Notable Unathi Colonies

Unathi

U. Sapiens / Sinta'Unathi

Home System: Uueoa-Esa

Homeworld: Moghes

Language(s): Sinta'Unathi

Political Entitie(s): Izweski Nation / Izweski Hegemony

Overview

With their first interstellar-worthy ship leaving Moghes on the 3rd of February 2438, and the Izweski Hegemony itself being slowed down in this endeavor by the following Contact War, Unathi have only very recently begun to colonize worlds. Compared to the other main powers of the Spur, these colonies are few and far between, and relatively small. Still, some ended up turning more or less important, for the Unathi, or for the rest of the Spur.

Main Hegemonic Colonies

Being the main Unathi power in the Spur, most Sinta colonies are part of the Izweski Hegemony. Other than Ouerea, Each of these colonies, due to their limited size, are led by a single lord, each directly under the orders of the Hegemon himself.

Ouerean Confederation

Ouerea was originally settled in 2390 and was intended to be the Hegemony's first planetary colony. Though the colony’s first days were slow, the first contact, and assistance from Skrell and Humans allowed the colony to grow quickly. By the time the Contact War came, Ouerea found itself with next to no ways to rely on the Hegemony, and ended up self-governing, occasionally receiving assistance from other species, which even led to some Skrell and Humans moving there. After the Contact War, and when the time for the Hegemony to claim the colony back came, clans across Ouerea came together under the banner of the Confederation of Ouerea. This revolutionary movement was unsuccessfully suppressed by the alarmed aristocracy, and it became unstoppable. Despite the objections from the Overlord of Ouerea, who went as far as to assassinate rebel negotiators, they were granted limited self-rule by Not'zar Izweski. Angry with this, the Overlord Yiztek tried and failed to assassinate the Lord-Regent, and was summarily deposed and his entire clan made Guwan.

The “Ouerean Model” Government

Following the revolution of 2460, the feudal system has been completely abolished on Ouerea - replaced with democratic governance by an elected body known as the Synod of Scales. Each city on Ouerea elects representative to the Synod dependent on size - though one of the terms of the peace between Ouerea and the Hegemony was that only Unathi would make up the speakers of the Synod, and that they would answer to an Overlord chosen by the Hegemon. This was later amended to give the planet's Skrell population a single non-voting seat, though the humans of the planet are still without any representation.

In recent years, Ouerea has once again been plunged into unrest, as the aquacultural efforts of Hephaestus Industries potentially threaten the planet's ecology. Protests on Ouerea turned into riots, which were mercilessly struck down by Izweski bannermen. As Hephaestus seizes ever more power within the nation, Ouerea grows restless - and many fear or hope that a second revolution will come, one that will finally see Ouerea liberated from the Izweski yoke.

More information on the politics and history of Ouerea can be found here.

Reztek-III

Reztek-III, third planet of the Reztek system (Originally known as K2-3554 before the Hegemony claimed it) is one of the largest Unathi colonies in the Spur. Compared to most Human or Skrell colonies, however, it is quite a small settlement. Reztek-III was one of the very first Unathi colonies established outside of Uueoa-Esa, with the first Unathi landing on the planet’s surface in late 2450. Reztek is a rather young world, and though the atmosphere is breathable, most of the surface is covered in black dirt and dark rocks, with minimal vegetation aside from moss and most fauna being planktons and primitive forms of marine life. Though the planktons are edible, and generally considered a delicacy by the locals, this is not enough to sustain the local population, and they mostly rely on “fish domes” which house massive pools that can be used for aquaculture, generally holding enough Moghes-imported Orszi fishes to feed a whole village. Though many treat the planet as quite bland and boring, there are next to no threats to locals aside from occasional earthquakes, which allows the population to grow surprisingly quickly.

With Moghes still endangered by the growing Wasteland, the threat of famine is looming and the Hegemony has begun funding the construction of new fish domes, as well as considering terraforming efforts to make Reztek-III’s waters fit for Moghesian fishes, effectively turning the planet into the breadbasket (or fishbasket in this case) of the Hegemony, something that has, for now, been slow to come due to Ouerea taking priority thanks to its proximity to Moghes. Most of the local culture revolves around this concept, and Reztek-III inhabitants are slowly growing a reputation for being talented “fish farmers”. It is currently led by Lord Kosun.

