Mathenite
| Intelligent Lifeform Index |
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| Mathenite | |
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| Four Letter Code | MATH |
| Federation Status | Neutral |
| Planet of Origin | Unknown |
| Encountered | DS9: "Second Skin" |
| T/E Rating | T0/E0 |
| Current Tech Level | N, Unknown but space-faring |
| List of Named Mathenites | |
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Full ILI Gallery • Permitted Species Gallery | |
A neutral race who agree to provide asylum to Legate Ghemor after his rescue with Major Kira.
Home System
- Quadrant: Alpha
- Location: Tzen Poga Sector (A24-0003-1300 )
- Proper Name: Disputed
- Star: It orbits a class G (Yellow) star
- Distance from Star: it's orbit is approximately 158 million km
- Companions: 7 other planets. It is the 4th planet in the system
Home World
- Proper Name: Disputed (Most often used term is "Edghtan", though "Tanne" is considered the 'Politically Correct' term)
- Diameter: 12,749 km (7,968 miles)
- Gravity: 1.02 standard gravity with a density of 5.8
- Axial Tilt: 0.87%, no appreciable tilt and no seasons
- Orbital Period: 371 days
- Rotational Period: 26 hours
- Classification: M
- Surface Water: 68%
- Atmosphere: 1.07 is a standard pressure with 75% nitrogen, 24% oxygen, 1% trace chemicals
- Climate: Cool and stable, with the hottest temperatures being no higher than the Mediterranean on Earth.
- Population: 3.2 Billion
Colonies
The Homeworlds
The oldest, wealthiest and most prosperous Mathenite colonies (also those located closest to the Homeworld) these colonies were the first worlds settled by enterprising Mathenites centuries ago. With the rise of the Confederacy, these colonies were the first to unify their separate colonial territories into a single planetary colonial government. In response to their loyalty, these colonies were granted 'Homeworld' designation, in reflection of their age, high population and their own foundation of extrasolar colonies. These colonies also have a limited form of autonomy (especially Viseria) in the form of limited self governance.
- Viseria:
- Date Founded: 2073
- Population: 2.1 Billion (Mathenite) 1.3 Billion (Viseria Natives)
- Capital: Viseria
- % of Surface Under Mathenite Control: 100%
- Territories: Deran Valley, Luse Bay, Tysinlli Highlands (Incomplete List)
The first extrasolar Mathenite colony, Viseria was first settled from Republic of Qcin, though they were quickly followed by Diserik colonists from Ollintaq. A population competition ensued, which is why Viseria is such a populous world, and boasts very high birthrates, and formerly had the largest migrant population in the colonies. This demographic competition came to a tentative halt with the influx of Montrek refugees, that split the colony into 45% Ollintaqi, 43% Qcin, and 8% Hellus Montrek. Viseria is the wealthiest and most prosperous Mathenite colony, with great natural beauty and impressive cities and public works financed by these profits. Viseria's wealth and large population effectively secured it some autonomy, and was formerly the most fiercely independent Mathenite colony. For this reason, Viseria has some self government, though this is a very empty gesture in the face of the potential (though not used) powers of the Colonial Authority.
Viseria is also home to a native species, very similar to baseline humans. This species is almost totally and utterly culturally assimilated into Mathenite society, boasting a large population and a willingness to submit to Mathenite customs and teachings. The Viseria natives have achieved a high degree of autonomy and respect compared to the other native species on various Mathenite coloniest, and are integrated at every level of the political, military and economic apparatus. Unlike every other Mathenite client race, the Viseria natives are full citizens of the Confederacy and are entitled to vote in every election, and serve in the Colonial Authority.
- Edek:
- Date Founded: 2083
- Population: 34 Million (Mathenite), 150,000 (Edek Natives)
- Capital: Noran
- % of Surface Under Mathenite Control: 100%
- Territories: Turan Mesa, Turan Low Desert, Voler Alpine Region (Incomplete List)
A plant largely covered in desert and arid regions, Edek was founded by intrepid Rheghenda Natives of both varities. The planet is entirely controlled by the Mathenites but sparsely populated, reflecting the nomadic lifestyle of the Rheghenda. There is also a small, isolated and primitives population of natives on the planet in a similar stage of development to early humanoids. They are isolated from the rest of the planet on a small island off the coast of the western continent and have shown no sign of venturing forth into the world. Given the slow evolution of such proto-societies, it may be that the Mathenites might be gone before the Edek natives even master fire or simple tools.
- Jieran:
- Date Founded: 2085
- Population: 450 Million (Mathenite), 410 Million (Jieran Natives) Note: Population Totals Only Include Those Residing in Mathenite Controled Territories
- Capital: Halshiir
- % of Surface Under Mathenite Control: 45%
- Territories: New Harquon Island, Halshiir Peninsula, Oran Winelands (Incomplete List)
An exotic and beautiful planet with a largely tropical climate, Jieran is home to a diverse and unique biosphere of flora and fauna that can be used to make exotic luxury products. The planet's vast mineral wealth, unique life, and location as a 'Jump Point' for further colonization attempts made it an almost instant target of a Mathenite colonization boom. Upon making First Contact with the Jieran natives on the cusp of their first warp flight, the Mathenites negogiated rights to a small island off the western continent, later named New Harquon. Among the Jeiran nations there existed two power blocs, and exploiting this tension, the Mathenites negotiated plants for a joint invasion of the power bloc in opposition to the pro-Mathenite group. Making a massive land grab and carving out a vast new empire on Jieran, the Mathenites seized nearly a third of the planet in less than two years.
