Allixi

Pronounce: ah-LICK-see
Plural: Allixian

PHYSIOLOGY

The Allixi are a race evolving from avian roots. While it is true that most avian species have a beak of sorts, the Allixi have facial features more like a bat. Their heads are contoured and air-streamed, often revered as hatch-like, thin and smooth. Millions of tiny feathers like scales cover their body in a natural coat over their pink skin. Longer flexible feathers cover their heads like hair, men having more colourful head feathers than the women. Their eyes are sharp as an eagle’s and they can see with perfect clarity over long distances. Like most creatures, they have a blood chemistry that employs hemoglobin to transport oxygen to the cells in their body.

Their skeletal structure is hollowed out, though bones thicker than most, which accounts for how they look thicker. This offsets their unusual average height of seven feet. Through social advancements and natural progression, the Allixi have almost lost complete use of their wings which neatly fold behind their backs. Some smaller pockets of naturalists have reclaimed their ability to fly, dressing in clothes that do not hinder their wings. There has been some criticism of late that the Allixi need to remember their roots and take flight once more, if they are to continue moving ahead. Reliance on trains, energy-to-matter transporting devices and spacecraft, have left them dependant on technology. Of those that can fly, Allixi can cover long distances in flight, soaring like a hawk in the sky.

Allixians do not live as long as Humans. The average male may enjoy fifty-two Standard Earth Years of age while females quite often live to be sixty.

HISTORY

Thirteen hundred years ago (1085 AD) the first Allixi space-folding engine was successfully tested. Having been confined to their own star system and infant colonies for so long, the entire Allixian scientific community hailed the test as their foothold into exploring the vast unknown. Funding for the project was requested of the government and rejected. The Harmonic-Folding-Space (HFS) Drive would be placed on hold for two hundred years, nearly forgotten. Those were in the days when the Allixian home world, Jelkare, was still divided by petty politics and padded voting. It soon became apparent to those living in each country that their leaders would not listen to them only interested in endless political posturing and lining their own pockets on the backs of others.

It was just over eleven hundred years ago (1285 AD) when the first of the Maji [mah-JEYE] made their public appearance. At first they were dismissed as lunatics from a narrow-minded religious order. Several branded them as heretics and backward-thinkers because of their solutions to a growing public unrest. One of the Maji leaders at the time was named Chason Vanne. He spoke out freely about doing away with democracy as a form of government, claiming that the people no longer wanted to have to choose between lesser evils. He went on to say that political talk is useless when it is the action of the state that makes the difference. To that end, he made a bold recommendation that those who strive for leadership be challenged not only by their words but by their actions. He proposed a competition be the platform of which people could vote, reminiscent of barbaric games in past days.

“Let those who wish to rule us, do it by their own hands,” he uttered in a speech before the grand Mardlou Palace.

Before long, a revolution began to sweep over the larger nation of Luvian. People called out for the government to resign, calling for a new election—demanding that those in the leadership prove themselves. The class between protesters and police was anything but bloodless. Civilians were killed, government buildings set ablaze and officials assassinated. It was then that the last of the great wars came. Taking advantage of the Luvian’s turmoil, antagonist nations chose to strike, bringing Luvian’s allies to come to its aid. The Saving War lasted for more than twelve years (1294-1306 AD).

Most of what happened during that time has been lost or perhaps was never written down. What is known as that fourteen sovereign nations went into the war and only eight came out after the cease fire accords were signed. What remained of Jelkare was an abomination. The Saving War was really a misnomer. Little of the world had remained untouched from the bombs, the troops, the armour and the screeching craft that flew high above the same clouds that their race had once soared in.

It was out of these ashes that the Maji rose from. Brokering ties between former nations, taking up the mantle of rebuilding, working with the people to reclaim what had been lost. They would take care of the people. Whether this seemingly new approach to the mysterious collective of public guardians was done out of guilt for what they had caused or from wells of compassion, it was difficult to say. Scepticism caused people to murmur against the Maji, not trusting, unwilling to listen to them. Laden Navo was a strong proponent for nipping the Maji influence in the bud and had rallied an entire city in Luvian to help him re-establish the fallen government. But there was little organization and soon Laden’s plans fell apart.

