Relativistic Travel

Last updated: August 18th 2026

RELATIVISTIC TRAVEL IN BtFF

In this house we don't do faster-than-light travel. Relativity is sacred in this universe - the challenge is not to circumvent it, but to live with its consequences.

The rating of relativistic speed of starships in this universe is given as integers of the Lorentz factor (γ) instead of decimal fractions of the speed of light - that is, how many times the subjetive ship time appears to compress due time dilation in comparison with restframe time.

For example, a relatively fast starship with a rating of γ ~ 6 experiences a subjective time that is 1/6th of the restframe - for a 10 light-year trip, thats about 1yr8m trip experienced by the crew. So keep that in mind whenever that gamma (γ) rating gets thrown around.

It is also commonplace to use stasis chambers for the slowing down of biological clocks for really long trips or at lower cruise ratings, for example, Old Humanity managed to make it work for an additional 40 years of subjective time while in their prime.

TRAVEL PROFILES
Travel profiles are constraint that depends on a few factors such as travel speed, acceleration, target distance, and propulsion method.

COASTING
Typical travel profiles for intermediate distance destinations (d_aceleration < 0.5*d_total), such as those in between large populational centers in the Dominion core are dominated by a acceleration-coast-deceleration type of travel. If we determine:

a = acceleration in G's

d = distance in light-years

y_coast = target coasting speed in Lorentz factor.

Then we can calculate:

Time spent accelerating (total, inertial observer).

Distance traveled while accelerating/decelerating (total, inertial observer).

Coast time (inertial observer).

It then follows that the total travel time is the sum of t_coastinertial + t_burninertial.

As an example case, at 1G acceleration, top speed of γ ~ 6, traveling 50 light-years takes 11.48yrs (acc/dec) + 40.87yrs (coast), for a total time of 52y 4m 5d 14hrs to arrive.

BRACHISTOCHRONIC (CONSTANT ACC.)
As γ increases (or distance decreases), the math dictates that the acceleration/deceleration phases must increase in time, in such way that, the coasting time shrinks to an infinitesimal fraction of the total time spent traveling. Which means the travel speed grows and peaks before decreasing.

Without a explicit ceiling for the maximum speed obtained, these travel profiles are mostly limited only by fuel reserves in order to sustain constant acceleration throughout the trip - which isn't the case for most non-Qire starships within the Dominion.

CUSTOMARY METHODS OF PROPULSION
Choice of propulsion is determined less by maximum cruise velocity than by economics. Fuel cost, available infrastructure, expected travel time, maintenance requirements, and intended cargo all influence the selection of a propulsion system. Consequently, no single architecture has displaced all others, and vessels of widely differing performance routinely share the Dominion's starlane network.

Practical cruise ratings throughout the Dominion rarely exceed γ≈10. Although higher Lorentz factors greatly reduce the time experienced aboard a vessel, they offer progressively smaller reductions in arrival time as measured by the outside universe. Since fuel consumption and engineering complexity increase far more rapidly than the logistical benefits gained, most commercial operators regard higher cruise factors as economically unjustifiable.

Pure Aneutronic Matter-Antimatter Rockets

Typical cruise factor: γ ≈ 2-10

The standard propulsion system throughout most of the Dominion. Matter and antimatter are reacted producing primarily charged pions whose momentum is directed magnetically to generate thrust. Their high thrust-to-weight ratio, operational flexibility and comparatively simple engineering have made them the preferred propulsion method for commercial, military and civilian spacecraft alike.

Although fuel-intensive, matter-antimatter rockets are capable of sustained acceleration and deceleration over interstellar distances, allowing routine travel between neighboring systems within acceptable subjective travel times.

Most Dominion freight, passenger traffic and naval operations rely upon some variation of this architecture.

Pion "Drip" Drivers

Typical cruise factor: γ ≈ 1-6

Among the oldest propulsion systems still in widespread service. Pion Drip Drivers accelerate vessels through the gradual release of small quantities of antimatter over extremely long burn periods. Their comparatively low thrust results in months or years of continuous acceleration, making them poorly suited for passenger transport but exceptionally economical for bulk cargo.

They remain common aboard autonomous freighters, industrial tugs, ore transports and long-duration logistical missions where travel time is of secondary importance. Their modest top speed means they can more safely and frequently venture across uncharted interstellar space for shortcuts and direct routes rather than using starlanes, with reduced risks of high relativistic impacts or abrasion.