As the conquered land became developed, even more Mathenites poured into Jieran's recently vacated territories, and they developed a very lucrative tourist and luxury industry, supported by farming unique substances and rich mining opportunities. The Jieran natives in these territories rapidly fled in the face of Mathenite colonists and to this day, over 70% of the Jieran native population lives on the side of the planet not controlled by the Mathenites. Those that remain are treated fairly by the Mathenite Colonial Authority, though tend to be relegated to menial tasks. They are also citizens, though are deprived of the vote in the Confederacy elections, and are only allotted a fixed number of the seats in the new Jieran Assembly, though they make up nearly half the population of the Mathenite Colonial Territories.
- Utaru:
- Date Founded: 2089
- Population: 250 Milion (Mathenite) 2 Million (Cardassian) 1 Million (Bajoran)
- Capital: Delia-Voe
- % of Surface Under Mathenite Control: 100%
- Territories: Varshaan Peninsula, Ysara Delta, Terria Cape (Incomplete List)
Utaru is the Mathenite colony located closest to Cardassian space and boasts a small population of both Cardassians and Bajorans. Utaru is linked to the outer Jieran System by a subspace corridor, which is why, despite it being farther than the Mathenite Homeworld than all other colonies save the Outer Colonies and Nuradem, it has a Homeworld designation. Utaru grew rich from mining and trade, and the export of a rare isotope of the rare element Bilitrium, which can be used as a potent energy source. During the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor, a sizable number of Bajoran refugees came to Utaru, living in refugee camps and accepted as guests of the new Mathenite Confederacy, eager to twist any dagger they could in the side of their old enemy, the Cardassians. After the occupation ended, most returned to Bajor, and even more returned after the end of the Dominion War. During this time, Utaru also became a haven for expatriate Cardassian dissidents and many enjoyed a comfortable existence as guests of the state. Like the Bajoran community, most have since returned to Cardassia, though many have remained, liking their comfortable lives on the wealthy Mathenite world.
The Inner Colonies
The target of the second wave of Mathenite expansion, the Inner Colonies are the center of Mathenite wealth and industry, with both the garden worlds possessing an impressive amount of resources in food, metals and other raw materials. The financial institutions of the Inner Colonies are also famed, and in some cases, brought these worlds greater wealth than even Viseria.
- Kara:
- Date Founded: 2105
- Population: 89 Million (Mathenite), 20 Million (Kara Natives)
- Capital: Gerann
- % of Surface Under Mathenite Control: 100%
- Territories: Kelaar River Region, Western Islands, Great Gerann (Incomplete List)
The colony of Kara is the financial center of Mathenite space, free of the squabbling among the nations of the homeworld. When the Mathenites found this planet, they thought it was uninhabited, but later found it inhabited by a primitive species of hunter-gatherers, though strangely mystical and culturally articulate. At the time, the Kara natives were being ravaged by a disease that was slowly wiping out their people. Some of the tribes saw the Mathenite arrival as the cause of the disease, others saw the Mathenites as saviors sent from the Heavens. The former tribes resisted the Mathenite presence and decided to fight two enemies at once, the plague and the Mathenite army that was light years more advanced. Over a period of a decade, the opposing tribes died out, and just after the war had virtually ended, the Mathenites came up with a cure for the disease. The Mathenites offered it to the tribes that saw them as divine heralds without condition, but exacted an oath of fealty from the remaining warring tribes. Those that accepted were given a place in the new Mathenite colonial structure, the others died out.
Today, the Mathenites and the natives of Kara work together at every level of colonial society and are celebrated as the most integrated of the species under Mathenite 'protection'. They have a hand in the impressive and lucrative Kara banking instiutions, and many have risen to vaulted ranks in the Mathenite colonial administration. Kara remains to this day basked in the glory, wealth and ostentatiousness of 'New Money', much of Kara's culture is devoted to glorifying a corporate identity and the intense glitz and glamor that come with extreme wealth.
- Issenzu:
- Date Founded: 2106
- Population: 70,000
- Capital: Issenzu
- % of Surface Under Mathenite Control: 100%
- Territories: Issenzu Plainum (Complete List)
A small research outpost mixed with several mining operations, Issenzu is a frozen rock just above the bare minimum for habitation by the Mathenites. Though largely insignificant, the Issenzu Mathenites are known for their unique culture of direct democracy, environmentalism, mandatory tertiary education, and the promotion of science.
