Ga'teran
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| Mariah Sector |
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| Ga'ter Sector |
| Valeria Sector |
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| Local Species |
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| Federation Presence |
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Homeworld: Ga'ter
History
Early History
The earliest history data available shows that the history of the Ga'teran people is one of war, war and war. In the beginning it was family versus family, then tribes versus tribes. They fought for any and every reason. The only thing that prevented their own racial destrustion was the size of their world and the vastness of the swamps. When a family or a tribe lost to many warriors they would pull back, retreat away from the danger.
As time passed the battles were being fought less frequently but they were getting bigger. The family gave way to the rise and importance of the tribe. No single family could afford the loss that many of these battle now resulted in.
During this period technological advances were few and usually had to do with tools, food collection, weapons or war. With the rise of the tribal system large areas became more secure. It provided the stable environment needed for more advanced discoveries. Now true the Ga'teran people will never be mistaken for scolars. In fact almost all their advances in technology have to do with making life easier, solving some engineering problem or creating a better tool, weapon to handle a specific job.
Regardless of these limitations they had a form of industrial revolution. Machines, equipment and other high tech solutions to problems made even more of them available to be warriors. Battles grew even bigger. Tribes were destroyed. The last few families simply vanished. It was during this period that the last true war was fought. They lost 7/10ths of their total population. Whole regions were depopulated.
We are not alone
It was at about this same time that they learned that they were not the only race in the cosmos. Contact was made with a strange looking species that came from the stars. A race that looked weird, with lots of eye's and strange tentecle like arms. The aliens landed and greeted the Ga'teran people, who promptly attacked and killed them.
Knowledge of the fact that there were aliens living among the stars forced them to face the fact that they needed to alter parts of their culture if they wanted to survive. A new solution to the problem of their blood thirsty rages and all consumeing need for combat and bloodshed had to be found.
Reaching the Stars
The result was the creation of the arena matches, first blood battles and a new modified, controled and regulated system for war was created. It allowed them to grow and expand. Not just in population, but in ideas and technology advances.
With the alien ship to study they made some astounding advances. Their technology advanced so fast that they were building crude star ships with in 10 years, haveing made over 250 years of scientific advancements during those same 10 years.
Once they started to produce star ships they quickly swarmed into outer space. Now it is true they lost a large number of those early ships but they also learned. They made better ships, discovered other worlds, asteroids and just how wide and complex outer space was.
They created colonies, mined asteroids and firmly made their presence known. They were here to stay.
Part of this included a number of wars. The first war resulted in the Jeuws being the first alien race to feel the iron heel of the Ga'teran war machine and become slaves.
Government
The Ga'teran people have a rotating central government that represents both the people and the tribes. It works in a fairly simple fashion. First of all each and every tribe regardless of size will send 1 representative to either the city of Adillee or Crindoo. Both cities have their place in the central government.
All the representatives will serve time on both councils. The military council is based in the city of Crindoo and the administrative council is based in the city of Adillee. The military council has 13 members plus any other reps not currently on a council who may advise or suggest issues but who have no say or vote in the final decision. The military council controls both the infantry and the space fleet. This includes recruitment, ship construction, military actions and control of all defeated slave races.
The administrative council in the city of Adillee also has 13 members plus any other reps not currently on a council who may advise or suggest issues but who have no say or vote in the final decision. This council controls tax's, declaration of war, interaction with other races not yet defeated by and controled by them. They also control colonization efforts and the merchant fleet which is used for trade with the other races.
Since every tribe provides 1 single representative to the government. A representative who will serve time on both councils so as to better represent both his tribe and the people. The order in which they serve on the 2 different councils is random. When ever a member of one of the councils steps down his replacement is randomly drawn from the list of representatives who have not yet served.
The length of each term of service will differ for each and ever representative. The length of each reps term is determined by the size of his tribe. The bigger the tribe the longer he will hold office dureing his turn on one of the councils. In order to determine this factor, the size of the tribe is divided by 1/2 a million. Any fractions are rounded up. So for any tribe that has less than 500,000 members they will only serve 1 month. There are over 30 tribes to which this applies. For some of the bigger tribes like the Adillee, their representative would serve for 41 months as they have just over 20 million tribe members.
FTU Membership
While loosely allied with the Free Trade Union it is usually only members of the smaller, minor tribes who seek to serve aboard FTU vessels. Even those freighters built by the Ga'terans which find them selves being transfered to the FTU usually only have Ga'teran crew members from the minor tribes. The only exception to this is that all renegades and those less able to control their inner rage will often flee from Ga'teran controled space.
Description
As a race the Ga'teran male has wide shoulders, a deep chest and well developed arm and leg muscles. The neck is short and very heavily muscled. They have sharp claws on their hands and feet. They has no nose, just 2 perpindicular slits for breathing. They have no ears, instead they have two pale grey sections of sound sensitive skin where their ears should have been. The teeth are extremely sharp and pointed and their skin is very thick and tough, just like a crocodile. As for skin tone for the most part it is gray with some individuals haveing darker or lighter hides than others. While intelligent, it is with an animals cunning more so than true intelligence.
Physiology
The main difference between males and females is their size. A male ranges in size from 6' to 6'6 with an average weight of 200 to 280lbs. The female on the other hand ranges in size from 5'8" to 6' and weights between 140 and 180 lbs. Of course their have been cases where individuals have been outside these racial norms.