As small pockets of civilization began to function once more under quorum rule, the Maji established their own population in a number of regions around the world. It started slowly with the quorum’s restoring order more quickly and getting local needs fulfilled. But after five years, the Maji had caught up and not only restored order, but had also established a small militia, trade conduits, communications network and a rulership that was held imperfectly accountable. A Rhaskian was elected by people after competing for the title with those of the same caste. It seemed arbitrary at first who fit into what caste, but the Maji made the decision proving their common wisdom already in providing for the people. In stepping down, they elevated the Rhaskian, making him or her lord over the region.

A Rhaskian’s job was simple: protect, facilitate and care for the people. In return, the people constructed the Rhaskian’s office, kept him or her in power and provided for the state. It seemed like a convenient solution in those days. While thieves and robbers were plentiful and ruthless, the Maji took it up as being the people’s shield, defending them alongside the common militia.

It took over fifty years (1360 AD) before Jelkare was back in roughly the same place it had been before the revolt and the Saving War. Originally many had thought nothing good would have come out of the dispatch of democratic ways, certainly many feared that a form of socialist-minded mania might overcome good sense and plunge everyone back into a dark age of despots. Instead what had come out of the entire bloody matter was something that had been refined. Condense civility that, although still had some drawbacks, inter-caste relations for one, had provided a greater stability that no one could have foreseen, except for maybe the Maji.

Launching into space on the third season of 1372 AD, the small pod landed on the first of five orbiting moons and transmitted the wonder of being in space. That was the final grout which bound the remaining nations together. Out of the Saving War had risen eight stronger nations which then formed into five stronger nations with many difference sub-cultures. Languages condensed sadly from just over a hundred down to a small handful, two common languages quickly surfaced as becoming official world languages: franair and gailisse. The former was smooth and rounded with the latter being highly accented and was often used in formal company or when speaking to ones betters.

In 1411 AD, the first of two moon colonies were established and the first link in a global transit system was lain between Quillo City, the new Maji capital, and Effon, the new political capital of Jelkare. It was two years later when the first ancient moon colony was discovered. It was determined that during the time of revolution, the moon colonies were neglected, running out of supplies and air as spatial convoys were halted and space programs put aside to bolster military strength. Public outcry from those whose relatives had perished called out for the construction of self-sustaining facilities to be built into the new moon colonies, preventing such a tragedy from happening again.

During the next seventy years methods of travelling farther into space at speeds faster than light was feverishly worked upon as the Ring of Rhaskian declared that space held the next keys to Allixian evolution. It was in those days that many still followed the Alstari Gods and moving out into those same stars gained great public appeal.

By 1500 AD, remnants from the old Harmonic-Space-Folding Drive were unearthed and translated. Many people opposed the project, fearing that fragments of a troubled past could bring back another great war. Once again the Maji stepped and quieted the people and told them that there was no way the knowledge could bring about another war because the Great Oracle of the Alstari Gods had not foreseen it. Of those who did not share the Alstari faith, they continued to question, make their voice known, but the majority did believe and took the Maji’s words at face value, allowing the project to continue.

After twenty-eight years of studying the translated materials and constructing a prototype, all gathered around various viewing monitors and screen to witness the horrific catastrophe that would happen before their eyes. The first HSF prototype left orbit without a problem, soaring high above the clouds and into orbit where it met up with two satellite stations that had been pieced together since the first moon landing of the new era. As it powered up the HSF drive and was about to make its first jump, the vessel suddenly imploded, crushing all those aboard before exploding into a short-lived fireball.

