Na'alu Collective

The Na'alu Collective is an influential and occasionally controversial nation in the Milky Way, and one of the Big Eight members of the Galactic Council.

The Na'alu Collective was established by and named for the Na'alu race, natives of the swampy planet Na'al. In fact, the Na'alu Collective, while there are a many members of other species counted among them, are entirely defined in image by the Na'alu species. The Na'alu are the galaxy's number one diplomats, they are cunning and devious and charismatic, and they always know how to twist things to their favour.

But that is not the only reason why the Na'alu race holds such influence and importance. They are the only known monogendered highly evolved species that is still around today. At least, that reproduce in what Terrankind would consider a normal manner. The Arborec certainly don't fall under that category. While they are not technically male or female, they appear outwardly female, and use feminine pronouns. Their appearance is one part of their success. Their cunning is the second part. And the third part is their greatest secret: their natural serpentine hoods allows them to emit pheromones which grant them the power of suggestion over others.

The Na'alu Collective is also essentially the Milky Way galaxy's best information broker. It maintains an extensive network of spies, informants, politicians that owe them debts, criminal contacts, and many others which in addition to their web of diplomatic connections makes up for their weak army and comparatively small military.

## Na'alu Physiology

*Main article: Na'alu (Race)*
The Na'alu people are a race which has been at once described as "strange" and also "beautiful". Many who have met them speak at length about their ethereal grace, to which mere mundane words seem unable to do justice. The Na'alu resemble the snakes found on many other worlds beyond Na'al, but with the added factor of having a humanoid torso. They are warm blooded, covered in scales from head to tail-tip, and they have hoods similar to that of a cobra, which are what transmits their unique pheromones.

## History

The Na'alu evolved in a very warm and very swampy planet, but a rich planet nonetheless. Na'al is well known for its extremely humid, warm, and often foggy environment. Due to this home environment, the Na'alu had to learn how to make buildings to last. This led to the stonework for which the Na'alu are famous even today. Many ancient cities still stand on the surface of Na'al. They also learned the value of intelligence and information gathering. The swamps of Na'al are thick and oft shrouded in mist, and stable paths through them sometimes shift and change. Ambushes are easy in these environments, and the Na'alu learned from a very early age to be careful and always a few steps ahead.

They also had the values of peaceful cooperation ingrained directly into them by evolution. Even the non-sapient predecessors to the Na'alu had powerful pheromones, ones which they could use to dissuade predators from attacking, or entice prey to walk willingly into their clutches. The modern day Na'alu essentially do the exact same thing.

As they advanced into the information age, the value of sensors and spy equipment rapidly became very high to the Na'alu nation-states. They were all sneaking around gathering dirty secrets about one another and plotting ways to dismantle each other, even as they were holding diplomatic talks, declaring alliances, and trading valuables. However, due to the Na'alu's natural affinity for diplomacy, not to mention their cunning and political savvy, they actually developed a planetary government remarkably early in their societal development. They decided that a council of Matriarchs would be established, one for each founding nation-state, but that most of the power would be allocated to the hands of she who sits upon the gilded throne: the Imperatrice.

The Na'alu are extremely unusual in the galactic community because they actually knew about advanced alien species and nations before they made contact, before the Na'alu had even set up shop on other planets or moons. Due to their long focus on communications and spy technology, the Na'alu had detected alien transmissions, and swiftly developed translation devices. They discovered that they had detected alien life as it was in the midst of a galaxy-spanning war: the Singularity Wars. It was actually the twilight years of the war, but the Na'alu had no way of knowing that. They decided to develop systems which could cloak the presence of a semi-advanced civilization on Na'al. It was at this point that the Ambassadoria was established, and the Ambassadoria made the decision to watch for any civilian ships passing near Na'al, and send them messages advertising safety on Na'al. In the end, three ships full of refugees made it into Na'al's orbit, and their occupants did indeed find safety in the grand, gorgeous cities of Na'al, serving as indentured servants to the Na'alu Collective.

