The Coalition Universe

[Teaos]

Interesting...

I think the idea of Galatea would freak me out aswell.

I'm suprised one of the other major powers in the unvierse dont come and wipe them out.

If these computers are that smart their level of tech advancement must be massive compared to a normal society. With time the gap between them and the coalition would just grow larger and larger.

You also said they lack resources, why dont they just go get more? They're robots they can increase there numbers, or at least the number of drones and avatars, as fast as they can spit them out.

[Captain Seafort]

Indeed - it sounds somewhat like nBSG crossed with the Culture.

[Graham Kennedy]

Interesting...

I think the idea of Galatea would freak me out aswell.

I'm suprised one of the other major powers in the unvierse dont come and wipe them out.

If these computers are that smart their level of tech advancement must be massive compared to a normal society. With time the gap between them and the coalition would just grow larger and larger.

You also said they lack resources, why dont they just go get more? They're robots they can increase there numbers, or at least the number of drones and avatars, as fast as they can spit them out.

As things stand they are more or less powerless in and of themselves. No fleet, no significant weapons of their own. They also lack the resources to build a fleet. Their habitat is in interstellar space, not a solar system, so they have no matter to build anything with beyond what they import. They also don't have a matter transmuter, so whatever materials they import can't be turned into other elements.

Still they are a terribly bright bunch, and they could probably come up with something if they put their minds to it. But if they did, then that would absolutely terrify at least half of the rest of the galaxy. Several of the major powers would send fleets the instant they found out it was happening. The Coalition wouldn't be able to withstand that alone, and if the SIs really were building warships the Coalition would likely withdraw their support anyway.

The SIs are smart enough to know how far they will be tolerated by the rest of the galaxy, and what will happen if they push too hard. So they don't.

[Teaos]

Is there any Borg like species, but with out the assimilation?

I mean adding some mechanical bits to your body to make it better just makes common sense, and if a species took it to the extreme they could easily have a culture where the norm is to be 50% robot.

[Monroe]

Not finished reading as I need to get to class but so far I liked it a lot. I'm at the post about the constituion.
One thing you may want to take into account if you haven't already because of Galactic drift the older the race is the more spegetti like their Empire would be.

I also like your theory on technologies rising and falling. If you have several primitive races that are found on multiple worlds it would show, without you needing to specifically say it, that some previous interstellar races collapsed.

Also I've heard scientist talk about a barrier that hits intelligent life at a certain technology level. Things threatenig them like collapse of an ecosystem from misuse of resources to nuclear war would tend to destroy most civilization. Wouldn't it be a true tragedy for some of the worlds to be working up to their 5th or 6th nuclear holocaust and not even know it?

[Monroe]

I just got back and started reading the constitution, so far though:

Article XV. The candidate for the Office of the President of the Coalition who secures the second largest number of votes shall serve a five year term as the Deputy President. The Deputy President shall have no powers or function within the government, but in the event of the death of the President, the Deputy President shall succeed to the Office of President of the Coalition for the remainder of the five year term.

The United States tried this out and it worked horribly. Its best if the Deputy President is elected with the president.

Article XXIII. The Coalition Military Command shall be headed by a board of twelve military officers who shall be appointed by and will work under the orders of the Office of the President. These officers shall, by virtue of their positions, be considered the most senior officers of all CMC forces, regardless of rank or other position.

The Soviet Union tried this one too and it didn't work out so well. It would make the leaders of the military political hacks and their appointment or removal dictated in part by public opinion.

Also on your population thing whats to stop a massive empire of slow reproducers from being out voted by a relatively tiny empire that is full of millions of insects. How would a Hive Mind be treated? things like that.

[Graham Kennedy]

If by "hive mind" you mean a species whose individuals are linked into one mind through telepathy or something, that's impossible. There's no such thing as telepathy or any other magic powers in the Coalition universe (just like in ours).

There are highly prolific species, just as there are those who are at the opposite end of the scale. If a species with a low population wants a big say, then they just don't get it. Likewise if the Coalition is worried that a super-prolific species might swamp everyone else, they can simply decline them membership. Nobody has a right to join the Coalition, and indeed membership is only allowed if it is beneficial to both sides.

