The Outer Rim has always been one of those vague, unexplored parts of the galaxy. In the interests of safety, nations refrain from sending large fleets into uncharted territory and the probes that are sent tend to wind up mysteriously vanishing. For the longest time, it was unknown how or why the Outer Rim was so unexplored.
Then the Sinnsyk appeared. At first glance these colorful, diminutive creatures don't seem like much of a threat. Who would be scared of a few hooded raiders? But they quickly established themselves as a fearsome pirate group. They could strike deep into the heart of hostile territories with nary a blip on the radar. Top secret military projects were somehow being fielded in enemy hands months before they were officially released. Unmanned probes and drones would suddenly go dark, their information lost. This was the legacy of the Sinnsyk. They went from another snotty pirate culture to fearsome thieves and phantoms of the night, with a ravenous desire for technology
To those who work with the Sinnsyk, they are determined engineers and programmers, machinists in the purest sense of the word. No code is to complex, no machine to big and their ability to find errors in such devices is uncanny. To their enemies, the Sinnsyk represent a subtle, mysterious threat. They strike deep in hostile territory practically unscathed, take what they want and leave. They have ears all over and the Network has its finger in every criminal underworld. This ability to avoid conflict, to hide from danger and to simply learn unprecedented amounts of information in short time spans more than makes up for their physical weaknesses.
Official Name: Sinnsyk Star Network Common Name: The Sinnsyk Government: Federated raider network Dominant Species: The Sinnsyk, uniquely Capital: Whilst the Sinnsyk don't have an official government as such, it is generally agreed that the largest of their star bases is the Stortvarmt Station. Systems Owned: None Planets Owned: 9 fully owned and habitable, though some planets they simply squat on and don't make moves to control. Population: TBC
History
TBC
Starmap Information
Galactic Location
TBC
Major Holdings
Largest Starbases: Stortvarmt Litenkaldt Solopp Kaotiskgalskap Behera
Held Planets from Largest to Smallest: Paardveid Breizh Pfrerdreich Ruiterji Aishite Huilebalk Gesteente Maanaw Stenholm
Social Information
Demographics
The only race that occupies the Sinnsyk Star Network is the eponymous Sinnsyk. Sinnsyk are short humanoids, about four to five foot tall, with white skin, segmental heterochromatic eyes, fluffy, feathery hair that comes in a frankly obscene variety of colours and markings all up and down their body that glow colourfully. Weight swings between 6 to 9 stone by imperial measurements, due to excessively thin muscle and fat mass. Their bodies are covered in soft, supple skin that remains smooth from childhood to maturity. Colouration is always snow white with special markings of a single, bioluminescent color. These markings can range from a few short lines on the face to long complex patterns all over the face and body. They gain nutrition via oral consumption and are particularly dependent of fructose, glucose and sucrose, which they grow and consume in large quantities. Mentally, Sinnsyk are known for their attachment to machines. This attachment has spread deep into their society, with machines of all sorts being used as currency and treasure. This has raised a point of contention amongst scholars; what the Sinnsyk did before discovering electricity is a mystery and no Sinnsyk history source goes back that far. They also have a disturbing reaction to violence - when threatened, they projectile vomit. This puke is highly corrosive and can blind and burn anyone it lands on, with the exception of the Sinnsyk themselves. Again, this is genetically hard coded into their DNA. Disturbing evidence has been unearthed to suggest the Sinnsyk were deliberately genetically engineered, though who and why they did this is as of yet unknown. Their appearances, being highly effeminate by Human standards even amongst males, is consistent amongst them all. Even the most masculine of them is never much more than androgynous - some scholars suggest this points to deliberate genetic manipulation whilst others claim this could be a perfectly natural occurrence. Their consistent desire to gather more technology is present in 100% of specimens, a rate unheard of for a personality trait, even a culturally enforced trait, and their unusual racial unity even amongst different enclaves lacks the tribalism common amongst natural races.
Society
"This is not merely a madhouse designed by a madman, but a madhouse designed by many madmen, each with an intense hatred for the previous madman's unique flavour of madness."
Sinnsyk society is not a hard one to recognise. The colour gives them away. The colour grey apparently does not exist for Sinnsyk, since everything from clothes to ships is painted in bright, intense colours. Colour is present in all aspects of a Sinnsyk's life, and grey just bores the heck out of them, so dont expect to get much eye rest if you decide to visit.
Sinnsyk also enjoy duality and opposition, which makes up a large part of their philosophical culture. They believe that everything has at least two forms and that by changing between forms at the right time, one can construct something far greater than the sum of its parts. This duality can be something as simple as broken and functional, on and off or together and apart, or something far greater and more complex. This is one explanation as to why they wear such strange garments - the opposition of the bright colours and comfortable material with the fearsome, terrifying images that are worn on them. Some Sinnsyk use duality and opposition in a different way, such as adorning themselves with dead flowers, their sweet scent being sickening, or making tight, body-hugging suits that sexualise them out of hard, protective materials that prevent entry.
It wouldn't be a raider culture without something to raid. It is the technological, from simple mechanics right up to unimaginable technological wonders, that forms the centrepiece of Sinnsyk society. Every station has a massive electronic footprint, every Sinnsyk room is fitted with a workbench for taking apart and putting together devices. They trade in tech the way other races use currency. Machinery is the lifeblood of the Network and its a Sinnsyk's whole reason for being. Without it, they would have nothing.