The Na'alu, once again different from almost every other advanced species in that they were multi-racial before they even left their homeworld, decided to remain there for a little while and watch the goings on of the galaxy, very carefully. When the Metaform race suffered total annihilation and the Razorbird Empire, crippled and drained by the war, retreated into their core systems and shut of all contact with the galaxy at large, the Na'alu at last launched themselves off their world to develop and fortify their home system, Teraevyn. When they detected vessels of the Murrcioun Syndicates passing near Teraevyn, the Na'alu cordially invited them to come and visit Na'al.

The Na'alu were almost immediately invited to join the Galactic Council, with the Syndicate diplomats introducing them practically singing their praises. While the Jolnari, Arborec, and Mindnet all kept quiet, slowly expanding their territories and dealing with local problems, the Murrcioun and the Na'alu were considered in many ways the young go-getters, pushing for the spread of civilization and the influence of the Galactic Council. Teraevyn was connected to the budding Warp Lane network, and the Murrcioun found the many gemstones and beautiful artwork of Na'al to be quite valuable. The famed Imperatrice Jeshaviss ruled during this period. Oft called the Mother of the Collective, she saw the Na'alu's number of inhabited systems triple during her reign.

The Na'alu mostly guarded their own territories against hostile elements, their fleets rarely striking out beyond Collective space. However, the Na'alu served a vital intelligence-gathering role for the Murrcioun Syndicates and sometimes the Mindnet. They would provide the Murrcioun commandos with locations and even times of shift change for pirate bases, weaknesses in fortifications, all manner of intel could be bought and sold by the Collective. The Na'alu were also instrumental in laying the foundations of Galactic Law, and many of the elements they introduced are still upheld by the Council today.

In the modern day, the Na'alu are considered a venerable member of the Galactic Council, not a founding race per say, but many think they did even more to advance the Council than any of the frightened and defensive founding races. The Na'alu are valued mediators and diplomats, traders and artists, politicians and spies, traders and sometimes even warriors. The Na'alu are loved and admired, respected and even a bit feared.

## Government

The Na'alu Collective is one of the few nations on the Galactic Council which maintains an openly authoritarian governmental system. Not only that, but they also maintain an openly elitist society, with clear social classes and an entrenched aristocracy.

### Imperatrice

The Na'alu Collective is one of the more well-known authoritarian states in the Milky Way. Most of the power within the Collective is concentrated in the hands of the Imperatrice, who sits atop the gilded throne in the grand palace in Perivantium. The Imperatrice is considered the face of the Collective, as well as its ultimate authority. She holds the power to overrule or modify laws passed by the Matriarchy, and she can also appoint Na'alu to the Matriarchy. This is part of why she is held in such reverence by other members of the Na'alu upper class. If the Imperatrice likes you, you might just gain a seat in the Matriarchy, which is the most valuable position a Na'alu can hold besides the throne of the Imperatrice herself. And believe you me, the Imperatrice's throne is equally coveted. You would not believe some of the back-door scheming that Na'alu engage in to attain that throne. Still, simply being in the Imperatrice's court is its own prestigious position. The ruler of the Collective is often surrounded by lesser officials, advisers, courtesans, a web of intrigue and gossip which a cunning Imperatrice can make use of. And to become Imperatrice, one must be very cunning indeed. Of course, the Imperatrice is not entirely untouchable. The Na'alu political scene is vicious, cutthroat, and unforgiving. They play a deadly game, and if an Imperatrice falls out of favour, she's likely to meet a sticky end.

### Matriarchy

The Matriarchy itself is the legislative body of the Collective, and while the Imperatrice gets the most luxurious, even exalted seat, the Matriarchs wield much respect and authority themselves. The Matriarchs make the laws and keep the Collective running smooth. Of course, while they do work to keep the Collective running smooth, they often don't keep things running smooth among themselves. Matriarchs constantly compete with their fellows to rise into a higher position on the Matriarchy. Raising one's position can be achieved through wealth, the strength of their mind-manipulation pheromones, and/or support by fellow senators, but mostly with diplomatic cunning. The battlefield of Collective politics are partially why they're such excellent diplomats. They needn't worry much about the political scheming of other nations when they've already dealt with so much worse back home. The Matriarchy also elects a new Imperatrice after one has died, so it's important to garner favour from the Matriarchs if you're planning on taking the throne of the Imperatrice.

