Jian’Tur Federation

The emblem of the Jian'Tur Federation is so ancient that not even the Jian'Tur themselves know exactly what it is supposed to symbolize. It is known, however, that it's design reflects the supremacy and military might of the Federation rather well.

### Origin

The Oevintlar Crescent of the Triangulum Galaxy

## Government

### Ruling System

Combined rule through a decentralized collection of partially-independent sectors. Administration is largely handled on the local level.

### Economic System

No centralized monetary system. Each sector uses its own variation of energy-backed currency, controlling economic activity locally. Very minimal state control of economic activity. Predominantly anarcho-capitalist.

### Wars Fought

War of Coalescence (800,000 - 761,000 B.C.E.)Triangulum Supremacy War (612,000 - 512,000 B.C.E.)

First Vuokra Invasion (425,000 - 400,000 B.C.E.)

## Culture

### Foreign Policy

Aggressive interventionists. Government seeks to carefully control political dynamic of local galaxy.

### Languages

Culukolos, Giir'Gin, Thavouge, Net'Nimis, Ciil

The **Jian'Tur Federation**, sometimes called the Great Federation, was a large interstellar civilization occupying the Triangulum Galaxy for about 400,000 years, inhabited solely by the Jian'Tur. Emerging in the wake of the ancient Vuokra invasion that destroyed the Tuoctlo and Lapidus civilizations, the Jian'Tur Federation was largely uncontested during its rise to galactic dominance. This gave it enormous leverage over the minor civilizations that emerged later, and prompted the unannounced formation of the Magnificent Balance of Peace.

## History

### War of Coalescence (800,000 - 761,000 B.C.E.)

Even prior to the formation of the Jian'Tur Federation, the Jian'Tur were a technologically advanced, spacefaring species that had already colonized large swaths of their local celestial region. However, they were far from unified. As their civilization expanded outward into space, Jian'Tur colonies declared their independence and formed loose alliances with other colonies, creating a wild assortment of independent small planetary confederacies that were all constantly fighting each other. Though the endless wars somewhat aided Jian'Tur technological progress, Jian'Tur society as a whole could not progress, as diplomatic relations between these confederacies were fragile and constantly changing. Most of these confederacies were of similar size and military might, as well, which meant no significant advantages could be gained by any single confederacy. While the Jian'Tur were able to survive as a species even in this chaotic state of affairs, there was a lingering fear that, if they failed to unify as a species, they would inevitably be destroyed by more powerful alien upstarts, something that the supremacy-loving Jian'Tur simply couldn't reason with. Likewise, the driving force behind many of these confederacies during their wars was a desire to bring the entirety of the Jian'Tur species under the rule of a single political entity.

This dynamic began to shift with the formation of the Jian'Tur Federation. Created out of the collapsing planetary confederacy in control of the colonies near the Jian'Tur homeworld, the newly-formed Jian'Tur Federation proclaimed itself to be the one true government of the Jian'Tur species, and therefore, it had sovereignty over all Jian'Tur. This proclamation was not recognized by the other confederacies, and so the Federation quickly went to war against these minor political bodies in a quest for supremacy. Though they did not have any major technological or military advantages over the other confederacies, the Jian'Tur Federation had the advantage of being more politically unified than the confederacies it fought. Due to the violent, turbulent nature of politics within these confederacies, coups and political shuffles were very common, which undermined the power of these confederacies and made them prone to splitting apart. The Jian'Tur Federation, on the other hand, was very stable (at least, comparatively speaking). It maintained a fierce grip on the areas it controlled through a vigilant police force, reducing the chance of an insurrection. This political unity allowed the Jian'Tur Federation to easily overpower the other confederacies as political disputes disrupted their military endeavors. It wasn't long before the Jian'Tur Federation had lived up to its claim as the dominant Jian'Tur political entity. This marked the end of the Jian'Tur's turbulent spacefaring period and the beginning of their era of conquest.

### Continued Expansion and the Magnificent Balance of Peace (761,000 - 623,000 B.C.E.)

With the Jian'Tur now unified as a species, their civilization was now free to make tremendous progress in terms of technological and sociological development. To account for the massive regional differences in Jian'Tur culture, the Jian'Tur Federation separated itself into 5 federated sectors: Gan Sector, Nigruun Sector, Ormorg Sector, Keenyn Sector and Ocil Sector. Each sector possessed its own economic policies and provincial governments, but they were still under the rule of centralized Jian'Tur government. Regional differences in culture that persisted after the War of Coalescence ensured the Jian'Tur were never a completely unified species. In fact, there was still a great deal of strife between the Jian'Tur inhabiting the various sectors after they were absorbed into the Jian'Tur Federation. However, the Federation's ever-present police force suppressed dissent and allowed the Federation to remain mostly stable for the entirety of its history. Though the Federation ruled largely through fear, its ability to unify the Jian'Tur species under a single banner gave it enormous advantages. The combined military and technological might of the previous planetary confederacies made the Jian'Tur Federation the strongest and most technologically advanced civilization in the Triangulum Galaxy, nullifying the threat emerging minor civilizations posed to its sovereignty.