- New Loitsia:
- Date Founded: 2113
- Population: 600 Million
- Capital: Halkerdan
- % of Surface Under Mathenite Control: 100%
- Territories: Daru Bay, Cape of Evsin, Evsin Peninsula (Incomplete List)
The planet Loitsia is the planet that the tropical moon of New Loitsia orbits, and was stripped mined over a century of over-mining to get at its utterly rich deposits of metals and minerals. The wealth gained from this exploitation single handedly funded entire governments back on the Homeworld for decades and was enough to develop a new world for the former population of the now barren world to live on. The native species of Loitsia was also given another planet as conciliation, though most would say this hardly makes up for turning Loitsia into a toxic, mined out husk. The inhabitants of New Loitsia are slightly more careful of the plane they currently reside on, but only just and the planet teeters on the verge of sustainability, it's over consumption negated by its population.
- Vitakscia:
- Date Founded: 2127
- Population: 1.2 Billion, Unknown (Vitakscia Natives)
- Capital: Shara
- % of Surface Under Mathenite Control 100%
- Territories: Cholashi Canyons, The Redoubt, Lands of Beauty (Incomplete List)
An alpine paradise, Vitakscia was founded by monks from Olintaq and then supplanted by an early wave of colonists from Viseria, before the planet became dominated by colonials from Dantehvon and Callodo. Vitakscia is a center of art and culture and is a profoundly peaceful place devoted to intellectual and artistic pursuits. The artworks of the Vitakscia Mathenites are legendary and fetch a high price, and their Universities and libraries are known throughout the quadrant for their expansive nature and rare tomes contained within.
Vitakscia is also home to a race of subterranean aliens that are reptilian in nature, though it is unknown if they are indeed sentient. They have an impressive ability to carve out vast tunnels and perhaps build some simple pieces of art, but the testing of their intelligence has been through scant observation only as one has never been encountered. In a sound political maneuver, the Confederacy states that because reports of their intelligence cannot be confirmed, that the natives of Vitakscia are not sentient, if more intelligent that the average wildlife.
- Lowenzu:
- Date Founded: 2159
- Population: 130 Million
- Capital: Shersheye
- % of Surface Under Mathenite Control: 30%
- Territories: Shersheye Bay, The Xara Coves, The Hallussian Islands (Incomplete List)
Lowenzu is a vibrant jungle world, and some would say too vibrant, home to utterly ferocious plant and animal life, that has grown to phenomenal size, suggesting that the planet is still in its mega-fauna stage. Lowenzu has a rich amount of mineral wealth, but in light of its dangerous environment, the resource gathering is centered on the other planets in the system. Instead, the inhabitants of Lowenzu rely on the tourist industry itself, and more recently have become master shipbuilders, building ship both in orbital shipyards and unique oceanic shipyards like the sea-going vessels of old. Because of its shipyards and the surrounding system's vast metal wealth, Lowenzu became the location of the headquarters of the Colonial Authority and the main military base of its forces both naval and ground. Lowenzu today is a venerable fortress, hosting both a large tourism industry and one of the largest shipyards in the alpha quadrant, all protected by the utter might of the Colonial fleet.
Outer Colonies
Colonized much later than the Inner Colonies, the Outer Colonies had been settled for scarcely more than a century when the Confederacy was formed and while they boast impressive resources, these profits did not bring the colonies the vast wealth of their Inner Colony counterparts. Instead, the few of the corporate and political elite reaped the benefits of this new world wealth, and even that was a small fraction of the amount shipped immediately back to the Homeworld or the Inner Colonies.
- Cor:
- Date Founded: 2246
- Population: 200,000 (Mathenite) 15,000 (Cor Natives)
- Capital: Lora
- % of Surface Under Mathenite Control: 50%
- Territories: Lora Plains, Sundari Flatlands, Hoshara Lowlands (Incomplete List)
A simple agricultural world, Cor is otherwise unremarkable other than that it is largely the breadbasket of the colonies, and that it too is home to a primitive humanoid species. The world located closest to Breen space, the colony of Cor has long suffered raids by Breen slavers, though these raids have met the full force of the Colonial Authority since the formation of the Confederacy. Still, old grudges over lack of proper protection during these years remain, and many of the coloniest remain embittered.. and armed.
- Qunulu:
- Date Founded: 2246
- Population: 760 Million
- Capital: New Halshiir
- % of Surface Under Mathenite Control: 100%
- Territories: Qunulu Gates, Tein Striplands, Blasted Hinterlands (Incomplete List)
Another garden world utterly abask in mineral wealth, Qunulu is the major production and industrial center of the Confederacy since the mining out of the planet Loitsia. Boasting factories, mines and an industrial apparatus not seen on any other world for several sectors, Qunulu basks in both its wealth, and the complications it provides. On Qunulu, the rich control everything and the have-nots are rarely spoken of. The rich are also seriously resentful that they will always be seen as 'Provincial Upstarts' by both the older colonies and the homeworlds, lacking the respect they feel their wealth demands. They are 'New Money' to the rest of the Mathenites and will never be accepted as either culturally refined or as having the historical significance other colonies hold in the annals of Mathenite history. So, Qunulu's cities remain bloated and polluted by the excess of their corporate overlords, and the untapped verges of the planet are seen as a resource to be exploited and not something to be preserved and admired.
