Caraadian

			Intelligent Lifeform Index

Caraadian
Four Letter Code	CRDN
Federation Status	Neutral
Planet of Origin	Caraad and numerous colonies across the Par'tha Expanse region
Encountered	USS Atlantis
T/E Rating	T0/E0
Current Tech Level	N+
List of Named Caraadians
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"As long as the Houses stand together our glory will last."

-a Caraadian proverb.

The Caraadian are an ancient species who achieved space travel over 13,000 years ago and used it to create an empire that is vastly different now than it was originally.

Home System

• Quadrant: Beta
• Location: unknown; somewhere closer to the Galactic Core
• Proper Name: Caraad system
• Star: unknown
• Distance from Star: unknown
• Companions: unknown

Home World

The details of the Caraadian's original homeworld have been forgotten over time. Their adoptive homeworld in the Par'tha Expanse is now Oscion.

• Proper Name: Oscion
• Diameter: 15,579 km (9,792 miles)
• Gravity: 1.01 standard gravity with a density of 4.5
• Axial Tilt: 7.4%, with minimal seasonal changes
• Orbital Period: 343 days
• Rotational Period: 27 hours
• Classification: O
  • Surface Water: 93%
  • Atmosphere: 0.98% is a standard pressure with 74% nitrogen, 26% oxygen, 2% trace chemicals
  • Climate: Moderate and temperate.
  • Terrain: Archipelagos and island chains.
  • Population: Just over 480 million on their homeworld, and another 73 billion in the Expanse.

History

For a more comprehensive history, see Par'tha Expanse, History of.

The Caraadians are not indigenous to the Par'tha Expanse. They were a strong, independent species who were relatively peaceful with few internal conflicts, but due to some long forgotten catalyst, they were a species on decline in their home systems. Great multi-generational colony ships were fashioned and sent out to the very edges of explored Caraadian space, and much further beyond. After roughly 1,500 years, their non-superluminal craft eventually found their way to the Par'tha Expanse roughly 13,000 years ago.

By the time the Caraadians arrived in the expanse, the current dominant species had either died off or left for various reasons. The Expanse was prime real estate for the colonists to inhabit and settle down. Their societal governmental structure was one of individual family clans, called Houses, which normally governed themselves and really only came together in times of necessity.

That all came to an end roughly 7300 years ago, when a warlord from one of the Houses took it upon himself to conqueror, and thereby unite, all the Caraadian Houses. Kaen Tan and his descendants ruled the Expanse region until almost 1600 years ago, when the dynasties fell, and control returned to the individual Houses. He had chosen his homeworld of Oscion as the seat of his fledgling empire, and even after his empire fell, it has been the center of regional power ever since.

In the 1500 years that followed, control of the Expanse region fluctuated from House to House, depending upon which House had the more powerful star navy. A new fledgling power was emerging, the Valcarians, one that was stronger, more vital and still in a period of positive expansion on the outer edges of the Expanse. On the opposite side was the Romulan Star Empire, who made significant strides in expanding into the Expanse. The Caraadians, at one point roughly 600 years ago, allied themselves with the RSE, but that alliance subtly turned into oppression by the Romulans.

About 80 years ago, Romulan influence over the Caraadians dissipated almost overnight. Rumors circulated about tensions between the Romulans and another race, and the possibility of a war (neither the unknown enemy of the Romulans nor the resulting war was ever confirmed, and the period of absence coincided with the period of Romulan isolation that the Federation encountered from 2311 to 2364). The Romulans left, never to return to the Par'tha Expanse.

This political void was a state that the Valcarian government took advantage of by taking control of a number of smaller colonies. Their unified stellar navy outclassed and out-gunned the varied House fleets, who were too slow to unify themselves before they were beaten. The Valcarians still regain hold of the House provinces (sectors) by virtue of their military, but the Freeworlds region still remains too far of a reach. For now.

Caraadians are still the most populous species in the Expanse with an estimated total population of some where around 164 billion and their presence is felt on every habitable world in the Expanse to varying degrees. An uneasy state of peace exists between them, the Valcarians and the Freeworlds Council which is a collection of all the other species within the Expanse not controlled or governed by the Caraadians or Valcarians.

Government

In the wake of the insanity caused by the infighting between the various different factions that had risen to power with in the Caraadian empire a compromise was achieved that resulted in the creation of the Great Council.