As time went on, intelligent life in the Triangulum Galaxy became more common, and it wasn't long before the Jian'Tur encountered other interstellar civilizations. The Mavlorvii Syndication and OTNH were the first civilizations the Jian'Tur discovered, both of which were rapidly expanding and advancing technologically. The Jian'Tur knew neither of these civilizations would bother attacking the Federation due to their natural technological and military might, but as the borders between the Syndication and OTNH grew closer, a different fear emerged. The Jian'Tur were reminded of their turbulent past as a loose collection of confederacies, and believed that, inevitably, the minor civilizations surrounding them would wage war among themselves. These wars would shift the political dynamic, and could lead to the creation of a consolidated alien government of equal or greater strength to the Federation. The Federation government decided that it held the responsibility to control and mediate galactic politics for the benefit of both the Jian'Tur and other alien races. Owing to the inherent Jian'Tur notions of supremacy, the Jian'Tur assumed other alien races did not have the intelligence or self-awareness to avoid destroying themselves, and had to be controlled via military intervention. This marked the beginning of the Magnificent Balance of Peace, a political dynamic of unwritten rules and nonexistent contracts that established the Jian'Tur Federation as the dominant civilization of the Triangulum Galaxy. Through this political dynamic, the Federation used its military to threaten, and sometimes attack, civilizations that became too ambitious or aggressive. When a civilization showed any indications of gaining an advantage over its galactic neighbors, the Federation discouraged its development by force. Though the Jian'Tur were convinced that what they were doing was benevolent, a majority of the alien species inhabiting the Triangulum Galaxy grew to resent the Jian'Tur for the all-encompassing culture of fear they had established across the galaxy.

Despite being very unpopular with most non-Jian'Tur races, the Magnificent Balance of Peace persisted through most of the Federation's history, kept stable through constant military intervention. To solidify their power, the Jian'Tur offered certain civilizations access to advanced Jian'Tur technology and payment in raw materials in exchange for their absolute compliance with the Federation. The ability for the Jian'Tur to negotiate was undermined by their reputation as malevolent warmongers, but luckily for them, the sudden appearance of a new, powerful civilization would give them the opportunity to rule through both force and persuasion. A massive fleet of Delth transports entered the Triangulum Galaxy and colonized almost the entire Inward Crescent in only a few centuries, establishing the Third Eohli. At first, the Jian'Tur felt threatened by the Delth, who had created a civilization of equal power to the Federation in a shockingly short time span. They considered going to war against the Delth, even though Delth technology was, in many ways, superior to Jian'Tur technology, meaning victory was not certain. Eventually, the Jian'Tur dropped their guard when they realized the Delth were not looking to engage in any sort of conflict. This eased their fears that the Delth would disrupt the Magnificent Balance of Peace, but the existence of the Third Eohli still troubled the Federation, as its isolationist attitudes made it difficult to determine what the Delth thought of the Jian'Tur. The Federation government looked for a way of making the Third Eohli serve Jian'Tur interests, as war wasn't a viable solution. They noticed that the Delth, as a species, tended to be more proficient in diplomacy thanks to their natural charisma, and having just arrived in the Triangulum Galaxy, they had no negative reputation. The Jian'Tur realized that they could use the Delth to strengthen the Magnificent Balance of Peace, as their diplomatic proficiency offered the Jian'Tur an alternative when it came to persuading alien species to comply with their demands. The position of the Third Eohli would also make it easier for the Jian'Tur to exercise control over the opposite half of the galaxy that was further away from the territory of the Federation, increasing the effective range of the Magnificent Balance of Peace. Through careful diplomacy, the Jian'Tur were able to convince the Delth to assist them through an unwritten agreement. The Delth would act as the diplomatic proxies of the Jian'Tur, persuading other alien races to comply with the demands of the Federation through diplomacy. In exchange, the Jian'Tur promised to not use excessive military force to control other civilizations, a promise that pleased the peace-loving Delth. This agreement further strengthened the Magnificent Balance of Peace, and made it much more effective overall, as it was now based more on peaceful diplomacy rather than minor warfare, which reduced the dissent the Jian'Tur faced from other alien races. The Magnificent Balance of Peace was now truly peaceful, at least for the most part, but the poor reputation of the Jian'Tur still lingered. A reputation that would ultimately come back to haunt them.

### The Magnificent Balance is Threatened (623,000 - 587,000 B.C.E.)

As is to be expected, the overzealous use of force on behalf of the Jian'Tur Federation caused them to gain quite a few enemies in the galactic community. This was more common among particularly ambitious species, who fiercely disagreed with the limits the Federation placed on them, as well as the constant military intervention that made it difficult for them to settle disputes with other civilizations on their own. This resentment was mutual among many different species, and could have led to the formation of permanent diplomatic alliances dedicated to fighting the Jian'Tur and bringing them down from the position of dominance they held in galactic politics. However, the preexisting disputes between some of these races prevented them from unifying, and those that did try to unify were quickly stopped by Jian'Tur threats of full-scale warfare. No single civilization could defeat the Jian'Tur Federation, but encouraging cooperation among the fragmented alien races of the Triangulum Galaxy was an enormously difficult task. However, it was not difficult enough for the ingenious Gid-Klmn. A resourceful and prestigious Gididan, Gid-Klmn knew direct alliances between races would not work. An indirect method of unification was needed to combat the Jian'Tur effectively. Using her extensive influence in the government of the Gid-Teyr, Gid-Klmn formed connections with powerful individuals from other alien civilizations, eventually creating Those Risen. A self-described "liberation front" representing all non-Jian'Tur species, Those Risen worked behind the veil, orchestrating the politics of numerous different alien civilizations so as to provoke war between them and the Jian'Tur Federation. The thinking was that, even if they weren't politically unified, the combined military force of every civilization currently opposed to the Jian'Tur Federation would be able to overpower them easily. To speed up this process, Those Risen commandeered the ships and military equipment of the more stubborn civilizations and directly attacked Federation colonies and fleets. By posing as a certain alien race, they tricked the Jian'Tur into thinking said race had condoned these acts of aggression, forcing them to go to war.