For the next five years the science caste analyzed the data, proposing what went wrong, why the vessel varied from the simulations and models and how to prevent another such catastrophe. Questions were asked if the gods were angry with their attempts to break the light barrier. Perhaps the Allixi were not meant to travel into the stars! The Ring of Rhaskian made a special broadcast and the High Lord at the time was Krius Stavair. He spoke out against the muttering, claiming that the unfortunate events of the HSF prototype should not be taken as an poor omen but should be looked upon a challenge, a test from those watching from the stars. To support him, the Chosen Alstari Priestess gave a thirty minute talk, reminding the people of the struggles of their planet, the way people got together under one banner, how the gods had delivered the Allixi out from under the blade of war.

The project went ahead and soon scientists found that several of the manuscripts recovered from the ancient HSF engine trials had been translated incorrectly, causing several critical components to have the reverse effect. Hope once again soared as the moon colonies expanded, modules were added to the orbital stations and self-sufficiency modules were added to planet, station and colony. Energy-to-matter (E2M) was discovered ten years later (1551 AD) which ushered in an age of prosperity and self-sufficiency. But the ability of their fusion power plants to create enough energy to sustain such advances began to wane as more and more people gained access to such technological wonders. It became clear that another form of energy was required. It was not for another twenty-one years before the knowledge of anti-matter was shared with them by a passing trader who had wandered into their star system. The alien was the first any Allixi had seen. Claiming to have come from far beyond their star cluster, many people chose to revere this trader as an emissary from the Alstari.

The Maji were critical about this assessment. Meeting with the trader within the Rhaskian Ring’s chambers, they asked questions about his origin, why he had come, and if he had been sent by their star gods. At first the trader thought their questions were a joke. He had visited many other worlds and was well versed in different cultures. He told them that he had not come from their star gods and claimed never to have been in contact with one. However, he did mention that there were others in the stars and that it was those other worlds he had visits and come from.

The Chosen took a recess to talk this over as the Maji talked to the trader, attempting to figure out if the trader really was a merchant or something else in disguise. After a time, it became apparent to the Maji that the trader truly was a merchant and that there was potential to learn new things, acquire new technology. When the meeting was brought back to order, the Chosen accused the trader of being an unbeliever and that he should be exiled. The Rhaskian Ring disagreed as did the Maji. Overruling the Chosen, the alien was shown the courtesy that was required for honoured guests.

Completion of their trade, the Allixi gained the knowledge of anti-matter, how to find it and more importantly how to construct a matter/anti-matter reactor powerful enough to sustain their world’s energy needs for centuries. Outfitting their new prototype with a tested matter/anti-matter reactor, the second test occurred early in the first season of 1587 AD. All watched as the small craft left orbit, engaged its thrusters and then blinked out of existence. At first many thought that the ship had been destroyed like the first until the pilot radioed back confirming that he was all right and that the ship held together. People began cheering in the streets as the ship blinked back and slowly moved back into orbit around one of the completed stations.

It was that test which brought the Chosen’s worst fears to life. For during that time, there was a scavenger race known as the Rusali who had become nothing more than astral nomads after fleeing the destruction of their home world. If it weren’t the forethought of the High Lord at the time, all of the colonies, orbiting stations and perhaps Jelkare might have been pillaged and destroyed. Powerful railgun assemblies had been installed on one of the stations and two turrets mounted on one colony much to the Maji’s disapproval. They believed that if an aggressive species was encountered in the future, negotiations and reason would prevail, not weapons. The Rhaskian Ring recited their charge of defending the people, facilitating their needs and care for the populous. The Maji ground their teeth as the project went ahead.

In 1608 AD the first of the Rusali were encountered as they laid waste to a newly established colony on the fifth planet of the Alstari System (named after their collective of gods). All of the men were killed, the women were taken prisoner and the children were ejected into space. Having no formal spatial patrol formed, the Allixi listened to the reports of the attackers move from one colony to the next until they encountered the resistance found in the railgun fire control. The weapons were effective enough to drive them away, allowing survey pods to go out and have a look at the damage. Over five hundred thousand people had died and two colonies were deemed uninhabitable.