Faith

Most Unathi colonists are chosen by the Hegemony and very often from the Hegemony, thus it’s not surprise that the overwhelming majority of them are of the Sk'akh faith. This does not change with Reztek’s people, though they have their own take on the Hegemony’s faith. Of all three of Sk’akh’s figures, Reztekians grant much more importance to Verrix, the Fisher, rather than the Healer or Warrior. With Reztek being such a bland world, and little to do in its small settlements, work is more than just duty, but also a form of recreation on its own, and work is exactly where Verrix is the most important. This has reached the point where one of the largest settlements completed a church almost entirely dedicated to the Fisherman.

Culture

Labor is an extremely important part of Reztekian life. Beyond the importance of their work to the Hegemony itself, Reztek itself is such a bland planet, along with their settlements still too small to house many amenities and recreations, that work is often seen as a form of recreation on its own. Reztekians happily march to work, sing together as they tend to the fishes, often songs revolving around the work itself, and tend to keep working for as long as they can. Work is where people bond, where hatchlings are educated and laziness is not just frowned upon, it is also seen as nigh-antisocial conduct. Naturally, not everyone works in Aquaculture; healers, soldiers, artisans, dockers, and much more all exist too on Reztek, and though perhaps not that intense in some roles, this work culture still permeates no matter the profession.

Holidays revolve around work as well and are often celebrated AS they work and tend to their fish. The ONE holiday when Reztekian do not work, or at least, work as little as necessary, is on Landing Day, celebrating the very first steps taken on the surface on Reztek on the 29th of October 2450.

Leadership

Lord Kosun rules upon Reztek. Like any Reztekian, he embraces this culture of work, though obviously, his work is more of a bureaucratic nature. Still, Kosun’s devotion to his work ensures that not one of his people’s inquiries goes unanswered and that the logistics of handling a colony, especially the transport of food back to Moghes, goes as smoothly as possible. To non-Reztekians, his propensity to shun “traditional recreation” and celebrate work may seem cynical if not abusive, but to those that live in the colony, it is exactly what made him a very popular figure.

Gehki

Gehki is the only planet orbiting a star known as Ethi-Esa. Located near the Hegemonic-Dominian border, Gehki was considered a strategic location even before the first Sinta set foot on it in late 2456. From day one, the Hegemony worked on turning Gehki, a lush and welcoming but otherwise uninteresting world, into a large docking spot for its fleets. Soon enough, multiple stations in orbit, several storage facilities, factories, and orbital defenses were built, and continue to be built across the planet’s surface. It’s not rare for most Unathi fleets (especially the Fourth Fleet led by Admiral Xitac) to stop by Gehki, so much so that many families of Unathi navy crewmen chose to move to Gehki rather than stay on Moghes. This led to a substantial growth in the population of the colony, and the Hegemony started investing in more civilian installations for the locals as well. Civilians or not, Unathi from Gehki generally adopt a very stern, military-like culture.

Faith

The overwhelming majority of Unathi colonists are of the Hegemony, and Sk’akh worshippers, but Gehki colonists are noteworthy for being exceptionally patriotic. A considerable part of the locals being from the families of navy crewmen, and the rest still working in close proximity with the Navy. Naturally, then, the average Gehki colonist is as close to the Hegemony as possible, and thus, absolutely embraces the Sk’akh faith. Due to the nature of the colony, and the career of most locals, of the three Sk’akh figures, it is Mukari, the Warrior, that receives the most prayers and offerings. Local priests tend not to ask for just the local population to be blessed and protected, but also for Mukari to watch over the Navy crews that stop by the planet, and fight for their safety… and the Hegemony’s.

Culture

Life on Gehki is governed by Hegemony Navy ships coming and going, by crews looking for resupply, and by incursions to defend against. While there are technically holidays on Gehki, they are very rarely celebrated, as duty comes before such events. These holidays, though, aside from the day of the first landing (celebrated on the 4th of November), generally revolve around nearby hegemonic victories, may it be against pirates or other threats. Gehki itself is very rarely threatened by pirates, as the planet is too heavily defended, but that doesn’t mean that it is safe from other threats. Perhaps the greatest foe the colony can occasionally face are Grudgebearers, members of Salak Kazhkz' fleet of Privateers. No matter what, all Gehki colonists are taught on how to fight so that if the worst was to come, the entire colony could fight any force brave or foolish enough to invade the planet.