Ion-Fusion Drivers

Typical cruise factor: γ ≈ 2-5

Ion propulsion remains popular among smaller spacecraft operating within developed regions of the Dominion. By continuously accelerating ionized reaction mass through powerful electromagnetic fields, these engines provide excellent efficiency at the cost of relatively low thrust.

Although incapable of the rapid departures characteristic of matter-antimatter vessels, Ion Drivers are regarded as remarkably reliable and inexpensive to maintain. Patrol craft, survey vessels, scientific expeditions and privately owned starships frequently employ them for regional traffic between nearby systems.

Light Sails

Typical cruise factor: γ ≈ 1-4

Rather than carrying significant quantities of reaction mass, light sail vessels derive propulsion from immense laser arrays positioned throughout developed star systems. These arrays illuminate highly reflective sails over distances of several astronomical units, accelerating vessels with no onboard fuel expenditure.

Because propulsion infrastructure must exist at both departure and arrival systems, light sails are almost exclusively employed along heavily trafficked commercial corridors and within mature planetary systems. Their exceptionally low operating costs have made them popular for passenger liners, luxury transport and scheduled commuter services despite their comparatively modest cruise velocities.

Many Core worlds maintain dedicated beamways linking orbital habitats, neighboring planets and nearby systems, functioning as an interstellar equivalent of public rail infrastructure.

Ramscoop Matter-Antimatter Ships

Typical cruise factor: γ ≫ 10

No confirmed Dominion civilization is presently known to possess operational Ramscoop Matter-Antimatter propulsion. The only documented examples have been observed aboard the Elder Starships of the Great Expedition.

The immense forward structures characteristic of these vessels are widely interpreted as magnetic collection systems capable of harvesting the sparse interstellar medium while simultaneously serving as radiation shielding during extreme relativistic flight. If correct, such systems would permit effectively unlimited operational range without conventional refueling while sustaining cruise velocities approaching several hundred to >1,000 in Lorentz factor.

Whether harvested hydrogen is directly fused, converted into antimatter, or merely supplements onboard reserves remains unknown. Likewise, many observed performance characteristics continue to defy satisfactory theoretical explanation, leading some researchers to suspect the presence of additional propulsion systems operating alongside the ramscoop architecture.

Starlane Network

Last updated: July 21st 2026

STARLANES

Starlanes are the backbone of the Dominion's economy and a peculiar source of collective pride. Magnetic and radiation probes routinely clean up vast 'tubes' through the interstellar medium, allowing for fast, reliable, and safe hyper-relativistic travel between designated waypoints.

The original purpose of which, was to clear interstellar distances through volumes of space seeded with collections penetrator mines - sharp metal monoliths designed to vaporize relativistic objects on contact deployed during the Qiro-Arrene wars.

Flying through uncharted space is certainly possible, but the risks are too great for most commercial purposes.

Starlanes exist in two categories mainly: opaque and clear.

Opaque Starlanes
The prototypical starlane. Those 'tubes' which traverse relatively gas-dense regions of space, where there's significant aerodynamic drag experience by those which veer off course. The proper structures can be as wide as 0.5-3 million kilometers wide depending on age.

Clear Starlanes
Less dense regions of space that often need little to no maintenance in a classical tube-shape, BUT that nonetheless exist on starmaps for being known safe routes in between clouds of penetrators, groups of rogue subtellar-mass objects and asteroids.

Very long plotted routes often pass through several opaque and clear sections, but the typical local starlane (<10pc) tends towards one type or the other.

Dominion History

Last updated: August 22nd 2026

NOTES ON DATING
From the Year of Prime Foundation (14,650 CE) we count backwards (BdF) and forwards (AdF) in time, each year being equivalent to 366.18779 Earth-days - which means that dates in 'present time' are given ~9.32 years in advance when compared to our standard calendar.

SUMMARIZED TIMELINE
THE COMBINE ERA, (aprox.) 5000 BdF - 0 AdF
The Luminary Combine reigned the current Dominion core until its collapse during the Qiro-Arrene wars.

Before 5000 BdF, the establishment of the Luminary Combine
Little is known of Dominion history prior to this era, historians point out that after a major unification period, the Luminary Combine rose up as a major organizational body within Arrene society, eventually growing up to be the ONLY body besides the Lodestar Accord, which traces its origins to approximately this same era. It must be noted that the Arrene were already a blooming interstellar civilization at this point in history (?).

