Olympian

Created by: Jay Hailey
Appearance: Starbase 600 game, ST-OM 
Number of Members: Billions
Nature of Members: Ferret/cat furries. Mammals of the common mustiloid pattern. They have short legs and long bodies. They are not obligate bipeds and can easily and swiftly move on all fours. Olympians have the usual gender parts, the female's breasts generally being small. 
Organization: Super Tribe, Teams
Government: Meritocracy based on performance in the world games.
Culture: Competitive. It is said they sleep furiously. Everything is a game and a competition. Olympians have an elaborate game structure, that is prevalent throughout society. Everything from position in school, grading on the curve is the only way. Job applications, even outright sport. Mental games are as popular as physical ones. Everything comes down the Grand Olympiad every six years. The whole planet stops for the 55 day event that decides everything from company hierarchy to the planetary government. There are few spectators. Everyone is on the field. The heavy hitters are in the top ranks of the classic competition of Head, Hand, Heart, a fifteen event test of intelligence, physical capacity, and ethics. This well rounded contest is standard for any important post in Olympian society. 
All posts come up for evaluation every six years. You can compete as long as you are able. This in itself is a term limiter as physical fitness is as important as mental fitness.
The only exception is the Committee of the Games. The body that creates contests, and decides the winners. Once you have won a post here you forswear any further competition. There must be no conflict of interest. These individuals are the closest thing Olympians have to a priesthood. They do wear distinctive clothing, and tend to be older, well accomplished players. Members of the Committee of the Games have no authority outside of ruling on the games. For one to express or indicate a political option in public or private is serious enough to require they step down.
Game Role: A member of the Former Zantree Alliance.
Relative Influence: Major in the Far Sector
Public or Secret?: Public, hard to hide planets.
Publicly Stated Goal: Win the Gold
Relative Wealth: Major, a small stellar nation.
Race Advantages: A race of type A personalities.
Special Abilities: A race where every member is a honed physical and mental machine. They do not have slackers.
Race disadvantages: A tendency to see everything through the lens of competition, whether appropriate or not.
Relations: Olympians hold the Federation stance on non Federation members. They will advocate for conflict to be solved via games. They are firm members of the Gentlebeing camp. They can be pushed to Guns & Butter remarkably quickly. A place you do not want them.
*Ane: Confusing. They are sure that Ane have some kind of game going on, but they can neither see or understand what they don't see. In any case good friends, if strange. They like the Ane deflating the pompous.
*Am: The Hell!???? Leave it alone. 
*Avayans: Not dedicated gamers. Easy to understand however and generally friendly to anyone that is likewise friendly.
*Kee: The exacting and often exasperating Kee. On the good side you can depend on them to know the rules and play by them, each and every time. They were the last one to admit that the Zantree Alliance was toast. Kee can be dealt with as long as you stay inside the lines.
*Klingons: The eternal Frienemy of the Federation. Sometimes in sometimes out. They do not like the Klingons first response of violence and that they reject the idea of games. The exception being Roak of House Javos who is an excellent gamer. and a dangerous one. 
*Poong: Also a member of the late Zantree Alliance. The Kliges'chee forced the Alliance members together and they have drifted apart and into the Federation. Olympians treat Poong well. They dislike the Poong government's tendency to consider themselves the senior member at various diplomatic meetings.
*Tabooists: Another race whose modivatiuons they do not get. Keeping Rishan things away is good, but they don't get them. Friendly is as friendly does.
*Youn: The other main source of conflict rising from the forced nature of the Zantree Alliance. The Youn have not joined the Federation and that is a strike against them. Most Olympians would rather deal with Ferengi or Orions.
*Zhurfers: Nearly the anti Olympian, yet easy to get along with. A people really not hep on the bogus idea of too many rules. "Chill man, the Galaxy turns as it should." Oh well.
Area of Operation: The Far Sector mostly. they are spreading throughout the Federation.
Headquarters Location: Cavart, Olympia (2.8/-14.6) the Home world. 
Public Face: The best gets the gold, but we all win when sportsmanship rules the day 
Notable Members: Olymia -- creator of the idea of the game. 
History of the Race: Olympians are good at war. Somewhere in the race's iron age they came to the epiphany that they were too good at war. This did not produce a solution mind you, that took centuries of killing each other in boxcar loads. Then an individual named Olymia created the structure of the games. Play at war, not fight real ones. Again it took some time for the idea of neutral arbitrators to arise as well. The idea worked, war was pushed to the realm of game. Anyone that tried real war was turned on. No one wanted to die for someone else's glory and power.
As the game progressed the idea of mental contest and later ethical conundrums came forth as a way of deciding things. The Committee of the Games firmed up as you could not keep using the same ethical conundrums or everyone learned the answers. As more and more of their society revolved around contest, contest became their society. They stared to call themselves after the person that had started the games, the Olympians. 
The result is a race that will make a game out of fixing dinner. They will offer to resolve any conflict via a contest. Never, but never offer them violence, they still know how, and will despise your corpse for starting it.
Category:Races
Category:UFP Space
Category:Far Sector
Category:Political Units
Category:Epiphany Trek
Category:ST-OM
Category:Unfinished Articles