Andromeda Galaxy

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Andromeda Galaxy

The **Andromeda Galaxy** is a barred spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years away from the Milky Way Galaxy, to which it is the closest neighbour. Boasting a total number of stars ranging from an estimated 900 billion to 1.2 trillion and a diameter of 220,000 light-years, it is the undisputed largest object in the Local Group by physical size. The galaxy's twin arms are connected via a large bared structure at its galactic core and are curved in such a way to form a full disc shape.

Although home to colonies of both the Ankoran Covenant and Teyan Dominion, the truly dominant power of the Andromeda Galaxy is the Draknir Imperium, one of the most powerful and successful galactic powers in the history of the known universe. The state of galactic political in the Andromeda Galaxy is substantially more peaceful than that of the Milky way or Triangulum Galaxy, although recent conflicts have been sparked between the Andromedan Covenant Territories and Dominion of Andromeda, including the Covenant-Dominion War that have disrupted the ancient Andromedan peace.

The Andromeda Galaxy also boasts several satellite galaxies, including the Triangulum Galaxy and over 20 known dwarf galaxies. The Milky Way and Andromeda are expected to collide in 4.5 billion years. Of the outcomes of the collision, galactic astronomers generally agree that the two galaxies will merge to form either an elliptical or disc galaxy.

## Characteristics

### Species

The Andromeda galaxy is home to hundreds of discovered and undiscovered xenoforms, both native to the Andromeda Galaxy, and having migrated from beyond.

#### Native

* Drakniar
* Mithadorn
* Jāraja

Proud, arrogent, militaristic and cunning; many would at first mistake Drakniar for predators or war-eager warriors presenting an air of civility or sophistication about themselves. Behind the mask of honour and martial prowess, many of them are exceedingly intelligent, with their long-lasting civilisations proving as a testement to the proposals of their philosiphers, scientists and politicians and the cunning of their soldiers and commanders. With a recorded history of over three hundred thousand years and a record of uplifting alien civilisations, they have become regarded as living precursors by some and a race of old men by others.

The Mithadorn are a bipedal race of methane-breathing humanoids originating from the planet Sulsua. Notable as a synapsid species of mammal-like reptiles, the Mithadorn are known for a bizarre biology and unconventional evolution.

Their unique physiology, expressed in their anaerobic biology and long life-spans has resulted in the Mithadorn possessing a conservative yet convivial attitude toward other races. Favoring compromise and cooperation over conflict, they were instrumental in brokering peace between the Teyan Dominion and Ankoran Covenant during the tail-end of the Covenant-Dominion War.

The **Jāraja** is a species of omnivorous reptiles originating from the planet Aslioa. A race of four-eyed bipeds, the Jāraja are a disreputable species that are often unwelcome in civilized space. The species have never managed to form a working government with a reach further than a single star system.

As a species openly practicing slavery, sapient-consumption, and misogyny, the stark differences in culture between the Jāraja and other species on the Andromeda Galaxy has universally lead to conflict, fueling the open hatred between the Jāraja and the rest of the galaxy.

#### Extragalactic

* Ankoran
* Teyan

The Ankoran is a species of blue homosaurians native to the planet Usse. They are infamous for the Ankoran Covenant, a highly religious empire in which all Ankoran are citizens of, and their extremely devout lifestyles. Typically seen as a peaceful species, though zealous in nature, Ankoran are known for their observational capability and non-linear thinking. This manifests as an aptitude for research and espionage.

They are constantly experimenting and inventing, and it is generally accepted that they always know more than they are letting on.

Teyan are a reptilian species of red-scaled humanoids native to the Triangulum Galaxy. As a species they are strong, proud, and intelligent warriors, as well as skilled combat tacticians. Many consider the Teyan self-aware predators - and to an extent, they are. War-eager warriors, they are utterly savage in combat, and quick to jump into battles for the thrill of the fight alone.

There is some animosity between Teyan and the Ankoran, largely due to the Teyan role in the Covenant-Dominion War. This bitterness is slowly beginning to heal—as shown by the cooperation of the two races in many fields of scientific and economic partnership —but many Teyan still resent the Ankoran, and vice versa.

### Astrography

As the largest galaxy in the Local Group, it is unsurprising that Andromeda is host to an almost countless number of star systems. Estimated to be home to anywhere between nine-hundred-billion to one trillion stars, the Andromeda galaxy organises its immense astrography into several segmenta, each home to billions of stars. Segmentums are divided into sectors and subsectors, and while the segmentums were originally drawn to be uniform with their regional counterparts, in the modern day, segmenta size and layout can vary wildly, similarly to the borders of sectors and subsectors.

Andromeda is a barred spiral galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its core. A typical inner cluster and two great spiralling arms extend outwards, connecting the core regions with the outer disk. Most of the known galactic population is found in a band of stars between the core and the gap that separates the ring. These two astrographical formations are colloquially named the outer and inner rim respectively.

The galactic core is a dense cluster of stars that surrounds a supermassive black hole in the centre of the galaxy. Due to the immense levels of hawking radiation released from the core, and the density of stars in the surrounding area, travel to the core is incredibly dangerous. Astrographic mapping attempts were largely discontinued in 1342, due to an inability to pass within 80 parsecs of the core.