The Argothos Collective

# History

The Argothos Collective, located on Antarian Prime, once never existed. The Antarians, hunted at the time by the more dominant species on the planet, The Kresaran, eventually developed the tactics and strategy necessary to not only overcome their hunters, but expell them from their planet. Those who did not leave were eradicated. In the time since, the Antarians have developed a technologically advanced society, but by Federation terms they are a backwards people, 22nd-Century tech at best. As a society, it had been clear since before the eradication that females were dominant, and established a Council of Elders to govern day-to-day functions. However, the Massacre of 2047, nearly left their homeworld barren and lifeless. In the years leading up to the Massacre, the military had begun pushing for more off-world expansion, citing the desire to conquer other worlds. The Council objected, not wishing to become Predators and therefor enabling another prey species to usurp their control. This clash of ideologies lead to a devastating Civil War that saw the use of nuclear weaponry. Thankfully, the fighting never reached dangerous levels irradiation, though the effects were felt for nearly a century. It was the sheer loss of life incurred that convinced the Council of Elders that their survival as a species would benefit if the Military was made a member of their society. A hasty truce, then a lasting peace accord was acheived, and the Antarians set about cleaning up their planet of their foolishness.

In the time that followed, many of the scientific and technological advancements had to be re-discovered, eventually usurping this threshold with their first warp flight in 2291. That being said, the time it took to research and develop the means to settle and establish colonies has kept them out of the galactic stage of politics in the Outback, for they were unable to settle on other planets until 2350. Not long after, they made more advancements in warp travel and settled their first colony world, OB-8256 in 2352, and then OB-8257 in 2399, given that their homeworld had almost exhausted its deposits of Crysarium, also known as Dilithium, and far greater deposits had been found in OB-8257.

While it sustained them for a time, their scientists knew they needed to find other sources elsewhere, or at least consider the possiblity of re-crystalizing their fuel.

# Physiology

Physiology: Standing Roughly at 7’-8’ tall, the Antarians resemble a humanoid avian, though less with the pronounced beak than they do feathers. Possessing a dense muscular structure, the Antarians are an fast and agile species, capable of jumping at least 4 times their height, and landing from roughly 5 times their height. Born with natural claws, they are primarily for scaling cliffsides, trees, and to an extent industrial structures. Their eyesight is keenly honed to see up to far distances, enabling them to have an edge as a predator. In addition, this eyesight enables them to see on other spectrums, including the same harmonic spectrum the Jem’Hadar shroud utilizes. This is also how they identify each other: their vision allows them to see pheromonal trails in the air, which also enables them to detect pheromonal attacks associated with the Orion and other species with a similar ability.

Primarily insect-eaters, the Antarians have been known to hunt down and consume mammalian species as well. While they primarily hunt alone, they have been known to draw out larger prey so that it can be taken down by multiple groups. This tactic enabled them to eradicate a similarly evolved species the Karid, who resembled humanoid felines, and also shared Antarian Prime with the Antarians. Despite having a robust muscular system, their muscle density makes aquatic combat an ordeal for them. The sheer weight of their muscles not only impedes them while in water, but can also cause them to sink rapidly. While they have overcome this with technologic means, the Antarians are still cautious of water. Other weaknesses include optical impairment: when exposed to the right amount of light, Antraian ocular senses become severely impaired. Compensated for with technology.

The Antarian biological main profile consists of a four-eyed facial structure, arranged around a prominent beak. There are some species variants that feature only two eyes, but the primarily dominant ethnicity of the Antarians that favor four eyes. This trait has been attributed to the most capable survivors and hunters, and can be found in many members of the military. Their face consists of a feathery outer skin, with a downy underlayer, large eyes, and in some, prominent beaks, though the vast majority of the species have an elongated mouth similar to a human’s. Their arms resemble the skeleton of a bird’s wings, though they terminate in a talon-like appendage for a grasping hand. Their legs are forward canted, similar to a human’s, and likewise terminate in talon-like appendages. Given the density of their muscles, their legs are thicker than their arms, marking them as avid jumpers.
The Antarians have a expansive pallet of coloration in their facial feathers, a feature often times factored into their mating rituals. These feathers also serve as sensory inputs, enabling them to sense changes in the atmospheric content of their environments. Such changes include pheromone concentrations, scents, temperature, and fluidic displacement of air. Combined with their pheromonal sight, this makes the Antarians a fearsome race of hunters to contend with.

## Culture and Religion

Culture: A rugged species well accustomed to the various biomes of Antarian Prime, the Antarians prize resilience and fortitude as desirable traits, and praise warriors who show great success against all odds. Competition among the Antarians is considered a long-treasured past-time, often encouraging friendly bouts of strength to test each other’s mettle. Largely Matriarchal, the Antarians still allow positions of power to be filled by males, though the females take precedence over the males. The government is ruled by a council of Elders, each representing a specific guild of the people. Members of this council also include the military to better communicate and agree upon the “big-picture” objectives. The Antarians enjoy a culture rich in music, art, and food. To them, the community as a whole is important, not just the individual. This passion for the arts can also be found in their military tactics, often times utilizing the base concepts of art or music to flesh out their tactics.
As a general rule, the Antarians will never be without their power-armor, whose visage is shielded from discerning the look of the wearer. That being said these suits secrete the pheromones of the owner, enabling other Antarians to determine who they are conversing with.
Mythology: The Antarians worship 12 separate gods and goddesses, often times invoking their names in battle, in times of need, and when seeking blessings.

