I've got progress on le WIP Nation Sheet. Mostly for people to run by and comment on if there are any problems. Other than that, it's mostly just to show I'm actually working on stuff. [hider=The Lokoid Hierarchy] [center][b][h1]The Lokoid Hierarchy[/h1][/b] [h3]The Hierarchy, The Lokoid, The Roaches (Derogatory)[/h3][/center] [hr][hr] [h2][center][b]General Information[/b][/center][/h2] [hr] [h3]Non-combatant-Neutral[/h3] [hr] [h3][b]Overview[/b][/h3] The Lokoids are opportunistic, business-driven insectoids that focus on meritocracy, industry, and open trade. They are a major source for cheap but reliable hardware, ship components, and ready-made ships. This is driven by a desire to be relevant to the galaxy at large. The hierarchy was the result of hundreds of years of in-fighting and civil unrest where in a dominant civilization emerged uniting their planet under the strict dictatorship of the militarily superior Hierarchy. This civilization valued individual merit, enforced concepts like survival of the fittest and natural selection, and placed emphasis on economic industry, sustainable agriculture, and scientific advancement. This is why hundreds of years later, the Lokoid Hierarchy are one of the biggest suppliers of weapons, ships, mechanical and electronic components, food, and raw material. [hr] [h3][b]History[/b][/h3] When interstellar travel was achieved, the Lokoid Hierarchy viewed this as an opportunity to expand their reach into the vast emptiness of space. Over a period of fifty years, the Lokoid race was able to expand to a respectable size for a relatively young species. This rate of expansion would be the start of a burgeoning, star spanning civilization. The Lokoid being such a young race met the Ashtari as they appeared before first contact could be made with any other civilization. However, the Ashtari proved to be invaluable allies in trade. Their presence eliminated the need for expensive escorts fleets and they facilitated the first contact with many star spanning nations such as the Lokoid themselves. This, combined with the frequent rebellions within the opening years of the Ashtar dominion, allowed the Lokoid Hierarchy to expand their influence and trade opportunities. When the Ashtar disappeared, the Lokoid viewed this as an opening of a new era. Quickly adapting old ships into armed escorts. The great war period arrived and many nations were quick to target the sources of supply. Major belligerents and minor belligerents, having lost expensive equipment opted to use the cheaper Lokoid produced goods. The equipment and ships were of reasonable quality for its price, however, it was far from being the most effective. This was a non-issue as they fulfilled the roles of filling in gaps in the inventories and shipyards of major and minor belligerents alike. Most outsourced military technology and purchased supplies through cheap Lokoid labour. Outsourcing was more expensive, but was made available on a massive scale. This also allowed the Lokoid the opportunity to improve their overall image as general aid was provided through food, water, and medical supplies meant to ease the pain of war on many worlds. This continues even into the present day. The Lokoid Hierarchy is one of the biggest trade driven civilizations in the galaxy (WIP) [hr] [h3][b]Major Holdings[/b][/h3] [b]Saytak[/b] The homeworld of the Lokoid race. A planet ruined by industry and mining. Saytak is one of the shipbuilding worlds of the Lokoid. It is polluted to the point of non-habitation by the Lokoid. However, the large orbital ship construction yards allows it to stay relevant not just historically, but economically. [b]Takar[/b] Saytak’s moon, the primary habitation and agricultural center of the Saytak system. It allows the Lokoid to nest properly and feed a large workforce nearby on the Saytak orbital ship construction yards. [b]Sikwol[/b] The first interstellar colony and another industry focused planet. Sikwol is a special industry planet for its role in manufacturing prototype technology for use in the field. It is also a research hub for the Academic Caste. [b]Sikwol system asteroid field[/b] This asteroid field is mineral heavy, thus, a large quantity of raw materials is drawn from this asteroid field. It surrounds the Sikwol system and is often the site of field tests for prototype ship weaponry, sensors arrays, and shielding just to name a few. [b]Natok System[/b] A system seeded during the early years of interstellar colonization. Four of the system’s planets are food producing worlds that help sustain the Hierarchy’s large population. Two of the system’s worlds are heavily industrialized. This system is responsible for canning, preserving, and shipping food all over Hierarchy territory and, of course, for trade. [b]Nuk Graveyard[/b] Nuk is a relatively barren system where the Lokoid have built a large recycling plant. The Lokoid collect scrap and materials in order to turn them back into raw resources to be used in manufacturing. The Nuk graveyard, owned by Saytak Drive Works, is one of the largest recycling plants of its kind and it’s responsible for churning out ready to use materials while cleaning up the galaxy at large. [hr][hr] [h2][center][b]Demographics[/b][/center][/h2] [hr][hr] [h3][b]Population[/b][/h3] [hr] [h3][b]Society[/b][/h3] From birth, the order of the hierarchy is implemented. Lokoid young hatch from eggs within an egg sack as larvae. The liquids in the