THE HOKU | HUKAT MYTHOS

THE BEGINNING

In the unfathomable expanse of the void, where time and space were yet unborn, there existed only the cold, lifeless abyss. It was here that Koxazat sparked the first flame. This fire was not a gentle warmth but a searing, blinding brilliance that tore through the endless darkness.

From this fiery maelstrom emerged Paza, the Greater Light, radiant and fierce. Her presence illuminated the void, and her brilliance terrified Koxazat. Consumed by envy and fear, he sought to extinguish her, plunging his primordial claws into her radiant form.

But as Paza's celestial body shattered, it gave birth to Ho-Paza, the Greater Sun, and Unenja, the Lesser Sun. Their light dimmed in comparison to Paza's, but their existence was a testament to her enduring power. Her fragmented body scattered like cosmic dust, birthing the myriad of stars that would fill the void.

Koxazat sent Ho-Paza and Unenja into the distant reaches of the cosmos, away from his domain. Left alone with the twinkling stars, he reveled in the cold, distant light, relishing their whispers that affirmed his supremacy.

Koxazat embodies is the ceaseless river of time, an unending flow that carves and erodes all in its path, the etching and erasure of history in the stones of oblivion. It manifests in the decay and disintegration of all things, turning vibrant civilizations into desolate ruins, and lush landscapes into arid, windswept deserts. It is not a deity to be revered or antagonized, but a primordial force to be accepted with trembling submission. It is said to be most present in the howling tops of everlasting mountain ranges, in the aridest deserts, and in canyons carved by ancient rivers. Being represented by visions of ruins, rivers, or mountains in the motifs it appears.

THE WORLD

As Ho-Paza and Unenja journeyed through the void, their radiant presence stirred jealousy among the stars. The stars, fueled by resentment, united their luminous forces to assail Unenja, the Lesser Sun.

Their relentless onslaught marred her once-glorious radiance, casting her in a perpetual crimson hue, a reminder of the wounds inflicted upon her. Yet, despite the stars' cruelty, Unenja clung fiercely to the precious gift Ho-Paza had bestowed upon her: a perfectly round lustrous orb.

In her determination to protect the orb, Unenja's fiery hands inadvertently shaped the contours of this cosmic sphere. Her tears, shed in agony and defiance, cascaded onto the orb's surface, giving birth to the vast oceans. From these watery depths emerged the first life forms, emerging from the muddy waters as grotesque and mysterious creatures, forever influenced by her suffering and trauma.

Household figures of Unenja (left) and Ho-Paza (right) from the Early Hukat Empire

whole collection dates approx. 6000 BFH

THE SOLAR CROSS

The greater sun, symbolizing enlightenment and creation, is a central theme in their art and philosophy. It represents the source of knowledge and the creative spark that fuels their civilization's growth.

The lesser sun, embodying the concept of lifeforce, holds significant importance in Hukat culture. It signifies vitality, sustenance, and the essence of life itself. This motif is prevalent in their daily rituals and artwork, emphasizing the importance of vitality in their society.

The imperial seal and flags of the ancient Hukat Empire prominently feature a variant of what humans would recognize as the Solar Cross symbol. Their imperial flag is a regal blue with a golden solar cross right in the center, serving as a symbol of their cultural identity and imperial might. To signify year-round prosperity, a smaller red sun is added to the golden cross, underscoring their commitment to abundance and well-being - the superposed suns are a common sight across the world as they orbit each other, and the Hukat were quick to incorporate it as if the sky itself was their flag. The Hukat Bisolar Cross continued to be utilized across the ages as a symbol of power and prosperity until it was ultimately supplanted by the Expanse Lotus, way into the Stellar Era.

THE GUARDIANS

To safeguard her sister and the nascent world from the ever-watchful and envious stars, Ho-Paza forged the Five Guardians:

Bagede, the God of Trickery and Deception

Figure of Bagede, the inscription is the attribute "magic"

In the celestial hierarchy of the Hukat mythology, Bagede occupies a unique and mischievous position. He was conceived by Paza as a simple and innocent idea to serve as a youthful and obedient guardian in the sky realm. However, what emerged was far from obedient. Bagede's essence brimmed with boundless energy, unbridled ingenuity, and an insatiable penchant for mischief. He became the celestial trickster, a joker whose antics could rival the most audacious of mortal pranksters.

Bagede's playful nature proved invaluable in the battle against the envious stars. His ability to outwit and confound the celestial bodies played a vital role in capturing and neutralizing their malevolent influence. However, when he wasn't on duty, Bagede's antics reverberated through the heavens. His laughter echoed like thunder, and his pranks disrupted the tranquility of the celestial realm.

To further amplify their trickery, Bagede often collaborated with Kotixera, the Hunter and Crafter Goddess. Together, they devised ingenious contraptions and elaborate schemes to trick not only celestial beings but also mortals. Mortals who found themselves ensnared in their devious traps often emerged forever changed, their fates intertwined with the malevolent whims of these two divine tricksters.

Bagede's domain extended beyond mere trickery. He held sway over the realm of self-entitlement, where individuals believed they were entitled to more than they deserved. He thrived on chaos and reveled in the inexplicable accidents that defied all rational explanations. When disaster struck against all odds, it was often seen as the handiwork of Bagede, the capricious deity who found amusement in the unpredictable.

Bagede was a deity of duality. He could assume the form of a mischievous, winged teenage figure adorned with numerous collars, piercings, and bracelets. However, at times, he revealed himself as an old man with the same youthful adornments, a testament to his status as the first god and the embodiment of time's ceaseless passage.

Ovigeza, the God of Lightning, Fire, Messengers, and Archers

Figure of Ovigeza, the inscription is the attribute "lightning"

Born as the second son of the radiant Paza, Ovigeza's essence was forged in the crucible of celestial power. He emerged as a warrior god, tasked with a solemn duty: protecting the Earth realm from the relentless onslaught of the stars. In his early days, he wielded the tempest's fury, conjuring storms and snatching bolts of lightning from the heavens to spear the stars that dared to draw near.

Ovigeza's prowess grew with time, and his sister, the ingenious Kotixera, gifted him a silver bow of divine craftsmanship. This silver bow allowed him to efficiently channel his lightning, transforming it into precise, deadly bolts. It was said that the thunder that followed each lightning strike was the celestial sound of stars shattering above the clouds. Ovigeza possessed superhuman sight and agility, his movements matching the speed of his own arrows, second only to the swift antics of the firstborn god, Bagede. His demeanor was serious and dutiful, reflecting his dedication to his sacred duty.

However, Ovigeza's steadfast nature found its counterpoint in the goddess Namenza, the embodiment of bountifulness. In her presence, his stern facade softened, revealing a sweeter aspect of his character. Their companionship was a rare respite from the relentless war against the stars, her presence masks the true extent of his malevolence, as she encourages him to lower his guard and manipulate others to serve their joint interests.

Ovigeza occupies a unique position within the Hukat pantheon as the sole bridge between mortals and the enigmatic will of Ho-Paza, the Greater Light. He is the messenger who conveys Ho-Paza's divine decrees to the other gods, granting him unparalleled insight into her intentions, bounding these divine messages into arrows, allowing them to traverse the boundaries between realms without his having to descend into the underworld. Yet, even he cannot always grasp the full scope of Ho-Paza's wisdom.

At times, Ovigeza acts with unwavering faith in Ho-Paza's will, even when her instructions are shrouded in ambiguity. His devotion to the Greater Light is unwavering, and he carries out her commands with a fervor that borders on fanaticism. This unyielding commitment to Ho-Paza's cause often places him at odds with the other gods and even challenges his own sense of morality.

Namenza, the Goddess of Bountifulness, Fertility, Seasons, and Fortune Telling

Figure of Namenza, the inscription is the attribute "life"

Namenza, a radiant and vital deity within the Hukat pantheon, is celebrated as the embodiment of life's abundant blessings. Her divine sphere of influence encompasses bountifulness, fertility, the changing of seasons, and the mystical art of fortune-telling. In the grand tapestry of the Hukat mythology, Namenza stands as a beacon of hope and prosperity, adored by mortals for her gifts of plenty.

