Bel

Created by: Garry Stahl. 
Appearance: Starbase 600 game. 
Number of Members: 1.5 billion. 
Nature of Members: Humanoids of average size. Bell have typical humanoid primary and secondary sexual characteristics. and eat a omnivorous diet. They have four fingers and walk plantigrade. Bell are covered with a thin, rough pelt on the dorsal side. It runs from their head to their feet. The hair is white, and hollow. In uncivilized times when they did not wear clothing the hair would fill with a green algae. Combined with their nut brown skin this offered excellent camouflage. In modern times clothing covers most of their bodies preventing the pelt from developing the algae except on the arms and head. Most people have green head hair unless the current fashion is to dye it differently. .
Bel are placental mammals with a 8.5 month gestation. Children are helpless at birth and take 14 years to reach sexual maturity. Bel live for an average of 75 years. Galactic level medicine can increase this to double that span. 
Organization: Bel have a one world nation with an elected leader called the Beltar. Local councils deal with matters of local importance. There is no world council. The Beltar will call on such local councils to deal with matters that might be required. He/or she has a small staff to coordinate matters of world interest, but possesses no actual means of action.
Of note is the Anti-cult of Bob. Bob wrote the book on technology and survival. Messengers, as the Bob preachers are called are persons that have studied one part of the Book of Bob and become familiar with that technology and promote and practice it. Bob was extremely careful to say "don't worship me" and for once in galactic history the people listened. People will ask the blessing of Bob, swear by Bob and in general use the name of Bob as "god" would be used elsewhere. However anyone you ask will tell you that Bob is dead and he isn't hanging around in the sky or any place else. It's just something they do.
Game Role: A problem to solve. 
World Role: Life happening. 
Relative Influence: Minor, still sub warp but working to change that. 
Public or Secret?: Public, hard to hide a planet. 
Publicly Stated Goal: Get into space. 
Relative Wealth: One planetary system. 
Group Advantages: Flexible and friendly. 
Group Disadvantages: Visited by the Kliges'chee. 
Those who favor them: The Federation. 
Those opposed to them: No one. 
Area of Operation: Near Implosion Zone. 
Headquarters Location: Bel. 
Public Face: Plucky survivors. 
Notable Members: Bob: He who was there also. Teacher and author. Long dead and fondly remembered.
Beltor: Planetary President. The name goes with the office.
Leena: Augment female. She underwent removal of her ovaries to allow her a clearer head. A procedure since reversed.
History of the Organization: Bel were on the verge of warp flight when the Kliges'chee came knocking. They hunkered down and rode out the near destruction of their world. Thanks to a man of foresight named Bob, who compiled a book on how to do everything, they lost little and the recovery began almost at once.
The Bel were discovered by the USS Dannon on routine patrol. The sound of drunken singing over subspace drew them in. The signing were a group of augments whose cryostasis system had just woken them up. Tall strong and oversexed both the men and women had been frozen down until society could figure out a way to deal with their over stimulated sex drives. (Starfleet did get that fixed) From the hibernation stations to the planet was a short step.
The Bel are glad to have the Federation as friends and are working to get their native technology up to speed and see about Federation membership. They have a great deal of work ahead of them.
Category:Races
Category:Starbase 600 Game
Category:Epiphany Trek