- Norian:
- Date Founded: 2259
- Population: 100 Million
- Capital: Norian City
- % of Surface Under Mathenite Control: 100%
- Territories: Norian Valley, Taran Mountains, Evorun River Valley (Incomplete List)
What colonial development should look like, Norian is a typical high-tech garden world with modern, sustainable cities accentuated against a lush environment. Norian's colonists have been a little more concerned with the environment around them than some other Mathenite worlds and Norian remains a shinning example of proper colonial development, if a bit provincial and novel in the eyes of the Homeworld.
- Nuradem:
- Date Founded: 2203
- Population: 119.2 Million (Mathenite) 96.3 Million (Nuradem Natives) (Figures do not include those Mathenites/Nuradem natives living outside CA controlled zones)
- Capital: Vedaria
- % of Surface Under Mathenite Control: 5%
- Territories: Moravar Jungle, Keveshen Archipelago, Edionsen Peninsulas (Incomplete List)
Nuradem was settled by two separate colonial endeavors, one was an expedition funded by several nations of Call, the other, was an assemblage of ships bought by a refugee population from Eviteria, fleeing religious persecution. The latter group landed first and immediately disappeared into the jungle, conquering the native peoples and carving out a new homeland for themselves on a new planet. When the next group arrived, they found themselves embroiled in a conflict between the other Mathenite colonists and the native peoples of the region. It took years for the various parties to exhaust themselves and agree to a quasi-peace agreement, that in the end, only increased tensions as the various factions fortified their positions. For the past 200 years a sort of Cold War has raged on the planet that put a stop to any sort of significant colonial development, despite Nuradem's vast resources.
Today, there are 4 relevant groups in Nuradem's current events, 2 Mathenite and 2 Native. The Himarii are a Mathenite ethno-religious group and the descendants of those who fled the Homeworlds to find a better place to live and worship in peace. They have carved out their own state to the north of the Moravar Jungle, and continue to war against native tribes in small border skirmishes that are slowly increasing their territory. The other Mathenite group, is made up of a CA military garrison and their families, along with substantial corporate personnel. One of the Native groups, known as the Ki-Kai, are considered 'unclean' or 'untouchable' by other natives of the area, and are subject to widespread abuse and torture by those of higher castes. The Ki-Kai almost immediately sought refuge with the Himarii when they landed, but were slaughtered along with most other natives the Himarii came across. When the other expedition landed however, the Ki-Kai were eventually welcomed as valued interpreters of native customs and languages, though they were unable to accompany expedition officials to peace talks directly. It was their knowledge that eventually allowed a sort of peace to be forged amongst the groups. Following the peace, a massive movement of Ki-Kai came to Mathenite controlled areas, seeking sanctuary, which they were given. In recent years however, Ki-Kai immigration has had to be curtailed to maintain the peace with the neighboring tribes, stranding many Ki-Kai in precarious positions. The Ki-Kai within the Mathenite zones are well integrated however, and are completely loyal to the Colonial Authority. The other Native group consists of various tribes in the surrounding jungles, which stage widespread Guerrilla against CA and Himarii alike. As a result of a pseudo-technological exchange with the Cardassians, these tribes also now have access to advanced weapons and technology that they use to carry out terrorist actions within the Mathenite zones, directing at CA and Ki-Kai alike.
As the survival of the Ki-Kai is dependent on a continued Mathenite presence, along with the refusal of the Himarii to leave the planet or even negotiate, the extremely mineral wealth of the small Mathenite zones, and the planet's strategic position between the Federation, Cardassian Union and Mathenite space proper, Nuradem is often seen as a powder cake that is just waiting to explode, and one the Federation has it's eyes on.
History
Introduction
A people long fractured and divided, even after achieving both First Contact and Warp Flight, the Mathenites unified under a single government forty years ago in the face of Cardassian aggression as they had done before, when faced with an external threat. Against all odds, what was supposed to be a temporary and weak alliance, was turned into a viable world government with a vision to turn the Mathenites into a single, unified people. However, just because this new government has the potential to unify the highly diverse tribes of the Mathenites, does not necessarily mean it can, or even will, as if faces strong backlash from various groups of people determined to hold on to their own unique identities and reject a singular, unifying Mathenite culture. Also a problem, are the interstellar colonies of the various nations that independently sent settlers out into space to colonize different nearby worlds, which were often split up between multiple nations. These far flung territories submitted to the Colonial Authority of the Confederacy both for their own protection and for greater economic opportunity, forming cohesive administrative blocs out of disparate lands made up of dozens of ethnic groups. Another question of their Imperialist policy concerns their settlements on worlds where intelligent life already existed in some cases, often at a much lower stage of advancement. The Mathenite Colonial Authority has, in the absence of direct power at home, decided to flex all of the political muscles it can elsewhere, and form the Colonies into cosmopolitan wonders, uplifting the 'lesser' races and unifying the Mathenite colonists for the common good. This blatant colonialism went unchecked in the region for centuries, and only now, after the discovery of the Bajoran Wormhole, conflicts with the Cardassians and the Dominion, and a new Federation Frontier opening up, has Starfleet and the Federation Council turned their eyes to the Mathenite situation. More specifically, the situation on the planet Nuradem, where Mathenite Colonialism is at its finest, and the complex situation of the colonists and natives threatens to involve not only the Federation, but the surrounding powers such as the Breen, Cardassians, and Tzenkethi.
