[b][/b][hider=Calaerin Union, in which Space Horses become a thing]
[b]Faction Name:[/b] 
The Calaerin Union

[b]Faction Type:[/b] 
Federated union of constituent member states

[b]Species:[/b] 
Mqah (pronounce mica) are a race of quadrupedal creatures. Although they are generally shorter than a human in height, they are built more solidly, giving them greater weight and strength. Their hoof-equivalents are able to bend in most directions and have specialized adhesive properties for grabbing objects. Mqah lifespans are approximately 200 years before any form of genetic or mechanical modification, but the mqah reproduction rate is consequently lower. There exists a winged sub-species, but they are relatively rare because of comparative frailty in relation to their grounded cousins and having been less expansive historically.Coloration tends towards earthy hues, but more eccentric varieties are not unheard of with genetic modification. 

[b]Scale & Territory:[/b] 
For all practical purposes, the Calaerin Union is a one-system polity. Part of this stems due to the slowness of their FTL travel system, but it is also due to the wealth and use of their home system. Among the bodies surrounding the Calaer System's stars are four habitable planets at varying stages of development: Ullum (the home planet), Flyne (the first exo-planet settled and seat of the Union), Draql (a major industrial center due to easily accessible resources), and Gillad (a burgeoning colony planet). The Union controls almost the entirety of the system but can do little to influence areas outside of its domain.

[b]Culture:[/b] 
If there ever was a perfect nation, it would not be the Calaerin Union. Although it may appear as a unified government to an uninformed observer, the Union is actually composed of the various governments of the different planets and regions and their representatives to the Union's governing bodies. Political maneuvering is common, even expected, and is often a source of mild annoyance to those not benefiting from whatever foolish actions is undertaken. The government has proven capable of uniting decisively, however, for such crises or developments as Fall-Through regulation or the Varuzh War. Significant competition occurs within and between the constituent governments of the Union, yet it is a competition which promotes efficiency or, at the least, usefulness in order to advance. Politics, however, is a game played by the less ambitious.

A majority of Mqahn society revolves around the Great Game, the most impressive and enduring facet of the species. Compared to more traditional political and social wars, the Great Game is decidedly less violent and destructive. What it lacks in cut-throat tactics it makes up in complexity. There is no set path to greatness in the game; in fact, the leading members and criteria for ranking can change in as little as a day. Some groups do maintain relatively steady positions due to a stronger core of loyalty, however.

Their diverse and individualistic spirit, core to the Great Game, extends to other fields. Companies and organizations frequently work together on projects and split apart as soon as the project is complete, respecting and each other for their work while simultaneously sabotaging the now-rival's actions. Not all cooperation works in this manner, however, notably in relation to family, species, and nationality. Allegiances to these three facets of an individual rarely change.

Finally, rules are the basis of the Calaerin Union. Great respect exists for almost all rules, be they governmental, organizational, or situational, yet said rules are interpreted liberally. Incredibly strict requirements are found and followed, but rules generally leave loop-holes, if only for them who created it. 

[b]History:[/b] 
In its current form, the Calaerin Union is a mere one hundred years old. A body of interplanetary oversight existed before the creation of the Union but was limited in its scope because the Fall-Through system had not yet been developed. Colonization had begun in the decades before the founding with the use of long-lasting colony ships designed to support their host populations for several years in case supplies could not be brought to them. Flyne was the first settled, the result of an international effort to plant a population on another planet to demonstrate the existence of such capabilities. However, the cost of space travel at the time meant that the outposts established on the planet lagged behind in development compared to the nations of Ullum, sometimes a decade behind, other times only a few months. Draql was confirmed as suitable for habitation following the launch of probes from Flyne. As space-faring technology had advanced swiftly between the founding of Flyne and Draql, much larger outposts were established initially. Despite their efforts at unity, though, the massive separation between planets limited true efforts at integrating the colonies.

When the Fall-Through system was established, few could believe its capabilities. Although not the long-sought FTL travel device, it allowed near-c velocities that avoided the problems of time and mass dilation. The various planets of the Mqah, once weeks apart in terms of physical travel, were now mere hours with this most rudimentary device. Ullum, suffering from some overpopulation problems, unanimously agreed on a policy of expansion and development. Over the twenty years between Fall-Through and the founding of the Calaerin Union, millions of Mqahn would migrate to the other two planets.

Burgeoning populations and desire for representation combined with the ability to travel easily between the stars, leading to the formation of the Calaerin Union as a political-economic agreement between the governments of the various nations occupying the planets. With better codified systems for travel and development, expansion of the colonies became more efficient. Even this effort, the largest display of unity the Mqahn had shown, was not safe from the game of politics, however. An attempt by fringe elements of the government to exert influence ended in the destruction of one of the moons of Ullum, killing tens of thousands and obliterating an important center for space travel on the planet. Harsh restrictions, not often seen in the species, came down upon use of the Fall-Through system to prevent an even greater accident or attack from occurring.

