Alinteans

Alinteans *(Archaeomelanus chiroleptis)* are an extremely ancient, long-lived species hailing (currently) from the planet of Nihran. They are widely accepted as one of the oldest races in the Galaxy and one of the five races to found the Senate. They have one of the most powerful empires of all Senate species and facilitate roles as both overseers and moderators. They also control three-fifths of the Senate's forces in addition to their own troops, making them the largest and strongest military power in the Galaxy. Extremely long-lived, Alinteans are capable of the type of long-term planning that would ordinarily allow for total galactic domination, which often makes other species suspicious of them. Even those in the Senate race have a difficult time fully trusting a being capable of outliving fifty generations or more.

### Physical Appearance, Traits, and Abilities

#### Physical Overview

Alinteans are extremely tall and slender, often to the point of looking creepy, disconcerting, or eerie. The average Alintean towers over most other races, standing at eight to nine feet in height. Outliers exist, with some Alinteans pushing the ten foot mark and the shorter Alinteans coming in at just under seven feet. Their limbs are very long, thin, and skeletal in appearance, although this belies a wiry strength. Alinteans live extremely long lifespans, often passing the 9,000 year mark with ease but rarely reaching 11,000.

Nihran, like most planets the Alinteans colonize, is extremely cold to the point where they use artificial "satellite suns" to warm the surface. Their bodies are inherently very hot as a result of adaptations that allow them to survive these climates, and they are also covered in a layer of thin (but tight) fur that insulates them further. They have bulbous heads with large, oval eyes that are flexible and capable of changing shape. The parietal bone of their skulls is also swept upwards in a graceful "crest" or "horn" on the backs of their heads which varies in height and shape. Where the mouth or nose would be on a human, a butterfly-like proboscis extends out from the center of their face. Were this to be removed, Alinteans possess four jaw-like structures with a single tooth on each one. These teeth have a bladed section at the front and a masticating section at the back, as well as a tapered section between these two points.

Alinteans also posses "wing flaps" on their arms which allow them to glide (similar in a manner to a flying squirrel on Earth). These flaps can be gripped between a pair of rear appendages on their heels when needed, but often simply hang from an Alinteans arms when not in use. They possess human-like hands, although with much longer fingers. Each digit also has extra joints, allowing for much greater dexterity and manipulation of their environments.

Alintean eyes, as previously stated, are large and bulbous in nature. These are unique to every individual, with varying degrees of colors, brightness, luster, etc. to differentiate them. The muscles around an Alintean's eyes are highly developed and sensitive. This, coupled with the flexibility of an Alintean eyeball, allows them to change the shape depending on their mood or emotions.

Alinteans also come in two different subspecies: Velaik and Draam. Fundamentally, these two are more akin to "variants" or "races" than actual subspecies, as there is very little genetic difference between them. Velaik are the most common variety, taking up 88% of the total population. Draam occupy only the Pernaria region of Nihran in the north and are an older variant (widely regarded as the "original" Alinteans) and make up the remaining 12%.

#### Breeding and Reproduction

As they are an extremely long-lived species, Alinteans do not have frequent opportunities to breed. Alinteans are considered "mature" and ready to engage in reproduction at approximately 1,500 years old. They then have windows at 3,000, 6,000, and at 9,000 years. Alinteans are only capable of giving birth to one child at a time, and the gestation period is approximately 500 years.

Male Alinteans, during breeding, produce feather-like "fronds" at the tips of their proboscises. These are inserted into a small hole beneath the female's eyes and deposits genetic material into a cavity. This material makes its way into a "womb" in their chest, fertilizing an egg. This egg then forms a hard shell and moves down into the lower abdominal cavity of the female where it will grow into a fully fledged egg over a period of the next 100 years.

This egg can be removed from a female's body early through natural processes (an opening at the base of the tailbone) but will not survive for very long out of the body. At this point, once the egg is stable enough to be removed from the body, it can be reinserted into either a female OR male carrier. In Alintean culture, it is often seen as traditional for the male to carry the egg after the 100 year mark, as Alinteans have a (mostly) matriarchal society.