Early History
Since Mathenites value telling the history of their own particular sub-culture or ethnic group, rather than that of their entire race in general, (Indeed it is debatable how many events are of racial importance other than conflicts such as wars and rivalries), any history of the species would have to tell the story of every individual group and how they relate (if at all). In an effort to condense the history of the Mathenites, one has to look at the broader trends of the various larger cultural blocs ( Like East versus West on Earth), rather than the individual histories of all the groups that encompass those larger categories.
Suffice to say though, modern Mathenites evolved on the eastern continent of their homeworld (Like the name of the planet, the name of the continent is also disputed but the 'correct' term is stated to be Rheghenda) where some crossed the narrow sea between the north-Western continent of Dantehvon, and others still island hopped from Dantehvon to the south-Western continent of Withestan. Across all three continents, the Mathenites created grand cities to form grand confederations of city-states and eventually nations, and then Empires, fueling their racial predilection for the pursuit of glory.
Government
The Confederacy
Still divided among many nation states on their Homeworld, the Mathenite Confederacy only has control over foreign policy, planetary and colonial defense, and the governance of the outlying colony worlds, essentially anything that does not concern the nations of the Homeworld, which it has next to no influence over, with all of its power resting with the states that support it. It has some economic controls but only between other interstellar governments, both corporations and the nation-states keep it that way.
The Confederate Parliament consists of a bi-cameral legislature, the Parliament of Peoples, and the Council of Executives. The Parliament of Peoples consists of 3 Representatives to each member state (Of which there are exactly 250) with a further 250 seats allocated to the Colonies based on proportional representation to their population. The Council of Executives is made up of 25 representatives divided into six regional territories representing the broadest possible division of the Mathenite Racial/Ethnic/Geographic groups. Five Seats are allocated to the Dantehvon-Northern Rheghenda, three seats are allocated to the Withestan-Eastern Islands, five seats are allocated to Callodo, two are allocated to Kardema, four are allocated to southern Rheghenda, and six are allocated to the colonies. The theme running through all political allocations resides in the state that the Mathenites were in forty years ago, the colonies happily submitted to the authority of the Confederacy while most of the nations were skeptical. The colonies provide the single largest voting bloc in both houses of Parliament, not a majority out right, but a heavily united front. It was hoped (And largely realized) that a strong colonial front would force the different states to find commonalities in their interests and band together, which has yielded mixed success since these alliances are mostly out of convenience and spread resentment among those Mathenites living on the homeworld that the colonies that they formerly ruled over, could have so much power.
The Colonies themselves though, must always submit to the ever almighty Colonial Authority, which controls every aspect of Colonial life. While the Colonies may have a great say in the actual workings of the Confederacy, they have little say in their own affairs at home. Colonials must also deal with an already extensive military presence that is steadily growing. The representatives for the colonies are also partly appointed, partly elected, with the Colonial members of the Council of Executives are chosen exclusively by the Colonial Authority, on a rotating basis.
The Confederacy itself is overseen by the Chairman who has broad, almost autocratic powers on extra-Homeworld affairs, but is near powerless when it comes to the nations that his authority fundamentally rests on. The Chairman is chosen from the ranks of the Parliament of the Peoples and confirmed by the Council of Executives.
The Mathenite Confederacy has a long standing feud with the Cardassian Union, and constantly oppose Cardassian interests in their region of space. Conquering the Mathenite worlds was once a very attractive idea to several generations of Cardassian Central Command, though in the face of this aggression, the Mathenites would always rally to protect their autonomy. "A Mathenite Conquest" is now a pejorative term in the Cardassian Union and the surrounding regions to describe something that has been attempted countless times before, but never succeeded, though many would continually try, not taking into consideration the history of failure such a venture assures. The last attempt at an invasion of the Mathenite colonies lead to the formation of the Mathenite Confederacy, and now the Cardassians face not a series of isolated, squabbling worlds, but a very strong coalition of wealthy and militarily powerful worlds whose government is eager to prove the strength of their new unity.
The Colonial Authority
Some would say a despotic regime, based on militarism and absolute power resting with Colonial Administrators, the Colonial Authority runs the different Mathenite colonies on 17 worlds (Some of which, are not even fully under Mathenite control), exercising the will of the Confederacy with an iron hand in one of the few arenas they can wield such power. The entire colonial leadership is unelected, with the only elected legislature with any real power residing on the Colony of Viseria, the rest of the colonial so-called 'Assemblies' merely have advisory powers. True authority rests with the 17 Colonial Administrators, which are more often than not, chosen from the ranks of the Mathenite homeworld population. They have broad and sweeping powers, and while many of the outlying colonies facing threat of border conflicts with alien or indigenous peoples welcome the security that the Colonial authority provides, some of the older colonies which have significant populations and established economies, do not like their rights being infringed upon by a far away homeworld. Those colonies with more 'Loyal' populations have more proportional representation in the Parliament of Peoples.