sack are consumed, filled with vital nutrients and antibiotics. The weak are eaten and the strong continue to develop. Once the survivors break out of the egg sack, they are taken as nymphs to be educated. Primary education begins, but nothing could prepare the young Lokoids for their second trial. The nymphs, nearing their adolescence, are thrown into the wilderness to survive. Cannibalism is encouraged if it means survival. They are given the lesson, eat or be eaten, survival of the fittest as they once did when they were larvae. But it was also natural selection as those who fail to adapt die off. The survivors at the end of the month are taken and given secondary education. Their secondary education focuses on general education of different subjects. Four years later, they are evaluated and if their scores drop below a quota they are euthanized, prepared as food, and is rationed to the rest of the now grown brood. Usually, the survival rate for Lokoids in their childhood are less than half. Their massive amounts of eggs per-person however necessitate this way of population control. The survivors are then given a caste position and specialization training. It is possible to move up in society through individual meritocracy. The weak and the stupid are recycled and eaten. This is vestigial behaviour from a more primitive time. The average lifespan of a Lokoid, if allowed to live in ideal conditions, is seventy solar years. However, the oldest known Lokoid was a hierarch who was reported to be 210 solar years old, indicating that in the best conditions the Lokoid can have a surprisingly long lifespan when compared to humans. The castes themselves are divided into five categories: [list] [*]The Ruling Caste [*]The Commerce Caste [*]The Academic Caste [*]The soldiery Caste [*]The Industrial Caste [/list] These ruling caste is composed of the fittest Lokoid, the ones who have displayed amazing intelligence and leadership ability within their respective caste. The ruling caste’s most powerful members are made up of five individuals known as the Hierarch Council. Each individual all have equal power to one another and have different jurisdictions. However, there is always one individual among the five that presides among the five. This individual would come to be known as the supreme hierarch. The representatives themselves are known as, from descending order of caste, the hierarch of commerce, the hierarch of research and development, the hierarch of war, and the hierarch of industry. The supreme hierarch is chosen based on leadership ability and is chosen among the five hierarchs of the ruling caste. Only a majority vote within the council of hierarchs can have the supreme hierarch replaced. The commerce caste is composed of traders and businessmen. The commerce caste is specifically for those among the Lokoid who display great social skills and have an eye for business. The commerce caste is the primary economic group that provide the Lokoid new business opportunities in the galaxy. They acquire trade licenses, manufacturing patents, design contracts, and more. On top of this, the commerce caste is also responsible for lending and collecting loans, managing budgets and expenses, and conducting audits on the other castes. The academic caste is composed of Lokoids who display amazing aptitudes for the sciences. The academic caste is responsible for technological gains within the hierarchy. They are in charge of designing new ships and weapons for use in manufacturing. On top of this, they are in charge of scientific advancement in many fields such as botany and particle physics just to name a few. If the commerce caste is equated to a marketing and advertising department then the academic caste is research and development. This is where new products are made and approved. If approved they are handed over to the commerce caste and industrial caste for marketing and mass production. The soldiery caste is responsible for choosing the strongest among the castes and placing them into sub castes. These sub castes are divided by merit and intelligence. There are four major sub castes: [list] [*]Command Caste - Responsible for NCO’s and command staff [*]Specialized Caste - Responsible for special operations [*]Regular Caste - Responsible for regular soldiers and fleet personnel [*]Support Caste - Responsible for operating equipment and vehicles [/list] These sub castes are responsible for training and selecting from placed or recruited members of the Soldiery caste. They are the backbone of the militant might of the hierarchy and make use of automated combatants if needed and are a common sight when collecting due debts and in security details. The industrial caste is the largest among the castes and is where most Lokoid are placed. Some may find their way up the ladder from the industrial caste and into the other bodies of the hierarchy. The industrial caste is the primary workforce of the hierarchy. They are responsible for manufacturing goods, mining, and farming. They are given many avenues to rise up from this rung of society through merit. Pursuing education, displaying high levels of skill or strength, making logical and intelligent decisions, and more. The survival of the fittest and natural selection are at play. Those who do not adapt, stay in the industrial caste and are shackled to a life of service and are loaned as cheap manpower for the rest of the galaxy. Because of the