Once an egg has reached maturity, it will normally "hatch" or dissolve inside the carrying parent. The newborn is then birthed live from the same aperture at the base of the tailbone, while the egg fluids and shell remnants are reabsorbed into the parent, providing a much-needed nutrient boost for them as they prepare to care for their new child. In some cases, the egg is removed several decades prior to hatching on its own and medically incubated to monitor the infant's development - a process that is becoming more and more common. It allows for precise control of the egg fluids and their nutritional values, leading to healthier children.

### Names and Naming

Many Alintean names are complex, consisting of multiple syllables, and they do not have a clear, outsider-friendly, definition between masculine and feminine names. Names such as Dartimien, Desrosimiel, Ninah, Kithan, Eseran, Aladaliel, Alaniel, or Dair are all considered "traditional" Alintean names.

### Alintean History

#### The Golden Age

Alinteans initially evolved on a different planet than Nihran, although its name has long been lost to time. With such long lifespans, these Alinteans very quickly were able to pass information down through the generations. They were able to move from a cliff-dwelling, primitive society to the atomic age in approximately 500,000 years, which is slower than humans but considerably fewer generations. From here, they set their sights on the heavens and were determined to explore their own solar system, building colonies on every planet, moon, and asteroid they could.

#### The Gatekeeper Conflict

Much like a few other races, the Alinteans encountered a Gatekeeper at the edge of their solar system - a sentinel left behind by the enigmatic Old Race to police and enforce lower races. Enraged by the presence of this hostile machine, the Alinteans were determined to take it down. It began a culling process, wiping out their outer colonies and heading straight for their homeworld - something the Alinteans were not going to tolerate. Although it's widely understood that the Gatekeeper did immeasurable damage to the Alinteans during its campaign, they were able to damage it enough to remove pieces of technology and weaponry from it. Reverse-engineering this gave the Alinteans a fighting chance and, after 25,000 years of protracted engagements, they managed to defeat the Gatekeeper. It was picked clean for parts and studied - its corpse being used to further propel the Alinteans along a path of technological supremacy. With such powerful tools, the Alinteans ventured forth into the cosmos to seek out others like them. The Gatekeeper proved to them that other species existed, and they were determined to find either the creators of the Gatekeeper (to wage war with them) or to liberate other prisoners of the hostile machines.

#### The First Galactic War

The Alinteans were ultimately successful in destroying a total if 15 Gatekeepers across the Galaxy, but none of the systems contained intelligent life. Six of the fifteen showed signs of there having been fledgling species, but these had been utterly annihilated by the Gatekeepers. Their sixteenth Gatekeeper-controlled system, however, was a different story. They found an unknown species engaged in a brutal conflict with an active Gatekeeper. While this species was holding its own, the Gatekeeper was outlasting them by the virtue of it being a machine. Determined to aid this species before it fell by the wayside like the others they had found, the Alinteans swept in and obliterated the Gatekeeper without a second thought, although they suffered heavy casualties. They retreated, intending to return and make contact with the species they had saved, but fate had other plans.

The alien race they had encountered was none other than the Heil, a race of powerful, war-like aliens who saw the Alinteans interference in their war as a dishonor. The Heil swept in, attacking the Alintean colonies indiscriminately and enslaving any who survived their onslaught. The Alinteans desperately tried diplomacy, not wanting to wipe out a fellow sentient species, but this ultimately cost them dearly. The Heil managed to utterly break the Alinteans, having reverse-engineered their own Gatekeeper's corpse and utilizing the technologies they had developed against it. This resulted in a complete defeat with the Alintean homeworld being totally destroyed and rendered uninhabitable. The remaining Alinteans refused to admit defeat, dragging the war out for two million years. This became known as the First Galactic War.

#### Ketrarch and the Senate

Ultimately, the First Galactic War was brought to an abrupt halt by the discovery of the first Progenitor, Ketrarch. A massive, sentient relic from the days of the Old Race, Ketrarch made itself known by devouring stars, planets and life itself. Initially assumed to be a weapon from the opposing side, the Alinteans and Heil blamed one another for creating the nine-dimensional AI before realizing the scope of the problem. Ketrarch was capable of snuffing out all organic life in the Galaxy if it wasn’t stopped, and that was exactly the goal it had in mind. The Heil and Alinteans created a temporary alliance and fought back against Ketrarch with the remainder of their armies. They were joined by three other species that had been hiding from the fires of the First Galactic war—the Zetans, the Ragans and the Rhurni—and together the five empires managed to destroy Ketrarch and bring an end to its reign of terror.