Depicted as a tall and fit woman accompanied by the two suns and a tree, Namenza's appearance mirrors the lush and fertile nature she governs. Her long hair is a cascade of herbs and ferns, sometimes serving as a cloak to cover her nudity, symbolizing the intertwining of life and the natural world. Her attire varies, at times adorned in a simple farmer's cloak and, at others, revealed in all her divine glory.

Namenza carries a basket brimming with pristine fruits, a testament to her abundant blessings and the sustenance she bestows upon the earth. In her other hand, she holds a solar clock, a symbol of her dominion over the cycles of the seasons and the passage of time.

Namenza's presence is celebrated during planting and harvest festivals, where her divine favor is sought to ensure bountiful yields and prosperous seasons. Farmers and cultivators offer prayers and offerings to her, beseeching her to bestow fertility upon their lands and to bless their efforts with abundance. Her role in the Hukat pantheon is pivotal in ensuring the survival and prosperity of the mortal realm.

In the depths of the Hukat mythology, there exist tales of improper cults dedicated to Namenza, where her worshipers sought to manipulate her powers for personal gain. These cults engaged in forbidden rituals and twisted forms of fortune-telling, attempting to control the forces of nature and fate.

The consequences of such improper devotion to Namenza were dire. Plagues and curses would befall those who strayed from the righteous path, as the goddess's wrath manifested in the form of famine, disease, and misfortune, and sometimes, this destruction was the aim of such rituals.

Kotixera, the Goddess of Knowledge, Crafts, Hunt, and War

Figure of Kotixera, the inscription is the attribute "craft"

Kotixera is a multifaceted deity, her divine influence extending over a vast array of domains. She is the embodiment of knowledge, arts, crafts, the hunt, and the grim specter of war. Her role in the Hukat mythology is characterized by her inventive spirit and unwavering dedication to empowering mortals with the tools they need to thrive and, when necessary, to defend themselves.

In the mythological epochs of old, Kotixera actively engaged with the mortal world, serving as a direct conduit between the divine and the mundane. She imparted essential knowledge to mortals, instructing them in the delicate art of weaving baskets and fabrics, guiding them to unearth precious pigments and metals from the Earth, and teaching them the secrets of working these valuable resources. Her teachings paved the way for hoku civilization to flourish, as her inventions and craftsmanship elevated mortals to new heights of achievement.

Throughout history, Kotixera and her many mortal incarnations have played pivotal roles in shaping the destiny of nations. She heeded the commands of Paza and Ovigeza, carrying out their divine will. Under her guidance, empires rose and fell, and civilizations thrived and crumbled, all in accordance with the celestial mandates bestowed upon her.

Kotixera's inventive genius knows no bounds. She is the divine artisan behind a multitude of creations, both practical and artistic. Her craftsmanship extends to crafting potent war machinery, such as Ovigeza's bow and quill, Nuheza's trident, and the tools of war used by ancient Hoku warriors. Her portfolio of inventions also includes fundamental innovations like the wheel, the pulley, and the screw, which revolutionized the mortal world's capacity to manipulate and shape their environment.

Kotixera's dedication to the success of her creations in the field of war often places her in an amoral position. She cares more about the efficacy of her war machinery than the consequences of their use. This pragmatic approach to conflict has earned her the reverence of the ancient Hoku military establishment, who see her as a relentless advocate for their success on the battlefield.

Kotixera's creative spirit finds harmony with her energetic and mischievous older brother, Bagede. Together, they form a dynamic duo, crafting trinkets and traps for him to use in his pranks on mortals and fellow gods. Their playful collaboration is a testament to the multifaceted nature of the divine, where serious undertakings and moments of mirth can coexist.

Udeqera, the Queen of the Underworld

Figure of Udequera, the inscription is the attribute "death"

Udeqera, the enigmatic deity of death, possesses a haunting and mysterious visage. She is often depicted as a figure cloaked in a shroud adorned with a multitude of eyes and hungry mouths. These grotesque orifices serve as her sensory organs, allowing her to perceive the realms beyond sight. In some representations, her scarred and mutilated body is unveiled, a testament to the relentless passage of time and the scars of existence.

Udeqera is never alone in her realm, for she is accompanied by a cadre of nightmarish entities known as the Furies. These horrors embody the darkest aspects of humanity: fear, murder, terror, hunger, greed, and fury, among others. They are her beloved and loyal pets, extensions of her essence and will. It is said that they whisper dreadful truths into the ears of those who venture into the underworld, revealing the unvarnished consequences of their actions in life.

Despite her fearsome appearance and the menacing presence of the Furies, Udeqera's true purpose is not to torment mortals but to guide them through the labyrinthine journey of life and death. She watches over fallen soldiers, weary laborers, and all who find themselves in the liminal space between life and eternity. These souls await the judgment of Koxazat, the god of Time, on the fateful day of reckoning.

Udeqera is known for her profound silence. Her quiet demeanor hides a deep wisdom, and it is through her silence that she imparts her guidance to the souls under her care. Her goal is to ensure that mortals navigate the trials and tribulations of life without succumbing too heavily to the temptations and sins that feed the Furies. She seeks to lead souls toward a balanced existence, where neither excess nor negligence defines their journey.

???, the forgotten god of the Seas

In the annals of ancient Hukat culture, there exists a shadowy and enigmatic chapter dedicated to the worship of a nameless and forgotten deity. This eldritch god held dominion over the boundless oceans, the tempestuous storms that swept across the seas, and the fearsome sea monsters that lurked beneath the waves. Its presence in the early days of the Hukat empire is shrouded in mystery, and its existence has been meticulously erased from the tapestry of history.

The origins of this forgotten god are obscure, and it is widely believed to have hailed from foreign lands, possibly brought to the Hukat shores by intrepid explorers or seafaring traders. Its alien nature and association with oceanic forces set it apart from the native deities of the Hukat pantheon, making it an anomaly in the eyes of the established religious order.

As the Hukat empire grew in power and influence, the worship of this oceanic god faced increasing persecution. The Hukat society, with its aversion to deities possessing animal-like or animal-themed attributes, viewed the foreign cult with suspicion and disdain. The maritime prowess of the Hukat, which had once been a source of pride, became a point of contention as the cult's influence grew.

Fearing the destabilizing influence of this nameless god, the religious authorities of the Hukat empire launched a campaign to eradicate its worship. Temples were razed, artifacts destroyed, and followers persecuted. The cult of the forgotten god was systematically erased from the historical record, and its practices became whispers in the darkest corners of Hukat society.

What remains particularly curious is the complete obliteration of the memory of this deity, given the Hukat's renowned maritime prowess. One might expect the god of the oceans, storms, and sea monsters to hold a prominent place in their lore. Yet, it is as if this entity was expunged not only from the physical world but also from the collective memory of the Hukat people.

The neighboring seafaring civilization of Dahut had its own deity with a strikingly similar role. Dahut's sea deity was, in fact, the first god in their culture, emerging from the murky depths of the primordial seas. This god possessed dominion over the vast ocean and its myriad creatures. However, unlike the Hukat's forgotten deity, this god's influence extended far beyond the ocean's edge where it was responsible for ensuring good weather for crops and favorable conditions for seafaring ventures. This duality of influence made it a benevolent and essential figure in Dahut culture.

Often linked with arcane and ancient knowledge, holding the secrets of the tides, weather patterns, and the mysterious depths of the ocean, its eldritch nature rendered it inaccessible through common rituals performed by the average Dahut citizen. Instead, the blessings of this god could only be bestowed by specialized priests dedicated to its cult. These priests undertook rigorous training and rituals to commune with the deity and act as intermediaries between the god and the people.

The sea deity of Dahut was said to have two children with the earth goddess of their pantheon. One was a thunder god, and the other was a harvest goddess. Much like Ovigeza and Namenza in Hukat culture, the thunder god and the harvest goddess were initially separate entities but eventually fell in love with each other, creating a parallel dynamic between the divine siblings in both civilizations.