[Graham Kennedy]

SPECIES : THE TURGRANS

PHYSICAL

Turgrans are a Humanoid species. There is a significant degree of sexual dimorphism in the Turgran species. Most famously, the Turgran male is non-sentient (though there is some debate on this subject), significantly smaller and physically weaker than females. The females 215 cm in height, and are distinguishable primarily by their colouring; pale skin, pure white hair, and solid red eyes. Their hands also have six digits, four fingers and two thumbs.

The Turgran body contains a greater degree of redundancy than its Human counterpart. There are two hearts, one located in the upper centre of the torso and the other above the left hip. These feed two circulatory systems, one supplying the head and vital organs, the other supplying the limbs and less important organs. The two circulatory systems are normally cross connected at nine different points, allowing blood to flow between the two, but these joins can be sealed off to allow one system to continue in the event of a failure in the other. The beating of the two hearts gives the Turgran pulse a distinctive beat pattern.

There are three lungs; the primary pair are placed much as human lungs are, with the heart between them in the centre of the torso. The secondary lung is smaller, located below the heart. The major windpipe feeds the primary lungs, with a second windpipe feeding the secondary lung. The vocal chords are located at the upper end of the secondary windpipe. The primary and secondary lungs feed the respective circulatory systems. The throat is complicated compared to a Humans, giving the Turgran voice a distinctive reverberation effect.

The pupils of the eyes are slitted vertically, and are significantly larger than a Human pupil. However, the cornea is reflective to red light and this hides the pupils completely, giving the eyes a solid red colouration. As a result of this reflectivity the Turgrans are unable to see beyond the near orange part of the spectrum.

Turgrans are most comfortable at a temperature of -5° C, but their ability to generate internal heat is significantly superior to a Humans and they can tolerate temperatures down to -22° C without serious discomfort. Their ability to shed excess heat is markedly inferior, however. There are no sweat glands, and Turgrans become uncomfortable with temperatures above 3° C. Prolonged exposure to temperatures above 10° C can prove fatal. As a result all Turgrans must wear some form of coolant device whilst in a standard environment. This generally takes the form of a thin suit under their uniform which has a coolant system built into it.

Turgrans are omnivorous by nature, but meat is by far the preferred food source and some of the species have adopted a carnivorous diet as a lifestyle choice. Turgrans are evolved from scavengers, and are naturally adapted to eating frozen food. They have a very poor sense of taste and rarely bother to cook their food.

Turgran genders and reproduction do not follow the Human pattern very closely. The initial stages are similar to Human reproduction; the female produces the eggs which the male fertilizes in a sex act essentially identical to the Human equivalent. However, as soon as the embryo is fertilized - typically thirty to forty minutes after the first sex act - the females reproductive system will 'invert' itself. Another sexual act then takes place in which the male is penetrated and the fertilised egg deposited in a womb-like organ in his body. It is the male who then carries the fetus to term.

Because a second sexual act in rapid succession is critical to the breeding process, evolution has driven Turgrans females to instinctively be very possessive towards males.

CULTURAL

Present day Turgran culture has been shaped by three major events in their history. The first occurred some 6,500 years ago when a reduction in the output of the local star, Syteen, triggered a catastrophic global climate change. Prior to the change the Turgran's home world of Kororra was comparable to Earth in climate. Within less than forty years sheet glaciers covered twenty percent of the planet, and within seventy there was no liquid water left anywhere on the surface. The sudden ice age led to a total collapse of organized civilization on the planet.

The second event was the discovery of an ancient cache of knowledge by the Yadenek family-clan some 1,800 years ago. The store allowed that group to develop simple chemical explosives and projectile weapons in an age when the rest of the world was using bronze swords. With these and other devices they conquered the world over the next fifteen years, ultimately founding the Turgran Imperium which endures to this day.