Deciding that enough was enough, the five major species met with one another to discuss a path of peace into the future. This meeting resulted in the birth of the Senate and the formation of the laws which would guide it. The Alinteans, who retained the most territory and technology after the gruesome battle with Ketrarch, took a leading role in the Senate and its formation, as well as its expansion. They settled Nihran during this time, as well as discovering the Depositorium on Vormaga, which allowed them to study the Old Race even more thoroughly.

#### Present Day

The Alintean Empire has only had one major change during the following millennia, which was that the Draam faded away to become the minority species and left the Velaik to represent them. The Alinteans are still a major technological and political power with very few rivals. Many of the subsequent members of the Senate did so because of them. While unintentional on the Alintean side, many joined out of fear after seeing the awesome military might and technological prowess of their empire. They are distrustful of non-Senate races and are known for a borderline xenophobic opposition to dealing with any race that hasn't signed the Senate accords. They are also staunch oppositionists of interfering with any non-spacefaring race, believing it best for a species to evolve on its own before making first contact.

### Technology and Civilization

The Alinteans focused their efforts into developing as many technologies as they could, resulting in an extremely advanced society. The Alinteans were the first (known) species to develop fusion power, predating the Heil by thousands of years. They were already able to harness this power to create the False Sun satellite stars before ever encountering their Gatekeeper. In present day, this technology is put on display on their planets in full force. Their cities and buildings are fully automated, with very little organic intervention required. As such, the Alinteans spend very little time actually working and instead pursue the further development of these technologies, always pushing for the next breakthrough. What work is required of them is mostly done remotely through virtual reality or mixed reality interfaces.

The only aspect of their society in which direct organic intervention is needed is their military complex, which still stands as one of the foremost military powers in the Galaxy. Alintean ships are nightmares in combat, utilizing an insane amount of different weapons and heavy shielding, making them incredibly difficult to defeat. This is compounded by the constant innovations and cutting-edge technology being implemented by Nihran's FleetDev units, which constantly push for more robust warships, better weapons, stronger shielding, and better engines.

### Alintean Cultural Attire

Alinteans may have once had clothing or attire to denote their positions, but this has almost completely been lost (especially as a result of the First Galactic War). Many Alinteans opt to wear polyform outfits with simple robes over them, and many even forego the robes entirely. As Alinteans can traverse planets very easily, it just makes sense for them to wear skintight flight suits as daily attire. The exception to this is the ruling class of Alinteans, made up of one matriarchal representative from each region. These figures wear ornate robes in their region colors to denote their position. The envoy to the Senate also dresses similarly, although they wear silver as their color.

### Alintean Food and Drink

Alinteans are mostly known to drink slurries and liquid foods, as they have a proboscis, but they are also avid consumers of other foods. So long as this food is small enough to draw through the proboscis, Alinteans will eat almost anything. Truly omnivorous, they can consume a variety of foods that is appalling to most other races. Their bodies are incredibly efficient, allowing them to process even certain toxins or poisons. The only exception to this is ethanoic or ethylic acid, which can prove fatal in large doses.

### Government

Alinteans are governed by a miniature Senate made up from representatives of each region, called Crowned Stars. These representatives wear robes denoting their region color and convene often to discuss the future of Nihran as a whole, and to make sure that each region is properly focused on the overall advancement of the Alintean species and not succumbing to corruption or self interest. Each region on Nihran is known for producing a different type of technology or fulfilling a different function.

* Adengest (Color: Green) - Responsible for agricultural technology and the production of the planet's food supplies.
* Pernaria (Color: White) - Responsible for weapons testing grounds and infantry weapons and equipment.
* Namrah (Color: Gold) - Responsible for the housing of population and the approval of new technologies. The seat of government is here.
* Haso (Color: Blue, Former) - Former region known for the production of naval technologies. Destroyed 28 million years ago in an accident.
* Mengaia (Color: Purple) - Responsible for mining and the procurement of metal, ores, natural gases, etc.
* Firalia (Color: Red) - Responsible for the production of ships and shipborne technologies such as shields or weapons.

These individuals all answer to an individual wearing silver, who represents their interests to the Senate itself. If there is a concern that the issue at hand cannot be solved amongst the five Crowned Stars, the representative intercedes or involves the Senate itself.