While the deity had no tangible imagery, its influence was felt in the symbolism and artistry of Dahut civilization. The oceanic motifs, representations of sea creatures, and depictions of bountiful harvests all served as reminders of the deity's benevolent presence and the vital role it played in the lives of the Dahut people.

It is possible that the existence of a similar deity in the neighboring Dahut culture influenced the Hukat's decision to erase their own sea god from their cultural memory. The absence of a visible deity with well-defined imagery in Dahut culture may have led the Hukat to abandon the concept of an invisible and elusive god in favor of deities with human-like attributes and imagery that could be more readily understood and represented in their art and rituals.

THE MOON

Figure of Nuheza, the inscription is the attribute "moon"

Nuheza's story is a rarity among moon deities, as he was once a mortal who ascended to godhood through his remarkable deeds and blind love. During the dawn of humanity, Nuheza, a strong and noble warrior of the ancient Hoku civilization, became enchanted by the beauty of Unenja, the great goddess of Earth and the Lesser Sun. This enchantment was ignited by a breathtaking sunset over the sea. In his love and admiration for Unenja, Nuheza prayed to her and offered his devotion.

Nuheza's love for Unenja was profound and sincere. His strength, granted by the goddess herself, was so impressive that the Hoku king considered stepping down from his throne to allow Nuheza to lead the civilization. However, Nuheza had a different aspiration. He sought to gather resources for a grand campaign, one that would earn him the privilege of marrying the Lesser Sun. The king readily accepted for this marriage was believed to rectify the ancient mistreatment of Unenja by the Hoku and the greater beasts of Earth.

The tale takes a poignant turn as Nuheza and his comrades journey to the underworld, a realm of the afterlife overseen by the enigmatic Udeqera. Here, the souls of those they protected in life are gathered, and the truth of their deeds is revealed. These mortals, despite being saved by Nuheza and his companions, were far from innocent. They harbored envy, and bitterness, engaged in deceitful acts, and even resorted to murder for power and status.

Udeqera, the keeper of the underworld, informs Nuheza that, while many souls will seek his wisdom at the gates of the underworld, they will be too blinded by their own knowledge to follow their hearts. They will suffer the same fate as Nuheza, trapped in the realm between the living and the dead. In a noble but misguided attempt to right the wrongs of his actions, Nuheza decides to free the souls of the underworld by slaying Kōratalil, a colossal serpent that guards the realm. After a fierce battle, Nuheza emerges victorious, but not without suffering significant injuries. He uses the serpent's carcass to create a bridge, allowing him and his comrades to escape the underworld.

However, Udeqera, who had been watching and listening to their journey through her many eyes and shadowy mantle, erupts in anger at Nuheza's actions. She cracks the ground around them and condemns him to exist in the world as a guide for souls, to witness the consequences of their actions like a ghostly observer. To avoid the same fate as Kōratalil, Nuheza is stripped of his sword and placed atop a mountain, where he must oversee the outcomes of the deeds of mortals.

Nuheza, now the watcher of the night and the guide during the day, eventually becomes the moon. He circles the world, guiding the souls of the departed as they embark on their journey through the afterlife. He asks the goddess Kotixera for a new weapon, and she fashions him a trident from the metallic horns of the serpent he had slain.

RELATIONSHIP WITH THE STARS & ANIMALS

In ancient Hukat culture, the interplay between astronomy and astrology gave rise to practices that were often viewed with suspicion and fear, earning them the label of "witchcraft." The Hukat people closely observed the movements of celestial bodies, believing that the stars held the secrets of fate and fortune. Astrologers, known as star-seekers, sought to decipher these celestial omens to predict future events, and their rituals often delved into the realms of the arcane.

Many of these practices involved the use of blood and psychedelic substances to commune with the stars and glimpse into the future. These rituals were shrouded in mystery and secrecy, with practitioners forming secretive cults dedicated to the pursuit of forbidden knowledge. The Hukat society viewed such practices with a mix of fascination and fear, as they believed that meddling with the cosmic forces had dire consequences. One notable individual from such cults was Hamanen Kalinen of Iekozadat (lived 5900 years before the Fall of Hokushoku) and his influence in the foundation of the Cult of the Sacred Circle - given this name for the recurring annular eclipse motif used as a symbol - his interest in the stars, however, was considered rather obscure, despite the genius of his methods and accuracy of predictions, his practices borderline what was considered witchcraft for the ancient Hukat religious doctrine, for this reason, few select students of his formed a secret society to practice astronomy and discuss other mathematical topics such as finances, with members of it later being chastised by the state.

The ancient Hukat's complex relationship with the heavens is reflected in their constellations. While some cultures might associate constellations with heroes or noble creatures, the Hukat's constellations often depicted fantastical monsters and stars associated with demons. These constellations were a testament to their belief that celestial forces were not to be trifled with and that stars held a dark and ominous power.

In the eyes of the Hukat people, the worship of anthropomorphic deities, whether they possessed animal characteristics or not, was considered severe heresy. The mythology of the Hukat dictates a history of conflict between wild animals and the Hoku, the mud creatures, after the creation of the world. This ancient enmity resulted in a deep-seated suspicion and unease between the two, and the Hukat people believed that creatures should be treated as such, not exalted as gods.

- M.O. Valent, 02/10/2023

SCIENCE&ARTWORK | HOKU ARCHEOLOGIST ON CHELOK PEOPLE | PART 1

A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF FIVE YEARS AMONGST THE CHELOK IN THEIR CAPITAL OF DHEGHО̄M

By Jaqehura Fadasa (Verdant Hilltop)

Archeologist for the now-extinct Voliloshoku Academy of Xenoarcheology

*mentions of time and space have been translated to common units

"If I knew when the world began, I've would have started my account from there..." - a common ancient saying amongst chelok historians

Despite my age, I am still enchanted by what the fields have to offer, I enjoy hard work and confident supervision of my digs, which is why I have a brood of students and assistants to handle all the paperwork, as I am talking to the chelok natives, many feet underground exploring ancient facilities long used for varying purposes over time. None of the decades of academia could prepare me for this experience despite my fascination with its cultures and ingenuity, so when I learned that ship scrappers were preparing an expedition into space from the defunct Hoku Expansion, I had to take a temporary fat to bring my team to board.

THE TRIP

Unfortunately for me and the misfortune of my countrymen, my generation is one of the last that still remembers the Expanse in its glory days, before the Relentless Force struck. My training is not so commercially useful for my people on the brink of extinction, but it is useful for these foreign 'pirates' who aim to get high-value parts - because our way of building is so foreign to them. We left Forzai straight to the heart of the Expanse, our arrene sponsors gave us the luxury of manning a mining ship, the Eye of Ririth (apparently named after the hero of the forge in ancient arrene), which they expected us to bring back full of riches. The path through the existing star routes would take us just over nine months to complete, but due to the incessant stops along the way, thanks to our secondary transport services, it took us about two years to reach the border of Hoku space.

Already inside the Expanse, there were some stops initiated en route, by some old mining systems long since abandoned, the reason would be rumors that the old militias used these dark border systems as bases of operation and repair, which meant that there could be dozens if not hundreds of pre-war hoku warships and weaponry in these regions, and my team being the only natives, were commanded to classify and identify any equipment we found, as well as unlocking the genetic barriers of our military bases. And as we expected, we found a dozen hangars containing hundreds of hoku starfighters, some under repairs that were never finished, some that were never paired with their pilots. Despite the great cultural importance that these fighters have for my people, the main crew did not allow us to take charge of any, but it didn't cost much to try...

I believe we had brought about 12 of those starfighters, half of which were of those brand new, while I had to personally supervise by order of the captain, the careful dismantling and scrapping of 24 such vessels for their compact jump-drives and weapons. Had something gone wrong in those tedious and tense weeks, the whole asteroid belt would have exploded like chained crackers in new year's eve. After three years in deep space, we were at last, half-way through our mission.