The Rhaskian Ring declared a state of emergency and attempted to contact the alien trader that had left his “calling card” behind. They were able to contact the trader and he told the Rhaskian about the Rusali and how they were a nomadic race whose real purpose was to move from place to place like carrion birds pillaging what they could before moving on. When the Rhaskian asked if the trader could lend assistance, not knowing when another attack was to come, the trader regretfully told them that he was unable to reach them before another attack was to come. Since the Rusali scavenger was able to get away, it would report its findings back to the caravan and return. But the trader did promise to do what he could.

It wasn’t more than a week later before the Rusali was back and in greater numbers. During this time the colonies had begun installing additional batteries, erecting newly developed force fields and stationing additional troops and Maji to repeal an on foot invasion. Meanwhile the primary stations went into full swing with installing more than just its share of rail guns, missile batteries were brought up from the surface and installed with heavy warheads. Shielding nodes like that of the colony were installed around its parameter and the communication platforms were reinforced. Twenty new craft were constructed from replicated parts and installed with twin rapid-fire rail cannons and plated with armour. The core of pilots who had flown in the sky was given crash courses in spatial flight. And then the Rusali came, thirty-five strong.

Immediately the farthest colony began panicking, people attempted to escape by any method that they could as the Allixi patrol engaged the undisciplined scavengers. Many of the colonial escape vessels, transit shuttles and transport trains were easily intercepted and destroyed as the colony’s rail guns sent up streams of gun fire into the enemy armada. But the gun installations proved too slow for the quick fighters. They had adapted to the encounter previous, perhaps not as stupid as first thought. Ship to ship fighter was most effective with the new crop of Allixi star pilots destroying more than half of the Rusali attack force with only losing five of their own. That was until another ship warped into the system, a cruiser that immediately dispatched three Allixi fighters with narrow beams of energy that struck with godly precision.

The colony was destroyed, railguns firing until the explosion consumed them. All appeared to be lost as the Rusali advanced behind the strength of their cruiser ally. Then the trader arrived. In a brilliant flare of light, the trader blinked into existence. But it did not stop there. The trader had brought help and two more ships appeared, foreign to the Allixi, perhaps from another world that the Trader had spoke of.

They three make short work of the cruiser, assisting the Allixi patrol in mopping up the remnant fighters. None of the Rusali escaped that day.

It was on that day, remembered as the Rusali Invasion, that the Allixi were welcomed into the interstellar community of the Chara Cluster: a group of stars that formed a lazy arc within the sector. The aliens that had come with the trader were called the Daisha, the protectorate of the Cluster. The reptilian-like aliens told them that they had been watching the Allixi’s development with keen interest. Of the few warp-capable species in the region, the Allixi had the best makings of their successor. Not knowing quite what the Daisha female had told them, the High Lord of the Rhaskian invited their saviours to stay for as long as they wanted.

A strong relationship formed between the Allixi and the Daisha and by 1700 AD an open trade accord had been signed by both parties. In 1712 AD, the Allixi were invited to their first Chara Conference which was attended by three others besides the Daisha. The Oshuae were in attendance in those days before the Dominion threat, among others. A whole new world opened up the eyes of the High Lord and those of her Maji escort and Chosen advisors. The entire entourage had never imagined that they would have gotten this far as to become a member of a multi-racial league (unofficially).

For the next two hundred years the Allixi were taken under the Daisha’s wing creating only minor tension in the following conferences. Some expressed concern that the Daisha’s favour would corrupt the new member of their community and that they should be allowed breathing room to come into their own. But the Daisha knew that there time was short for the Chara Cluster and there was too much to pass on to the budding avian race to release them from their apprenticeship.

The Daisha taught them about the five major regions of the sector: Chara Cluster, Ion Drift, Hyperion Expanse, White Star Belt and a place they called the Nebulae River. The Allixi explored space with their new benefactors, learned new technology, advanced and were taught about the importance of the Daisha presence and the conflicts that had occurred unbeknownst to the Allixi.