The Colonial Authority also has to deal with the 'problem' of the native populations on 8 different worlds, which are all vastly technologically inferior to the Mathenite Colonials. Some native species have completely submitted to Mathenite military and cultural hegemony, (Such as on Viseria, where the process of cultural assimilation and upliftion of the native species is in an advanced state) while others are either divided in their support or actively resist the CA. As stated before, some colonies do not even encompass entire planets, so border skirmishes between the colonials and the native people are also a problem, as is the problem of continued territory expansion to acquire resources and room to expand.
No where is the nuanced state of the CA's mission more evident than on Nuradem, the Mathenite colony closest to Federation space. On Nuradem, the Mathenites only control an area the size of South-East Asia on Earth, the rest being under the control of the native species, which is at a much lower level of technological advancement, many still living in huts and tribes. The situation is further complicated by the presence of the descendants of the first Mathenite colonists that no longer consider themselves "Mathenite", but rather Nurademian, though they also fight intermittent conflicts with the locals. Nuradem is considered the colony being watched by the entire Alpha Quadrant, with many parties interested in the colonial development for different reasons. The Mathenite authorities also face threats of terrorism from assimilated Nuradem natives who want the CA gone, and an ethnic conflict between a group of Nurademians that the Mathenite's arrival spared from genocide and have happily assimilated into Colonial life, and other allied Nurademians, who consider the other group 'unclean'.
Description
Mathenites are very similar to Humans, with a few minor aesthetic differences. Mathenites have pointed ears, longer fingers, a taller and thinner frame, slightly increased strength, and most of the population has light hair. Mathenites also (Like Humans) have many racial/ethnic groups that are largely split between cultural traditions, rather than skin tone or other physical features, but never the less, value their uniqueness when compared to other groups.
- Faal
Faal is the collective term for the racial group of native peoples inhabiting Dantehvon, Evieteria, and The Montreks, though they are also the majority in Illessan, Karia, and Harquon, though these were former colonies of Dantehvian Empires. The Faal are the most divided in the way they organize themselves, though there is relatively little animosity between the individual groups of Dantehvon and Evieteria, an intense rivalry remains between the two regions. The people of the Montreks, descendants from the earliest Faal colonists in pre-historic times, and were often seen as 'lesser' by both their genetic cousins in Dantehvon and the native peoples of Callodo. They are a very divided people who have been trampled upon by multiple empires and there is a long history of ethnic conflict with strong religious connotations between the Montrek Peoples.
The Faal have a wide range of light skin colors though most are some degree of tan, with pale skin being a rarity and only occurring in great numbers in northern Dantehvon. Their tan skin and light hair are what separate them physically from the peoples Rheldon and the northern desert peoples of Rheghenda.
- Call
The Peoples inhabiting the northern reaches of Callodo, the Call have chalk white skin, platinum white hair and narrow eyes, all adaptations to survive in their native environment that stretches from northern tundra, to verdant vales, and reaches into the arid costal plains west of the Montreks. The Call to the north have always been historically divided by either geography or minor tribal disagreements before coming together to form a vast Empire in northern Callodo. This Empire was the largest the Mathenites have ever seen, but it was also among the shortest since its success really rested on the shoulders of one man, Emperor Glaxius, a great tactical genius and worshiped as a God-King by some of the less-organized elements of the Call religion. The Empire collapsed shortly after his death, but the Empire in northern Callodo would survive and remain one of the most stable states in Mathenite history, if heavily divided by tribal distinctions.
The Call inhabiting the south of Callodo, either in the Northern Montreks or the lands on the costal plains to the west of that, are ethnically different than their northern neighbors and have many cultural differences. The Southern Call are mariners and farmers both, and while this is characteristic of their northern cousins, the southern Call are far more organized and sophisticated, carving out small, but stable nations that have endured many centuries of peace and prosperity. The Southern Call also have some minor but widespread interbreeding with the Faal, and combined with their warmer climate, are usually a bit tanner than the northerners and their white hair as a slight gold tint to it.
- Diserk
The Diserk are the dark skinned peoples to the south of the Rheghenda Desert and Ollintaq, who built many of the greatest achievements of ancient Mathenite architecture, but were beset by war and conflict for most of their history following their own version of the 'Bronze Age Collapse'. The different Diserk peoples then developed at vastly disparate levels, with some of the inland tribes only recently brought out of a nomadic lifestyle, and with a keen interest in Academia, did not lead to grand conquests or large political entities. The Diserk are largely considered (and perhaps correctly) to be the most indecisive and wary of the Mathenite racial groups, and do not have any sort of tradition of cooperation either among themselves or with other populations. The Diserk possess various degrees of dark skin, with golden hair and the most diverse range of eye colors among any of the Mathenite races.