The Jian’Tur Federation was pressed hard by simultaneous attacks from numerous different alien civilizations. Though they wielded unparalleled military might, they were not accustomed to fighting so many enemies at once. Through careful strategic planning, the Jian’Tur quickly defeated most of the smaller civilizations attacking them, but this redirection of their military forces gave the more powerful civilizations an opportunity to push into Jian’Tur territory and deal devastating blows to their infrastructure. The fight eventually came down to three primary civilizations: the United Mect Planets, the Free Hrutuux, and the Mavlorvii Syndication, all of which were fighting both each other, and the Jian’Tur Federation in a brutal struggle for supremacy. This culminated together as the Triangulum Supremacy War, one of the longest and bloodiest conflicts in the history of the Triangulum Galaxy. This conflict preoccupied the Jian’Tur Federation for many millennia to come, undoing the Magnificent Balance of Peace.

### Threats From Within: The Claw of Heq-Heq (587,000 - 586,000 B.C.E.)

While the armies of the Jian’Tur Federation were off fighting their alien adversaries, the Federation’s police force struggled to maintain order among its disenfranchised populace. The Federation’s wartime expenditures had siphoned a great deal of wealth and supplies from the Jian’Tur public, which further strained the naturally tense relations between the Jian’Tur public and the Federation government. A trend of unfair taxation also emerged, as the Jian’Tur inhabiting the Gan Sector, the original territory of the Federation during its early years, were not taxed as heavily as those inhabiting other sectors. In its efforts to avoid being defeated by outside forces, the Jian’Tur Federation alienated large portions of its populace, opening the doors to a full-fledged revolt. The wealthy Heq-Heq family, from the Ormorg Sector, realized this, and, using their influence and financial resources, they rallied countless disenfranchised Jian’Tur to their side, creating a revolutionary army known as the Claw of Heq-Heq. This organization believed that the Jian’Tur Federation was stagnant and inefficient, and needed to be replaced with a newer, more powerful government if the Jian’Tur were to survive as a species against the alien civilizations seeking their downfall. However, the Federation was not about to submit easily to a coup in the midst of a violent external war. Their police force eventually learned of the existence of the Claw of Heq-Heq, and focused most of their resources to hunting down and stopping the emerging insurrection. The Claw was unprepared for this retaliation, and suffered extreme losses. They were coralled to the edges of the Ormorg Sector, reduced to a fraction of their original power. It seemed as though their revolution was doomed, but a sudden discovery would soon shift not just the nature of Jian'Tur politics, but the nature of galactic politics.

A member of the Claw known as Heq-Heq Kufot succeeded in discovering an ancient Tuoctlo Hookship in a derelict Tuoctlo drydock in orbit around Kykemeer. Even though it was thousands of years old, the ship had remained in almost pristine condition thanks to its durable design. Kufot eventually found a way of reactivating the ship and took it back to the remaining members of the Claw, proclaiming that he had found the salvation for their revolution. The Hookship had enough firepower to destroy planets, and could easily annihilate entire Jian’Tur fleets. With the Hookship in their possession, the Claw had the opportunity to strike at the Jian’Tur core worlds within the Gan Sector and dismantle the Federation piece by piece, but instead of immediately retaliating with their new weapon, the Claw thought it was best to see if they could get the Federation to comply with their demands without having to use violence. After all, if they succeeded in replacing the Federation, they would eventually have to repair any infrastructural damage their revolutionary war inflicted on Jian’Tur colonies, so overthrowing the government with as little collateral damage as possible was an imperative. The Claw contacted the Jian’Tur government and told them to surrender control of all Jian’Tur territory to the Claw as soon as possible. If this demand was not met, the Claw would send their Hookship to the tenth largest colony in Jian’Tur space and destroy it with the vessel’s terrifyingly powerful antimatter railgun. If the Federation refused to surrender control after this, they would destroy the ninth largest colony, then the eighth, going all the way down until the Claw threatened to annihilate the Jian’Tur homeworld of Gan’Gan. The Jian’Tur government, though skeptical of the claim that the Claw possessed such a powerful alien vessel, quickly realized that the Claw was serious, and that the Hookship was much more dangerous than anything they had encountered in the past. The Federation government didn’t want to relinquish control to a group of insurrectionists they had previously beaten back, but they realized that the Claw could very well be serious about using their new weapon against major Jian’Tur colonies. The Jian’Tur military wouldn’t stand a chance against an ancient Tuoctlo spacecraft, especially considering they were still occupied with external conflicts.