Today the basic unit of Turgran society remains the family-clan. A family will typically center around a matriarchal figure who will usually have several 'husbands' - there is no limit on the number, though five is normally considered appropriate. The female will produce offspring with each male - as with Humans there is a 50/50 gender split in the offspring produced. Female offspring normally continue to live within the household until they reach fifteen standard years of age, whereupon they will leave to form a family of their own. In the past the mother would procure a male for each of her daughters to found their new family with, either purchasing one directly at a market or bartering one her own male offspring. In more recent times many females prefer to find or buy their own male, though more traditional families still exist. Male offspring who are not sold or traded in this manner will usually be sold as general servants on reaching twenty years of age.

The clan is a more loosely defined entity. Normally a clan will consist of the original matriarch's household, plus the households of her immediate daughters, There is thus a lot of overlap between clans since any given female can be both part of her mother's clan and the the head of her own. In modern Turgran society family and clan structure have begun to erode somewhat. One trend is to found households without males at all, using methods such as artificial insemination for procreation and immediately selling off male offspring. Combined clans in which there are several matriarchs and their offspring choose to pool resources are rarer, but still far from unusual, and there are many variations on these and other themes. It is generally considered impolite to inquire too closely into the precise arrangements at work within a family, and highly rude to subject them to open criticism.

Turgran culture tends to be extremely conservative and slow to change. The average Turgran is superior to a Human in intelligence, but "genius types" tend to be far rarer. The overall rate of scientific and cultural evolution is thus very slow, and the Turgrans benefit heavily from their close relationship with other Coalition members in this regard.

RELIGION

The state religion is called Vedrine. Vedrine is a hybrid mono/poly thestic religion. In its mythos there was originally a single god but over time she became bored with being alone and decided to divide herself into two parts. The two eventually had a disagreement and warred with one another, eventually landing a blow so great that it "shattered" both into many parts which represent the modern pantheon of Turgran gods. A major belief of Vedrine is that proper worship of the gods can and eventually will cause them to reunite, recreating the original god who will then bring about a paradise.

Technically it is illegal to follow any religion other than Vedrine on a Turgran world, but although significant cultural bias does remain on this matter in some parts of the Imperium, this law has never been applied to aliens and over the last century it is rarely pursued officially even amongst Turgrans. It is likely that the law would be struck down if it ever came before the Coalition constitutional court, and it is perhaps telling that no test case has made it that far. It is estimated that perhaps twenty percent of Turgrans have formed alternate religions, adopted alien religions, or become atheist or agnostic.

[Teaos]

I am both suprised and impressed you include religion in your universe.

As an athiest your self I figured you would go with the standard, advanced civilisations are smarter and athiests thing a lot of sci fi does.

You didnt make it totally clear, were the Turgrans always adapted to cold or was it only over the last 6,000 years they evolved to it?

I also find it interesting that you make them similar to humans is make up. Its one of the biggest complaints laid against sci-fi is that so many aliens are bipedal human like aliens.

[Graham Kennedy]

In the Coalition Humans are largely secular, for reasons I've gone into before I think, but may again. Turgrans are generally a very religious people though, and religion is common in many societies. I may be an atheist but only a fool would recognise the appeal that religion has for most people.

A few thousand years isn't enough to adapt to anything much, evolutionarily speaking. The cycles of the star are a natural part of what it does, and life on Kororra is adapted to have a "cold climate mode" that kicks in when the ice comes and goes away again when it does.

Yeah, human-like aliens can be annoying. I did want to have at least one fairly humanoid species though. I comfort myself with the fact that a seven foot tall woman with white hair, red eyes, and six fingers could never realistically pass for human.

[Graham Kennedy]

Here's a thing about me. I can't draw people. Can draw ships and guns and vehicles and machines all day long, but I can't draw faces, and I have a tough time with bodies and things biological. So the pictures I am going to post of aliens should be taken as what they are - rough sketches that I'd dearly love to see replaced by far better versions.

This is a Turgran next to a Human.

[Teaos]

I'd hit it.

[Tsukiyumi]

I'd hit it.

I think those are pretty damn decent sketches, Graham. I'd be hard-pressed to do any better.

[Graham Kennedy]

I'd hit it.

I think those are pretty damn decent sketches, Graham. I'd be hard-pressed to do any better.

Wait till you get to some of the others. I drew one that was meant to be rodent-esque and it ended up looking like feckin Bugs Bunny.

[Tsukiyumi]