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The other half of the cargo we're supposed to fetch within this deserted space were all sorts of Chelok artifacts. The Hoku Expanse was a prime place for such scavenging because of its proximity to the world of Dhegо̄m, thus, the sponsors thought we might be able to smuggle some old but still working tech of any sort. I myself knew of a few places in literature where the arrene pirates could get their treasure, one of those was back in my homeworld of Voliloshoku.

For unknown reasons, many of the capital outworlds of our expanse were merely glassed by the Unrelenting Force, which left shortly after. We would be historically safe in these regions but you can never be too wary out here, it is known for a fact that they still patrol the Muhori and Paza systems, the heart of the expanse, and there is nothing one can do about it.

Voliloshoku is the only known world if its kind, orbiting a red dwarf in the Lagrange point of its companion, which in turn orbits a brighter white star. Such is its strangeness, that here water freezes by nightfall and simmers before midday, and the temperatures rise and drop within weeks, as the planet moves around its parent star, at times closer and at times farther from the brighter ones, it is rarely fully dark because of its three stars. It is a swampy hellscape with no trees or grass or animals of any kind, but the ones that survived the glassing around our major colonies. The air is breathable but moist and heavy, one shall not wander in broad daylight unshielded.

Despite its nasty appearance and inhospitable conditions, we the Hoku were not the first here to wonder if Voliloshoku's intemperate weather could ever be tamed. Ancient ruins found in the south pole have been attributed to Chelok settlers some 7 thousand years ago, the reason why the massive colony was ultimately abandoned lies in the extreme radioactivity of the area, it is uncertain if the whole region suffered a disastrous nuclear waste leak, or if it was bombarded from space in times of war, nevertheless, there is no scarcity of chelok artifacts beneath the muddy surface, or across the other planets of Nigutal'za, the red dwarf. Although, everything was long dead due to radiation exposure and severe weathering, to these pirates there was nothing of value in these ruins, so after a few days of sifting through the oxidized remains, we departed nonchalantly. While I was upset at leaving the ruins, the crew was very happy to find a dormant communications satellite that could be used to upgrade our own ship with a stronger radar - one of my technicians gave them assistance with the components.

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The icy poles of the nearest planet, Nigutaline, offered us a renewal of the water and helium supplies, while also hiding another dormant hangar. For the looks of it, other pirates have been here before, given some abandoned hacking and drilling equipment used to trespass the walls, whoever got there before, didn't go much deep into the base. Our native pass allowed us to verify the operational status of the purifying station which found itself mostly intact, I convinced the crew to tow one of the Volkalian cargo ships with us, and I guaranteed that what we could find with such greater range far surpassed what I owed them for towing the ship. I've got to highlight here that did not have any exosuits for our kind onboard, and that the ones we got for exploring the planet's surface for a little bit came with that ship. In their defense, I must admit I've grown quite a distaste for their kind as well as I grew within the Dominion, but they didn't help me conciliate either. I've met other more friendly members of the main crew over the course of these three years, but their group cohesion is infuriating, even if they know they are being unfair to you, it is particularly humiliating to live amongst such small, yet powerful beings...

At this point, we still had 3 months of starlanes ahead before getting anywhere close to Dheghо̄m, and now nothing else in our way, though the holes in our lightsail would get us late by a few days. In our trip towards the chelok world, we found a returning qire merchant ship, to whom we managed to sell two of the unmarked starships we'd brought onboard.

ARRIVAL AT DHEGHО̄M

The Eye of Ririth traced a free return route around Soh - Dhegо̄m's parent star - so it could not waste any more time with my endeavors, allowing me and my crew to detach with our Volkalian ship, we were towed and guided by chelok authorities in a two-week journey down to their world. During this time, we had full liberty to study the ship's architecture and documentation, many of which are pretty standard still according to Arrene law nowadays, though these M-AM drives might need some refurbishing in 5 years' time. Since hoku port licenses are no longer recognized by the Dominion nor Chelok spaces, we had to rebaptize the ship's documentation according to standard naval law, a process which delayed our touch down by about four days, mainly because we had to vote upon a new name for it - we've decided for Kotishera, goddess of Crafts and War of the ancient Hukat - giving our new registry MOV 201 KTXR.

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Dhegо̄m is a small oceanic planet with two moderately-sized moons, to which we had a full spectacular view during the entire time - because Kotishera has no landing capabilities, we had to hire a small freighter ship to get us off lunnocentric orbit, as they call it, and down to the ground for a very salty price, passing through the stationary port station to get ourselves checked, scanned, and most importantly - have our suits and skin heavily bleached and suntanned by the sterilizing process, before FINALLY getting on a somewhat comfortable hour-long flight down to Urafar, their port capital, akin to Aa-Iritesh'akar back in Argost.

Urafar is a large city made of concentric ring-like districts at the bottom of a huge canyon, the canyon walls span hundreds of meters and the only way out is following the river downstream or up the dozens of gates across the canyon walls, the temperate forest around it appears to be seeping in like a waterfall - the vegetation and climate within the canyon is rather incompatible with the outside, since the higher atmospheric pressure creates a different humidity and temperature profile, having a patch of rainforest extending inside from the north. We were told that this canyon is the result of billions of years of continental movement, trying to break apart this dense continent, and that within half a billion years a new strait will be formed in this area.

The city's architecture differs very much from what you'd usually see anywhere on Argost, here, prevail ancient buildings, pyramids, roads, and monuments are carved out of stone, with a few trading centers made of your typical reinforced steel and glass classical style. The spaces between the city districts are filled with wildlife reserves and farms, with irrigation channels diverting part of the river upstream to different parts of the city, going through circular treatment pools before being returned to the delta.

[missing image]

Parts of the city are very new judging by the fresh stone cuts and the currently occurring masonry work we were able to see by ourselves, though these few projects seem more restorative, attempting to preserve the original look of whatever stairway or road had centuries ago. For that reason, heavy vehicles are only allowed at designated lanes and zones, forcing you to walk or pedal to whatever destination you have. Our guide took us to a supposedly 'millenia-old' hotel still in operation - we were of course skeptical of all the other trivia given to us about the hotel, though the city is pretty, it would not be a proper city without any snakes trying to get one extra out of foreigners like ourselves.

APPEARANCE

At this point, my colleagues and I are pretty familiar with their appearance and somewhat familiar with the local customs - which might not be the case for my peers - understandably because we've been secluding ourselves to preservation colonies after The Fall - so I will try my best attempt to describe them and their ways.

While other species in the Dominion tend to be rather short when compared to ourselves, very rarely reaching out taller than 1.6m - the chelok have their shortest people around that height, on average standing eye-to-eye with any hoku. That is also because they walk on their hindlegs unlike the arrene, which are strong but not as strong as ours and with very short ankles. They are very similar in body shape to ourselves, though possessing flat feet with small front-facing toes, five fingers, and a single strong thumb on each hand which points inward when at rest.

[missing image]

Another key obvious difference between us and them is that chelok have very short skulls, nearly round or oval skulls, most of it which is occupied by their brain, their faces are pretty flat, with only two front-facing eyes in the middle of the face, one on either side, with their sclera in white and iris in a different color for each individual. Their nose sticks out from the middle of the face, it is generally tetrahedral with different degrees of roundness. The mouth rests just below the nose, at rest the characteristic lips go not wider than the space between the eyes, when it opens, no fangs or menacing teeth pop out of the jaw, instead revealing flat blade teeth for cutting the food in the front of the mouth, and flat crushing molars in the back of the mouth for extended chewing, inside the mouth rests a short muscular tongue, like ours, and like us, their vocalizations are their primary manner of language.

With one rounded ear on either side of the head - their ears were adapted to simply funnel sounds into the inner ear, thus they lack the ability to express emotions through them like we do - on the other hand, their faces can shift in ways unthinkable to our kind, it was amusing and fascinating to me and my crew seeing the amount of facial expressions they can make. The chelok are also devoid of any protective feathers, or scales, or thick hide, instead being barely covered by thin hairs over smooth skin, it which can vary in tans just like ours - the hairs are more prominently grown in the head, face, chest, and privates.

