by Trevor Wyatt
Captain Montgomery is tasked with leading a counter-offensive. However, he still has questions regarding the Sonali's role in the destruction of TUS Mariner. Poised on the brink of genocide, Captain Montgomery returns to the location of the debris from TUS Mariner to investigate further.
Instead of meeting the Sonali, Captain Montgomery meets and speaks with another species the Nakra who admit that they destroyed TUS Mariner all those years ago. Their reasoning was that this area of space i.e. the nebula is their homeworld and must be kept sacred and secret; any species that trespass are not allowed to leave as they would reveal what they found. Thus, TUS Mariner had to be dispatched in an attempt to stay hidden.
Ullian of the Nakra tells Captain Montgomery he regrets his next actions; however, he must destroy TUS Seeker as he did TUS Mariner to protect his people. A battle ensues where TUS Seeker eventually has the upper hand insofar as the aliens have suffered great losses. At that time Ullian of the Nakra accepts Captain Montgomery's promise to leave them alone.
Realizing that the Sonali are guilt-less and that the war should never have started, Captain Montgomery rushes to the location of the large-scale attack between the Sonali and Terrans. Captain Montgomery opens a communication channel between the two warring sides: he reveals that the Sonali were innocent of the destruction of TUS Mariner and that the war was "predicated on a lie."
July Terrans and Sonali agree to a cease fire under the "Mariner Armistice."
2202:
February Seven months later, after numerous negotiations and meetings between both sides, an official peace treaty "The Mariner Accords" between Terran Armada and the Sonali is agreed upon and signed putting an official end to the five-year war. In addition, a provision is made within the treaty to protect the nebula of the Nakra homeworld from incursion from any and all alien species.
The five-year Earth-Sonali War was the worst conflict either side had every experienced in history.
Terran Union: Lives lost: 4 billion Number of surviving colonies: 153 colonies out of 198 Loss of overall military force: 25%
Sonali Combine: Lives lost: 5 billion Number of surviving colonies: 102 Loss of military forces: 18%
Sonali Combine
Physical Description
Humanoid (two eyes, nose, mouth and two legs); however, they have facial slits instead of ears. Average height 6' tall. Hairless. Body color is a uniform pale blue with some darker gradients of blue on the face. Their lifespan is approximately 80-90 years
Anatomy/Physiology
Females and males possess the same sexual organs as Terran females and males. Sonali reproduce sexually; however, their path to reproduction is complex. The Sonali are sequential hermaphrodites – they are born one gender and at sexual maturity they switch. The process by is called "Ascension." At the age of 18 (Terran years) the Sonali are put through the Ascension ceremony. Although the specifics of the transformation are unknown to outsiders the following is known:
•Sonali are born gendered; however they are also born sterile
•It is only by going through Ascension that the Sonali become fertile
•By switching genders at maturity their bodies receive a signal to "turn on" the faculties needed to reproduce i.e. ovulation and sperm production
•Before the baby is born it is incubated outside the body until birth
•It is speculated, but unknown if this incubation influences the birth gender
Culture
The Sonali are a technologically advanced race especially with regard to weaponry. In first contact with Terran Union they had a much greater advantage when it came to combat. Although their society has no record of war amongst itself, the Sonali have devoted a great deal to defense due to their disdain for most other species based on the belief that many are not intelligent enough to warrant contact. In addition they guard their advances in medicine, science and other fields closely.
Interactions with Terrans were initially only within combat situations. However, once the war ended, the Sonali were willing to cooperate with the Terrans regarding establishing a galactic council.
Politics/Governance
A younger generation (pre-Ascesnion age) of the Sonali have formed the Origin Movement pushing for the end of mandatory Ascension. Their belief is that changing gender, or staying with your birth gender should be an individual choice. They also believe that this decision goes hand-in-hand with the additional choice whether to procreate or not.
Concerns for the future of the Sonali race are driving another group (Post-Ascension age) to argue for the continuation of Ascension both as a cultural tradition and as a necessity for survival of the species. This group called the Ascendents believes that the anti-ascension generation have been influenced by Terrans. They believe that the short-sightedness of Terran society with regard to its own survival and its condition of static gender have "infected" the young Sonali with these ideas. The Sonali population is steady; however, there is fear of its decline should large numbers of the young choose to remain sterile.
Sonali Caste System
The Sonali has a five-tier caste system based on vocation: Military, Religious, Scholar, Labor, and Merchant. The caste system was created to insure diversity and regulation of the Sonali workforce over time.
Sonali from different castes may marry; in this situation, the children may pick the vocation of either parent. However, some Sonali still feel oppressed by having to choose the mandated career paths that are inherited at birth.
As an example, a Sonali teenager born into a religious/scholar household may feel oppressed if he/she wants to be a merchant or join the military. Another issue with the caste system is the unofficial hierarchy it creates between each type of caste.
The Military Caste
The military caste is considered as the highest authority when it comes to matters of law enforcement, regulation of alien (Terran) occupation and other related policies. It is very common to see high-ranking military officials serve in political positions increasing military influence on planetary policy.