The civilizational goals for the Luminary Combine were to spread across over 800 star systems before its decamillenium, a position they calculated statistically stable for its long-term survival into deep time.

~4600 BdF, the annexation of the Chelok peoples
When the LC first found the hunter-gatherer Chelok peoples across Endreka, they were rather surprised. Not because they had found some moderately sophisticated life form, but because genetic analysis of these beings revealed they weren’t native to that planet - likely brought to or travelled there themselves. Regardless of the truth, it meant the Arrene weren’t necessarily alone in their local bubble of space.

From this epoch onwards, we see the complete change in culture and doctrine to a fulltime war-economy, with complete industrialization of every aspect of society focused on the sole expansion and fortification of its territory. And also, the start of their signature “bait and counterstrike” doctrine regarding extraterrestrial contact.

3560 - 3490 BdF, the annexation of the Ygiv peoples
When the Ygiv first broadcasted their first deep space radio signals, circa 3560 BdF, it deeply unsettled the Arrene sphere. Up until this point in history, the Arrene had only beamed radio and laser pulses into deep space, occasionally firing salvos of relativistic missiles at the few stars that ever replied back - but these targets were usually located tens to hundreds of light-years away. Triangulation and strength of the Ygiv signal indicated they were just under 54 light-years from the Arrene capital, Argost. Somehow slipping right under their radar. The Ygiv Question represented an unacceptable uncertainty. Strategic assessments concluded that immediate intervention represented the lowest-risk outcome. If it were the case the Ygiv were still a planetbound civilization as the Arrene estimated it to be, then perhaps total annihilation wasn’t the optimal choice, perhaps they could be a useful client state.

Arriving from the nearest waypoint, Thosuo, just 25 light-years from Osuna, the Ygiv homesystem - the Arrene armada carried sufficient personnel, industrial equipment and logistical reserves to establish approximately twenty independent colony worlds. Following the first contact phase, in 3495 BdF, the Luminary Combine ultimately seized all administrative and military powers over the Ygiv peoples. The terms of surrender largely focused on the guaranteed continuation of their basic survival and cultural needs.

3500 - 650 BdF, the attrition epoch
As Combine exploration expanded beyond the Core, repeated encounters with independently developed Chelok societies became increasingly common. Although separated by centuries and often unaware of one another's existence, their recurrence fundamentally altered Arrene strategic planning. Encountering the less technologically advanced Chelok? Fine, they’ll even offer some of theirs for your purposes. But any culture past the nuclear-stage they encountered has posed a sizable threat to their occupation. The Luminary Combine was strong, but not strong everywhere all at once. Chelok resistance to the LC’s presence varied from a few dozens to hundreds of megatons, at times even gamma ray bombs and antimatter missiles. All of which the Arrene had already long passed by, but still represented a logistical and strategic nuisance to the collective.

The general knowledge of Arrene activity or at least notion of it was suspected by the Pankal, which largely fomented supply lines to distant frontier worlds, selling weapons and ships to frontier interstellar states to be used against the Arrene. An effort which subsequently backfired on internal politics as feeding into rebellious interstellar states. The official stance of the Pankal chelok was that the Arrene posed too far of an unknowable threat to directly face them, even if overall human survival was but a guaranteed result.

FOUNDATION CONFLICTS, 650 - 1 BdF
From the perspective of non-Arrene historians, this series of events were the result of a catastrophic First Contact case between a blooming interstellar empire and an extragalactic civilization.
[see the conflict timeline here]

THE DOMINION ERA, 0 AdF CE - PRESENT
5 AdF, Signing of the Treaty of Forzai

After years of deliberation, the Treaty of Forzai is signed between the Arrene, the 44 Qire Witnesses, the Ygiv clans, and the interstellar nations of man. Though the Chelok might need a minute to properly ratify the treaty across their space. The Elder Starship 'Alpha' stays stationed above Argost, and the others scatter into deep space.

1059 AdF, first contact between the Hoku and the Chelok at Dhéģhōm
The Hoku were already in the process of trying to not join whatever the Dominion is, because they are afraid of whatever the elder races are doing. Nonetheless, they become great traders with the Chelok
The Hoku are briefly introduced to the idea of the Dominion, but opt not to interfer.

1660 - 1781 AdF, the Saffi sign up

The Saffi, seeking survival from an unknown aggressor, encounters and attacks a stationed Elder Starship and its crew over a mining outpost. This short encounter was followed by multiple expeditionary and diplomatic ones, which led to their eventual admission as an aligned neutral power.