Law and order in the Network is a simple affair. Sinnsyk are expected to flout the rules of any planet they set foot on - Such limits only slow them down in their mission. Rape and murder are always forbidden, but there is nothing stopping a Sinnsyk from fighting back if they were attacked first. "Purposefully drawing blood" - with exemption to medical grounds - is also forbidden. They often identify with local criminals and gangs, which often has hit and miss effects. Sometimes they set up large, successful smuggling rings. Sometimes they find themselves locked up sweatshops and brothels. Depends on the gang really.
Internal dissent is very limited, made up of a few small scale grudges or rivalries - nothing that threatens to overthrow the Network as a whole. Sinnsyk treat alien races mostly with respect, unless they have some tech they want. Then they become rivals, but even then Sinnsyk treat rivalries as big games and are never overly violent or cruel.
Government
Sinnsyk have a very... loose government, which isn't the same as none at all. Generally, what happens is that a group of Sinnsyk will band together and work on a project together, then manage it between themselves. None of the Starbases, for example, were commissioned by a governing body by by groups of individual Sinnsyk who banded together to create what they created. Obviously a group of Sinnsyk who governs a Starbase or colonise a planet have more clout amongst the Network than than those who don't, but this disjointed system makes it hard to control certain individuals. It does, however, encourage Sinnsyk to work and achieve based on their own merits, so only the most diligent, most resourceful or most brilliant will climb to the top.
Technological Information
Technology Overview
Tech is the lynchpin of Sinnsyk society. Its like currency to them. The whole society focuses on or strives to gain more technology. They cant get enough of the stuff, it's like an itch that they need to scratch. As such, Technology amongst the Network is a bit chimeric. Nothing ever looks quite right. Its all taken from other nations, then experimented on and changed in ways that most people would either never have imagined or would never have dared. Every machine is unique, every device one of a kind, as every Sinnsyk who makes or steals has their own idea of what good tech is like. The Network thrives on its unique, crazy creativity and the abominations it creates because of it. Many innocent Sinnsyk have lost their minds to the desperate pursuit of more and more complex technology, constantly seeking bigger, better things. Confusingly, many Sinnsyk raiders constantly work on and improve technology purely for the purpose of stealing more technology. Improved stealth systems always get used for stealing things to improve their stealth system. God knows what would happen if the Sinnsyk ever created the ultimate version of something Its not just machines or programmes either, but medicines, chemicals, elements... anything vaguely related to science or technology, they want their own spin on it. Being as chaotic and as unpredictable as they are, the Sinnsyk rarely produce the same thing in bulk and this can make trade a little confusing. They rapidly get bored of making the same things over and over, and turn to grander projects as their minds change, leaving long-term business partners in the lurch. That steady supply of plasma pistols may suddenly become plasma shotguns, then plasma sniper rifles, and they wont understand why you're so upset.
Major Techs
Hand Crank Energy Chargers: Ah, those ancient, obsolete methods everyone else abandoned long ago. How they are sadly underused. Sinnsyk energy weapons are powered by hand-crank batteries, meaning the charge can be easily refilled. On the plus side, this makes ammo logistics far easier, and ensures that Sinnsyk never run out of shot on the field. On the other hand, trying to hand crank a machine gun in the midst of combat aint exactly easy, or quick.
Industry
Its no secret that the Sinnsyk are some of the most diligent engineers and mechanics in the galaxy. Recruiting them is a difficult task but highly rewarding, and since many have connections as part of the Network, what you pay them usually finds its way into circulation back home. Since the concept of money is so foreign to them, these engineers end up driving down the value of nearby techies, whilst lowering costs and raising profit for whatever company employs them - so if a Sinnsyk comes to town, you'll want to snag them before your rivals do.
The split between planets and starbases is simple. Planets are agricultural, starbases are industrial. If you live on a planet, it is expected that you will grow and raise the crops of the Network, which is traded with Starbases for consumption. Some starbases have small agricultural regions, but these are only really present in those bases that are out the way. Starbases' usual product is the various machines, robots and tech that provide the backbone of the Network.
Sinnsyk often find work in the black markets of foreign nations, either as traders and scrappers or as runners. Their short stature and feminine appearances mean they can easily be mistaken for children at first glance, which makes smuggling a lot easier.
Military Information
Military Overview
Space Forces
Navy Doctrine: The navy has a fondness for penetration stratagems. They strike deep into the core of the enemy territory, then go on a raiding spree. Of course this is done quietly and in a seemingly random order, which makes it hard to predict where they'll be next. Their ships are small and light, fast moving and equipped with high-quality stealth devices. This obviously drains from their armour and weapons systems - even the heaviest Network ship does little more than disable any ships and rarely destroys them outright.
Ground Forces
Ground Doctrine: Sinnsyk ground tactics are characterised by their long range, cautious nature, and swift entrance and exit. They rarely attack directly, preferring instead to harass and frustrate enemies, wearing down morale and attacking supplies. They are keen practitioners of the Fabian Strategy, even on foreign ground, and a large part of their strategies rely on remaining undetected for as long as possible. Tactically, they also use long-range harassment tactics. Small fire teams are deployed as opposed to large, overwhelming armies, and combat vehicles focus on speed and stealth, not armour. Even artillery sacrifices power for speed, so the whole theatre of war can be packed up and shipped out as soon as possible. fire team tactics include long-range fire then falling back or going into hiding, so as to frustrate and demoralise the enemy. Civilian casualties are avoided as much as possible.