* Argothos: The Goddess of Order- Namesake of the Collective, Ruler of the Pantheon
* Kolova: The God of Protection: Husband of Sin’a’ar. Invoked during times of need
* Sin’a’r: The Goddess of Strength: Wife of Kolova. Invoked also during times of need.
* Ydariat: The Goddess of Death. A merciless and vengeful goddess. Wife of Chakar
* Ajala: The Goddess of Speed: Messenger and paramour of Argothos
* Itsarin: The God of Deceit: A trickster and prankster Son of Tikar
* Klar: The God of the Harvest: Invoked for a good and productive harvest season.
* Itsa: The Goddess of Wings: Favored deity of the Engineer
* Yo: The God of Life: Brother of Ydariat, heralded as the Great Creator of Life.
* Tikar: The God of Luck: A trickster god that strives for mischief above all things. Husband to Klar.
* Loc-Va: The Goddess of the Hunt: Invoked for a good fight.
* Chakar: The Goddess of the Afterlife: Judge of souls and High Arbiter of fate.

## Technology

Just barely at Terran technological levels during the 22nd Century, they developed offensive and defensive technology along the lines of accelerated ballistics compared to conventional energy-based weaponry.
Offensive- Ydariat Accelerated Rifle: The Field-issue YAR-75 fires a duratanium slug using a conducted electromagnetic field to accelerate the projectile. Named for a predator of the Antarians, the rifle is meant to invoke the high-speed at which these particular beasts hunted. Highly effective at injuring unshielded targets, the YAR ensures immediate neutralization if aimed properly. The weapon unfortunately is at risk of over-heating, and thus is only issued to specialized teams.

Kolova-Sin’a’r Body armor: An exosuit that not only provides excellent protection, this body armor also provides a degree of anonymity to outsiders. A powered-suit that enhances the reflexes and strength of the Antarians, it is made of an outer skin of Duritanium, with an underlying ablative-weave that can stave off a direct energy blast, but not completely.Additionally, their battle armors have the ability to shift color based on a sense of readiness, all controlled by an onboard suit computer.

Itsarin Pulse Ballistics Rifle: the IPBR is a standard-issue kinetic weapon among Antarian ground forces. Featuring a multi-burst selector, the IPBR can switch between semi and automatic fire. It's not as effective at eliminating threats with Personal Shield Generators, but with an un-shielded target, the effect is devastating.

## Starships

Due to the limited technological manufacturing capabilities of the Antarians, their ships never go past Medium-sized, the equivalent being a Federation Excelsior-Class.

Argothos Heavy Cruiser

The Argothos Heavy Cruiser. Named after the Antarian Goddess of Order, is their largest space-faring military vessel. It features 20 broadside rail-gun cannons, 6 Torpedo tubes (3 fore and aft) and 24 Ajala CIWS pulse weapons. A sleek and deadly vessel, it features a robust shield system on par with Excelsior-class shield capacity and hardness. Coupled with the black coloration of their hull, these are fearsome ships to contend with, despite their average size.

* Length: 1,671 feet (509.3208 meters)
* Width: 120.56 meters
* Height: 80.72 meters
* Crew size: 720
* Decks: 36
* Max Warp speed: 7.5

Itsarin-class Medium Attack Cruiser. Named after the Antarian God of Deceit, the Itsarin Medium Attack Cruiser is the backbone of the Argothos Collective’s fleet. Armed with 10 broadside rail-cannons, 3 forward torpedo tubes, and 12 Ajala CIWS pulse weapons, the Itsarin MAC resembles a close cousin to the Mogai-class warbird, albeit a smaller version.

* Length: 1312.34 feet (400 meters)
* Width: 95.64 meters
* Height 65.60 meters
* Crew size: 300
* Decks: 24
* Max Warp speed: 6

Ajala Class Attack scout. Named after the Antarian Goddess of Speed, the Ajala Class also shares its namesake with the standard CIWS found on all Antarian vessels. Armed with 5 broadside Rail-cannons, 4 torpedo tubes (2 fore and aft), and 8 Ajala CIWS pulse weapons. This class of ship is primarily featured in the swarm tactics of the Antarians.

* Length: 1033.46 (315 meters)
* Width: 76. 44 meters
* Height: 65.60
* Crew Size: 270
* Decks: 14
* Max Warp Speed: 6

# References

* https://26thfleet.enjin.com/forum/m/9239612/viewthread/30974804-personal-log