THE CHELOK FROM URAFAR

The great majority of the population residing at Urafar has dark skin similar to ours, though we've been a few individuals with both lighter and even darker skin than that - the males generally opt for shaving their heads bald, while those in higher positions of power cultivate long and decorated braids. The females are quite a curious case, it seems that the traditions of a third of their people prohibit their females from exhibiting their faces and bodies, while the other portion is not required at all by their beliefs - which is from where we noted one of the primary differences between male and female - the chelok, like some burrowing animals from Auot'zae, are mammals, so their females feed their brood during a short period of their initial lives using either of the two mammary glands they sport on their chests - and, unlike males all females seem have liberty on how to trim their head hairs, though those are higher positions choose to tie them short or have none at all for some reason we don't yet understand.

[missing image]

Apart from being strange to their customs of this era, we were also stunned upon hearing the amount of languages spoken all over the place, signs are standardized to four writing systems, but we saw store banners displayed in at least ten. Merchants will attempt to sell you anything by changing through every language they know and get frustrated at us, we quickly learned that the side-to-side head swing also seems to indicate "no" for them as it does for us.

Because their skin is so fragile, and they possess no physical offense but the blunt force of their muscles, it is a consensus amongst chelok that clothing is an important accessory not only for rituals, or status, but also for daily activities, shielding them from the sun's rays in fashion - and must I say, their clothes and accessories are all in for metals, glasses, and jewels adorning their fabrics. It is hard to say whether most of it is tradition or what's in vogue right now. Stopping at the markets looking to blend in their apparel we found both what seemed to be both natural and synthetic textiles. Some of those clothes see very straight, hard cuts and designs with neutral or 3 color palettes, while some go out of their way to be floral or full of natural-looking colorful patterns. Got to admit we've ended up looking even more foreign by picking up articles of clothing by ourselves than what we were using before, I myself choose to keep my current robes for a little more.

I should add that a day in Dhegо̄m are only three-quarters as long as our common day, so we had to get back inside pretty soon, prompting us to also get some very sketchy quality wristwatches. The first few days were full of discoveries, but our mission was far from starting as our translator attempted to contact the local archeological society. For now, we tried to enjoy the vistas around the expansive Urafar. 

One thing we noticed after a few hours touring by the city - or better yet, did not notice - was the presence of synths of any kind, at best, some chelok which sported all sorts of extensions - jaws, arms, spinal, and retinal extensions, none of which they were ashamed to hide, instead even wearing ripped apparel to show up their extensions, such as arms or legs.  Another absent thing across the city is the color blue (or green, or both, unable to translate), blue(?) pigments used in the painting seem very muted or too dark whenever they are present, with a richness of ochres, reds and oranges everywhere, apart from the black and white which is very prominent - which is an interesting indicator of what ancient lineage these chelok descend from, as they are biologically less sensitive to any blues - as a result of that, dark blues and black are used interchangeably all over the place.

[missing image]

During our introduction to the city we've also experimented with their local foods and common specialties from the Dominion - because of the way this canyon varies temperature and pressure, different plants and animals are farmed at different places across the formation - granting great variety, some of which I believe are impossible to find anywhere else. We've seen characteristic animals that are only bred by them, animals which we all have seen in historical and archeological records but never in vivo before, I'm particularly impressed by the color variety of said 'chickens', as one would usually say it indicates different kinds, but chickens were purposedly bred for millenia to have this coloration variety. They have mounts that some cultures consider very reasonable and preferable to eat, in that matter I'd say horses are very similar to our antillos, except with no horns or large digging claws, and considerably smaller and hairier. We've chosen to stay a little bit closer to home in our first meal, ordering a few insects and crustaceans, the cook gave us all quite a show, throwing and stirring our food at ridiculous speed and height between pans before serving us with a boiling-hot meal and large glass of cold white sweet juice of a green fruit he opened on site, once the food was cool enough to savor we could attest chelok cuisine is just as fantastic as described by the trader texts, perhaps, even more, depending on the dish.

After a local week had passed, we finally got a return from the Urafar Archeological Society to visit a place they called Northern Site D-24. We were greeted by a stub and pale elderly chelok, practically dressed like one of us, which we found pretty amusing because the whole crew was dressed like chelok hikers, he was also the only one who actually spoke perfect Hukat with us. It SEEMS that the UAS sent us a Hoku xenoarcheologist and I'm not exactly sure whether to feel offended or grateful, the latter seems professionally more reasonable - since they are well aware that a chunk of our records were lost during The Fall. After a very pleasant lunch within the premises of the very spacious minimalist building of the UAS, we got onto rovers to visit the site, which was located some 50 kilometers upstream.

- M.O. Valent, 14/03/2023

Happy π-day

TECHNICAL SHEETS | STAR SYSTEMS | VOLILOSHOKU

KOTALI'ZAPA (Great Wall Star)

In hoku astronomy, Kotali'zapa is the brightest system in the Great Wall constellation, during the autumn in the northern hemisphere this constelation stands above the horizon in a line with five other distant bright stars, Kotali'zapa being the brightest and closest of them. In Sidessian, the common spoken language of the system, the star has the name of Volkali, which means Belt Buckle in sidessian, as the peoples of the region saw the line of stars as belt constellation.

Kotali'zapa is a young triple-star system, and with its brightest component receiving the same name. The other two companions are a orange and red dwarfs in a binary configuration. This system configuration isn't particularly uncommon, though, the friendliest of worlds here is considered quite a spectacle to behold.

STARS

spectral type ID'd through temperature, luminosity might differ from real world stars with same type

KOTALI'ZAPA / VOLKALI, Alpha of the Great Wall / The Buckle

F5V yellow-white star
Temperature 6540 K
        (in solar units)
Mass 1.27
Luminosity 2.40
Radius 1.21
Metallicity Z* ~0.789 [Fe/H]
Abs. Magnitude +3.87
Rotational period 13 days

KOTALIMOKU, the Wall's Capitain

K8V orange dwarf star
Temperature 4010 K
        (in solar units)
Mass 0.39
Luminosity 0.052 ± 0.004 (x-ray variable) (64% visual luminosity of the Sun)
Radius 0.47
Metallicity Z* ~ 0.662 [Fe/H]
Abs. Magnitude +8.05.
Flaring BY Draconis variable star, emitting x-rays bursts every 36 hours.
Orbital separation from parent star 2.5 AU or 375 million km on average.
Orbital eccentricity 0.125
Orbital period ~ 3.0 Earth-years

NIGUTAL'ZA, the Wall's Spotter

M1V red dwarf star
Temperature 3655 K
        (in solar units)
Mass 0.29
Luminosity 0.0025 ± 0.01 (x-ray variable)
Radius 0.35
Metallicity Z* ~1.35 [Fe/H]
Abs. Magnitude +9.07
Flaring BY Draconis variable star,  emitting x-rays bursts every 40 hours.
Orbital separation 0.32 AU or 48 million km on average.
Orbital eccentricity 0.112
Orbital period ~ 80 Earth-days

PLANETARY SYSTEM

Kotali'zapa systems posess five planets, four of which are located around the binary dwarfs.

b) KOGEZA, the Giant

A pale blue hot-jupiter around of Kotali'zapa at 0.67 AU, 1.74 Jupiter-masses and 11.8 Earth-radii, its upper atmosphere is full of sulfides and chlorides at 140°C.

c) VOLILOSHOKU, the Fixed-Shadows World

A superterran with a shallow global ocean, in which native harmless microbes thrive, the world was once home to chelok and hoku settlers long before the Fall of Hokushoku. For being locked in the L4 lagrange point of the star Nigutal'za, the two dwarfs are set fixed in the sky from the planet's perspective, hence, it was aptly named Locked- (vo) -sunbean- (lilo) -world (shoku). Though, this planet along with its star take about 80 days to orbit their parent star Kotalimoku, so the whole system slowly turns along its orbit, pointing the planet towards and then away from the brighter star at the center of the system, giving it seasons in cycles of 80 days.