The Jian’Tur chancellor at the time, Nis-Nis Oevintlar, felt very pressured to come up with a solution to a problem that seemed impossible to overcome. He decided that the point of contention was not the Claw of Heq-Heq itself, but rather the Hookship they possessed, as without that Tuoctlo superweapon, their strength would be paltry in comparison to the Jian’Tur police. Oevintlar collaborated with the most elite Jian’Tur strategists to devise a method of stealing the Hookship from the Claw’s heavily-defended HQ on the planet Nebelri. The Hookship’s impressive firepower would thwart a direct assault, so instead, a covert infiltration of the ship was planned. Only the most experienced and ruthless operatives would be able to successfully commandeer the ship, and, much to Oevintlar’s dismay, the best candidates for this mission happened to be Jeg-Jeg Ru, Fu and Tu, a trio of sisters that were some of the most dangerous covert operatives in the entirety of the Jian’Tur Federation. Though their skills were perfect for the operation in question, their loyalty was questionable, as they had been arrested and incarcerated inside the Gymyto Prison Satellite for assassination attempts on numerous Jian’Tur political figures. Rather begrudgingly, Oevintlar released these sisters from prison and made them the leaders of Operation Shadow Tide, one of the most audacious military operations ever executed by the Jian’Tur Federation. He also promised to pardon them of all previous crimes and give them their freedom if they succeeded, knowing they wouldn’t willingly choose to help the government that had imprisoned them for such a long time. Once their team had been sent to Nebelri, all Oevintlar could do was wait.

### Resurgence of the Federation (586,000 - 521,000 B.C.E.)

Even in the face of overwhelming adversity, Operation Shadow Tide ended up being successful. The Jeg-Jeg sisters and their team managed to take control of the Tuoctlo Hookship, and used it to destroy Nebelri, wiping out the center of command for the Claw of Heq-Heq. The Claw’s remaining members scattered to the stars, and many of them were eventually caught by the Jian’Tur police, effectively rendering the Claw of Heq-Heq dead as an organization. Instead of giving them their freedom, as he had promised, Oevintlar ordered the Jian’Tur police to kill off the Jeg-Jeg sisters, as he didn’t want them to threaten his position as Jian’Tur chancellor now that he was a veritable hero in the eyes of the public. It is known that the sisters survived this assassination attempt, but their fates afterward are unknown, as they disappeared from Jian’Tur space shortly afterward. Oevintlar assumed they were dead, and turned his focus back to the Hookship. Needless to say, he was extremely pleased with the success of Operation Shadow Tide. Not only had the Jian’Tur Federation quelled an insurrection, it had also acquired a powerful alien superweapon in the process.

While the Federation had been preoccupied with the Claw of Heq-Heq, the Triangulum Supremacy War had been going downhill for the Jian’Tur. The mighty Jian’Tur military had easily dispatched the Free Hrutuux and United Mect Planets, but the Mavlorvii Syndication was giving them trouble, as the Mavlorvii had discovered a way of weaponizing their latent psychokinetic powers, which allowed them to tear apart Jian’Tur fleets and ground forces using only their minds. Jian’Tur understanding of this technology was extremely limited, and all attempts at reverse-engineering such technology had failed. Likewise, the effectiveness of the Jian’Tur military against Mavlorvii forces was limited. With the Tuoctlo Hookship, the Jian’Tur could easily defeat the Mavlorvii, as it was virtually unstoppable in space combat, and could use its antimatter railgun to instantly destroy any Mavlorvii planetary colony they wanted. A massive Jian’Tur armada, led by the Hookship itself, pushed into Mavlorvii territory in the wake of a recent retreat, moving towards their homeworld of Mavmalor and destroying everything in its path. Countless Mavlorvii colonies were annihilated by the Hookship, and though the Mavlorvii threw everything they had against the craft, they could not surpass its advanced weaponry and impervious armor. The craft eventually made it to Mavmalor, and was destroyed climatically in the Battle of Mavmalor by a pinpoint attack on its antimatter railgun, which detonated the ship’s storages of antimatter canisters and incapacitated it. Unfortunately, Mavmalor was destroyed in the process, and the Mavlorvii Syndication was left in ruins. With their center of power gone and military resources exhausted, the Mavlorvii surrendered. The Jian’Tur, left without a superweapon and reeling from the previous millennia of conflict, agreed to the unconditional surrender of the Mavlorvii Syndication, knowing that this decision would most likely give them leverage over the Mavlorvii that they could use later on. The Jian’Tur military withdrew from Mavlorvii space, concluding the Triangulum Supremacy War.