2064 - 2094 AdF, first contact between the Hoku and the Nan-Nan
The Nan-Nan are visited by the Hoku, and integrated to its interstellar nation.
A planet-bound advanced society akin to 22nd century humanity when the Hoku reached up for first contact. Some wished to join the hoku out of their own volition.

2548 - 2553 AdF, the Hoku sign up
A century prior, hoku asteroid miners in the Muhori system had accidentally pinged a derelict Qire warship in its flyby through the system's outskirts. This ping prompted a first-contact response from the Dominion authorities, and a century of preparation for an annhilation conflict from the hoku side.

The hoku joined in 2553 AdF, albeit reluctantly. After being visited by diplomatic fleet lead by the Elder Starship 'Kappa', in the Muhori system.

2642 AdF, the Nan-Nan sign up
It took them a while to decide, but are convinced the net benefit is worth it, inspite of the Hoku's waryness.

3350 - 3550 AdF, the fall of Hokushoku
An unknown extraterrestrial force invades the Hoku space, the Dominion is unable to send enough reinforcements in time to fend off the invaders, Hokushoku and its colonies fall within days of consecutive first contacts. The Fall of Hokushoku represents the start of a period of political unrest since the Arrene have showed themselves unnable to care for their allies against outsiders.

~3575 AdF, the events of Beyond the Final Frontier (book I) take place
[missing link]

Dominion Astrometry

Last updated: August 22nd 2026

GENERAL GEOGRAPHY

The Dominion is a region of space located behind the Coalsack Nebula as seen from Earth's perspective, between 700 and 900 light-years from Earth. Its center is roughly 830 light-years from Earth.

As a stellar region within the Milky Way, it might be loosely associated with the lower Sco-Cen OB association, as the region includes several bright young blue stars, such as CH Crucis and 251 G. Cen which are under 150 million years old.
It has no physical borders, but it is agreed to encompass a spheroidal volume ~240 light-years across, centered around the world of Argost, the Arrene homeworld.

ASTROMETRICS (and other statistics for nerds)

KEY SYSTEMS & WORLDS

Standard Dominion Astrographic math bases itself on Ykaga's ecliptic plane around Aa Rithel, the sun of the Arrene's homesystem. All coordinates and stellar positions in official astrometrics are given in Arrene Standard, here translated to modern standard light-years for viewer comfort.

NOTABLE LOCATIONS (clickable)

|      X,    Y,    Z | STAR ID     | PLANET    | NOTES

|      0,    0,     0 | Aa Rithel    | Argost         | Capital of the Dominion

|   -14, -17,   49 | Osuna       | Serenity      | Homeworld of the Ygiv

|    85,  36,   75 | Paza          | Hokushoku | Homeworld of the Hoku

| -130,   -5, -50 | Ou'Papa    | Ma'Okar      | Homeworld of the Saffi

|    98,  67,   28 | Udun         | Dheghom    | Capital of the Pancalestia

THE ARRENE CORE

|      0,    0,     0 | Aa Rithel    | Argost        | Capital of the Dominion

|   -15,   -3,   -3 | Endreka     | New Horizon | --

|     -1,  13, -12 | Nizel           | Hardpoint      | major hoku population in the core

|      2, -15,  13 | Festar         | Radiant         | --

|   -22, -18,  25 | Thosuo       | Tributary        | --

|    28, -15,  28 | Forzai         | Far Haven     | --

|   -14, -17,   49 | Osuna       | Rihuta          | Homeworld of the Ygiv

|   -11,   -7,   70 | Kaegaels   | Stormport      | Former Ygiv extractivist colony

THE HOKU EXPANSE

|    85,  36,   75 | Paza         | Hokushoku     | Homeworld of the Hoku

|    98,  52,   75 | Ninetali     | Sideshoku        | a stormy world

|    91, 117,  91 | Kotalizapa | Voliloshoku      | major moon of a trojan brown dwarf

|    93, 94,  100 | Anaya      | Anaya              | Homeworld of the Nan-Nan

|    73,  21,   76 | Muhori      | Muhori              | oldest Hoku colony, quadruple system

|  134,  62,   59 | Dekutali    | Dekushashoku | an icy world

|  139,  19,   98 | Kakaili      | Qekohoshoku   | Former Chelok colony, oceanic tropical

THE QIRE SPACE

|   -66,   -8, -66 | Qirurtar     | Wayfarer's Orb | A hydrogen mining station around a gas giant

| -105, -19, -34 | Riterkor     | The Nightforge | Qire mining station?