The Great Council, along with its many sub-councils, is the primary legislative body in the Par'tha Expanse. It is made up of the various Caraadian noble families (Houses) which are aligned into different factions. The Houses influence affairs by forming coalitions within the Great Council, hopefully gaining enough votes to get their way. For two decades, Larokon has held together a strong coalition which allows it to impose its will on the rest of the sector. There are signs that this coalition is weakening, however.

The Great Council is lead by a chancellor who not only passes the laws of the sector, but also sits in judgement over certain court cases, and confers offices and grants pardons. However, with over 2000 members, it is far too large to effectively attend to all of its duties. In reality, it mostly exists to elect officials and review the acts of the many smaller councils and committees under it.

The real power lies with the Senate, the largest and most important of the Great Council's lesser councils. The Senate, which is made up of 80 senior Great Council members (appointed by their retiring predecessors), in addition to various appointed military leaders and ambassadors, deliberates on such matters as tariffs, negotiations, armaments, laws, and taxes.

In handling crucial issues of foreign policy, finance, and internal security, the chancellor may bypass the Senate by taking proposals to the Council of Ten, an inner circle of senior Great Council members (which actually has 35 members). The Great Council has become very exclusive over time, and does not admit new families when old ones die out, as it did in the Dynastic Era.

Description

Just like humans and a large number of other species that resemble humans they have a wide range of hair and eye color with various types of body shapes, heights and weights being the normal. For the most part they all seem to be Caucasians in skin tone with the range in color being from a pale shade to a light tan complexion.

Physiology

As with most intelligent humanoid species they have a very complex system with specialized organs, and unique hormones, chemicals and enzymes. They are typical humanoids with most of the physical, mental and biological medical problems that seem to plague most humanoids. Caraadians do not have a predisposition towards mental abilities such as telepathy, telekinesis, or empathy.

Psychology

As with most intelligent species they can and sometimes do suffer from various different types of mental illness. Fortunately they have an excellent treatment program and progressive ideology when it comes to treatment.

Religion

Over the 20,000 plus years that the Caraadians have existed as an intelligent species they have established numerous colonies. Many of which are now thousands of years old. As a result, what started out as a single set of religious beliefs has with time and due to other factors been transformed into a vast and diverse collection of beliefs, many of them with almost no similarity with their original beliefs.

Mythology

While many of the newer colonies all have some abridged collections of old myths, tales and legends passed down to them from their ancestors who first came to their colony, many of the older colonies have vast collections that are completely and entirely their own, created by their ancestors who settled their colony.

Society

There is a vast amount of different between the style and quality of life on various worlds and between the various factions and houses. So much so that they can and often do run the gamut between one extreme and the other.

Culture

As an intelligent and sophisticated species who have been around for more than 22,000 years they have an incredibly diverse and wide ranging collection of art and art forms. Most worlds have massive art collections in museums as well as numerous pieces that belong to various important people. Music, dance and songs come in a veritable maelstrom of styles, varieties and personal preferences. All in all it combines together to create a fertile ground for future original works.

Customs

Over the 20,000 plus years that the Caraadians have existed as an intelligent species they have established numerous colonies. Many of which are now thousands of years old. As a result the customs have evolved and changed in such a way that they will and often do differ greatly between worlds, factions and houses.

Technology

They have a well developed technological base and it seems to be fairly widely spread across all of their colonies and outposts. Unfortunately their no longer seems to be much in the way of a unified scientific research as each faction, world or house funds their own programs and research.

Economy

They have a fairly strong and diverse economy with trade between all of their colonies and those belonging to the Freeworlds and the Valcarians. Some worlds, factions or Houses are better off than others and all of them seem to be in it for themselves.

Military

The Caraadians have a very large military with over 50 different standard ship classes and about that many again which are specialized for one purpose or another. Almost all of these belong to individual Houses, factions or planets. However each and every one of these Houses, factions and planets also are expected to provide 3 ships of any class to the Grand Councils Imperial Fleet. Due to this fact the Grand Council has almost 150 large warships, nearly 400 medium vessels and close to 1,000 small ships with which to enforce their will and conduct patrols with.

Federation Intelligence Files

Members of this species were encountered by the crew of the USS Atlantis on an away mission to Urlista Station in the Aelann system on 238207.26

Since then their have been numerous encounters between the various Caraadian factions, Houses and the Federation. For the most part these have all been fairly peaceful.

Sources

This is an original Starbase 118 species created by the crew of the USS Atlantis.

		SPECIES PROFILE UPDATED This profile was revised by the Species Development Committee.		REV 239204.13
		Please add any new information discovered during the course of a mission or shore leave.
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