In the midst of all these events, relations between the Jian’Tur Federation and Third Eohli had grown somewhat cold. When they became embroiled in the Triangulum Supremacy War, the Jian’Tur had asked the Delth to support them, either financially or with direct military involvement. The Delth refused, as they abhorred senseless warfare and political involvement. Since the Third Eohli was located within the Inward Crescent, directly opposite to Jian’Tur space, the Delth had no reason to intervene in the Triangulum Supremacy War for their own sake. They also refused to negotiate with the other belligerents on behalf of the Jian’Tur Federation, as they claimed that, since the Jian’Tur had instigated the war in the first place, they were solely responsible for any diplomacy with their enemies. This isolationism, though characteristic of the Delth, was particularly infuriating to the Jian’Tur during this time, as they needed all the help they could get in the face of such significant threats. Though tensions gradually settled back down as the Triangulum Supremacy War concluded and Jian’Tur Federation stabilized itself, this strife came to serve as an important example for the Jian’Tur, teaching them that, though sometimes helpful, the Delth were not a particularly reliable species, and couldn’t be counted on in times of duress. Likewise, the Jian’Tur took to assuming a more dominant role in the Magnificent Balance of Peace once it was reestablished, relying less on the Delth to maintain order within the Triangulum Galaxy. The recent collapse of the Bolad Authority had left the region of space underneath the Inward Crescent largely devoid of any noticeable political entities, and recent advancements in Jian’Tur Punch Drive technology had expanded their range of influence, reducing the importance of the Third Eohli within the Magnificent Balance of Peace.

### The Balance is Restored (521,000 - 425,000 B.C.E.)

Against dire threats, both external and internal, the Jian’Tur Federation had proved its dominance within the political dynamic of the Triangulum Galaxy, and emerged from this turbulent period stronger than ever before. Thanks to technological advancements during the Triangulum Supremacy War, the Jian'Tur could rebuild their military to be even stronger than it was before the war, which, combined with the reeling alien civilizations and a new sense of superiority instilled within the Jian'Tur populace, rendered the Federation virtually indomitable. To set an example, the Jian'Tur occupied territory previously controlled by the Mect and False Hrutuux and systematically exterminated the remaining members of both species, showing the rest of the galaxy that they were not to be trifled with. The rule of the Jian'Tur Federation had been strict before, but now, their steel grasp was almost completely inescapable. They expanded out of the Oevintlar Crescent and brushed up against the Mysolian Edge, bringing the newly-formed Mysolian Ascendancy into their fold. To improve their control of the areas that lay below the Inward Crescent, the Federation created a network of heavily-fortified military colonies in the region of space that would come to be known as the Blackwaste. These colonies allowed the Jian'Tur to enforce order among the more distant civilizations of the Triangulum Galaxy through direct military action, which could now be executed much more quickly and efficiently due to the proximity of the colonies. Later on, these colonies would also serve as some of the last bastions of Jian'Tur civilization during the First Vuokra Invasion, eventually allowing the fragmented Jian'Tur survivors of the Blackwaste to turn into the malevolent Cleanser Swarms.

Later on, the Jian'Tur Federation made contact with the Serphiad Union, bringing them into a new age of technological progress unlike anything previously experienced by the Jian'Tur species. Originally, the Jian'Tur government was skeptical of the Union's intentions, and resisted diplomacy with them. They believed that Serphiad pacifism was just a front that the Serphiads were using to lower the guard of the Federation and strike at them when they least expected it. In truth, the notion of a civilization that was, in many ways, technologically and sociologically superior to the Jian'Tur Federation, upset the Jian'Tur, which resulted in much strife between the two species, at first. Eventually, the Jian'Tur government allowed the Federation to be inducted as a tributary state of the Serphiad Union, due to the inherent benefits such a diplomatic agreement presented to the Jian'Tur as a species. Newfound access to the Union's tributary army further bolstered the Federation's military power, reducing the threat it faced from alien civilizations that sought its downfall. The Jian'Tur also reaped the benefits of Serphiad technology through the collaborative research institutions of the Union, and, rather controversially, managed to get ahold of prototype Serphiad cyborganic engineering technology, which they developed further through their own scientific institutions, going as far as to weaponize it, something the Serphiads had never dared to attempt.

Even despite all the advancements brought on by the newly-gained status of the Jian'Tur Federation, there was still dissent within the Jian'Tur populace leveraged towards the Serphiad Union and its sympathizers. Many Jian'Tur thought the Federation didn't deserve to become a tributary state of the Union, owing to the durable Jian'Tur ideals of superiority and self-reliance. The inadequacy of the Third Eohli compared to the Jian'Tur Federation already made most Jian'Tur skeptical of the strength of extragalactic civilizations, and the pacifistic nature of the Serphiads further reinforced this, as pacifism was seen as a sign of weakness by the Jian'Tur. Rumors of a second insurrection, much like that planned by the Claw of Heq-Heq millennia ago, began to circulate in Jian'Tur space, but no definitive action was taken against the Jian'Tur government. It is believed that Avsula of Ritl, through the influence he wielded in the Association of Good Friends, was partially responsible for the supression of resistence against the Serphiad Union in the Jian'Tur Federation, as his reach extended to the uppermost echelons of the Jian'Tur government.

## Technology

Despite the considerable age of their civilization and the might they wielded during the height of their power, the Jian’Tur were not known to be the most technologically advanced species to emerge within the Triangulum Galaxy. This is not to say that they were technologically inept, but unlike some of the civilizations that both preceded and succeeded them, the Jian’Tur were not known to have created many groundbreaking or unique technologies with lasting legacies in the course of The Cluster’s history. The most notable technological achievement of the Jian’Tur Federation was their development of the Punch Drive, a unique gravity-based FTL system that combines aspects of the ever-popular Fold Drive and advanced Fissure Drive. Being a cross between two more popular methods of gravity-based FTL travel, the Punch Drive offered the Jian’Tur easy access to almost the entirety of the Triangulum Galaxy, but lacked the range necessary for intergalactic travel, preventing the Jian’Tur Federation from ascending to the rank of intergalactic civilization. Some credit the Punch Drive as being the only unique technology created by the Jian’Tur, as only two other civilizations, the Vygen Empire and Apiison Horde, have created similar devices for FTL travel, meaning the Jian’Tur Federation is the only civilization in the recent history of the Triangulum Galaxy to make use of such technology.