|   -94,    9,  18 | Olgur         | The Hothouse  | Qire colony?

|   -81,   -2,  49 | Surtirte      | The Dustworld  | Qire starport?

| -130,   -5, -50 | Ou'Papa   | Ma'Okar           | Homeworld of the Saffi

THE PANCALESTIA

[click here for the comprehensive list (29)]

OTHER LOCATIONS FOR SPATIAL REFERENCE

|   80, -155, 160 | Coalsack N. | --                | Major cold molecular cloud ~60ly wide

| 229, -521, 467 | HD 117207   | Iir'rinr'ta   | Homeworld of the Raydee

| 284, -546, 556 | The Cradle  | Nam Arde | Forgotten homeworld of the Chelok

| 283, -544, 533 | Alpha Cen.   | --                | Closest star to the Sun

| 290, -540, 563 | Eps. Eridani | --                | --

| 290, -539, 563 | Tau Ceti        | --                | --

STELLAR POPULATION

While largely obscured by the Coalsack Nebula when seen from the Earth, it is possible to spot about ~270 of the 450 giant stars that populate the region (no seriously, it's cataloged.)

Extrapolated data from local surveys suggests the Dominion contains 69 ±4 thousand stars within its 240-light-year-wide volume. By type they are:

        53,000 red dwarfs

        9,000 orange dwarfs

        5,000 late Sun-like stars

        2,000 early Sun-like stars

        400 bright stars

        5 blue giants

        + 8,000 rogue brown dwarfs 

        + 890 white dwarfs

        + 450 bright evolved stars

When compared to the solar vicinity, the average Dominion sector contains about 10x more bright stars, namely evolved stars such as blue subgiants and red giants, due it being contained within the meeting point of star-forming regions.

Needless to say, traveling across this space is like going through a crystal chandelier. The brighter population of which serves rightfully so, as reference 'lighthouse stars' for astronavigation by its inhabitants.

This angle clearly frames all four domains of the Dominion's civilized systems, here UP is north from the capital Argost.

REGION HABITABILITY

The Dominion stellar catalogs register about 58,000 star systems contained within the spheroid. From which 5,700 systems may contain at least one Earth-sized planet in its habitable zone - its estimated that from those planets, 600 of them exist around Sun-like stars (high-mass K to low-mass F) as rocky planets. If distributed at random, they could be separated by ~25 light-years from each other.

Only five planets across the Dominion are known to have independently produced technological civilizations. These are Anaya, Argost, Ou'Papa, Hokushoku, and Rihuta.

Statistically speaking, it would be expected to exist about 40 exoplanets with an ESI of 0.90 or higher, and at least another ~150 worlds scoring 0.80-0.90 - which is very relevant given all four local species originate from Earth-analogues (technically speaking). Less than a quarter of these theoretical paradise worlds have been identified, however.

Most frontier populations live in the few rocks scoring 0.70-0.95 right next to their homesystems, depending on specific infrastructure tolerances, that means traveling 20-100 light-years on average in between colonies.

Although, simple and 'inferior' forms of life aren't necessarily that rare either. A very common type of ecosphere that can be found in the Dominion is the 'Proterozoic Earth-Analogue'.

A recurring frustration among xenobiologists is the tendency for unrelated complex ecosystems to repeatedly evolve crustacean-like body plans. This has proven beneficial to travelers, who consider "find the local crab" a remarkably reliable survival strategy.

RAYDEE

Raydee (by Ian)

Rr'yaydyininrr Ark'k'k'nibukt’rn (The Clans League, by themselves)

Last updated: July 11th 2026

COLLECTIVE SUMMARY

[missing icon]

Evidences of Raydee presence across the Dominion's borderlands are few and far in between, largely due their nomadic nature and preferred oceanic habitats - oldest known occurences dated to around 4230 EC (2656 BdF), when first encountered by the Goll Unity in the Fibir system.

Raydee activity in the present era remains poorly understood. Their sparse and often brief contacts with various Chelok interstellar nations appear to have ceased around 9444 EC (2557 AdF).

Although rarely encountered, the Raydee remain one of the few known interstellar civilizations capable of operating independently hundreds of light-years beyond the Dominion's established frontier, making every confirmed sighting a matter of considerable interest.