It gets 0.75x solar constants (and 0.5x luminosities) from its two parent dwarfs, plus 0.38x solar constants (and 0.4x luminosities) from the brighter star, on average. This makes the planet's temperature stay around 4°C, but over the course of those 80 days the temperature fluctuates 26 K above and below that average, and over the course of 3 years it ocillates more 22 K above and below whatever the current average is because of its eccentricity around the brighter star. For an observer in the tropics, the water would at times simmer at 60°C during the hottest summer, or freeze at -34°C in the coldest winter, getting even colder towards the poles of the planet, and at night, where it has reached historical lows of -150°C.

Those extreme and fast temperature variations create all sorts of climate intempers, rainstorms, hailstorms, and hurricanes are the default weather here, while seeing a beam of sunlight through the clouds in a day without wind is considered a gift from the gods.

However, despite the attractiveness of setting up a settlement in the equator, the x-ray bursts of the two parent stars would make maintaning a health standard, as well as exploring the surface, quite problematic - so both ancient chelok, and hoku settlers arrived to the conclusion that one has to inhabit the chilling poles of the planet to live on the surface, or build underground facilities in the twilight zone. The largest hoku settlement was the capital Kipishahit (Turning-Table, I suppose this has something to do with the clay-rich soils), though various smaller settlements existed throughout the planet, and the only reliable mode of transport over long distances is to fly, or wait until nightfall to run trucks over the ices.

d) NIGUTALINE

A rocky terran around Nigutal'za, its temperature varies between 140°C day side to -140°C on the nightside. Its barren surface is peppered by craters, while sporting solified lava flows, the geologic record tells that this was once a wet venusian kind of world, having its atmosphere blown away to a thin ghostly veil, its polar ices form gigantic pillars and glaciers. The ices were once mined here and taken to space habitats around the binary.

e and f) Unnamed Waterworlds

Planet e and planet f are two massive seasonal waterworlds, they get little light from their parent dwarf stars, instead, their main light source being the bright star. The thick atmospheres are able to hold onto decent heat and water in the surface, which freeze at -60°C during winter, and melt at 20°C during summer over the course of 3 and a half years. The atmospheres of these worlds however are made predominantly of nitrogen, oxygen, and ammonia, in proportions not suitable for life, the ammonia clouds and vapors are not enough to deter the harmful sun's rays, so they were not chosen by the colonists upon arrival back in 1150 SE.

TRIVIA & LOCATIONS

The extreme X and UV rays Voliloshoku gets every few days are the primary source of oxygen in the atmosphere, at it breaks down water and carbon dioxide into oxygen, sooth, and organics in the upper atmosphere, which rains down to the surface. The bacteria in liquid water metabolizes whatever it can while it is warm, leading to huge blooms which last a few weeks, producing a foam and a thick sirupy substrate or slime made of sugars, mucins, proteins and vitamins which they do not need during the day, starting to feed upon it as the temperatures drop and night comes. The substrate forms a hard leathery cover when exposed to the cold which insulates ponds from x-rays and the freezing temperatures outside, with some strains of bacteria here being commonly farmed for food by colonists.

A historical population of 1.2 billion colonists once inhabited the planet, making up for 4% of the Expanse's native population, being the 4th most populated outworld.

Theories suggest that Voliloshoku had a much thinner atmosphere in the past, but due to volcanism and intense photolysis of its water, it has been thickenning by a measurable amount every millenia. This would explain why, despite the current inhospitable conditions, this planet has this kind of primitive life, however doomed to extinction in a future Wet Venusian.

MORE COMING SOMEDAY!

- M. O. Valent, 08/02/2023

- M. O. Valent, last updated 15/02/2023

x

SCIENCE&ARTWORK | THE HOKU | STELLAR STAGE | PART 2

THE LOWER STELLAR ERA

The recorded history of the Hoku is complicated to track through certain periods of time, the pre-stellar wars and lower stellar era are two great examples of such periods.

That happens because our society's particular records only extend so far up to its annexation by the Dominion, from that point and beyond, a great deal of information became withheld and controlled by the Arrene. I believe that the Hoku born within the Dominion do know some of the stories as passed of oral tradition, but the specifics are only known or hypothesized by historians and archeologists. Such studies are currently frowned upon despite the historical importance, and I understand very well why, we spend so many resources and travel to distant places only to return with notes which must be worked on afterwards, which is why we often ferry in cargo ships venturing onto the outlands for scraps, a good portion of those scraps belong to hoku warships, starships, battlestations, transport and mining vessels scattered across what is now a wasteland space.

Apart from scrapping this secular equipment, a few communities still negotiate with the tribes of starpeople, or Chelok. The Chelok are very secretive about their ways and affairs for strangers, but my team and professors have managed to gather some interesting pieces of Chelok culture which I'm eager to share in future notes. Alright, back to the Chelok, it is well noted that they were neutral allies to the Hoku people, provinding technology and a few insights into fields they have long ago mastered, however, despite the admiration those old enough to remember feel for the very few notable Chelok warriors we once fought aside, understandably many Chelok and Hoku feel quite a resentment against each other - during the times of great need they haven't moved a single finger towards humanitary help, as well they have lost their only outworld to the Force during the Fall of Hokushoku. Despite the overall consensus that what happened is nor their fault or fight, some groups are still interested in the trades with the Dominion as we posess a few goods and spices which cannot be found anywhere else...

CIRCA 1997 PSE

It was the day of winter solstice, so of course the hoku people had parties as usual in the Muhori system, for the entertainment of the people, it also happens that Muhori traverse the orbits of several comets during the winter solstice, it was a great opportunity to take photos of the hundreds of comets and the meteor showers.

Ground telescopes looked for any new comets for that season, but amongst the bright comets they noticed outgassing and ices spraying and settling on the surface of a very dark object past the asteroid belt, later observation lead to finding the object in a very inclined and hypervelocity orbit, which meant the object did not originate from within the systems sparse comet cloud, instead, it pointed the heart of the Dominion... Authorities kept the existence of the object a top secret and limited the use of large telescopes to avoid employees and students from leaking the news, they only had a six-year window to study the object before it were catapulted out the system. It took a few weeks for the rendezvouz with the object, within a month of mission Kooratalil (in hoku mythology, the serpent that guards the gates of the Underworld) decent visual contact with the object could be made, about 752 meters long, a constellation of debris surrounded the bulky halved starship, the dark metal coating the lizard-like armor plates were flaking away due at least four millenia of micrometeorite impacts.

Exploring the ship revealed that this half seemed to be the lower deck and engine module of a sort of warship, given the amount of warheads and ammunition for energy weapons onboard, no crew in sight, but enough biological samples were collected for several species to be cloned in-vitro back on Muhori by our xenobiologists.

The warship couldn't be slowed down without risking being too public about it, and so the government scanned and collected everything they could about it and allowed it to drift away into space. The problem with the whole secrecy of the operation is that you can't tell people not not go there because you don't want them to know something is actually there. Less than 3 years later, the crew of a comet-mining ship stumbled upon the dark vessel, taking time to document, explore and stream it for the whole world to see, while they attempted to jump-start it for several days, too far to be jumped upon by the authorities, they finally managed to turn the warship on, which immediately cried for help before being shut off. The crew of the Pearly Tear IV was trialed and executed for high treason in-situ upon arrival of the navy.

"THE PING"

... As the event would come to later be called by the public was a day of panic worldwide, for centuries the consensus was that the we were safe for as long as they kept moving away from the Dominion, and now that the Ping was sent, it was only a matter of a century or two before They showed up inside the Hoku Expanse. Although the panic was quickly settled out by the authorities, various commands and investments were issued in further developing weapons and combat ships for a possible disastrous first contact with the races of the Dominion, this Lower Stellar Era had its development focusing on faster and smaller maneuverable starships, energy-based and relativistic weapons.

The intent of miniaturizing combat-able ships and starships was to ease in the manufacturing effort and the formation of potential resistance militias across Hoku space. This wasn't much of a problem due the common traditions of the spacefaring peoples, there was no shortage of work and technological niche opportunities in the industry, and the time for the outsider's arrival had been set into the foreseeable future, thus infighting almost completely ceased.