### Ambassadoria

That brings us to the Ambassadoria. The Ambassadoria is a government organization, and perhaps the most important one to the survival of the Na'alu Collective. The Ambassadoria is the Collective's organization of diplomats, emissaries, and you guessed it, ambassadors. The Ambassadoria is responsible for the inescapable web of treaties, trade deals, bribes and back room agreements that they've trapped just about every member of the Galactic Council in. Thanks to the Ambassadoria, to declare war against the Na'alu would be to pull about half the Milky Way into war. The Ambassadoria also elects members to become advisers to the Matriarchy, as well as advisers to the Imperatrice as members of her court. Members of the Ambassadoria are generally the Na'alu with the most powerful pheromones.

## Culture & Society

 The culture of the Na'alu Collective is perhaps considered the most glamorous and absolutely considered the most decadent culture in the Milky Way galaxy. It has oft been commented that the grace and beauty of the Na'alu themselves is reflected in every facet of their society. However, it has also oft been commented that Na'alu culture is a bit oppressive and walks a fine line in terms of morality. They exist in a grey area that some of the galaxy's other inhabitants are not entirely comfortable with.

### Civilian Life

Life in the Na'alu Collective seems very attractive. There are many nobles amongst the Na'alu, and even the middle class in the Collective lead comfortable lives in gilded cities. Na'alu are often seen sparkling with the gold and gemstones so common to their home planet. In fact, with the advent of space-age technology, some Na'alu have even taken to replacing scales with gemstones in set patterns and colours. The Na'alu enjoy high standards of living, and they have been noted for interest in and acceptance of aliens and their culture. Modern Na'alu society does contain a few elements taken from other species.

One defining point of Na'alu high society is their vicious power games. Na'alu on every level of society (but particularly among the upper class) engage in this perpetual competition for influence and esteem. Nearly every Na'alu is subject to their peers' manipulation, if not as a player, then as a pawn. The goals of their little games are personal prestige, wealth, reputation, and patronage, and its "rules" are as simple as "anything goes". Social engineering is also important in this aspect of Na'alu culture, and jewelry, elaborate dress and social engagements are important tools in their cunning machinations. This is part of why the Na'alu are so well-known for their parties. They are always grand, elaborate, and enjoyable. Of course, there is occasionally a few people who enter a Na'alu party and do not leave again.

All of this decadence does come at a cost: the Na'alu Collective is the biggest practitioner in the Milky Way of indentured servitude, or as certain activists among other members of the Galactic Council like to call it, legal slavery. The Na'alu, of course, always try to put a positive spin on it. There are both privately owned indentured servants and ones owned by the state. They are provided with all necessities of course, and there are laws in place that protect their rights, but the life of an indentured servant is a difficult and dreary life in many cases. The indentured servants are the downtrodden upon which the Collective is built.

### Art

The Na'alu Collective is well known as the home of practitioners of art in all its forms. Many Na'alu practice music, dance, theatre, painting, sculpting, martial arts, swordfighting, take your pick.

Na'alu are fully aware that other species find them attractive, and they are very comfortable expressing their sexuality. The Na'alu are known to move with exceptional grace, and their dances have been described as mesmerizing. Strip clubs are a common enough sight in the Collective, and Na'alu can find ready employment outside of the Collective as exotic dancers. They have the added advantage of their pheromones keeping people coming back for more. Because of their natural sensuality and flirtatious, xenophilic attitudes, Na'alu are sometimes rumoured to be promiscuous. These rumours are mostly a result of misinformation (or wishful thinking), as the Na'lu are generally no more promiscuous than your average Human, with the notable exception of Molioris, the ancient Na'alu summer holiday, which also happens to be a sort of fertility celebration.