Peace prevailed as the Rusali were driven back from the cluster and more and more the duties of the Daisha were passed onto the Allixi Maji: mediation between races, moderating the Chara Conferences, and gaining the trust of the interstellar community. The Oshuae remained suspicious since most of the Maji during that time were men. It was in 1913 AD that a long-ranged scout discovered a small planet of woodland dwelling civility. The humanoid creatures were on the verge of attaining higher mechanics and already exhibited an advanced math system. More startling was that despite the observation team’s best efforts to observe Daisha principles the landing party found that several dozen humanoids were waiting for them on the edge of the landing mark.

Clairvoyant! The species had an uncanny ability to see near future events before they happened. Immediately the Chosen took this as a sign that these seemingly utopian beings were the gods’ children incarnate and should be preserved at all costs, left undisturbed except for a few visits by the Chosen Priestess once a season. The Daisha warned the Allixi that deifying these humanoids would only stunt their civilization and do more harm than good for the race that had lived in peace for so long (it is difficult to wage war when each side knows what the other is going to do before they do it….battles stalemated).

In exchange for the seasonal visits, the Allixi Chosen traded with the woodland race, keeping their technology hidden as the Daisha had advised. Receiving predictions and premonitions of the near future, the Allixi were able to plan for any number of events that was until the Daisha disappeared.

Some said that the Daisha had gone into hiding or some sort of hibernation, and others claimed that they simply lost interest in the Chara Cluster and wanted to explore the rest of the galaxy. Current day historians now theorize that the Daisha may have known about a building Dominion threat and went off to defend the Chara Cluster one last time. Their attempts may have inadvertently revealed the location of the cluster as the Dominion returned later putting pressure on each of the races before going to war with the Federation. But that was not to happen for some time.

And it was early in 2200 AD that yet another aggressor moved into the sector, quickly claiming the White Star Belt and causing a number of convoys to enter the Chara Cluster seeking refuge in the wake of the Red Star Union. The Maji, trained not only for diplomacy but for elite combat in that time, were dispatched in a diplomatic vessel to meet with the Union, sending out messages of greeting. They never returned. Additional attempts were made, but each time the vessels either returned heavily damaged or not at all.

In the 2309 AD conference, many of the races expressed their building dismay on how things were being handled with the Union. Clearly the reports from those fleeing painted a bleak picture of red-blooded humanoids bent on conquest and they had nearly taken over the entire region now named the Red Star Belt. Some suggested a preemptive strike was in order to put an end to the aggressors, a showing of strength to indicate that those in the Chara Cluster would not be intimidated. It went to a vote in favour of the strike.

The Allixi Chosen immediately went to the woodland planet that had been labelled Saria and consulted with the elders there who could see farther than their juvenile brethren. Destruction of the Chara fleet was predicted with the rain of destruction like blood droplets falling from the sky. Sickened by this report, the Priestess made her appeals to the Rhaskian Ring. This time the Maji agreed, claiming that diplomacy was still the best weapon they had at this point. The High Lord at the time, and old wizened man by the name of Galiphile Oris, held a recess that lasted for over a month to consider the words spoken that day.

Galiphile knew that if he were to call a special meeting of the Chara races to recall the strike many would question the Allixian rulership that had been passed down to them by the Daisha. It was said that the High Lord neither ate nor slept for several days while locked away in his anteroom, visited only by his wife of whom he found tremendous strength in. When the Rhaskian Ring came back to order, the High Lord looked weary, withered and stricken by his decision. The resident Chara races were invited with all in attendance. The strike would continue, he told all, standing tall.

Over half of the regular standing fleet was gathered together under the direction of Supreme-General Elo Buvian, an Allixian with a distinguished record. Coordinating the fleet with the other Chara races, they all clustered near the farthest outpost of Helordorresh, which in Allixian franair meant: The Gateway to the Enemy.

The fleet was defeated, unable to combat the massive slow-moving fortresses that cut ships to ribbons while sending out legions of fighters to swarm the remnant with cannon and missile fire. Shields seemed to be no match, being overpowered within a few salvos and even the thickest cruiser armour began to buckle under the barrage of the Red Star Union’s destroyers. The losses were staggering. Of the entire armada less than twenty percent made it back to the Chara Cluster and of those, half were barely operational.