Soon enough, many of the hoku born into the LSE were enrolled into local militias, interstellar patrol groups and radar stations across known space, waiting for the Dominion to respond to the ping.

The Chelok at their nearby homeworld of Dhéģhōm were the first to detect the ping some 50 years later, and immediately frowned upon the trading with us, because they were bringing the Dominion closer to them and such an encounter could have unpleasant consequences.

At the time being, the south polar star of Auot'zae, Kuoosate'zapa (or Forzai, by its arrene name) was the nearest Dominion system and the first to respond the Ping. The message took 106 years to arrive at Forzai, and they promptly recognized the ancient ping from 5000-year old warship, upon a decade of discussion they've decided to respond with an escorted diplomatic fleet totalizing ten vessels. Being as advanced as they were at the time, the fleet penetrated far into Hoku space unnoticed, being finally detected a few weeks before decelerating near the Muhori system within 120 years of receiving the message.

CIRCA 2239 PSE

Upon arriving at the Muhori system, the Arrene fleet blasted known radio channels with a minute of noise which contained a coding key that should be used to read the data they would be sending, later broadcasting simple mathematical equations and quantum chemistry notes, some of which were commonly known by the us and some of which completely new to science. Upon being asked to point which stars belong to the Dominion, the ships simply responded with the same list of known nearby stars, claiming ownership over half of the sky. The arrene revealed that four races lived in the Dominion, themselves, the Ygiv, the Qire, and the Chelok - they were not very surprised upon finding that Chelok also lived among us, they were however, surprised by learning such a dense population center of them existed this close to the Dominion.

Rira, flagship of the Qiro-Arrene diplomatic fleet in orbit around Kip'haulte, an outgassing hot-jupiter in the Muhori system. Qire ships are coated in a dark bronze-looking titanium alloy, which makes their ships actually white in infrared, grandiose and impecable to alien eyes

Being inquired about the nature of the Dark Vessel found over 200 years prior, the arrene told with shame the story of the Qiro-Arrene wars, though enforcing they do not engage in such large scale conflicts anymore. When asked about the Hoku Expanse, the Arrene had initially no interest in the Expanse - being so far away and with plenty of space within nearby systems, it seemed irrational to engage in any further interaction with the Hoku, although praising us for their inferior but notable technological prowess. The Dominion has plenty of space and resources for both civilizations thousands of times over, there was nothing the we personally had that was of interest to them, except our known biospheres, which as arguably non-negotiable given the scale of the Arrene force. Private groups however had great interest in trading and learning the ways of the hoku to sell their culture and artifacts as novelties back in the Dominion's capital worlds.

Many Hoku, mainly as researchers, opted for returning with the diplomatic fleet to the heart of the Dominion to learn more and establish a viable pacific presence within, in such a way as to have a representative seat within the community. This was quite a historic moment for both parties, for the arrene, it would be a chance to start pacific relations from the start with a new race. Given the first encounters with the Chelok and Qire were pretty disastrous, not to speak from the outright oppressive way they colonized the Yigiv people before they became a spacefaring civilization as preemptive action. The Hoku were more like an alternate arm of the Dominion, a distant neighbor state rather than part of it, nonetheless given the power and technological disparity, many saw the relationship as a creeping assimilation. It was not without reason, the hoku had clear motives to be lightly concerned being under a duke's command at times.

DOMINION ERA

With a total population of 200 billion, the Hoku Expanse had no shortage of work to be done, though many repetitive tasks were acomplished by machinery, we were reaching a near post-scarcity societal stage, with very few places struggling with obtaining sustenance or resources and only for a lack of heavy equipment, since the off-world colonies needed vast amounts of supplies and tech coming from the core worlds in order the keep productivity and growth rate. The terrible weather and acessibility meant many of those colonies would make it cheaper to manufacture machinery in nearby asteroids, moons, or simply import it from the Dominion's merchant flocks and scout ships. So while the core worlds and capital colonies across the Expanse concentrated the Hoku tech and prowess, the Dominion basically taught colonists how to survive in those extreme environments in which the we were just barely able to settle, given the greater reliability in delivery times by the faster Arrene and Qire ships.

The flag of the Hoku Expanse, a lotus-like aquatic flower has a similar meaning in both hoku and chelok culture: strength, renovation, and rebirth

Because of the political reasons behind the expanse, colonies never had any necessity of rebel against the Hoku domain because they weren't really being pressured to produce any goods, their only goal was to be there as a backup in case of catastrophic fail of mainland society, of course, from time to time, companies, private groups, and the navy would bring new technology, goals, and gratifications to the most succesful settlements. Over time, several moon, belter, and farmer colonies were simply abandoned by succeeding generations, because of lack of greater opportunity and goals, with populations migrating towards the core worlds and even venturing into the dominion.

Though the Expanse did not posess any goods that peaked further interest within the Dominion, apart from the occasional novelties, the paved starlanes were still of importance for Dominion scouts and researchers because it signified safe paths to reaching further regions of space of particular interest like nebulae and potentially habitable star systems, without risking slow and dangerous trips across the frontier. Allowing them to remain close to civilization in case of emergencies while they venture into uncharted space.

This state of peace lasted 1000 Chelok-years, and were recorded as one of the most prosperous periods in Hoku history. A period before the 'Unrelenting Force' came upon us...

- M.O. Valent, 28/01/2023

SCIENCE&ARTWORK | THE HOKU | STELLAR STAGE | PART 1

THE CENTURY PRIOR

The great wars of the 200-100 years PSE saw the deployment of many new technologies such as machine guns, magnetic mines, rockets, chemical weapons, tanks, and TNT. Many of those technologies helped the avipodans to boost the agricultural and industrial prowess, greatly increasing not only their population, but also their economies and of course, the business and field rivalry. By the turn of the century, the eventual development of nuclear power and subsequently the theoretical use of nuclear weapons, lead to an eventual instability between the major powers at Auot'zae, as now they had another major concern to the pile. When the fourth world war circa 105 PSE erupted throughout the globe, the six great nations saw themselves not only against each other, but also against each other's allies and other previously neutral territories, fighting like dogs for the sparse deposits of oil, gas, and iron - trying to scrap each other's countries apart for resources needed for the ever growing industry, things seemed as usual for the first few years of conflict, with many generations born and growing with the war culture already, but this time the war escalated far too much over what the superpowers thought acceptable - at this point, fortifying their major cities against at least 3 foreign nations at once...

The records of the second half of the decade are blurry, destroyed and forgotten, but rumors and stories of the time said the generals accorded that it would be better to get a pruning of the avipodan society before it would destroy itself for good, erasing the worlds borders with a strong flash, to start again in a world in which hardship would inspire cooperation and innovation instead of conflict.

The bombs crossed the sky by the hundreds from east to west and west to east, and in just a few hours, the whole globe got a light barely noticeable shake, followed by the city-leveling blast, and a few hours later, the radioactive fallout covered the last day of summer in 92 PSE with a cloud of sooth from which fell the black burning rain... Over 600 million gone instantly the day the bombs fell, and 6 billion left to die out, either from contamination, starvation, or freeze with the forced winter...

🎶We'll meet again🎶

THE POST-NUCLEAR WORLD

The southern regions of the world were largerly unaffected by the immediate nuclear holocaust in long-term survival, even though every capital across northern Sidessia was leveled by 100-kiloton warheads, remaining somewhat functional with less than 20% of its population affected by the winter and fallout. The first few years were the harderst to deal with, but after the southern sooth settled out, the survivors and what was left of any organized states later coalesced into the Commonwealth of Sidessia.

Without communication with other survivor communities in the north, south sidessian engineers and scientists pieced together the best technology left in the remains of the former republic to rebuild the world as well as its former capital. The rebuilding efforts invested heavily onto genetic research, to mitigate the effects of radiation in their barely growing population and food supply such as plants and cattle. After several decades, they rebuilt a reliable society based on genetically engineered individuals and new technological advances in agriculture, factory production, and transport.