Despite appearances to the contrary, Na'alu dancing is more than just a way to fleece money off interspecies admirers. It is actually a form of martial art, akin to tai chi or capoeira. Na'alu dancing cannot generally be taught to other races, except in the rare examples of extremely flexible individuals willing to learn. This has the alternate benefit of dancers in a club being able to serve as bouncers as well. Ever been tail-whipped by a Na'alu? Not fun. The Na'alu are also known for their many forms of combat with melee weapons. As times have gone on they have acquired melee weapons from every species that had them, learning the weapons related styles and forms and "improving" on them. Each Na'alu soldier, and many of their civilians, likely has trained in hand-to-hand combat, and probably has trained in the use of a few old weapons of their choosing.

The theatre is also particularly important to Na'alu culture, and pursuing a career as an actress is considered a noble calling. Being an actress is a way for a Na'alu to increase her prestige regardless of her prior place in society. The sphere of theater, and thus the goings-on in one of the Collective's most prestigious establishments, is a close reflection of the political climate of the country. Many a social scandal will even find itself immortalized as a play. Several interspecies theatrical communities are run by Na'alu, and all of them employ plenty of Na'alu. The Na'alu acting schools are quite prestigious, and a degree from their academies will take a young actor or actress a long way.

The prestige and even political importance of the institution of theatre are undeniable, but conversely, the theatre is also one of the few socially acceptable ways within the Collective to openly mock the class system or even specific nobles. It is a luxury shared across social strata, and when a specific noble is being poked fun at, they can do little beyond grin and bear it. In fact, there are stories of a playwright making fun of a noble, and then that noble actually protecting the playwright from assassination for fear that the writer's death would cause her suspicion and ostracisation. One of these stories was even made into a play (though of course the fictional events were much more ribald than the real goings-on). The Collective also readily borrows and modifies performances from other cultures. A number of Murrcioun plays have gained great popularity through the Collective, and even some Terran ones! The operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan are all big in the Collective, especially the HMS Pinafore, which they usually update to reflect life onboard a Collective starship. They also made an entire play based solely on the 1978 hit *I Lost my Heart to a Starship Trooper.*

### Architecture

Na'alu have always greatly valued architecture, as their home environment created unique challenges in that particular area. The Na'alu have had to work long and hard, develop creative solutions to difficult problems in order to generate the luxury and opulence they desire in the wet, swampy environments of Na'al. The Na'alu, thus, are well known for their architectural stylings, and many ancient and abandoned Na'alu cities are remarkably intact for their age.

Na'alu buildings are known for their deceptive appearances. They are ornate and even delicate in appearance. Even the smallest objects are built with flair. Aesthetics trump practicality every time (a mindset which can be felt throughout the Collective). Still, they hold a deceptive strength and fortitude. Na'alu cities are curving, soaring and perhaps even delicate in appearance, but they can take more punishment than appearances would suggest. Statues and parks can be found all over, and whites, silvers, blues and greens are the most common colours to be found incorporated into their architecture.

As they advanced more and more, the Na'alu decided it was time to ascend above the limitations placed on them by their home planet, quite literally. The Na'alu began lifting their cities off the swampy surface of Na'al, creating the sky-cities that many consider their greatest architectural feat. Some sky-cities are built on a single large floating platform, while others are a series of smaller linked platforms. Some of the Na'alu cities built into the sturdier mountain ranges actually have sky-city platforms hovering above and around the surface city. The greatest of these is Perivantium, the capital city of the Na'alu Collective. Perivantium is the home of many famed Na'alu institutions, including the Palace de Imperatrice, and the city itself is considered one of the twenty wonders of the galaxy.

### Primary Exports

The Na'alu Collective is wealthy and well-established, and with their close relationship with the Murrcioun Syndicates, they can fully enjoy the high demand for their products. The exports of the Collective are numerous and varied. The Na'alu Collective is renowned for its admittedly unparalleled wines, as well as its coffee. It is also known for its gemstones, such as emeralds and diamonds. Na'alu stoneworking in all it's forms is also particularly exquisite, and its crafters are the envy of the known universe. Na'alu crafters particularly excel at the production of porcelain of a quality so fine light shines through. In addition to stoneworking, the Collective produces fine leathers and weaving, and silk of great renown. The country enjoys healthy trade with many nations, with the Terran Alliance being the biggest importer of Na'alu wine in the galaxy. In exchange, the Na'alu import quite a lot of Terra's exquisite chocolates.