The most striking technological facets of the Jian’Tur Federation are, unsurprisingly, found within their prodigiously large military. To guard against projectiles and radiation, the Jian’Tur sheathe their spacecraft in a special substance called Bul’Bumum. This blue-gray material, synthesized from a special silicone mixture, is very thick and heavy, and can be poured onto the exterior of a spaceship or vehicle in its liquid form to then solidify into a sponge-like mesh that can absorb a great deal of force without having its structural integrity damaged. Bul’Bumum represents the upper extent of Jian’Tur defensive technology, as they only made use of energy shields in the later portions of their history, which, even then, were based on Serphiad technology. Being located within a region of the Triangulum Galaxy where Tuoctlo artifacts were prevalent, the Jian’Tur were able to reverse-engineer Tuoctlo antimatter weapons for their own use, a type of weaponry with unrivaled destructive potential compared to the more primitive energy and ballistic weapons of neighboring civilizations.

Due mostly to their naturally small stature, the Jian’Tur are notorious for the needlessly large scale of their technology. Rarely will the Jian’Tur engage in space combat without ships that are larger than those of their enemies, and most of their major planetary colonies are covered in layered megacities that rise high into the atmosphere of the planet. This philosophy is so ingrained in Jian’Tur culture that it extends down to the Jian’Tur on an individual level. For much of their history, when dealing with other alien races, the Jian’Tur chose to wear monstrous power armor suits to augment their physical strength and make them appear more menacing. As the technology incorporated into these suits advanced, the ability for the Jian’Tur to remain inside of their suits for prolonged periods of time improved, until the Jian’Tur almost never had to leave their suits. These suits, resembling muscular quadrupeds, are designed to be very adaptive, and can be fitted with weaponry and armor plating for combat situations. They can also link up to larger Jian’Tur vehicles via special cables located in the legs of the suits, allowing the Jian’Tur inside of the suit to control said vehicle as if it was an extension of their body. Likewise, mech units are a frequent sight during ground skirmishes against the Jian’Tur Federation, as these vehicles offer their drivers more flexibility and direct control over their actions, thereby making them all the more effective at combat.

## Government

### Legislature

Due to its large size and decentralized nature, the Jian’Tur Federation has its legislature divided between sector-specific governments and the presiding federal government. Most sectors of the Jian’Tur Federation are permitted to create whatever legislature they want and make any sector-wide changes they deem necessary, so long as they do not conflict with the federal government or damage the overall integrity of the Federation. These sectors are also permitted to use whatever legislative and administrative processes they want to enact laws, and thus, there is a great amount of deviation between the ways different sectors create their laws and make macroscopic administrative decisions. Regardless of what legislative system they use, every sector in the Jian’Tur Federation must still adhere to the laws and regulations of the federal government, which wields uncontested sovereignty over its sectors. Likewise, if the federal government creates a law or regulation for the entire Jian’Tur Federation, every sector must observe that law or regulation to its fullest extent, no exceptions. This also means that sectors cannot create laws that conflict with preexisting federal legislature, nor can they nullify the effect of a federal law within their borders. If sectors show insubordination, the federal government can easily set them straight through military intervention.

The federal government itself is a partially democratic senate comprised of representatives from all of the Federation’s sectors, known as the **Settlement Hall**, which is located on the Jian'Tur homeworld of Gan'Gan. Each sector is allowed to select three representatives through their local sector governments to represent them in the Settlement Hall. The federal government only has two requirements as to who can become a representative for a sector. The person in question must be appropriately selected as a representative by the sector’s official government through that sector’s relevant process for federal representative selection, and they must be a Jian’Tur. Androids or other species may not become federal representatives under any circumstances. In total, there are fifteen representatives from the Federation’s five sectors, who collaborate with each other to create laws for the entirety of the Federation and manage Jian’Tur foreign affairs. These representatives are overseen by the **Federal Chancellor**, the uppermost mediator of the Jian’Tur government. The Federal Chancellor exists to settle disputes between federal representatives. If no clear decision can be reached by the representatives, the chancellor steps in to finalize the decision. The chancellor’s word is final, and thus, they wield immense power in Jian’Tur politics, as they are capable of shaping most of the Federation’s major decisions with ease. Federal Chancellors serve for life, and inherit their position from one of their parents, who must have also been a chancellor. Since Jian’Tur females can have very large amounts of offspring, the children of Federal Chancellors often compete for the favor of their parents so they can be nominated as the next chancellor. The Federal Chancellor also has the ability to review any law passed by the Settlement Hall, and can veto them or make any revisions to the law that they deem necessary before allowing it to be enacted. The only real limit on the power of the Federal Chancellor is that they cannot create or enact federal laws by themselves. They can only alter the laws created by the Settlement Hall.

