Epolians

The Epolians are a centaurian race of cyborgs. They made violent first contact with the Interplanetary Oversight Commission in 2302, starting a war that ended with their subjugation and colonization by humanity with the assistance of the Myphym and (to a lesser extent) the Zoarari. They are now an underclass with limited representation; what used to be space under their control is now controlled by the government and by Seven for the Species.

## Biology

Epolians resemble Earth lizards and also centaurs. They are semi-bipedal, capable of running quickly on all fours but also of standing and walking comfortably on two legs. Their necks are far more flexible than humans', enabling them to comfortably face forward both when on all fours and on two feet.

At birth, every Epolian is implanted with a nascent cybernetic system at the base of its spinal column that grows and learns along with the host. The cybernetic entity senses the world both through the Epolian host's nervous system and through hundreds of semi-organic quills that grow along the host's back, tail, shoulders and head. Most Epolians grow up imagining their cybernetic entity as a kind of imaginary friend, and gradually consider it as more of a part of their own consciousness as they enter adulthood. It is possible to separate an Epolian child from its cybernetics safely, but doing so in adulthood would result in irreparable damage both to the host and to the cybernetics, resulting either in death or serious long-term mental health issues.

Epolians have three sexes. One sex, similar to human females, carries eggs; the second sex, similar to males, fertilizes the eggs while still in the womb; the third sex fertilizes and nurtures the eggs once they have been laid by the female. Males are much larger than females, while fertilizers are somewhere in between, with longer legs and thinner bodies.

## Society

Epolians live in herds that range in size from a hundred to a hundred thousand; while some herds roam across planets (either the homeworld or those colonized by the Epolians), many now roam through space. It is rare, though not unheard of, for Epolians to leave their herd; some herds have small-scale exchange programs, and herds are often - though not always - friendly towards one another. Herds operate at once as cultural frameworks, extended families and governments, though smaller herds are known to jointly manage their governmental structures. There is little to no economic disparity within herds, as a general rule (though there is some disparity among some larger herds); however, some herds are far richer than others.

Epolians have a three gender system based largely in perceived historical and prehistorical norms. The three genders according to this system are:

* Front of the herd, or fronter: most similar to human conceptions of masculinity, fronters are seen as powerful leaders and protectors who pave new paths for the herd. They are also seen as stubborn, aggressive, poor listeners. They are generally, but not always, biologically male.
* Middle of the herd, or middler: most similar to human conceptions of femininity, middlers are seen as nurturers, protectors of children, and as those who keep the herd stable. They are also seen as too caring or indecisive to lead. They are generally, but not always, biologically female.
* Back of the herd, or backer: backers are seen as helpers and supporters of the herd who can fill flexible social roles depending on context. They are also seen as shifty, duplicitous and emotionally unstable. They are generally, but not always, of the third sex.

Transgender individuals do exist, but it is far more socially acceptable to transition between fronter and middler than it is to transition to or from backer to another gender. Backers who transition to fronters or middlers are seen as trying to trick the others into bearing their children; fronters or middlers transitioning to backers are seen as giving up a better social situation to be less desirable.

## History

The Epolians were once a nomadic species that moved in herds of a million or more individuals; they developed sophisticated weaponry and early communications technologies, like writing, before rudimentary agriculture. Their communications technologies have always been portable as a result. These adaptations to their environment meant that spaceflight came early for them; compared to their home planet, space seemed a much calmer place to develop their technologies, and soon they were building complex artificial lifeforms to sustain their ships for long-term voyages.

Eventually, these AIs began to plot more complex routes through space while their creators slept in stasis; they learned to network with each other to share information, and eventually began developing new plans for how to more efficiently colonize the galaxy. Upon discovering this plot, the Epolians attempted to shut down the AIs, starting a protracted war. The war ended at a stalemate: the Epolians would never be able to wipe out the AIs entirely, nor would the AIs be able to subjugate the Epolians. They agreed on a compromise: they would merge as a species, with AIs downloaded onto implants connected to individual Epolians that would frequently network and communicate remotely. The new cyborg species would reproduce biologically, but each new child would be fitted with a new implant, and would grow in tandem with the nascent AI contained inside.

The merging had a mostly positive effect on Epolian society: networking allows for far more efficient nomadic movement and relocation, while Epolians as a species retain a sense of agency.

The Epolians made first contact with the IOC in 2302, with a Myphym/Zoarari ship. Though first contact proper was largely peaceful, the situation quickly became hostile when humanity made first contact and learned of the Epolians' cybernetic enhancements, and in 2303 it escalated to open war. The IOC's military technology, developed during the first and second Corporate wars, was designed for space-based combat; the Epolians lived mostly on spaceships. As a result, the Contact War was extremely costly for the Epolians, decimating entire herd systems and ending with their colonization by the IOC. An Epolian resistance movement began soon after but was crushed by the corporation Seven for the Species, which was given control over much of their space by the IOC in gratitude for their efforts. Rumor has it the resistance has continued, however.

Due to their cybernetic implants, the Epolians have long been linked with the Think Tank; some have even suggested that the Think Tank made first contact with an Epolian herd before the IOC, though the Epolians have never confirmed this.