journey. They seem to hold a particular animosity towards chr'tai ships, but are a threat to anyone who wishes to travel between the stars.

Not much else is known of these creatures, nor how they are seemingly able to appear from nowhere. They take their name from a spacer phenomenon, "getting creased," which occurs when someone leaves a ship while it is between Foldspace wormholes. The proximity to Foldspace without the protection of a drive or a guiding psychic, for a lack of a better term, "scrambles" them, painfully twisting their bodies along the geometric patterns of the stars. Any recovered have died soon after, but many more have been lost. Are these creaselings the remnants of lost spacers? If so, how did they survive 'between' space?

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ADDENDUM 1 Please rename this file. Spacers don't get to put 'crease' in everything, damnit. Foldspace beasts? Fold marauders? Wormhole creatures? ADDENDUM 2 No can do - they've been saying it for weeks now, and we've gotta be accurate. Maybe we'll make an official appeal to language development sometime?

ADDENDUM 3 Smartass.

[ben-drabbles]

Chitterlings

Known as the chr'tai in their native tongue, this arboreal species was the first to leave their home system and begin settling on other planets. However, by the time of humanity's exodus across the galaxy, the chr'tai empire had collapsed to ruins. The secrets of their technology were lost, and the people were once more stranded on their homeworld. Though, this seclusion was short-lived, in the grand scheme of things - when there is something to find, someone will find it. In the case of the chr'tai, a group of drifters from Straight On 'Till Morning reverse-engineered enough chr'tai tech to find their home planet, and bring chitterlings back to the stars.

The chitterling homeworld is a dense low-gravity jungle, full of dangerous predators and fantastical flora. The lanky and fragile Chitterlings, unlike to many other sentient species, evolved from herbivorous prey animals. They sport large, dangling ears, widely-spaced eyes, and dense fur in varying patterns and colorations. The name 'chitterling' comes from their speech; their jittery native language, 'chi'ter,' is spoken faster than most other species can understand without training. Their twitchy reflexes and frequent fidgeting add to an air of anxiety about them, but that is only in relation to other species, and even then, more appearance than fact.

In galactic society, chitterlings often find themselves working in zero-gravity. The relatively high standard gravity taken from the human colony ships (and, presumably, earth) is a bit more than most can tolerate; they have trouble breathing, they often feel sluggish and weak, and they are more injury-prone than species adapted to high-gravity worlds. But, through their long reach, delicate handiwork, and experience moving without a tether to the ground, they have adapted well to a spacer's life. It's almost like they never left.

Chr'tai ruins are typically adapted well to any world they're found on, built of local materials and overgrown with local life. They can be identified by the rather unique architecture, often assuming visitors would climb as much as they would walk, and leaving a lot of headroom and open spaces. What little of their technology survives is frequently an early form of psycho-tech, interfacing with minds directly; the devices also frequently display geometric patterns of gold light, resembling the pattern of stars during Foldspace travel. Perhaps our modern discoveries are not as unique as we think?

Modern chr'tai ships and technology emulate these ruins to some extent. Their ships are zero-gravity at almost all times, and feature large 'wings' of golden light. Other people who fly alongside chitterlings comment on how open, breathable, and comfortable the space is - a little slice of paradise, if everything is functioning well. Of course, they aren't exactly durable, as a more densely-built ship would be. As such, these vessels are typically flown on pleasure voyages or along safer Foldspace routes. That is not to say chitterlings are careful spacers - you can find them on nearly any vessel, though they may complain about low ceilings and people 'leaving the gravity on too high.'

The mystery of the chr'tai empire's collapse captivates many of their people, but many more seek to build a new future for themselves. While at first their elders were reticent to return to space, citing cryptic ancestral warnings, they eventually found that there was no remaining evidence of these dangers. Many other peoples wandered the cosmos in peace - at least, from anything capable of wiping out an entire empire. The young folk found new ways to live out in space, and only a scant few remained to tend the treetop villages of their old home - but still, their stories live on, if any wish to hear them. There is much to learn from the chr'tai, even with their ancient history long-forgotten.

Though, as space begins to weaken around Foldspace lanes, one has to wonder - what if there truly is something to fear, out beyond the veil? What could have happened to the ancient chr'tai - and what might happen to us?

