Nua

The **Nua** are a powerful, but reclusive species that reside in The Outback. Although possessing great scientific curiosity, they have little desire to expand, and do not control any colonies or star systems beyond their home. However, numerous automated outposts are scattered throughout the region.

# Biology

No Nua has ever been seen by outsiders; only their structures and ships, managed and piloted by AI constructs. Rumors abound that the Nua interface with the galaxy through these constructs, or are AI themselves, but none have ever seen proof.

# Culture

All that is known about the Nua's society is that it is stable; or at least it is assumed so, as they have been around for so long, and their ships have never been seen to fight each other.

## Disposition

The Nua (and/or their AI constructs) are generally politely aloof towards other species. They are interested in studying new peoples and technologies, but shun direct contact and are quite hesitant to share information about themselves. That said, they are more than willing to trade information they have gathered on other species. They are extremely unlikely to initiate hostile actions themselves, as fighting is not conducive to an exchange of knowldge, and if attacked will more often simply leave than bother to return fire - the exception being if they need to protect a stationary facility or similar target.

# Technology

The Nua are masters of gravitic manipulation, utilizing it for everything from utilitarian harvesting to shields, weaponry, and propulsion. Nua sublight drives operate by creating gravitic distortions around a ship and pulling it in the desired direction. Faster-than-light transit is accomplished by formation of gravitic anomalies powerful enough to pierce space-time, functioning in a way not dissimilar to wormholes. This technology allows the Nua near-instantaneous travel, and has resulted in their outposts and research stations (all fully automated) being scattered seemingly without pattern or limit. Their gravitic technology is a result of artifacts left behind by the Iconians, studied, replicated and adapted. Their highly advanced artificial intelligences, however, are a product of their own genius, each one responsible for the running and maintenance of the Nua's many outposts, which transmit data and resources back to their home system on a regular basis.

## Ships and Facilities

All outsiders ever see of the Nua is their ships and facilities. Both are constructed in a slender, almost elegant fashion out of what appears to be refractive and reflective crystalline alloys (example [Links disabled]). The exact shades vary from construct to construct, but remain within the violet and blue spectrums.

Nua vessels, when they do engage in combat, do so through gravitic manipulation. They are capable of creating anomalies powerful enough to simply swallow directed-energy fire and torpedo weapons, and lash out with distortions capable of literally shaking ships apart. However, the defenses of a Nua vessel can be overwhelmed if attacked from multiple angles, as there is a limit to how many gravitic anomalies can be formed and maintained simultaneously. If in serious danger of being destroyed, a Nua vessel will attempt to flee, as there are fewer than six vessels extant and the loss of even one would be a crippling blow.

## Resources

While the Nua harvest resources from all across the region, little of what they acquire is of use to Federation technology. However, they are in possession of a vast wealth of information, and would be able to direct those interested to where said resources may be located, if properly compensated. They are also capable of providing some degree of information on a number of other species, as they have observed or had distant interaction with many of them over the course of their civilization.

# Known Encounters

* **Stardate 91262.7** (28 August 2413): USS *Monsoon* encounters Nua Gathering Station 4, harvesting the NG-8677 nebula. [AAR]
* **Stardate 91303.74** (12 September 2413): A task group led by the USS *Harpe* returns to NG-8677 to collect neutronium. Contact is established with Gathering Station 4, which summons a crystalline vessel once talk of trade is proposed. The vessel, commanded by an AI gestalt titled "55-Y 'Traveler'", exchanges information on the Yeth for information on the Federation and the anomaly that brought the 26th to the Outback. [AAR]
* **Stardate 91312.17** (15 September 2413): The USS *Caspian* discovers Aperture Hub Facility 2, a massive station co-ordinating the creation and maintenance of dozens of artificial wormholes to facilitate travel and transfer of resources. After extensive negotiations, the station AI agrees to stabilize a naturally occurring, but unsafe, wormhole to Federation space in exchange for information on the experimental subspace jump drive the *Caspian* used to find the station. [AAR]