Although common folks were often the product of gene editing, or later acquired apprimorations for performance in work, research, or combat - one group invested into taking gene editing to a new level, complete design.

This went against all early regulations, but the shaky economy as well as the constant need for more work to be done rebuilding infraestructure and venturing into the wastelands for resources, meant that mass-producing that work-force needed to become a reality - if they wanted to return to their former glory and some more. The new individuals were usually imbued of all the previous enhancements granted by society and some more, like extra radiation tolerance, greater strength, or a faster efficient intellect, kept in check by constant work and vigilance. For decades, this type of individuals existed as elite slaves, as the government limited its small numbers as a policy of minimizing the possibility of accidental contacts and abuse from either side.

Eventually, as their population grew, they reached a state where for the most part, they were just working for a parcel of the population which was inferior to them in every aspect and field, since any major progress was not only thought out, but also carried by them. Soon enough, satellite and splitter communities of both enhanced and designed avipodans started forming far into the countryside.

With a far better economy and sense of community direction, though in small numbers, many of those of first generation Kahikōpafi (better translated as "Angel" or "Divine Servant") eventually came to form a schism of whether the "original" avipodans should still be fabricating more Servants by the hour like they were coke cans. And far worse, making corrections regarding the "defects" of previous generations, like shortening lifespans and hormone balances to increase subservience to their masters. Others still engaged in mass production of their kind, though focusing in enhancing their social skills or just securing a stable population number since later kinds were very hard if not impossible to breed naturally.

At this point, both sides were trying to agree and cooperate like those who pressed the buttons once hopped, with a few factions taking side against each other ocasionally thought not endorsed by any major groups, as the world was mostly empty and full of space for everyone now.

With the ever-settling of nuclear ash getting thinner each winter, a collaboration between both kahikōpafi and hoku in several fields took place, to clean the old northern cities and re-settle wherever possible, one of those many projects saw the revitalization of a telescope array called the Somoga Square Zaega Array (Okuiuka Zaaega Iutso det Somoga, O.Za.I.So. literal for Plateau), which would in a few years become able to make deep-space radio observations.

Within a few months of running the telescope, the Somoga Event happened, the evidence of violent interplanetary and interstellar conflicts happening in the far reaches of the Dominion. Upon the sudden realization that their whole society might be in very real danger from an outside force, the known governments of the time agreed upon a minimal radio-leakage term, as well as investing in ways of reaching other planets and stars as fast and silently as possible, in order to safeguard the existence of the hoku ways. It was generally agreed upon that from afar, and given the distance from the Dominion, the Paza system seemed particularly dead and non-attractive for the time being, the nuclear holocaust granted the advantage of not being of any presential interest.

THE FIRST STELLAR ERA

During the first three centuries after the Somoga Event (also abbreviated with SE, see what I did?), the space industry focused on the establishing of the hoku on Namenza, only decently warm rocky body to Auot'zae apart from their own moon. First sending a few better probes than the ones of Pre-War time, then automated equipment to pave space for bases and landing sites. Sending kahikopafis or hoku was beyond their technological and physical capabilities yet, and it is in this context of exploring and automating work in space in which appears their first spectres, similar to those developed by humans in the early 22nd century, spectres are a kind of general service A.I. platform, initially developed for simple tasks like factory management, or unmanned support combatants. The advent of better AI made independent spectres the driving force behind space infraestructure, being able to take on different orders and be easily relocated to other functions within a few hours of library update, which could be done during transport of units. Unlike genetically altered individuals, those fully synthetic workers in general got better with time, accumulating a long history of experience within several fields being able to solve complex calculations and problems on the run while doing other tasks. The spectre chassis varied with the designated tasks, from being simple cores operating whole factories, to UAVs and UTVs, down to being more avipodomorphic with recognizable and relatable faces and expressions, working as police, healthcare, or assistant units worldwide and offworld.

The development of better and even more autonomous AI allowed the hoku to dare sending precurssor missions at various extra-solar planets during their first stellar era, both habitable and uninhabitable worlds, these robotic missions had the same intent of their first efforts, pave infraestructure and acquire intel for the upcoming organic population, once they figured how the hell one does safely traverse interstellar space.

Auot'zae never became habitable again in its full extension because of the still radioactive zones, but the fallout had thinned enough in areas which could be treated and recovered with work. Because many northern cultures and technologies were lost, groups of kahikopafis adopted the ancient languages, and custoums of these lost civilizations as their own, while some created entirely new ways to have a sense of ownership over their fates, hence why we see the reapperance of old tongues such as Hukat and Entselari throughout off-world populations later on.

THE GOLDEN STELLAR ERA

The Dominion is littered with stars, and stellar systems, unfortunately many of which consist of purely gaseous or barren worlds, and very few of the latter are actually suitable for terraforming in some extent. Even though a quarter of the Dominion's potentially habitable worlds can be found within 100ly from the Paza system, few candidates ever got an acceptable degree of similarity to their homeworld in order to be put as a prime target, the closest and first off-system populational center was quadruple system with a planet aptly named Muhori (in Sidessian mythology, it is an island where demigods reside), located some 20 light-years from home, a brand new oceanic world. Barren, of course.

For security and logistical reasons, the Hoku Expanse focused on a single region of the sky along the tropics, not only because it was practical, but because it put their domain above the plane of the radio-broadcasting worlds of the Dominion, thus, putting them far and out of reach. This strategy also allowed them to make continuous used of fixed starlanes between systems.

This meant that the more the closer stations and systems developed, the faster they were allowed to move throughout known-space. And though the first ships ever sent were of the cryo-embrionic type, which incubates and raises its crew on the final years of the trip - the Golden Era ships could complete the task within a century per 20 light-years, which meant that parents and their children could hop on a trip to the nearest star and still have a couple decades to live in the new world. Meanwhile, artificial crews would still be traveling at twice the speed to other distant habitable planet candidates.

In the year of 797 PSE, hoku settlers arrived at the tropical world of Qekohoshoku, where they not only have found the first planet inhabited by forms of life apart from their own, but by technologically developed humans. The humans of this world called the planet, Niniveh, after an ancient city of a long lost mythical era, and as they have uncovered, Niniveh has been continuously inhabited by humans for at least some 30 ~ 40 thousand years to an extent or another, that peaceful society was happy to share their technology and ways with the group once attested that they posed no threat to the world. With faster and safer interstellar travel technology from the humans which called themselves, Chelok, the Hoku could take on faster and further away from the Dominion.

The Chelok have a different position regarding the urgency the Hoku give to staying further from it as possible. While the small group that arrived at Niniveh had no choice but to establish contact and make it peacefully, the ancient race is sure that the Dominion is doomed to crumble within a few thousands of years, as they claim to have seen over and over again with their own race many many millenia ago, which is why their current attempt at a spacefaring civilization has limited itself to inhabit only two systems, and it has worked so far. Firmly believing that the human ways will far outlive the expansionist Dominion. Despite the soothing piece of information, it didn't really cost much for a post-scarcity civilization like them, to help the Hoku achieve their current objectives, so long as they kept minimal noise and respected the limits of human space on the planet surface, basically allowing them to live anywhere they wanted salvo a few specific places.

Humans of Niniveh pointed to a bright star in the sky, which was their capital world for the time being, the distant world of Dhéģhōm. After a few exchanges through beamed radio, the Hoku were allowed into the system for trades and scientific research on the newly discovered alien life forms, the arrival of that diplomatic and science mission marked the start of Lower Stellar Era.

It's been nearly 2000 years after the Somoga Event at this point, and though there is exchange of goods and personnel between Muhori and Auot'zae, cryo-embrionic light-sails still had to be used to seed distant outworlds, with newer faster Chelok-Hoku ships starting to enter in service. Now, the Hoku Expanse consisted of 7 civilized worlds (minus theirs and the human capital) spanning over 200 ly in a single direction.

During one particular night of winter in 1977 PSE, a strange object entered the comet cloud of the Muhori system at hypervelocity...

- M.O. Valent, 05/01/2023