[hider=The Varshakti State] [center][b]Demonym[/b]: Varshakti[/center] [center][b]Home System/Home Planet:[/b] K'vikaz/Virshavk[/center] [center][u][b]Brief overview: Homeplanet[/b][/u][/center] Virshavk orbits close to the outer limit of K'vikaz' habitable zone. However, due to its highly elliptical and eccentric orbital path, the planet is brought closer to its parent start twice a year. During such 'summer' periods, the planet becomes not unlike Earth, albeit with a lower average surface temperature of 11 degrees centigrade. As Virshavk moves away from K'vikaz, the temperature drops sharply, until the entire planet is covered in snow and frost by the time the planet is at its furthest point away from its parent star. [center][u][b]Brief overview: The Varshakti State[/b][/u][/center] The Varshakti State, or simply the State, controls a relatively small expanse in the New Outer Arm of the Milky Way. With only eighty star systems firmly under State control, the Varshakti have the dubious reputation of having one of the smallest populations and fewest colonies among the spacefaring species. However, taking a closer look at the State would quickly dispel any impression that the Varshakti are weak and easy prey. Almost every planet is heavily industrialized. Even planets devoid of resources have a use for the State. Rather than colonizing them, they are turned into centers of mass production, with the entire surface being covered in a massive factory sprawl. The same principle is applied even to their population. As the saying goes, there are no useless Varshakti, only unassigned ones. From the moment a Varshakti enters the State-funded education system, they are quietly assessed on their martial, academic and technical aptitude. Upon reaching adulthood, they are assigned a role in Varshakti society according to their abilities. They are then expected to work within their roles for the rest of their working lives. The Varshakti criminal justice system is often the single aspect of Varshakti culture that confuses outsiders the most. Officially speaking, there is only one crime which can be summed up as 'activities detrimental to the well-being of the State and its people'. What this means is that, for example, a Varshakti can ingest as many drugs as they please, as long as it does not interfere with their ability to work. Once a drop in performance is detected, they would be dealt with by the relevant authorities. Bringing harm to another Varshakti would also be considered illegal, as that would be hampering the victim's ability to carry out their work. Economically speaking, the Varshakti are insignificant. Most important industries are owned by the State, and in private businesses make up less than a fraction of a percentage of all registered Varshakti businesses. Items are sold for as much as is needed to ensure that the workers are properly paid. Self-sufficiency is core to the Varshakti ideology, and as such trade with other species is limited and heavily regulated. The State ensures that every citizen can live adequately, but luxurious living is almost unheard of in Varshakti society. [center][b][u]Varshakti Biology[/u][/b][/center] The Varshakti are vaguely humanoid, in that they are bipedal, have two arms and a pair of eyes. That is about where the similarities end. On average, a Varshakti stands at 180 centimeters tall, though there are individuals that can reach up to 220 centimeters in height. Having evolved from an avian species that thrived during the summer periods and hibernated during the long winters, the Varshakti have several unique traits not commonly found among other species. Their bodies are covered by densely packed feathers, each no larger than the small finger of a human adolescent. As the ambient temperature drops, each individual feather gradually expands and overlaps with one another to create a highly-effective heat retaining coat. Larger feathers - those between fifteen and twenty centimeters long - still exist on the outer side of the lower arms, usually three or four arranged in a linear pattern. When they are raised and stiffened, it is usually a sign that the Varshakti in question is agitated and ready for a fight. When they are flush against the skin and soft, then it means that the Varshakti is in a generally good mood. Similarly, their faces are covered in small feathers. Though they no longer have the beaks of their ancestors, Varshakti lips are still rather hard and chitinous when compared to other species. Swept-back, long feathers cover their heads, sprouting from where most humans would have their hairlines. The Varshakti lack earlobes or any form of a distinctive nose, with only a slight bump in the middle of the faces indicating where the nostrils are. The most intriguing trait of the Varshakti, however, would be their ability to temporarily