Leadership

Gehki is currently led by Lord Ardak, an old Sinta who made his name during the Contact War as a young but cunning Hegemonic officer. After the war, he continued to serve the Hegemon and swore allegiance without question to Not’zar. Though he was a good army officer, Ardak’s calling was space in the end, his “Treaty of Interstellar Military Logistics”, an essay still read by Unathi Admirals and Captains for the valuable theory and information provided, cemented that. The Hegemon would give him a spot in the Navy, but not the admiralty many were expecting, instead a role to support the entire Navy itself by ruling over a colony that would prove essential for its operations. Ardak proved to be a good leader, both in civilian and military matters, though that is mostly because the locals eagerly welcomed his martial rule. The people of Gehki are, so far, satisfied with their Lord’s rule, but many think that as the Colony will grow and welcome more people, more civilians, perhaps someone less military-oriented should be chosen when the time to replace Ardak will come. Lord Ardak’s one weakness might be diplomacy, though he thankfully mostly keeps to himself, his world, and the Hegemony.

Iroue

Located near the northern border of the Hegemony’s territory in the Aldrad System, Iroue is a planet ripe with minerals ready to be extracted. It is also a planet with an acceptable average temperature (at least for Unathi) of 22°C, livable pressure, and gravity, though the toxic methane-based atmosphere forces locals to wear masks and air bottles when heading outside. The Hegemony’s goal is to eventually turn the colony, established in 2455, into an industrial powerhouse, but this turned out to be quite a complicated affair. The colony is distant and relatively isolated from other Hegemonic settlements, and the presence of various threats, mainly the many pirates inhabiting the Sparring Sea (Unathi or otherwise) are a constant threat to the colony. These combined environmental and locational factors contribute to making the Iroueans a surprisingly hardy people. Despite this reputation, , Iroueans have also learned to rely on nearby colonies, mercenaries, and more cooperative pirate fleets, through diplomacy for support.

Faith

Iroueans are, unsurprisingly, worshippers of Sk’akh like most other Hegemonic colonies. They, however, happen to be much more tolerant of other religions than most of their peers, mostly a consequence of Iroueans diplomacy. For instance, a small but noticeable part of the population follows the Sik'amakh Th'akh faith, a unique take on the Th’akh faith mostly followed by Unathi pirates and that some embraced after discovering it when in contact with more cooperative Unathi fleets.

Culture

The People of Iroue are known for being surprisingly hardy and are proud of this reputation. They rarely hesitate to make the hard choices if these are the more efficient ones in the end. In most situations, though they are not heartless, far from it. Contact and diplomacy with nearby Human colonies up North, for instance, had them learn about their alien neighbors' way of life; at least more than most other Sinta within the Hegemony. Iroueans mostly stick to common Hegemonic holidays with the addition of the first landing day’s celebrations, celebrated every year on the 11th of April. No matter the holiday, though, Irouean often add a unique flair to it with their masks.

Breathing masks are an essential part of life on Iroue due to the planet’s toxic atmosphere, and became an integral part of the locals’ life. Breathing masks are often painted and decorated, each becoming a unique piece, and Irouean often keeps multiple masks, each personalized in unique ways and kept for various events; one mask might be kept for work days, while another is used for days off, another for days of celebration, and so on. Iroueans often grow attached to these masks and keep them when leaving Iroue.

Leadership

Iroue is under the leadership of Lord Izuzi. Izuzi faced many hardships ever since his arrival on Iroue, yet, not unlike the rest of his people, he kept fighting, finding new ways to deal with problems and protecting his colony. Many Iroueans see themselves in Iroue’s rule, and thus give them their support. Irzuzi himself isn’t exceptionally good or bad as a leader, his main talent lies in diplomacy. Faced with so many threats, from pirates to intrusions from ex-Solarian warlord-state forces from the North, and with little means to defend the colony directly, Iroue meets leaders of neighboring colonies, Hegemonic or otherwise, contacts more friendly Unathi fleets, and tries to find allies wherever he can to weather whatever storm comes his way.

Gwim’zala

A moon world in the Youthstone star system, it was originally a large headquarters for raiders and pirates. In May of 2459 a joint operation between the Empire of Dominia and the Hegemony destroyed the pirate headquarters. The battle was swift and decisive, with the two powers growing tense over which of them would seize the planet. Eventually the Izweski gained the system, while the Empire gained a majority of the pirates' loot. The liberated world of C-19B was renamed Gwim'zala and was opened to settlement by enterprising Sinta'Unathi. Its Overlord is the elderly Zutazki Gwim'zala of which the planet gets its name.

The planet is sparsely populated with 12,500 Unathi. Most colonists are hardy frontiersmen who are living in a wild, untamed world. Outside the Overlord and his family within the sole city of Oyutazi the planet is notably absent of a landed nobility, as the young colony has still not been partitioned.