Those that did make it back were composes mostly of Maji which were successful in retrieving vital intelligence that allowed them to repeal a counterstrike by the Union that they would not soon forget. It was in 2328 AD that the Union had gained more territory in the Red Star Belt, slowly inching its way toward the Chara Cluster when it launched an aggressive attack force aimed for the Allixi and its allies.

But the Maji’s intelligence had worked against the Red Star Union, allowing the Allixian allies to study their tactics, observe how they swarmed and slices through defences. Old technologies assisted in created new ones and from the womb of the railgun birthed anti-fighter batteries. The flak-like cannons were mounted on the larger carriers and destroyers which created a heavy screen of suppression fire with an EMP quality, effectively disabling vessels within its proximity and then tearing it apart like a grinder by hundreds of rounds per second.

Other races assisted the effort, outfitting their frigate and destroyer classed vessels with high-powered energy weapons and projectile launching platforms that could take advantage of the slower destroyers while effectively torpedoing it with Faster-than-light-(FTL)-propelled projectiles. Fighters were crafted and assault gunships constructed to land Maji shock troops armed with their light-weight, energy-absorbing shield and armour piercing spear. In the age of energy weapons it had discovered that if said bursts could be deflected, even once, the odds of a successful strike increased. The Maji based their combat on being unseen and speed, getting as close as possible to the enemy before striking.

Then in the third season of 2354 AD, the Red Star Union overran Helordorresh within minutes, summoning the fleet to battle stations. Within hours the fleets meet and the new tactics were put to the test. The entire Allixian fleet stood back pensively from the Union’s destroyers, staying just outside firing range. Some were caught as the destroyers advanced, recognizing what they were doing and immediately launching fighters. Allixian carrier’s did the same as suppression cruisers took up their place in two waves before the carriers, anticipating the incoming Union swarm.

Some said that it seemed like the Helordorresh Battle lasted for days while others swore that it was over in hours. Ally cruisers opened up their suppression batteries creating an energized screen that ripped apart the initial wave of Union fighters, giving the Allixian fighters a critical foothold as FTL-platforms targeted the first of a dozen Union destroyers. The effects were only half as successful. Unknown to the allies, the Union’s point-defence network was formidable, picking off nearly a third of the incoming missiles. But it could not save the first destroyer. As it did a death roll into a second that could not move quickly enough out of the way, cheers went up on the ally command carrier coming under heavy fire by an escorted cluster of Krasnoi Strike Cruisers decorated in the Red Star Union’s colours. One of the suppression cruisers couldn’t compensate for the onslaught and soon exploded into a fiery ball that damaged an entire wing of ally gunships that were flying in to attack the strike cruisers.

With their flank weakening as the Strike Cruisers pressed, the allies moved in their own destroyers. Their effectiveness was more than the allies could have expected. But the route of the enemy cruisers had allowed two Union destroyers the time needed to move in closer and open fire. Suddenly from having a firm front line, the ally front began to crumble under the thousands of phaser blasts that came from Union batteries. The ally fleet took a pounding with more losses on their side as focus was directed to the two Union destroyers. Soon carriers began sending up their own heavy warheads as the two stubborn destroyers refused to surrender sustaining enough damage to obliterate any orbital station. Finally an ally destroyer wave took out the first and second destroyer with their high-energy beams that cut through to reactor cores, causing explosions that rocked the ally fleet.

The allies won the battle that day as Union destroyers turned their bow back to the Red Star Belt and warped out of the Chara Cluster, leaving behind a scarred but victorious allied fleet. From that point on the Chara Confederacy was formed in 2355 AD. Not all of the Chara races signed on for various reasons, fears of sovereignty loss or feeling that former political arrangements were superior.

For the next sixteen years the Chara Confederacy and the Red Star Union were stalemated, exchanging odd skirmishes back and forth. The Union discovering that it was not so invulnerable after all became more reluctant to send a full-scale attack, but it also learned from its experiences during the Helordorresh Battle, adjusting its tactics to better combat FTL-projectiles and further armouring its ventral which had proven ineffective against ally destroyer heavy-energy canons.