shut down bodily functions in order to converse energy and reduce heat loss. This can, and often is done to the extent where the Varshakti would appear dead to even trained medical personnel, and would require equipment to determine that they are indeed still alive. Varshakti sexual dimorphism is rather straightforward. As a general rule of thumb, females tend to have darker feathers while the males have brighter colours. Females are also slenderer, have longer head feathers and slightly larger eyes. When all else fails, however, it is easier to just remember that dual pigmentation only occurs in male Varshakti, and that female Varshakti always have more head feathers than males. [center][u][b]Culture[/b][/u][/center] Free, yet restricted; controlled, yet wild. Varshakti culture if full of contradictions. They can be some of the most open-minded individuals one might come across, yet they are happy to live within the restrictions imposed on them by the state. In battle, the Varshakti often bring the most organized armies and fleets, but would fight with the ferocity and tenacity of a cornered animal. The most cited explanation by the Varshakti themselves is a simple, three word sentence: All for State. It would appear to be a non-sequitur initially, but closer examination would reveal the hidden meaning behind the words. The Varshakti have never been an individualistic society, favouring collectivism instead. Thus, everything that the individual does must be done with the well-being of the community in mind. A Varshakti is free to think whatever they please, but few would ever dream of doing anything that would bring harm to the whole. In combat, the Varshakti follow orders because that is what is required of them, but so is winning the battle, and so they would do so by any means necessary. Honour is another cornerstone of Varshakti culture. Anyone who makes a promise is expected to keep it even if it means self-sacrifice. To go back on one's word is seen as a grave offense, and usually results in being ostracized at best, and outright exile from the community at worst. To insult a Varshakti's honour is often the easiest way to commit suicide. The Varshakti way of defending the honour of themselves or that of others would be a fight to the death using a traditional sword. [center][b][u]Military[/u][/b][/center] With their small population, the Varshakti have always known that they can never slug it out with another species in a conventional fight. Although they have a policy of having all their combat vessels being able to punch above their weight, where the Varshakti shine is with their combat support vessels. No other navy has a larger emphasis on support than thee Varshakti. It has gone to the point where there is a separate naval force just for combat support, known as the Auxiliary Naval Forces. The most feared class of Varshakti ships would be the electronic warfare and stealth vessels. It is not at all uncommon for battles to be won simply because of the presence of a flotilla of electronic warfare cruisers. With their multi-spectral jamming systems and enhanced sensors, they can often detect enemies faster and render them blind long before they even get within range of the Varshakti fleet. This is made even more effective by the implementation of stealth technology on all Varshakti EWAR vessels, giving them increased survivability and larger surprise factor. Varshakti stealth runs on several levels. Level one would be simple optical stealth, making a ship invisible to the visible light spectrum. It is the least technologically advanced and most compact system and is thus often equipped on frigates or smaller vessels, but it is also the easiest to overcome. Level two would be the inclusion of thermal dampeners or heat sinks to reduce the ship's heat signature. The highest level, level three makes the ship invisible to even LADAR and magnetometric sensors. This emphasis on stealth allows the Varshakti to field stealth cruisers which can sneak into the midst of an enemy fleet undetected only to wreak havoc from within once a battle is well underway. The Varshakti have no preference for weapons, though they tend to lean towards missile and kinetic weaponry due to their relatively low power draw and ease of manufacturing. They make use of onboard shield regenerators to enhance the staying power of their vessels. In the case of their capital ships, there have been instances where the shields regenerate so quickly that it was impossible for the enemy to even crack the shields. [/hider] [hider=GANS Zamik ki Skakigos] Ship Designation: GANS Zamik ki Skakigos (Trans. Tormentor; lit.trans. One who [to]torments) Ship Registry: NS-363963 Ship Class: Forward Reconnaissance Cruiser Ship Size: 650 meters Ship Crew: 450 Ship Weapons: 6X Light Missile Launcher, loaded with EMP-HE dual stage