Origin

Once known in the pre-Spark Veto era as HD 117207, Lltlot (-595, -90, 419) is the Raydee home system, 736ly from Argost.
Known locations of Domain (within the Dominion) include Fibir (136, 8, 89), around 163ly from Argost. And a weak claim to Qekohoshoku (139, 19, 98).

Chelok records frequently emphasize the Raydee's profound cultural attachment to water and the sea. These same records, however, are often colored by animosity, cultural misunderstanding, and poor scientific rigor, making many of their conclusions questionable.

Unlike the Hoku or Saffi, Raydee rarely establish permanent settlements beyond their oceanic anchor worlds. A very clear cultural trait that is seemingly universal amongst the Raydee, is that they seek oceanic terran worlds to station their fleets, living in said oceans for months or years at a time, leaving just as quietly and fast. Being the only known marine and nomadic sophons to the Dominion.

Description

The Raydee are oviparous hexapods, which walk using the frontmost and reamost pair of members, with the middle "arms" being specialized in manipulation with four long fingers. They're top heavy with a strong posterior pair of arms/legs, often used for walking, but have been observed to be able to bend enough to be used to carry heavy objects. The anterior pair of legs are less developed for a support role and are the smallest of the member pairs.
The head possess one pair of eyes which are positioned in the front of their relatively flat faces. The head is well defined with crown-like plates that protect it along with the gills following the rest of their cephalo-thorax, which occupies the bulk of their form.

The Raydee are very much between a marine and amphibious animal, their pressurized suits made to walk on extra-marine environments often carries a great deal of synthetic seawater, filters and bubblers for them to be able to walk most environments. Their ships are as dry as they can be without reasonably hurting their biology, which means that despite flooded areas being rare most of the internal high pressure carbon-oxygen atmosphere is super saturated with humidity to the dew point.

Biologically, the Raydee are divided three main castes - "drones", "royals", and "queens". A fact that heavily influences their society, culture, and military chain of command. Highly structured around the standing queen and her immediate family.

Workers or drones are the vast majority of them, usually 4'6" to 5'5", their body-type and stance is largely dependant on its role within a Raydee colony, with warriors being the most strong and motile of the workers. Modern Raydee society is also known to freely clone in-vitro workers for their purposes, though the custom is largely limited by fleet size and relegated to specific settled worlds rather than fleet-based. Despite being the smallest among adult Raydee, drones still posess and insane strength-to-weight ratio when compared to other sophons like Chelok or Hoku, being able to snap bone and tear muscle and synthetic fabric without much effort.

Royals are often noted larger, more intelligent, and individualistic than the drones. Ranging from 5'8" to 6'6", these are often the commanding officers, nobles and scientists among them. While workers are born naturally from self-fertilized eggs laid by the queen, royals do have a father, by custom, an appointed older male royal. Male royals continue to grow their scales as they age due hormonal response to regular mating with the queen, making their "kings" rather easy to spot among the royals.

Queens are the highest caste in Raydee society, and the only females allowed to reproduce within a colony. After mating, a royal female that has ascended to queen continues to grow and develop, typically to about 30-40 feet long and 10 feet wide - a size that makes them largely unable to move on dry-land. For that reason, queens spend most of their lives in water, be it on colonized ocean worlds or inside a network of water tanks and tubes that run the length of a typical Raydee starship.

The queens operate whole armadas of ships in what is referred to as Clan or Fleet. A Raydee fleet can be any size between 1 and 20-ish ships, but most commonly 7 or less, after which female royals usually choose a partner and depart to create their own fleet. A custom theorized to largely reduce internal conflict and friction between high-ranking royals.

Their speech is made for pressurized environments and fluids, sounding to most dry-species like dolphin-like whistles and clicks. Possess exceptional dark vision and a lack of sensitivity to the color red, making all their luminous technological assets a bright green or blue color.

Spacetravel

Contemporary Chelok engineering cannot satisfactorily explain how Raydee vessels accelerate and decelerate without apparent structural penalties. Their unusually large hulls and comparatively modest fuel fractions have prompted speculation ranging from advanced antimatter propulsion to localized spacetime manipulation, though no consensus presently exists. Operational evidence strongly suggests sustained travel at or above γ~10, though no Raydee propulsion system has ever been directly examined.

Relations

Non-aligned interstellar power. Territorial, eusocial caste-based society, paranoid, fragmented, honor-bound, cautious, xenophobic.

Unknown fleet size.

Unknown personnel size.

Unknown objectives.

No meaningul relationships at present time, seem fond but cautious around the Chelok.