Fortunately for the Ga'teran people when they reproduce a female will usually lay about 10 to 20 eggs. They can do this usually once a year and are able to continue produceing offspring for close to 25 to 30 years. If it was not for this their old customs of blood mad rages and constant combat between the families and tribes might have killed off their race.
Psychology
Just below the surface of every Ga'teran is the blood mad rage of a berserker. They have to fight to control it. For most of them it is an easy thing to do, but there are others who can and have lost control. Depending on what they did when they lost control many are sentenced to Final Justice. For most they can release the beast when they need to. Rechaining the beast after can be very hard for some.
Religion
The Ga'teran people do not have a religion.
Mythology
First One
In the begining all their was, was swamp. Then life emerged from the swamp in all it's violent forms. One of those forms proved to be smarter and more violent than the rest. The first one defeated all lizard challengers, proved it's worth, captured mates and fathered those who became the Ga'teran race.
The Rage
When the first one had finished proving he was not to be ignored, he fathered children in his image. He tought them and watched them. Then one day his oldest child disobeyed and the first one struck him. That blow released the rage. The child turned on his father in a blood thirsty frenzy. One that sparked similar reactions in his other children. Once the rage had cleared the first one and 3 of his childen were found to have been killed and partily eaten. The 4 survivors were shocked at what they had done and have since then all Ga'teran have worked hard to maintain control.
Society
They have a tribal society with each tribe haveing it's own festivals, celebrations and minor difference's. They have an intricate, yet delicate balance between the tribes that often result in various forms of conflict resolution that includes first blood and war.
Culture
The Ga'teran people are not a race to which most people would attribute culture. The fact is they are more at home hunting, eating, fighting or drinking.
Epic Tales
Epic tales are the one form of none violent entertainment they have. Kind of like opera but with very loud, off key singing and much clashing of weapons. The stories are always re-enactments of famous battles from their past.
Arena Matches
Combat in all it's physical forms is the primary form of entertainment for the Ga'teran people. As such arena matches with physical combat such as wrestleing, slamming (kind of like terran boxing but without the gloves or rules) and first blood matches draw large crowds.
Customs
Releasing the Beast
For the Ga'teran race it is an accepted fact that at times, there is a burning need to release the berserk rage and fury they have been keeping caged inside. At these times they will seek out one of the many easily available solid steel cages available in every community and on most large farms. Once they have been locked inside they can release the beast with out haveing to worry about who or what might become injured other than themselves.
Final Justice
For most serious crimes their is only one punishment. Death. When someone is found guilty of a serious crime they are taken to an arena which has a large 100 foot circular area that has 2 feet of swamp water floating in it. The stands will hold up to 50,000 people. The convict is released into the arena with no weapons but his bare hands. Then a pack of 7 Rap'ters is released. These giant lizards are smart, cunning, fast, deadly and hunt in packs. No one has ever escaped them.
First Blood
When ever 2 citizens have a disagreement or their is a minor disagreement between groups or tribes it is settled by a form of ritual combat called First Blood. A single fighter is selected and while they sometimes go and fight in an arena, they are just as likely to select any location that is agreeable to both sides. The 2 combatants meet with no weapons, anything goes but the battle ends when the first blood is lost from the body of the opponent. At this time the fight ends. The winner or his tribe are considered to be in the right and the losers have to accept the final verdict.
War
Any time their is a major disagreement between tribes, factions or any other large grouping of Ga'teran's it is settled by a war. Now days these wars are fought in an arena with rules and limited numbers of warriors on both sides. Usually the teams will be either 5, 13 or 27 to a side. Hand weapons are allowed but no firearms. Both sides must agree on the number, type and size of any and all weapons. Both sides meet and wait till a loud gong is struck. Then they fight till only one side still has any warriors left standing. The winning side is declared the victor
Technology
While they have warp technology most of the planet is pre industrial. Other than transportation which is more advanced and wide spread most of the natives seem to prefer a more hands on existence. A true contradiction in terms they understand and have access to post industrial technology but do not import it or use much of it on the planet surface except for weapons and transportation. The 2 major cities hold the only true manufacturing facilities on the planet. As a rule they do not work in those facilities them selves. They use slave labour for that.
Military
Infantry
The Ga'ter Infantry is organized along 2 different lines. Each Regiment is made up of about 5,000 troops and is recruited from one single tribe. Both male's and female's serve as troops.
Space Fleet
The Ga'terans currently have a fleet made up primarily of frigates, destroyers and crusiers. They have just started to build heavy crusiers. Like the Infantry all crews on any given ship are usually recruited from one single tribe and can be both male and female.
Frigates
These ships have a crew of about 50. They tend to have excellent defenses, good offensive abilities but minimal crew comforts. Their are no shuttles on this size class ship.
Destroyers
These ships have a crew of about 100. They tend to have excellent defenses, good offensive abilities but minimal crew comforts. This size will have 2 shuttles.
Crusiers
These ships have a crew of about 150 and about 200 Infantry soldiers. They tend to have excellent defenses, good offensive abilities but minimal crew comforts. This ship has 4 shuttles and 4 troop transports capable of carrying 50 men each.
Heavy Crusiers
These ships will have a crew of about 200. Unknown yet how they will differ from the smaller cruiser.
Slaves
The Ga'teran's will use any race as slaves but the Jeuws were the first race to feel the iron heel of the Ga'teran war machine. They use slaves due to the fact that they hate working in any factory or manufacturing plant. The mindless labour has a increased chance of weakening the iron control they need to keep on their inner rage.