[ben-drabbles]

To Regret It All

This colony ship was cleanest start for a new civilization out of any of Earth's attempts. Most included seeds for new societies in their designs; for example, the Hero's Journey kept many stories of old Earth alive, though the deterioration of their physical records means that most are now kept as oral histories or long-distorted fables. Some took the risk of cryogenically freezing their passengers and crew, though that rarely, if ever, worked. After all, everyone dies eventually.

To Regret It All, however, kept a strict divide between their passengers and crew, and replicated Earth's environments as closely as space allowed with rotational gravity and a massive tube-shaped biosphere. The second generation born on their long voyage did not even know they were on a spaceship, let alone why. The crew, once they ensured the ship would reach their destination - a planet as Earth-like as they could find - were frozen for any emergencies the ship's advanced autopilot could not handle. When To Regret It All reached its final destination, the crew was euthanized, and their whole section of the ship - including the autopilot AI - was ejected and destroyed. In this way, the civilization born of the Regret was something as wholly new as possible.

Of course, no one can escape the influence of their parents, despite the efforts of the Regret. Some believe that the passengers of the Regret are actually the closest people to those of old Earth, as they did not start over from a template or goal. They just kept living, albeit in a much more confined - and, well, cylindrical - space than a true planetoid. Others believe that the first generation of colonists instilled a certain value in originality and fresh ideas, rather than a true blank slate. Others still suspect that a certain ease of living permeated their early years, due to the lack of real danger built into To Regret It All, and the people's inability to truly explore their surroundings. Who is to say? We can only hope that the passengers and crew of the Regret rest easy, knowing that they did the best they could.

Though, after the autopilot and crew were killed, the colonists certainly had a very eventful landing.

[ben-drabbles]

Felinids

The odd alien occupants of the human colony ship Seedling Ark. As none of the humans aboard survived their journey from their doomed homeworld, the origin of the felinids remains a mystery; whether they were a formerly nomadic species and discovered a derelict, found and killed the humans themselves, or stowed away and simply waited, we cannot be sure. Some felinid mystics and scholars claim history stretching back to the Earth itself, and their ancient stories speak of 'lost builders' and 'dark years.' The truth of these tales is likely lost to time due to the deterioration of Seedling Ark, so we must take them at their word and extrapolate the rest.

As a species, they share more in common than most. Digitigrade legs, near-prehensile tails, full-body fur, and retractable claws define their physicality; they also have excellent senses, are surprisingly flexible, and are born with a remarkable amount of self-sufficiency. On the near-derelict Seedling Ark, they may have needed these traits to survive; but now, as they spread to the wider galaxy, they make felinids a resilient and adaptable people. Their traditional culture eschews long-term family bonds, and emphasizes hunting and independent survival over more cerebral skills. But now, many felinids find their own way in the galaxy, carve out new paths, and find new places to exist and niches to fill. Some take to the sciences, intrigued by the mysteries of the universe; some take to leading expeditions into the untamed galaxy; some salvage and scavenge, trading what they find. Many other species have come to enjoy having felinids around, and the felinids seem to bond well with them in turn; many a playful friendship or effective team have grown between felinids and other species.

It is important to mention that they quite dislike being referred to as 'cats,' as a rule. After all, 'actual' cats are small, four-legged, fuzzy house pets, and felinids are clearly much more capable and evolved. Though, 'cat-people' is usually fine - they do resemble them quite a bit, as much as they hate to admit it.

[ben-drabbles]

The Ones

A rare and egotistical race of massive psychic beings that float amongst the stars. It is believed that there are fewer than a dozen of their number in the known galaxy. They value self-sufficiency as a primary virtue, perhaps owing to their immense size and corresponding resource needs, but also perhaps due to their perceived insignificance of "lesser races". They appear most often in a dormant state, but can draw upon their energy reserves and potent psychic potential when threatened or spurred to act.

Little is known about the homeworld of The Ones, but a popular hypothesis states that it was wholly devoured before the creatures adapted to space travel. The Ones do not reproduce, at least not in any known way - instead, they "adapt" as the circumstances demand, shedding and changing their forms over time. As such, while they share a common ancestry, The Ones are often more distinct than similar. For example, one known as Mythrax lives close to a star, basking in the heat and adapting plant-like qualities to absorb its energy, while another named Plutarch frequents deep space and subsists mostly on passing comets or asteroid debris - though rumor has it that it stayed in orbit around a certain sun long enough to be classified as a planet by primitive astronomers. However, they can die, and this seeming lack of reproduction spells their inevitable demise. Though, don't we all fade away, in the end?