The hierarchical organization of the Jian’Tur Federation greatly contradicts the behavior of the Jian’Tur as a species. Most Jian’Tur are psychologically predisposed to seek positions of dominance, either against other species, or against fellow Jian’Tur, and they abhor having to assume positions of servility. The subordination of Jian’Tur citizens to their sector governments, sector governments to the federal government, and the Settlement Hall of the federal government to the Federal Chancellor, results in the political organization of the Jian’Tur Federation being very unsteady and rife with dissent. With little economic control over the sectors, the federal government enforces its laws through direct military intervention and the Federation’s extremely powerful police force, as the chance for usurpation by one of their sectors is ever-present. Individual sectors enforce their laws using local militias, as even their governments are under the threat of being overthrown by the inhabitants of that sector. This issue of political instability is more pronounced in heavily militarized parts of Jian’Tur space, such as the Ormorg Sector, but it is something that permeates through all levels of the Jian’Tur government. Many races are surprised by the Federation’s ability to retain control of the Jian’Tur species for such a long time, since the Jian’Tur are predisposed to hate being subjugated by a centralized government. In truth, the only thing that prevented the Jian’Tur Federation from spiraling into a destructive civil war was the sheer ferocity of their law enforcement and military.

### Military and Law Enforcement

The Jian’Tur military is one of the only unifying facets of their civilization, and naturally, it is one of the most critical aspects of Jian’Tur society. The Jian’Tur take great pride in their military might, and have never hesitated to attack other civilizations to demonstrate their power. The centralized Jian’Tur military is known as the **Federal Defense Front**, and it includes three separate branches. The **Vim'Nil Branch** manages all space warfare, and is responsible for the Jian'Tur interstellar navy. The **Ulm'Nil Branch** manages all terrestrial combat, and is responsible for the land, air and sea units of the Jian'Tur military. Finally, there is the **Celm'Nil Branch**, which manages covert operations for the Jian'Tur military, including espionage and assassination. It is the smallest branch of the Jian'Tur military, but its importance is not to be underestimated. All three of these branches work together to fight the enemies of the Jian'Tur Federation, controlling combat within their respective environments. Each branch is under the jurisdiction of a **Supreme General Overlord**, the highest position within the Jian'Tur military's chain of command. SGOs relay orders down the chain to their lesser commanding officers, and communicate with each other regularly so as to better coordinate the Jian'Tur military during wartime. Once war has been declared by the Settlement Hall, the branches of the Jian'Tur military are allowed to go to any lengths necessary in order to destroy the enemies of the Jian'Tur. The Jian'Tur military is allowed to request any amount of military supplies from the federal government in order to complete its tasks, which the federal government, in turn, takes from the military assets of its sectors, who purchase their own military supplies from local defense contractors. This is the only form of "taxation" that the federal government institutes, as there is no unifying currency between the different sectors of the Jian'Tur Federation. However, since sectors have to finance their military contributions by themselves, the costs can often be very high, depending on the amount of forces the federal government requests. Sectors that deny these requests will, understandably, will be reprimanded by the federal government via brute force. Individual sectors are allowed to use their own military forces to form small militias during wartime, which fight alongside the Federal Defense Front. These militias are strictly for defensive purposes, and since they pose the threat of allowing an insurrection, the federal government carefully monitors the military buildup of its sectors, restricting the size and power of their militias wherever it sees fit.

The law enforcement of the Jian'Tur Federation is just as powerful, if not more powerful, than their external military forces, no doubt due to the fact that the federal government works just as hard to prevent its destruction at the hands of internal rebellions as it does for hostile alien civilizations. Much like sector-specific militias, each sector of the Jian'Tur Federation is allowed to form local law enforcement agencies that they can use to enforce the laws of that specific sector. However, these local agencies fall under the jurisdiction of the **Federal Peacekeeping Front**, the police force maintained by the federal government that is used to enforce federal laws across all of Jian'Tur space. The FPF is an extremely large organization with a massive hierarchy of officers and commanders, spread out across all five sectors of Jian'Tur space so as to constantly monitor the actions of all Jian'Tur citizens. In fact, the FPF is actually larger than the Federal Defense Front in terms of total numerical size, since the federal government maintains a very dense concentration of police on almost every colony across Jian'Tur space. All of the military equipment available to the Federal Defense Front is available to the Federal Peacekeeping Front, as well, meaning the FPF is capable of defending Jian'Tur space during wartime in addition to enforcing laws. This equipment, like the FDF, is provided by the federal government, who collect said equipment from their sectors through routine taxation.

The FPF's occupation of most Jian'Tur colonies is one of the most despised facets of the federal government. Though most Jian'Tur are willing to submit to the local law enforcement agencies of their respective sectors, the federal law enforcement is almost universally hated across every sector of the Jian'Tur Federation, as the inhabitants of these sectors are unwilling to submit to the intimidation of an overarching police force that upholds laws they might not necessarily agree with. Though the federal government is structured so as to allow for the input of individual sectors in their process for making federal laws, it is nearly impossible for the federal government to create laws that benefit all five sectors uniformly, due to the immense cultural and political disparities between these sectors. Likewise, the inhabitants of almost every sector inevitably find themselves subject to laws they don't approve of, which leads to a great deal of strife between Jian'Tur locals and the officers of the FPF. Since the FPF has a large presence even on isolated Jian'Tur colonies, it serves as one of the only connections between average Jian'Tur citizens and the federal government, and as a result, most of the dissent against the federal government is leveraged at the FPF. This makes working for the FPF very dangerous, as you perpetually run the risk of being killed in the violent riots and demonstrations that occur frequently on many Jian'Tur colonies. This is especially common in the Ormorg Sector, often cited as being the most violent part of Jian'Tur space. Though this sector always seemed to be on the brink of starting a revolt, it was capable of providing more military supplies than the other sectors, making the federal government somewhat reliant on it to support the Jian'Tur military. To protect the interests of the federal government, the FPF maintained an especially high presence in this sector, which led to frequent clashes between them and the sector's local inhabitants.