Members of the military caste tend to view themselves as the highest authority on all matters: period. Thus, other castes are often given grudging respect or approval when supporting matters that conflict with military decisions. While other castes may not share the military’s view that they are the “top”, they do afford them a great deal of respect. It should be noted that Sonali civilians give particular deference to military personnel that distinguished themselves during the Earth-Sonali war.
The Scholar Caste
Although they may focus on different areas of study, the goal of the Scholar Caste is the same: the acquisition of knowledge for posterity and the overall benefit of the Sonali race.
The Scholar Caste includes teachers, scientists, researchers and xenoarchaeologists.
Xenoarchaeologists tend to focus on finding evidence of the “precursor theory of origin” that the Sonali were engineered a long time ago by a superior race that no longer exists or has left this galaxy. Typically, they split their time between fieldwork to uncover new artifacts and researching and categorizing the artifacts they have already acquired. They often share their findings with scientists since working together they can achieve more, although not all are as open with their research and choose instead to keep their finds to themselves.
Scientists research a variety of subjects including Sonali biology, Psychology, the Ascension process as well as research into the precursor theory. Despite protests to the contrary, rumors persist regarding the development of parasitic weapons during the Earth-Sonali war.
Teachers are less concerned with the acquisition of new knowledge or where the knowledge they have come from or by what means. They attempt to keep any personal bias out of their delivery of acquired information. All of the knowledge they are allowed to teach younger generations of Sonali must be approved and recorded. Once information is in written or digital form it is considered part of the accepted curriculum. Each ye
ar The Council of Teachers meets to approve any revisions or additions to the curriculum. A majority vote must occur for any changes/additions to be finalized. Colleges do not exist on Sonali due to caste system.
Once maturity is reached a Sonali youth receives mentorship in their new career from one of their parents. It is through this study that they attain position in their caste. Of all the factions within the scholar caste, teachers receive the most scrutiny from Sonali society and often the most criticism. Although the Council of Teachers may agree upon an acceptable curriculum, other Sonali (even some within the caste) may protest certain subjects being taught to young Sonali.
The subject of Ascension has historically polarized the religion and scholar castes. The religious caste protests the scientific process being taught; instead, they believe that only religious reasons exist for Ascension and therefore should be taught singly. Scholars argue for the teaching of both.
In recent years a new schism had developed regarding the belief that Ascension should not be a mandatory process. Therefore the teaching of it has come under even greater scrutiny from both sides of the Ascension argument that fear potential bias in how it is taught to students.
To rectify this situation The Council of Teachers has currently put a moratorium on any Ascension teaching, instead it is leaving the subject to parents to advise their children. Harsh criticism for this decision has many Sonali angry with The Council as well as the scholar caste in general; however, those who have welcomed the decision to teach their children their beliefs outnumber this group.
The Religious Caste
The Religious Caste mainly follows “The Way”, which was founded circa 1000 BCE by followers of a man named Xorrig, a post-ascension male who was known in his time as a poet, philosopher and teacher. During his life Xorrig lived outdoors as a shepherd and said he received visions from a supreme being. He composed poetry based on these visions and encouraged others to adopt his teachings to live simply and be kind. It is speculated that his visions may have come from a root he chewed frequently that had known hallucinogenic properties.
Xorrig died after suffering from exhaustion and starvation when he followed a vision into a wasteland.
His teachings had attracted a handful of followers, one particularly one named Aricanthas, who devoted herself to preserving his ideas, which became known as The Way, or Xorrigism. Xorrig himself was not revered as a god, but his status as a prophet was secure and his writings regarded as holy writ. The union of Xorrig and the supreme spiritual being he claimed to have been enlightened by was referred to as the Holy Combine. As The Way spread across the planet, growing in strength and influence, Temples dedicated to the Holy Combine were established in all major cities and in many villages. The largest one is located on Sonali Prime.
Xorrig’s teachings do not clearly state his stance or belief on the process of Ascension; however, Xorrig himself was a Post-Ascension male and Aricanthas his main acolyte remained a pre-Ascension female for the duration of her life.
There is a piece of poetry written by Xorrig that is thought to reference his viewpoints on Ascension:
Go forth into life with joy
and make simple choices
for The Supreme Being sees
and approves all actions
Origin Movement followers (anti-mandated Ascension) believe this poem speaks directly to the choice to Ascend or not to Ascend. However, others argue the poem is too ambiguous to assign a specific meaning.
The Merchant Caste
The Merchant Caste is considered to be the lowest caste. This is due to the belief that while commerce and trade are integral parts of society, the Sonali in this caste tend toward avarice. The merchant class denies that they do more than what is necessary to keep the business side of Sonali affairs thriving. Despite their low regard they are one of the few castes allowed to interact and move freely within other castes in the interest of trade.
It should be noted that there have been instances where members of this caste were able to gain information under cover of doing business with other castes. Any secret information they are able to gain under this guise of “trading” is turned around and put on an underground market to sell to the highest bidder. The merchant caste is also the only caste that does not have university courses that match its caste. Instead any young Sonali with a merchant parent is qualified to mentor under an existing merchant. Typically, this is a Sonali parent; however, in this caste more than others the young Sonali mentor with a non-family member. It is thought that this provides a more balanced view of the world and truly unbiased mentorship.