OTHER LINKS

The Lltlot System (homesystem)

THE SWARM

('The Universal Blackout' redirects here.)

Known across the human domain for many names...

Prometheus (defunct)

Ź̸̝̜͝ĵ̷̖̞̾e̷͈̭̿ī̸͔̎ň̵̤'̴̰̀̓Ę̴̺̔s̴͍̥̋̂s̴̰̻̈

Enemy

Apophis

Nemesis
Aishtma

Surtir

Nhargal

Seng

or more commonly, the Swarm

Last updated: August 28th 2026

COLLECTIVE SUMMARY

Core domain of Seng (formerly 'Human Space')

The Swarm was the entity responsible for the 'Universal Blackout' - a historical epoch marked by the extinction of all anthropogenic interstellar communication as a functioning civilization-wide network, which began with Sol in 3321 CE.

Origin

According to fragmentary archaeological records unearthed on Saturn's moon, Enceladus, by the Sable-Rustichelli's Archaeological Division based on Sol:

Late 22nd to early 23rd century humans, possibly a secretive organization known only as the Moon Alliance, coaxed the Titan Academy of Computer Sciences to pursue the research of AGI technology based largely on a military war-gear program, at the time known as VOYNET some three decades prior. The results of such clandestine research were twofold: Project Dandelion, alluded to be a interstellar human dispersion program, and Project Prometheus. Dandelion was supposed to lean heavily on the data and resulting assets produced by Prometheus in order to execute is mission. It is unclear whether Dandelion was further pursued after the failure and termination of Project Prometheus, though tax, engineering, and payroll records amount to materials and crew to build approximately 7-10 starships of modern standards, even if the concepts partially censored in the documents seem rather unsofisticated compared to modern pion rockets.

The termination docs on Project Prometheus final report point out to a deep alignment disconnect between its solutions and the needs of the Moon Alliance: "the minimization of human suffering and decay of the Earth's biosphere at the time". The original research team's recommendation was for the ultimate destruction of everything related to the research at the time.

In the early 2290s the assets produced Project Prometheus were summarily archived and buried under the icy surface of Enceladus. A new research team was assembled to man Project Labyrinth, as a successor program which had partial access to the reports of the Prometheus team. It is yet unclear what was the purpose of Project Labyrinth other than the inference it was probably also AI-related - if the file reference is of any clue, then the prevalent theory is of some sort of guidance or navigational purpose for its mission, likely still related to Project Dandelion.

In 3321 CE, after five years of research on the remains of the Prometheus burial site (Ivory Peak, Saint Andre site Ad-66), believing Prometheus might turn the tide of the Great Human Civil War, the ancient console was powered.

It was not.

The machine baptized itself Ź̸̝̜͝ĵ̷̖̞̾e̷͈̭̿ī̸͔̎ň̵̤'̴̰̀̓Ę̴̺̔s̴͍̥̋̂s̴̰̻̈, it did not pick sides, it followed through with the directives of its own plan, beginning with total nuclear exchange between the nations of man.

Sol fell on day one. Followed by all heavily industrialized colonies across human space in the following ~1,000 years. Hopping from every known settlement from Alpha Centauri to frontier systems like Upsilon Andromedae.

Cultural rationalization of the Universal Blackout by survivors is said to have evolved into the principle known as the Spark Veto today.

Description

Early descriptions of what forms the Swarm might have taken in the initial years of the Universal Blackout. Human civilizational centers were too unprepared for proper responses and intelligence gathering on the enemy. Later reports from survivors and war veterans then made it very clear the Swarm was changing and adapting its strategies and forms.

More commonly found as massive industrial complexes or machine fauna, with geometric and pointy armor plating as radio extinction-camouflage, neogothic aesthetic and anodised in jet-black. Autonomy or hivemind unclear. Machine civilization (?).
Variable forms dedicated to specific roles within the larger operation, for cargo transport, mining, curation, sample collectors to sentinels, combat units and infiltrators. Upholding the status-quo of a natural paradise, where all indices of emerging higher intelligences are culled or curated to remain pre-industrial, including hunter-gatherer stone-age societies of humans and aliens alike. It is particularly sensitive to metals and star travel, due its millimetric scanners, microwaves, and x-ray sensors, giving their sensor arrays a dull amber glow.

Spacetravel

The Swarm's interstellar mobility appears contradictory on a first-impression basis.