individualistic nature of most Lokoid, this is seen as normal. Those who are left behind are left with basic skills and enough intelligence to do their job. [hr] [h3][b]Economy[/b][/h3] The economy of the Lokoid is powered by industry and cheap labor under a company known as the Lokoid Trade Group. Under the Lokoid Trade Group (LTG) are subsidiaries such as Saytak Drive Works, Sikwol Science Corps, Natok Supply Corps, Saytak Engineering Guild, Saytak Banking Corporation, and the Sikwol Mining company. The Lokoid Trade Group is one of the largest companies in the galaxy and it allows the Hierarchy to achieve a ludicrous amount of income comparable to that of megacorporations. [hr] [h3][b]Government[/b][/h3] The government is the Ruling Caste. The Hierarch Council disseminates their orders to system regional governors which keeps all systems in line with the will of the hierarchy. The council of hierarchs is made up of five members. [list] [*]The Supreme Hierarch - Chosen by the Hierarch Council [*]The Hierarch of Commerce - Governs the Commerce Caste [*]The Hierarch of Research and Development - Governs the the Academic Caste [*]The Hierarch of War - Governs the Soldiery Caste [*]The Hierarch of Industry - Governs over mass production [/list] These members of the council all have equal power except for the Supreme Hierarch who supersedes the rest of the council. The council deliberates everything related to running the Hierarchy as a whole. [hr][hr] [h2][center][b]Technological Information[/b][/center][/h2] [hr][hr] [h3][b]Major Techs[/b][/h3] Mostly interested in military techs, here: FTL, weapons, shields, armor, power, engines, etc. Civilian techs are also here, and sometimes just as important. [hr][hr] [h2][center][b]Military Information[/b][/center][/h2] [hr][hr] [h3][b]Military Overview[/b][/h3] Describe general doctrine, history, whatever floats your space boats. [hr] [h3][b]Fleet/Navy[/b][/h3] Your space boats. Include pics or don’t, I’m not your supervisor. You’ll probably want to have one or two of most of the classes, but it doesn’t really matter too much. I’m also including some flavour options here that you might want to consider. In short, the history of the galaxy has divied up ship designs into three waves: Great War (ships built before and during the Great War), Detente (ships built during the Detente, some wonky designs in the larger classes due to treaty limitations), and Modern (ships built in the year since the message) [b]DO NOT put your hyperdread here, it gets its own section.[/b] Dreadnoughts: Only a few were built before the end of the Great War, the destructive potential of these vessels was a major contributor to ending the conflict. Those old ones are pretty obsolete, and any new ones are only just coming into service (mostly in secret) due to the Treaty of Detente banning their construction. Battleships: The grand old ladies that did all the fighting of the Great War. The Treaty of Detente imposed limitations on their sizes and destructive potential, so if you want to get intricate there’s 3 waves of battleships: Great War, Detente, and Modern. Great War is self explanatory, old sluggers and antiques. Detente battleships were awkward creations involving all kinds of elaborate ways to get around the Treaty without actually violating it. Lots of glass cannon designs here, or iron fortresses that couldn’t scratch eachother’s paint, or half baked experimental weapon systems, or novel propulsion methods that only work if nobody on board sneezes. Modern battleships are just coming into service, and are quite deadly. Battlecruisers: The treaty of Detent also limited battlecruisers, in an effort to avoid just slightly reducing the size of ship involved in any potential arms race. Similar design iterations to Battleships; Great War, Detente, and Modern. Detente battlecruisers were often cripplingly overspecialized: dedicated point defence ships, artillery vessels, mass shielding vessels, etc. Battlecruiser designs from the Detente period were often put together as a way to shore up the weaknesses of their contemporaneous Battleship partners. Cruisers: Nothing special here. Destroyers: Still nothing special. Frigates: Nope. Corvettes: Corvettes can be thought of in several iterations just kidding I don’t care what you do with these things. Unless you try to just upscale what I’m trying to avoid with strike craft. Strike craft: K I’m actually gonna sort of limit these things, or rather, the things that carry them around. Strike craft have long been an important part of space combat, so most nations have them and defences against them. Historically, they’ve been used as close in support; no one’s yet figured out how to strap useful FTL drives on the things. All this means that long range strikes aren’t practical. What I’m trying to get at is Carrier’s aren’t really a thing, or at least dedicated carriers aren’t. Plenty of room for Battlestar type things (fighty-boats with a solid complement of strike craft), but no dropping off a carrier squadron on one side of the system then expecting your strikecraft to win the fight on the other side. A notable exception is your Hyperdread. Do whatever you want with your super special awesome boat. [hr] [h3][b]Army/Planetary forces[/b][/h3] Outline some doctrine, highlight some major units. I’m not great at doing ground forces so not much guidance here. [hr] [h3][b]Hyperdread[/b][/h3] Go frikin nuts. Pics are nice. [hr] [/hider]