The first major conflict that the Calaerin Union faced began approximately fifty-three years before modern day. Competition between various factions in the arms industry and their pressure on the government had escalated to a severe corporate war, harming millions in their tactics. Draql and its populace, often neglected when it came to purposes of interplanetary governance, took this opportunity to declare its independence from the Calaerin Union. Renaming themselves the Varuzh Federation, they imprisoned or cast out those who remained loyal to the Union. A rather bloodless coup, the action was still opposed by those of the Union. A battlegroup was sent to Draql to force them to stand down. As the ships neared the planet, the command ship was destroyed by a strike from an orbital satellite, smashing into and obliterating the Union vessel. Thus began a conflict which would consume eight years and millions of lives before ending with the victory of the Calaerin Union, destroying the last of the secessionists.

Much sobered by their harrowing experience, the Mqah as a whole eased what they viewed as their excessive competitiveness, moving towards cooperation. In the forty-three years since the end of the Varuzh War, the Calaerin Union has recovered and grown. Gillad was founded fifteen years before modern day as the newest of the Calaerin expansion projects. Although their dreams still aim outwards, practical limits keep the Calaerin Union's actions contained to the Calaer system.

[b]Technology:[/b] 
It is technology that has brought the Mqah to this point in their history, and it is their technology that will help carry them into the future, strange or normal as the future may be. One of the most important features of their technological base is its development for use without any form of fingers or similar appendages, instead centered around their 'hooves' and mouths for use. This face aside, Mqahn technology is greatly advanced in many areas, especially those of robotics, sensors (RADAR being only part of new devices), and material sciences. Cold fusion, although available and with the possibility of implementation, is second to use of power cells. More compact than a cold fusion system, power cells are able to store a massive amount of energy that allows operation of vehicles and installations for extended periods of time. Only those objects which require true power independence are equipped with cold fusion generators, namely more expensive military vessels and central power grids.

Unable to leave the Calaer system in any meaningful manner, much of the Union's effort has gone into mapping and controlling the territory. Advanced sensor systems and analysis software developed to meet this desire on both a military and civilian front, with a significant difference between the two. Stations, largely automated, are scattered throughout space as refueling, sensor, and refining units. Most of the menial tasks are conducted by autonomous dumb AI with organic oversight, although some corporations and branches largely entrust various systems to developing smart, non-sentient AI.

No true Mqahn FTL drive exists. Instead, their "Fall-Through" system shifts gravitational acceleration to achieve high speeds but relies on the local star's gravity to work and is bounded by the speed of light as a limit. Time distortions are avoided with the drive by also changing its reference frame. Because of the potential disasters that could happen with the Fall-Through units, travel using them is heavily regulated by the government and attending corporations. Civilian ships are rarely equipped with units of their own, instead relying on stationary Way Gates to travel between planets or to remote outposts. Government and military ships more frequently feature Fall-Through units, but a strict usage protocol is in place requiring multiple authentication.

[b]Military Forces:[/b] 
Union military forces and doctrine are largely designed around defense and patrolling of the Calaer system as lack of an FTL drive severely limits power projection. Actively patrolling the system with manned units represents a massive drain on resources and was quickly discarded as an option when interplanetary expansion began. Instead, autonomous or automated weapons platforms make up a bulk of the Union's space forces. Concentrated around planets, mining complexes, and space stations, other remote stations still occupy seemingly empty areas of deep space. Most military platforms, both manned and unmanned, are built around connectivity and stealth, making movement and detection an important part of doctrine.

Both in space and on the ground, Combative Autonomous Integrated Network (CAIN) defines the battlefield. Manned vehicles and individuals, already an uncommon sight in space, is truly rare for terrestrial operations. Multi-role weapons platforms are found skirting combat zones, using their own sensor data and that of others in their network to track and fight opposing forces. Dedicated control, intelligence, and electronic warfare units are situated many kilometers from the battlefield or right alongside front-line units as the situation requires, giving tactical, operational, and strategic flexibility.

Active and passive protection systems are present on virtually all combat units, which, although necessitating a not-insignificant reduction in armoring for a similar weight and mobility, gives each platform a greater chance of surviving an encounter with an enemy. Although weak individually, mutual defensive support helps increase survivability, especially against physical weapons. Greater reliance on energy weapons has developed due to their bypassing a large number of currently operational protection systems, spurring once again a foray into armor. Tldr; the military is confused again.
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