## Foreign Relations

The Na'alu Collective, generally speaking, has excellent foreign relations. A long reign as the Galactic Council's top diplomats and mediators, not to mention their politeness and physical attractiveness, has made them generally well-liked by the rest of the Milky Way. Perhaps their best relationship is with the Murrcioun Syndicates, as the two worked closely together during the Dark Ages, and their trade with each other is lucrative for both parties. The only ones who do not have an excellent working relationship with the Na'alu are the United Jolnari Colleges. The Jolnari know full well that the Na'alu have illegally acquired some of their tech, and the Jolnari are constantly confined to water, making them basically immune to Jolnari mind-manipulating pheromones. Furthermore, in the shadows, the Collective is not completely well-liked either. The Na'alu see information gathering and even spying as a matter of course when dealing with other races, but to them this is not underhanded: they simply embrace the dictum of "knowledge is power". Alliance counterintelligence agencies are constantly uncovering Na'alu moles, spy probes, and cyber-warfare incursions, but there is little they can do to stop them. After all, the Na'alu have been directing interstellar intelligence operations since Terra was in a dark age of its own.

## Military

Among the nations of the Milky Way, one thing the Na'alu are most definitely not known for is their military prowess. The Na'alu military is small, volunteer-based, and holds the ideals of quality over quantity high. What really differentiates the Collective from others is not their size, equipment or doctrine, but their intelligence services and rules of engagement. The Na'alu believe that a war should be won before it begins. The unquestioned superiority of their intelligence services allows them to use their small military to maximum effectiveness. Well before fighting breaks out, they possess complete knowledge of their enemy's positions, intentions, and timetable.

In every war the Na'alu have fought, they struck first and without warning. For the Na'alu, to know an enemy plans to attack and let it happen is folly, and to announce their own plans to attack is insanity. They find the Terran moral concepts of "do not fire until fired upon" and "declare a war before prosecuting it" incredibly naive. In defensive wars, they execute devastating preemptive strikes hours before the enemy's own attacks. On the offense, they have never issued an official declaration of war before attacking.

While capable of defending themselves against most threats, the Na'alu know that, military wise, they are small fish in a universe filled with sharks. As a point of survival, they have cultivated strong alliances with larger powers, and to declare war upon the Collective is to drag many other nations into conflict with them.

### Navy

The Na'alu do not have very many starships, but this is due much more to the complexity of their starship designs than an inability or unwillingness to construct more.

This notable slow rate of production is a consequence of the increasing complexity of the Collective's designs. After covertly obtaining and researching stealth technology used by the Terran Alliance's destroyers and escort frigates, the Na'alu were able to produce large-class ships such as battleships and even their flagship with stealth capabilities, a previously unthinkable feat.

Na'alu dedication to adopting (stealing) bleeding-edge technology is also demonstrated by their ships' costly armament. The Na'alu stole the technology for developing tachyon-based weaponry from the Jolnari, and modified the designs to make them better suited to their uses. They developed a tachyon "iris" weapon, which allows them to fire a continuous beam of energized tachyons, in any direction the weapon is "looking". They are usually set into the front of a ship, and as a result of their unique firing method, each tachyon gun has a near 180-degree firing arc to the front of the ship. These weapons are particularly devastating at short range. The image of a Na'alu battleship drifting up to an unaware cruiser and using its tachyon guns to scissor it to pieces is a powerful one.

They also acquired the technology for the Murrcioun's armoured torpedoes, through slightly more legitimate means. They improved upon and modified the design until they produced the Basilisk cruise torpedoes for which they are now known. These are long, self guided and well-armoured torpedoes built to withstand the punishment of enemy point defense fire, penetrate the enemy's hull, and cause impressive devastation. They almost never miss, and cause impressive damage, but there is a limited number of them. Most Na'alu cruisers are equipped with one and only one, most battleships have two. And the Collective's flagship, the *Teraevyn's Grace*, can launch a grand total of six in a battle.