- The Rheld & The Kard
Closely related genetically, the Rheld and the Kard inhabit the continent of Kardema and the sub-continent of Rheldon, though are not one distinct racial or ethnic group. The Rheld are pale skinned, dark haired, and amber eyed, while the Kard are swarthy skinned and light eyed, and they have very few (but some noticeable) cultural similarities. It is also a point of contention as to which group is older, which genetic testing and historical analysis has failed to find an conclusive evidence either way. The two peoples also have a common history of subjugation by other empires, but where the Kard threw off their oppressors early on, the Rheld suffered for centuries under Faal domination. The Rheld are often seen by not just the Kard, but by the rest of the Mathenites as a plain, simple, and weak people, who are intensely religious and wary of scientific advancement. The Kard on the other hand, were the first people to achieve interstellar flight, to circumnavigate the world, and to establish an offworld colony (albeit a failed one) and have long been at the forefront of technological advancement, like the Faal.
The Rheld form a single nation, gifted to them when the Faal Empires divested themselves from Rheldon. The Kard on Kardema form six distinct political entities, but the North is entire encompassed by the Republic of Qcin.
- Withesta & Island Natives
Subjected to conquests from Dantehvon, Callodo and Kardema, the natives of the continent of Withesta and the surrounding islands are largely a multi-racial people with the only 'pure' strains of native blood being found in inland Withesta and the island chain of Ollessan, though these are two completely different groups. The natives of Withesta have a phenotype similar to the Call but have much darker hair and skin, though have similar eye shape and color. The Ollessan natives are almost exactly like the Call but have jet black hair and are slightly shorter.
- The Rheghenda Natives
Technically two distinct peoples, the northerners being a Faal off-shoot and the southerners being a Diserk descended people, the Rheghenda Desert Natives are closely tied by shared cultural traditions of their desert homeland. They share a religion, many social customs and there is no tradition of rivalry or prejudice being based on skin color or other physical features. They both inhabit the same cities (what few there are) and are marked both by a strong will to survive and a compassionate edge, with a fiercely independent streak. It is this camaraderie between two outwardly dissimilar peoples that kept Empires from Evieteria and southern Rheghenda from conquering the Desert and exploiting its resources and people.
The Rheghenda are still divided into tribes and city states, but all collectively meet together in a 'moot' to decide matters of regional importance. They are largely disinterested in the world beyond the Desert and have only cautiously embraced technological advancement, with the tribes still living a nomadic and simplistic existence, and those inhabiting the cities living a comfortable if traditional one.
The Northern Rheghenda are physically differentiated from the Faal by their chalk white skin, black hair and blue eyes and the southern Rheghenda are known by their angular features, light brown skin and darker eyes.
Physiology
Mathenites are anatomically similar to Humans and the only major differences are their higher frequencies of light hair, pointed ears, taller average height and slimmer frames. Mathenites also have a longer life span of roughly 260 years, though this is not constant over the entire species as they are still divided into many disparate nation states, some at severely limited stages of technological advancement. As such, the populations of wealthier Mathenite nations (And most colonies) have lifespans of roughly 300 years, while some of the poorer Mathenites have life expectancies only just reaching into the 210s.
Mathenites can go without water for just over a week, and some of the more extreme survival stories out of the Rheghenda dessert speak of tribesmen surviving for three weeks without water, though these have yet to be verified.
Psychology
The Mathenites are a diverse people and possess a wide variety of personality types comparable to many other species. Those Mathenites born on the Homeworld or perhaps on one of the older colonies like Viseria tend to have a "High" attitude about them, turning their noses down at the colonials. The Colonials frequently have a more gun-ho attitude and are remarkably resourceful and strong mentally and physically. There are strong tensions between the Colonials and those born on the Homeworld (sometimes called 'HM's' after the Rheghenda Him-Mhiral, 'Old Dwellers') and the colonial authority has done little to alleviate these tensions both with their heavy handed governing tactics, and the fact that most of the CA's leadership is made up of those Mathenites born on the homeworld or from families that make up the Patrician classes on the colonies.
Religion
Mathenite religious beliefs are diverse and there are many major religions, most of which cross racial and ethnic divides. The Mathenites of the homeworld tend to be more 'spiritual' than 'religious' and Mathenite psychologists are famous for their psychoanalysis of religious believers and nonbelievers and what factors such as economic conditions, ethnic origin, upbringing, education, and other factors influence belief and religiosity. Most Mathenites believe in a personal deity and an afterlife, and others believe in a universal spirit or life force. A small minority of Mathenites are irreligious and many would reject the term 'Atheist' (At least in a positive sense) in favor of an Apatheist or Agnostic identity.
In a culture plagued by ethnic, racial and nationalistic conflict, religion is far from the top position of the list of things that the Mathenites fight over, in fact interfaith dialogue yields some of the most productive intra-species talks on peace and equality.
Mythology
Mathenites have many schools of mythology like Earth, the major ones being Disfi Mythology, Qhend Mythology, Rheld Mythology and Rheghenda Mythology. The most prominent school of Mathenite mythology off-world is the Rheghenda Mythology, though that is not saying much.
Society
Society on the Mathenite homeworld is as diverse as its many ethnic groups. Needless to say, however, there are some similarities that form a nascent global culture that is slowly developing alongside the Confederacy. Mathenites as a whole tend to be largely egalitarian (though this means different things to different cultures) and most cultures have a very strong code of civic and personal responsibility. Mathenites are orderly to the point of militarism and many see the State in an almost divine aspect, something to love and respect, and something worth dying over.