The first Federation contact that reached the Chara Cluster was a Vulcan survey ship. At first the Confederacy didn’t know what to think of the craft and having been under the Union’s pressure for so many years thought that this too might be a Red Star ruse. It was a Maji by the name of Tolis Avart that quickly ended the suspicions. Being an elite intelligence operative, he assured them that this craft did not fit any of the Union configurations, present or near future. High Lord Gabrian Trospo agreed, overruling the inexperienced Priestess Alla Salteir—newly appointed by the Alstair order. She had become even more suspicious than her predecessor. Tolis knew that there had been a foretelling of friends and that they should be prepared. First contact was made aboard the Vulcan survey vessel of which all hands were invited to stay on Jalkare, now capital of the Chara Confederacy. After food, drink and entertainment, the Vulcans met with the Rhaskian Ring in the Mardlou Palace, people came from all around to see the new visitors and while some were plagued by a touch of xenophobia, majority embraced the new comers as an omen of future prosperity and hope. Surely no other race could be as ruthless as the Union.

It did not take long before an official Federation ambassador was assigned to the Chara Confederacy: a Human by the name of Rosalie Carpenter. After meeting with the Rhaskian Ring, the Maji representatives with Tolis and falling under heavy scrutiny by the Chosen, relations were forged and first contact with the Federation was made official (signed documents, flag exchanges, pictures, speeches, dinners and everything). Quickly the Federation took steps to build its rapport with the Confederacy and its Chara Cluster brethren. And for a time things became quiet on the border closest to the Union and things for the sector seemed to be peaceful.

It was in 2370 AD that the Federation made first contact with the Dominion but it wasn’t until late-2373 that the war between the Federation and the Dominion began with the latter quickly overrunning the former’s defences in the Gamma Quadrant. It was not long before a Dominion presence was felt in the Chara Cluster and more so with the Federation abandoning its embassy on Jelkare with promises that it was only temporary. In early-2374 AD the Oshuae signed a non-aggression pact with the Dominion sending a ripple effect throughout the Chara Cluster.

With the prospect of facing two formidable enemies on two separate fronts and no sign of the Federation returning to their sector, the Rhaskian Ring along with the Chosen and Maji spent all night in heated debate while a Vorta and its Jem’Hadar escort waited patiently outside the chamber doors. By the next morning the Chara Confederacy brokered a deal with the Dominion and signed its own non-aggression pact.

A wise choice, the Vorta smiled smugly. I would have been disappointed in having to destroy such an ancient city as this. The deal included concessions that the Confederacy would stay neutral in the combat between the Dominion and the Federation, but in return the Dominion would aid the Confederacy should the Union decide to take advantage of things. Since the Dominion had already knocked on the Union’s door, it concluded its business in the Zulu sector and left.

With the liberation of the Gamma Quadrant in late-2375, the Federation once more moved back into their embassy much to the Union’s chagrin. The next ten years saw the continual building of relations between the Federation and the Chara Confederacy. Ambassador Carpenter recaptured her post and once more served the Federation in being its mouth-piece to the Confederacy. However, the Federation’s presence only added to the Union’s frustration. With the present plans of constructing a Federation Deep Space outpost, thoughts that the Federation’s presence in the sector was only temporary were soon found mistaken.

Now the sector is being reinforced by a Federation Task Force under the command of Admiral Tom Marshel and construction of a unifying deep space station has commenced.

POLITICS

Historically many of the nations on the Allixian home world of Jalkare were highly democratic. Each had a leader and body of representatives which were elected by citizens and put into power by the people. It was a system that had worked well for hundreds of years since the State Shift saw an ending to the last of the remaining dictatorships and ancient monarchies. For much of the Common Era, thing remained unchanged. But the ability to ascend into space changed all of that. With the first launching, a ripple spread across the globe, changing in many ways the way business was conducted, how people viewed themselves and trust in the government began waning.