Another belief is that merchant parents wish to focus more on their own business transactions and see their children as possible future rivals. By placing their children with other Sonali merchants they are able to keep their trade secrets while likely using their children to uncover trade secrets of other merchant caste members. A mentorship is not required; however, having one provides the new Sonali merchants with a way to network and build his/her business more effectively than if they tried to do alone. Whether a Sonali mentor receives a wage during the mentorship is at the discretion of the mentee.
Tyreesian Collective
Physical Description
The Tyreesians are a humanoid race. They are naturally short, but strong. They are mostly four to five feet tall, with thin silky skins. The average Tyreesian male has a thick and sturdy build. They have slits for eyes and ears and a closed third eye on their forehead. They have four fingers on each hand and four toes on each leg. Their skin color varies widely, from coffee brown to sugar white. They are not an exactly hairy species, hence it is rare to see a Tyreesian possessing hairs (of any kind on any part of their body).
Anatomy/Physiology
Their entire anatomical and physiological system resembles that of Terrans. They also possess a beating heart and as well as sexual organs not unlike Terrans, both for male and female. Hence, interbreeding among Terrans and Tyreesians is very possible.
Culture
The Tyreesians are a patriarchal society, where the men make all the decisions and the women basically listen and do what they are told. There are no such things as women movements, and feminism isn’t even a word that exists in their vocabulary. They are a highly advanced race with a brain capacity that is naturally larger than Terrans. However, this increased brain capacity is one reason why they are naturally aggressive. The Tyreesians are also very cunning, and it is said that doing business with a Tyreesian is like doing business with a serpent. You don’t really know when they’re going to bite you in the back.
It is a taboo for a Tyreesian female to be unbound (what Terrans call unmarried). Marriage ceremonies are known as The Binding, where a Tyreesian female is bound for the duration of her life to a Tyreesian male. Because the Tyreesian female population is roughly higher than the Tyreesian males, it is not unusual to see a male Tyreesian being bound to more than one female Tyreesian. In fact, this is such a conquest that the more females you are bound to the more you are highly regarded in the society. Barbaric by many standards, especially Terran, but this is who they are. Politicians that will be very successful usually have as much as three females bound to them. Tyreesian female are unable to partake in any election, though they can vote.
Though Tyreesian females must be bound to a male (the lawful age for this to have happened is 25), Tyreesian males do not have to have a female bound to him. Usually, poor Tyreesian males find it difficult and as a result have a very low social standing.
Even though the females don’t have a voice, this does not preclude them from being major drivers of the entire Tyreesian society. A Tyreesian female can be involved in scientific research, trade, education, commerce—basically all spheres of the economy. However, the law forbids a Tyreesian female from occupying a position of power, such as Captain, Governor, or President. If she is appointed to such a position, as some can be because of their extreme aptitude, the female Tyreesian’s master (the ma
le to which she is bound), will rule in her stead. In other words, she can only conduct her affairs by proxy. Of course, this is impracticable in positions that require quick reactions, like the Captain of a Ship or the Admiral of a Battle Fleet. As a result, the Tyreesian Army do not have a female Commander within its fleet.
Politics/Governance
The Tyreesian Collective runs a democratic system across their galactic space. They have a President and a Governor’s council. The governor’s council is the most powerful arm of their governmental system, while the President is really a ceremonial role—though, no one knows the true extent to which the President is powerful. The governor’s council is a council of all the governors within the galactic space and is headed by a chairman that is elected by the council and approved by the population-elected president. Every planet is sectioned off, and each section has a governor.
Elections hold every five years, and hence politics is a very active part of the Tyreesian Collective. In fact, because of their prodigious and seemingly unending ability to be cunning and sly, their political campaigns are usually riddled with maneuvers and tricks and twists that befuddle the un-Tyreesian mind. Many races have described this as watching a blockbuster movie—it’s almost unreal. This led some races to coin the expression “Tyreesian Politics”, which has become a galactic mainstay. Having a Tyreesian as a strategist, especially for peoples of other races, is most times seen as a harbinger of great and mighty success.
It is strictly forbidden for a Tyreesian female to contest for any public office, either for president, governor or lesser offices. It is also forbidden for a Tyreesian female to engage in political rallies, except at the side of her male master.
Some sociopolitical experts at the prestigious Tyreesian School of Social Science in the Central City of Zayon have theorized several reason why this is so. Basically, they believe that the cultural mind-washing that has been ongoing for centuries have relegated the females to a thinking that is weak and subordinative. Simply put, most Tyreesian females are unable to envision themselves as more than a male’s slave. These experts, however, predict an uprising that is most likely going to shake up the Tyreesian Collective and lead to the establishment of a new dynamism that may take centuries for the greater Tyreesian population to get used to. They believe that as the Tyreesians interface more and more with other races, the females will begin to think differently.