The entire system the colony is in faces intense and repeated attacks by marauding pirates and raiders, and there are nearly twice weekly skirmishes between them and the Izweski Navy. It is an open secret that the Empire of Dominia is offering large rewards to marauders that attack the system, but there is no firm proof that would allow the Hegemony to honorably retaliate. Because of this, many Unathi within the navy find that battle in Youthstone can be where they prove themselves in battle.

Other Notable Unathi Colonies

Some Unathi colonies and settlements that, while they do not belong to the Hegemony, are still noteworthy.

Gakal'zaal

Gakal'zaal is the sixth planet in the Gakal star system with its capital city being Zikala. Gakal'zaal was first colonized in 2452 by Tajara refugees who could not enter Tau Ceti or the Sol Alliance. The population organized themselves into semi-autonomous settlements involved in agriculture and trade with nearby worlds. The planet was found by a band of pirates in 2455 and the locals were forced to pay protection money. This continued until 2457, when a new fleet of the Hegemony, commanded by Lord-Admiral Yizarus, appeared and expelled the pirates. The planet was annexed by the Izweski Hegemony after a deal with a powerful Tajara family; the Drrawa'jur Dynasty who used this opportunity to expand their influence. Makar Yizarus, the cousin of the famed Admiral, was appointed as its overlord. The nations of Adhomai were not interested in interfering because of the ongoing war.

The Unathi conquest was not well received by most of the population, civil unrest, and armed resistance continued against the new masters. The Hegemonic control over Gakal'zaal was seriously challenged in 2461 when the Adhomai Liberation Army supplied weapons, training, and thousands of fighters to the Tajaran resistance. The low-intensity insurgency turned into open warfare when an organization known as the Gakal'zaal Liberation Front emerged to lead the fight against the Overlord in 2462. Due to the succession crisis at Moghes and the breakdown of relations between Not’zar and Overlord Yizarus, the Unathi forces on the planet were left to deal with the insurrection on their own. After a year of guerrilla warfare and sabotage by the Tajara population living under Hegemonic rule, the colony was liberated with the fall of Zikala in the final months of 2462.

Though Gakal'zaal is now under the control of the Democratic People's Republic of Adhomai, a sizable Unathi population remains on the planet. Tensions between these sinta and Tajara locals are high and conflict occasionally happens between various armed groups. Along with this, the Hegemony is still considering gaining back control over the colony, or at least assisting the Unathi locals left there.

More information on the politics and history of Gakal'zaal can be found here.

Ha’zana

Also known as the Harrow of Fangs, or the Fang Protectorate of Ha'zana officially, Ha’zana is effectively a pirate world. Originally, the planet was populated by Unathi fleeing Moghes due to the Contact War, and pirates guarded the secret of its location in deep space somewhere outside of Izweski space to this day. Only pirate captains, Unathi or otherwise, and a rare few quartermasters know the location of Ha'zana when it comes to making Bluespace jumps and calculations, and even fewer know how to easily enter Ha'zana's stormy and perilous atmosphere without crashing. Those that aren’t pirates have no evidence of its existence, only the mysterious Koko bar remaining as any form of proof of the tale.

The economy of Ha'zana is dominated by the cultivation of the Koko reed. It is the enterprising guildsmen of the human-Unathi Mark and O'kamazi Koko Guild that harvest that became the primary source of employment on the small moon, with some of the Unathi and human inhabitants working in the Koko plantations or the many small industries that create the Koko Bar that has become popular with Unathi.

More information on the politics and history of Ha’zana can be found here.

Mercantalism: All Goods Flow To Moghes

Colonies are forbidden from selling their wares to any planet or business other than the Capital. Only specially chartered guilds who are granted exclusive rights may barter with the Orion Spur directly.

The Unathi economic system is mercantilist in nature. Access to ports are restricted to specific guilds given a royal charter, which is a bill of exclusivity over shares of trade to protect them from competition . It is best thought of as being given a lease by the Izweski to handle a specific amount of interstellar trade coming to and from the Hegemony. All goods flow from the colonies to Moghes, which are then sold to the wider galaxy after the Izweski take a cut.

Hephaestus Industries has the most generous charter to operate on Ouerea and brings its goods directly to the galactic market. Other mega-corporations have their efforts throttled and frustrated. NanoTrasen retains recruitment offices in the star system but very little else.

Following the bankruptcy of the Merchants' Guild and the absorption of most major guilds by Hephaestus, the mercantilist economy has changed - though not as much as one might suspect. Though the production of the Guilds now flows through the megacorporation, and it holds a generous charter, the law still holds - goods are shipped back through Uueoa-Esa, and the Hegemony receives a generous cut - which may well help them in emerging from their recent years of economic depression.