After a time when governments had lost their mandated centre, the people began to question the way things were run. Leaders that were less than favourable somehow slipped into power and caused great harm among not only their people but others as well. Soon things went so far south that the people revolted and soon one of the most prominent nations, Luvian, was stalled in turmoil. War soon was declared almost everywhere as people via worldwide networks became aware of what was happening and began to take the action that all had felt within themselves was right. The Saving War lasted for twelve years and gave birth to a new political system over fifty years later, which is still the system used today.

The Rioan Ring is a representative group of citizens who must first prove their worth to the people before being elected. Although any citizen can compete for their caste’s representation, only those in the ruling caste can compete for the position of High Lord. The position of the High Lord is to head up the government, along with the representatives of the Ring. This body of people also has the responsibility not only for all Allixian but for those of the Chara Confederacy, although not all of the representatives are present during the Ally Conferences held every five years; there are some who believe it is imperative that the Conference be scheduled as a yearly event.

There are two other bodies that have some political influence in an unofficial capacity. They are the Chosen Priestess of the Alstari, a religious order, and the Maji, mediators between allies and elite guardians of the Confederacy. It is known to happen that if two of the three bodies agree of a matter than it will overrule the third party. The same is true if the Chosen and the Maji side against the High Lord, a motion can be defeated by the government. It is an odd symbiotic relationship that has proved some stability, allowing checks to balance out the power. The Maji have an internal electoral system while the Chosen are recruited and then elevated to positions of power within.

The current High Lord, Gabrian Trospo, welcomes the Federation into the sector and has been pursuing the chance to better relations between them and the Chara Confederacy. When the project of a deep space station was proposed, naturally the High Lord was disturbed by the news, feeling his feathers getting ruffled by having a supposed neutral party setting up a possible military post within Confederacy-shared space. However, soon accords were brokered with the assistance of a high-ranking Maji, Tolis Avart, and the Federation Ambassador, Rosalie Carpenter—a Human from the Federation capital. It would be a joint effort, allowance to construct a deep space station in the midst of the Chara Cluster, while ownership remain within Chara Confederacy hands and administered by Federation personnel. It was an agreement that all sides could see mostly good coming out of, save for the Chosen whose fresh-faced Priestess, Alla Salteir. She was adamant that the accord would only weaken the Allixian position in the Chara Cluster and the Confederacy. Her words have put some uneasiness into the Ring of Representatives as well who support an independent Confederacy, free from all outside influences. There are still some anxieties over the Red Union’s relentless attempts to progress further into the sector, having claimed over ninety-percent of what used to be called the White Star Belt.

SOCIETY

Even though many might view their political system as being undemocratic, their society has always held up its principles. The people are divided up into castes of which they are appointed into at the Time of their Choosing. It is every adolescent’s right to have a choice between two castes of their choosing. In order to become successful in their choice, they must compete for a limited number of positions each year that are available. The number of available positions is dependent on market demand and a few other factors. If a person is unsuccessful in both choices, they then are either placed into their parent’s caste or, worse yet, deposited into the casteless.

Some of the more common castes include: Ruling, Religious, Artisan, Science, Military and Merchant. The casting system was not put in place to prevent peoples from mingling with each other. In fact inter-casting relationships are encouraged, allowing a superior mix of skills to enable society’s young to progress their civilization.

Allixians are known for their level-headed thought. Although not the most logical race, they have been known to be rational. It is said that though an Allixian may soar in the sky, his feet never leave the ground. They are a race of diplomats and brokers and this is witnessed in all facets, especially economics.

Due to their short life spans, Allixian children grow quickly, becoming independent once they reach the age of ten and enter into their Time of Choosing. Family units most often consist of a male and female which usually has two children.

CULTURE

There are a number of celebrated festivals that happen based on reoccurring celestial movement.

Their religious beliefs are a large part of their culture and while not all believe in the same religion (there is more than one), the religious holidays are observed by all.

Allixian beer is one of the finest in the Chara Cluster. They are a people who are known to be good dancers, having a different bone structure than most.


Acknowledgments:
The Red Star Union was created by Vince Stryfe