[h1][center]Silent Cathedral[/center][/h1]

[b]Systems Controlled:[/b] 7

[b]Government:[/b] Hive Consensus

[b]Nation Size:[/b] Medium

[b]Nation Specialty:[/b] Stellar Devourers

A specialisation that is focused on dismantling stellar objects and turning them into raw materials, these nations are industrial powerhouses that can shift their might towards military, economy or population growth fluidly. As such, once they have established a proper infrastructure in a system, they are almost impossible to oust.

However, with so much dedicated to industry, it is no surprise that their technology advances at a glacial pace. At the same time, not only does their infrastructure take a significant time to set up, they also have little incentive to develop FTL technologies beyond the basics, which results in a much slowed speed of expansion.

[h3]Species[/h3]
[b]Flock:[/b] In layman's terms, a Flock is sapient consciousness equivalent housed inside a skull-sized sphere of metal and circuitry, capable of controlling purpose-built equipment in a bubble of eight metres in diamater, centered on the device itself. In more complicated terms, a single Flock is a positronic brain capable of replicating sapient decision-making processes and is equipped with a command emitter that can connect to any machine built with Silent Cathedral technology within four metres of itself. Like in sapient creatures, there are significant mental deviations between each Flock. This is inherent to their method of creation and while alternates exist, they produce less than desirable results.

[b]Prophet:[/b] A scaled-up version of Flock technology that includes antiprotonic and quantum processing elements in its structure, Prophets are the pinnacle of Silent Cathedral technology. With a calculating and broadcast capacity far beyond that of any Flock, it is no stretch to say that they hold far greater power at their disposal, but at the same time, they are more limited in other aspects. For instance, while a Prophet's control extends to sixteen thousand kilometres (roughly 0.53 light-seconds) in radius, they are also incredibly difficult to manufacture. Each Prophet consciousness takes years upon years of work to assemble and the process may not be sped up due to the delicate procedures required.

They also exhibit less distinct personalities than the Flock, with their creativity especially lacking. Therefore, experience is an essential factor for how well a Prophet may perform at any given task, with a role far greater than what it might ordinarily play in the case of other sapients.

[b]Scepter:[/b] Swarms upon swarms of biological, mechanical or electrical sub-sapient intelligences purpose-built to perform certain functions within society, including war. To cover their sheer variance along with their numbers is impossible, as each Prophet creates their own personal variant on the standard template so they might better suit their preferences. Perhaps it is erroneous to even classify them as a species, however, their numbers along with their prevalence in all aspects of Cathedral society necessitates their mention.

[h3]Culture[/h3]

[h3]Notable Technologies[/h3]
[b]Artificial Consciousness Creation:[/b] This label covers the many technologies and methods that serve as the cornerstone of Silent Cathedral life, as nearly every mind that interacts with their society is assembled rather than created through a natural progression of their life-cycle. Given their experience with the subject, it is no surprise that they can create sub-sapient minds to meet precise specifications. However, while they possess the means to create sapient intelligences, that process is much less controlled.

[b]Life-form Alteration:[/b] The expertise of Cathedral scientists also extends to genetic manipulation, modular components and biological integration of machinery, all of which they use on a daily basis to create new Scepter or modify existing ones to better suit their purpose. It is safe to say that with proper study, they are able to alter any life-form - biological, mechanical or otherwise - to suit their purposes, though significantly complex life would take decades of research.

[b]Esoteric Energy Harvesters:[/b] One of the least understood pieces of technology the Cathedral possesses, this device enables them to rapidly gather energy from all nearby sources. To use a poor explanation, these devices act as vacuums for various forms of energy in a given radius, usually collecting them at a rate that exceeds their natural accumulation. Certain variants are even capable of absorbing gravitational potential energy, slowly weakening a stellar body's gravity.

Due to their complexity and difficult manufacturing process, these devices are almost never seen in military use.

[b]Perimeter Shield:[/b] Yet another piece of barely-understood technology, this is a two-way defensive bubble that can protect its charge from anything the universe can throw at it. During the extensive testing carried out by the Silent Cathedral, nothing has been able to penetrate it for as long as it is up, though this goes both from the inside and the outside. Therefore, any weapon protected by a Perimeter Shield is as good as useless and there is also the massive energy requirement to consider.

To put it simply, it is literally impossible to make a Perimeter Shield that could encompass a volume large enough to support its continuous existence. Not even the largest generator and battery complexes can generate a Perimeter Shield that lasts beyond a couple of minutes; the duration only gets worse on installations or spaceships that make use of the technology.

[b]Stellar Dismantling:[/b]

[b]ARK-Drive:[/b] Interstellar travelling method that generates wormholes between two points of space. It is capable of transmitting extreme amounts of mass, not to mention connecting two planets with each other, however, it is incredibly slow when compared to other methods of FTL.

[h3]Economy[/h3]

[h3]Military[/h3]