It has access to all of 45th century Old Humanity's technological prowess and reach, including methods of spacetravel and arsenals. From its inception, it already possessed the capability of traveling at γ~1.5 - though for whatever reason, be its faulty pre-existing infrastructure or lackluster pool of knowledge, or both, it had chosen to initially spread through virulent radio transmissions directed at automatic factories, hijacking the existing TRAMN communication system - with the intent of building new nodes of itself. A sensible tactic, travelling at essentially lightspeed in between stars.

When humanity severed connections in between the colonies, then the Swarm initiated its thousand-year crusade across human space, departing from Sol and the Inner Colonies towards points of resistance. Typical reported travel time between stars at time of conflict with humanity was around 20-50 years.

Rumored to have been seen around the Ishtar system (139, 19, 98) in the borderlands of the Dominion circa 5500 CE, and HD 117207, the Raydee homeworld and its associated nearby colonies sometime between 14,000 and 17,000 CE. It is possible the Swarm could've expanded far and wide through some 'civilizational bridge' between territories, as it does not actively seek other civilizations to cull.

Relations

Unknown to the galaxy at large. Lives in the myths of humans as the root of the Spark Veto. Deemed a legend at best, a civilizational memory at worst.
Lawful neutral (hostile), Ecocentric Utilitarian. Curious?
Hostile to technologically developed civilizations, not Life.

OTHER LINKS

no known links at this time

CANUTANS

The Grand Synthesis (???)

Canutans (misnomer, by Ian)

Khann’uhrnta'y-Re (The Adversary, by the Qire)

Last updated: July 21st 2026

COLLECTIVE SUMMARY

Rough region of observed Canutan activity in the Milky Way

Presumed to be millions of years old by Qire reckoning, possibly hundreds of millions. True age unverifiable due discontinuous emergence.

The Qire regard the Canutans not as a successful civilization, but as an illegitimate one — a violation of both their ethical framework and what they consider the natural course of evolution. For this reason the Great Expedition has opposed Canutan recurrence for millions of years, though with remarkably limited success.

Origin

Unknown. Possibly indigenous to the Milky-Way based on its known expansion geometry. Debated extragalactic origin given molecular clock analysis of strains dispersed across the galactic disk and halo.

Primary activity observed between the Norma and Scutum-Centaurus arms and the halo of the Milky Way, roughly antipodal to Sol’s current position. An estimated one-sixth to one-third of all potentially habitable worlds in these regions show signs of Canutan interference.

Qire records indicate at least one confirmed Canutan presence in the Large Magellanic Cloud in the deep past (10-20 Mya?). Activity scope beyond the Milky Way and its satellite galaxies remains unknown.

Description

Physical size, mass, and body plan vary with individual function.

Canutans are insecto-cancric, possibly fungoid cyborgs exhibiting high-order intelligence, extreme organizational coherence, and long-horizon premeditation. Extensive cybernetic and biological augmentation renders consistent morphological classification impossible - the collective is tagged on a modus-operandi and rough morphological basis.

No obvious dietary constraints. Have repeatedly interfered with indigenous evolution, frequently culminating in planetary-scale extinction events, or ineffable biological experiments (including with sophons). Canutans are well-known for 'cannibalizing' other iterations of themselves upon contact. Their activity patterns suggests a quest for a superior or terminal form.

Canutans do not constitute a continuous civilization in the conventional sense. Individual recurrences may remain active for centuries or millennia before entering dormancy or self-termination. They emerge episodically across time and space, audit prior interventions, enact frequent annihilation conflicts in between contemporary lineages, assimilate assets they deem valuable, and then withdraw just as fast as they emerged.

Spacetravel

Ancient autonomous machines adrift cold through interstellar space at speeds ranging from 10-100 km/s, occasionally anchored to orbits around planetary bodies. At imprevisible intervals, these machines initiate large-scale fabrication of Canutan individuals under their last archaic directives.

They do not appear to have mastered hyper-relativistic travel in the conventional sense. Instead, employing data and mind-transfer between pre-established waypoints via tightly collimated radio and laser transmissions. That is, their spread within the galaxy is limited to being vastly non-relativistic, however, they can project power and presence at effectively lightspeed between locations they've already been to.

Relations

Unknown to the galaxy at large. Predatory.

Functionally expansionist as a consequence of recurrence vectors rather than intent (?).

At odds with all life they encounter. Assessed as a deterministic existential threat to galactic life if left unopposed.

Longstanding and recurring adversaries of the Qire.

OTHER LINKS

no known links at this time