### Army

The ground-based forces of the Collective are even smaller than their navy. This is particularly due to the fact that the Na'alu are quite tall, and cannot move quite as fast over rough terrain. Their long tails are also difficult to armour without impeding a Na'alu's movement. This has resulted in the Collective's standing army being very loose and informal. There is no uniform, everyone wears whatever armour and clothing they like. The Collective military is not an irregular militia, however; those who serve are full-time professionals.

Na'alu choose to be warriors at a young age, and their education from that point is dedicated to sharpening their mind and body for that sole purpose. When they retire, they possess an alarming proficiency for killing with a wide array of weaponry. One-on-one, a Na'alu soldier is about on par with a Murrcioun commando, possessing profound tactical insight, a hunter's eye, and a dancer's grace and alacrity.

Since their units are small and typically lack heavy armor and support weapons, they are almost incapable of fighting a conventional war, particularly one of a defensive nature. As such, Na'alu units typically undertake special operations missions. Like guerrilla soldiers, they are adept at ambush, infiltration, and assassination, demoralizing and defeating their enemies through intense, focused, stealthy strikes. The Na'alu army and the Murrcioun commandos often engage in exchange student courses since their styles are similar, and yet they both feel that their soldiers can gain advantages from the unique perspective of an alien teacher.

## Technology

The Na'alu, while they are certainly not on the same level as the Razorbirds or the Jolnari, are considered one of the most advanced races in the Milky Way. The Na'alu are acknowledged as experts in the field of gravity repulsion technology, and much of their technology relies upon it, from the personal transports of Na'alu civilians, the jetbikes of Na'alu soldiers, and even the great floating city of Perivantium. The list goes on.

The Na'alu Collective's primary source of damage output comes from tachyon weaponry. These advanced guns fire streams of energized tachyons which are capable of slicing through light cover, and even penetrating one target to hit another. Tachyon weapons are generally heavy and expensive, particularly infantry-based tachyon weapons, but their effectiveness cannot be overstated. It should be noted, however, that the Na'alu Collective did not develop tachyon weapon technology themselves. They stole it from the United Colleges of New Jolnar. The Na'alu also developed their own specialized versions of the armoured torpedoes created by the Murrcioun Syndicates. These Basilisk cruise torpedoes are skinnier and longer than the Murrcioun torpedoes, and are a bit slower, but with notable advantages. These include a dedicated pilot AI to help evade point-defense, and a tip composed of neutronium, an ultra-dense material designed to penetrate deeper into an enemy's hull before detonation than armoured torpedoes can.

The Na'alu's most notable technological development is their stealth systems. Allowing starships to engage in stealth has always been rather difficult. The heat generated by routine shipboard operations is easily detectable against the near absolute zero background temperature of space. The only stealth systems one can generally find are on small ships, since they generate less heat. The Terran Alliance was known for creative use of stealth systems in its small ships, primarily in their Eris-class destroyers, but their Lima-class escort frigates equip special sensor-scrambling technology. The Na'alu took their ideas and put their best scientists on making it work on a larger scale. Now even their flagship, the *Teraevyn's Grace* (which, prior to the Veydreth becoming present on the galactic stage, was assumed to be the largest ship in the Milky Way outside Razorbird space) is capable of entering a stealth mode, which was unheard of within the factions of the Galactic Council.

The Na'alu ships do this through several methods. The primary method is trapping all ship emissions within specialized sinks, a technology known as the ESN (Emission Sink Network). This technology is used in tandem with deployable reflective plating on the ship's exterior, and scanner-scrambling devices much like those used on the Alliance's escort frigates. Most Na'alu ships can go to 'silent running' in combat for around an hour, or drift passively through a system for days before having to vent and give away their position. The stored heat must eventually be radiated, or it will build up to levels capable of cooking the crew alive.