### Research

Though the Jian'Tur Federation understands the inherent importance advanced technology has in keeping their civilization safe from both external and internal threats, the federal government does not place nearly as much emphasis on scientific research as it does on the military. Most scientific research in the Jian'Tur Federation is done via local, sector-specific scientific institutions and corporations, which function as independent organizations with their own research goals. These organizations are not intrinsically tied to the federal government, and, if they are acting in the interests of any government, will more directly support the local governments of individual sectors. That is not to say, however, that the scientific institutions never collaborate with each other, as the developments made by individual institutions almost always attract the attention of other sectors, prompting scientific cooperation. However, there is not enough cooperation to ensure total scientific uniformity across all of Jian'Tur space. Likewise, sectors that devote less of their resources to scientific investigation often end up being somewhat technologically inferior to other, more inquisitive sectors. This technological deviation is not significant enough to cause major schisms between the power of individual sectors, but it has caused certain sectors to gain favorable positions in the course of federal politics due to their monopolies on certain unique technologies. The Ocil Sector, in particular, is notable for its many breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, and was one of the first sectors to experiment with cyborganics when the Jian'Tur Federation made contact with the Serphiad Union.

There is only one organization in the Jian'Tur Federation that takes up the mantle of helping coordinate and unify scientific research, known as the **Col'Cilos Guild**. This guild, created on the planet Ac'Li as an informal meeting place between the uppermost managers of scientific research in various sectors, silently oversees and controls scientific research in the Jian'Tur Federation on the macroscopic scale, coming to agreements through general consensus. Technically, the Col'Cilos Guild has no regimented process for making decisions, nor does it have a official form of leadership. However, the Col'Cilos Neural Convene, the original founder of the Guild, is often regarded as being the de-facto leader of the Guild and its members, finalizing any and all decisions made by the Guild members. This means that, even in an organization designed to equalized scientific discovery across multiple sectors of the Jian'Tur Federation, the Ocil Sector and its leaders still wield paramount control over the technological capabilities of the entire Jian'Tur species. The existence of the Col'Cilos Guild has been kept mostly hidden to the Jian'Tur public. However, the federal government has always been keenly aware of its existence, and has kept close watch on the Guild so as to make sure it acts in the best interests of the entire Federation, though its actual power over the Guild is limited, since the Guild is very disconnected from the federal government.

## Culture

As is to be expected from a turbulent species like the Jian'Tur, the overall culture of the Jian'Tur Federation is characterized by excessive violence and struggles for supremacy. Though there are some major distinctions between the cultural elements of the Federation's various sectors, certain cultural elements persist throughout all of Jian'Tur space, the most notable of these being a uniform hatred of subordination. The Jian'Tur, as a species, relish in their ability to exert power over others, and, conversely, despise having power exerted on them by others. Since the Jian'Tur Federation, as an interstellar civilization, would cease to exist without some form of power hierarchy, a great deal of dissent against reigning forces has always existed in every level of the Federation's power structure, kept in check only through constant threats and bribery. Compared to the way society is structured in alien governments, Jian'Tur society is often seen as barbaric and ruthless, as there is no common incentive to follow the law or respect the rights of fellow Jian'Tur citizens outside of the threat of violence. A majority of Jian'Tur are secular, bitter and, for all intensive purposes, without morals, as they will adopt or abandon any principles necessary in their pursuit for supremacy. Compassion between Jian'Tur that do not know each other well is virtually nonexistent, which accounts for the frighteningly high rate of violence between Jian'Tur strangers. This violence is commonplace in Jian'Tur society, and as a result, the law enforcement of the Jian'Tur Federation does not do much to quell it, unless it poses a clear and obvious threat to the integrity of the Federation or the safety of its leaders.

Though they are often regarded as solitary creatures, most Jian'Tur hold extremely strong family bonds to their brothers and sisters. Jian'Tur females are capable of having anywhere between 5 to 15 children at once, depending on the number of eggs they lay, and as a result, most Jian'Tur live in large extended families. These families are identified by a unique Tao'Chot, a hereditary title placed before the name of a Jian'Tur individual that is derived from their mother. Since a family's Tao'Chot is passed down through the family's matriarchs, Jian'Tur females hold a significant amount of power within their families, and are often considered the more dominant sex in Jian'Tur culture overall. While conflicts can still emerge between Jian'Tur children and their parents, most Jian'Tur are more willing to comply with the demands of their family members (particularly their mothers, as previously explained) than with the demands of those outside their family. Their large size and closely-knit nature allow many families to become extremely wealthy within Jian'Tur society, which often leads to competition between families as they vie for economic or social supremacy.