charge 12X Point defense 'autocannons', 100mm 6X Medium artillery piece, 280mm Ship technologies: - Gravimetric sensors: Regardless of cloaking technology, the mass of a ship would cause a dent in the space-time fabric. This sensor detects such dents and gives the operator a sense of the scale of the enemy vessel. - Magnetometric sensors: In layman terms, this sensor 'sees' the magnetic field latent in all ships due to the vast electronics needed to keep them alive. - LADAR sensors: Fires a laser at the target, then uses the reflected light to acquire a high-resolution image of the target. - RADAR sensors: Uses radio waves to detect targets. - Multi-spectrum Electronic countermeasures: Jams enemy sensors across a wide range, delaying their targeting time or preventing from targeting at all. - Target Painter: Blows up an enemy ship's signature for faster and quicker targeting solutions by friendly ships - Signal interceptor: Able to intercept enemy communications - Level 2.5 stealth: Makes the ship invisible to visible light and LADAR sensors, and gives it a reduced thermal signature. The ship is still visible to radar and gravimetric sensors. High energy cost, and can only be active for a limited time before the heat sinks fail and start to cook the ship. - AI: Known as Void. Assists in targeting solutions and decoding intercepted enemy transmissions. - EM Pulse: As a last resort, the [i]Skakigos[/i] can direct all its available power to it's ECM suite, overloading it and releasing a powerful, wide-band electromagnetic pulse that would fry all electronics around the cruiser. It would also render the [i]Skakigos[/i] immobile and defenseless. Or it might blow up. Never been used. Ship Appearance: [img]http://img06.deviantart.net/3af9/i/2011/252/2/5/caldari_t3_cruiser___tengu_by_genious80-d49bhl8.jpg[/img] Notable missions: - Destruction of the [i]Vikorzin[/i]: The [i]Skakigos[/i] played an integral role in the destruction of the only pirate capital ship to ever invade Varshakti space by orbiting it at close range while jamming all it's targeting computers. - Evacuation of Station A-578: Assisted in the massive spacelift of civilians from an asteroid base under constant attack by outlaws. The [i]Skakigos[/i] stayed in the area of operations through the lift and reported on enemy fleet movements as well as hunting, jamming and destroying enemy scout vessels. Other: - Very little armour. Once the shields are cut through, it is as good as dead. - Aftermarket power core. Gives immense power, able to power both the cloak and one other ECM module. Quite unstable, and might fail catastrophically if pushed beyond limits. - Poorly armed for it's size. While it will chew up frigates, this 'cruiser' can hardly stand up against a destroyer without assistance. - The vast amounts of electronics squeezed into this cruiser gives it a rather large magnetometric signature, despite all the shielding. + Fast-regenerating shields. The shields regenerate fast enough that a quick breather from the fight is all the Sorrow needs to get it's shields back to full strength. + Shielded electronics. It would take quite a lot to knock out the ECM suite, or even its onboard computers. Everything is triple shielded on top of the regular shielding.[/hider] [hider=Sevazin] Name: Sevazin Age: 25 (Human years), 29 (Virsuniik years) Race: Varshakti Rank: Commander Skills: - Has prior military training as a groundside combatant - Familiar with demolitions - Capable marksman - Decent close-quarters fighter - Tech-savvy Away Mission Equipment: - Standard Varshakti Navy EVA suit - Mk VI Battle Rifle. A rail gun firing a larger-than-normal slug - Plasma-bladed sword sheathed on back. Appearance: Standing at 190cm tall, Sevazin is above the average height for a Varshakti. His feathers are a mix of green and black, with them being black from the root and gradually turning to green once they reach the tip. His larger feathers, however, are a bright shade of leaf green, making him look quite like a tree. Personality: Sevazin is almost perpetually calm, and slow to anger. He has to be; no recce cruiser has ever survived long with a hot-headed commander. Analytical almost to a fault, he sees others more as puzzles to be solved than people. He has a strong moral compass, one which has one several occasions gotten him into trouble. Quick-Bio: Sevazin had not always been a navy person. He had started out as a combat engineer in the Varshakti army, but eventually found himself transferred to the State Naval Academy following an incident involving a shuttle, his commanding officer and a faulty AI. While he displayed aptitude in commanding small ships, his skills with larger vessels left a lot to be desired. His first command was a small patrol frigate, and from there he worked his way up until he ended up in the [i]Skakigos[/i] [/hider]