Mathenites believe in differences between the sexes, with Men and Women largely performing separate tasks though these are not 'traditional' ones as most cultures would know them. Mathenite families are very important and it is expected that women take the formative role in the child's early life as a caretaker and nurturing figure. In these early years, the father is not so much absent as he is on the periphery, expected to support his wife and child and to see to their wellbeing. Being a negligent parent is seen as tantamount to murder in the eyes of most Mathenites. When the child comes into puberty, that is when both parents take a largely equal role in the child's life, though gradually as adulthood nears, the same-sex parent will become the 'primary parent' to teach and impart knowledge on what it means to be a man or a woman in Mathenite society.
Marriage is likewise important to the Mathenites and while, in the eyes of outsiders, their child-bearing practices may be archaic, their marriages are quite progressive and are true partnerships. Both men and women are expected to devote themselves to their familial unit, though in different ways, as keeping with their notion of differences between the sexes.
Many find Mathenite society bordering on Fascism, though the Mathenites themselves do not see it that way, to them. They socialize, have leisure activities, and engage in other interests, but when there is something to be done, there is something to be done and most will not shirk from their duty.
While the above description is the way many offworlders perceive Mathenites, these traits actually only embody a small fraction of the total Mathenite population. This idealized form of Mathenite society actually comes from the Kard philosopher Ilssen Daei, and while her ideas are popular amongst the 'Officer Class' of the Confederacy and the Colonial authority, most Mathenites societies are somewhat different, even contrary to her ideals. While most Mathenites offworlders will be embody these virtues, this is only because the most common Mathenites anyone is likely to encounter are either CA or Confederacy officials and their families.
Culture
In a word, 'Diverse'. Mathenite cultures are supremely varied and have many idiosyncrasies to them. On some parts of the Homeworld, it is not uncommon for one to experience the culture of one town, walk a few miles to the next one, and find that while on the surface the two cultures might be the same, the underlying, invisible differences are quite stark.
Customs
Mathenite customs depend on the particular culture one encounters, there are no pan-Racial customs that stand out among the galactic variety, though many sub-cultures possess very complex customs and rituals.
Technology
The Mathenites have similar technology to the Federation and are more advanced than the Cardassians and the Tzenkethi, their interstellar neighbors and rivals. Mathenite civil technology is different than that of the Federation and they rely on holography and hard light projectors for interfaces.
Economy
The Mathenite worlds are very wealthy as a whole, though some reap the perks of Colonialism more than others. The Homeworld and the Colony of Viseria are the wealthiest Mathenite worlds and bask in the glory such wealth provides, and also the corruption. Elsewhere, some colonies are simple agricultural worlds with minor mining operations, and some, like Qunulu, are industrial worlds that provide the backbone of the Mathenite production machine. Trade with outsiders and other interstellar governments is done on an individual basis between different corporations and the other power, though since the rise of the Confederacy, all of these deals are subject to oversight. Few deals are ever scrutinized, but now, most Mathenite corporations live in fear of the Confederacy and Colonial Authority, who have the power (albeit, rarely used) to axe deals and 'appropriate' resources, personnel, materials and assets for the good of the Confederacy.
Military
The Mathenite military is under the control of the Colonial Authority. Their Navy is expansive and powerful, more than able to secure their borders and protect their ever important trade routes. Larger corporations also employ their own paramilitary forces, though since the rise of the Confederacy, both corporate 'Enforcer Units' and mercenary brigades common on the colony worlds have been integrated into the military proper (forcefully or otherwise). The Colonial Authority's ground forces are well trained and more than used to dealing with tense situations with quick and decisive shows of force. Minor colonial insurrections have been put down brutally in the last few years, as have pirate raids and smuggling. The Mathenite military is famed for 'overkill' and for their brutal application of force in order to prove to the galaxy that the Confederacy is a force to be reckoned with, and the Colonial Authority are both its right and left hands, capable of operating with impunity in the pursuit of the security of the Confederacy.
Federation Intelligence Files
Before forty years ago, the Mathenite colonies and nations of the homeworld were lucrative, if peripheral trade ventures, and lacked political coalescence save in the application of the enormous wealth their trade routes brought to their worlds. Since the rise of the Confederacy, the Mathenites have quickly formed into an important regional power (or at least, a potential one), in possession of vast wealth, material resources, and a strong and capable military. While Mathenite colonial expansion had tapered off years before the formation of the Confederacy, there is now a concern that the Mathenites might use their new unity to colonize worlds closer to the Federation and the borders of the shattered Cardassian Union. The situation on Nuradem, the colony closest to Federation space, is also of particular interest because of its unique situation and highly valuable resources, not to mention strategic location.
While content before to sit back and let the Mathenite worlds squabble among themselves, and let their colonialism expand unchecked, there is now a pronounced interest among both Starfleet and the Federation Council about the Mathenite Confederacy, which could become a major thorn in the side of the Federation, and draw them into a military quagmire.
Sources
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SPECIES PROFILE UPDATED This profile was revised by the Species Development Committee. |
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