Mikaeans

**Mikaeans**

The **Mikaeans** () are a near-human species native to the planet of Xyon. They are the only sentient species on the planet, and have resided on Xyon for some four thousand years, constituting their entire recorded history. The Mikaeans are closely related to humans on Earth, with the relationship established through having been created by the eponymous progenitor of the species, Mikael O'Neill. While the events surrounding O'Neill's arrival on the planet remain shrouded in legend and mythology, what is know is that all Mikaeans share a direct link to him through their universal genetic heritage. Today, there are some three and a half billion Mikaeans residing on Xyon, with a significant minority of some twelve million Mikaeans living on Earth. Contact between the Mikaeans on Xyon and the humans of Earth took place in 3942 YM, or 1974 AD, marking a major turning point in Mikaean history.

In spite of their many similarities to humans in terms of physiology and psychology, the Mikaeans are regarded as a distinct species from human beings. Mikaeans share about 98.3% of their DNA with humans, which is lower than Neanderthals at 99.8% genetic similarity, and lower still than even chimpanzees at 98.8% genetic similarity. Most of what defines the Mikaeans as a distinct species of hominids has much to do with their reproductive cycle, psychological traits, and physiological attributes, which are all markedly different than that of baseline humans. As a species, Mikaeans are shorter than the average human, taut, and physically stronger, though they have poor eyesight, and lack tolerance to changes in climate and temperature. Overall, the Mikaeans still regard themselves as relatives to the human race through their human father and creator, though they do not view themselves as equals or peers.

## Etymology

The term *Mikaean* was first used in 15 YM within the *Mikaean Codex*, by Mikael O'Neill, so as to define the entire species as a whole. Originally, Mikael defined his creations as *Homo mikaeanensis*, though he sought to utilize something more simple for day-to-day conversation within the population. Serving as the eponymous creator of the species, Mikael saw no reason not to refer to his children by his own name, as it was the most straightforward solution to the question of what the Mikaeans should be called. Though lacking any epic story or legend for the name, and possessing only a "basic" origin for their namesake, the Mikaeans often referred to themselves by other names during and after the life of Mikael, though many of these were of local origin, and rarely ever used beyond their points of origin. When the Mikaeans made contact with humanity in 3942 YM, the etymology of the name "Mikael" itself was discovered, and was found to mean "who is like God?". With that knowledge in hand, the various Mikaean religions boasted of the truth of their beliefs that Mikael had been a god, which itself prompted much study of the various Mikaean religions by human scholars.

## Biology

### Anatomy and physiology

Mikaeans are as a species, physically similar to their cousins in humanity, possessing the same external physical traits with other a few exceptions. The Mikaean body consists of a torso with two arms, two legs, and a head connected to the rest of the body by a neck. They possess dark brown skin and black hair, which is the standard for all members of the population. Because of the genetic realities for the Mikaeans, there are no deviations in terms of skin tone or hair coloration. A Mikaean adult's body consists of about 100 trillion cells, not unlike that within a human, though a high proportion of their body consists of undifferentiated stem cells. As with humans, Mikaean bodies are divided into a nervous, cardiovascular, circulatory, digestive, endocrine, immune, integumentary, lymphatic, musculoskeletal, reproductive, respiratory, and urinary system. Of note is the fact that the Mikaean females lack a true reproductive system, as the task of producing new offspring falls entirely upon the male members of the population.

As they were tailor made for their current homeworld, the Mikaeans are built for cooler environments than on Earth. They are slightly hairier than humans, growing more hair at a faster rate and the hair itself being thicker than the norm. All Mikaean males possess the ability to grow facial hair, while that trait was completely removed from the females by Mikael which he created them. Mikaean hair itself varies in terms of look and feel based on the sex of the individual; male hair is thick, coiled and woolly, while female hair long, curly and silky smooth regardless of the health of the hair. The same traits and characteristics regarding the hair based on sex, carries over to Mikaean pubic hair and axillary (or underarm) hair, which is greater in volume and generally difficult to remove. As with facial hair, female Mikaeans lack the ability to grow axillary hair, though they can still grow pubic hair, which do to its difficulty to remove is kept out of sheer simplicity.

Physically, Mikaeans—namely females—are on average stronger than their male human peers, 15–20% greater physical strength than a male human of similar weight and age. Mikaean males are just as strong as human males, but given their scarcity within the general population, they rely heavily upon their female counterparts for protection, which they readily supply. Females have a greater deal of stamina, and fill all the roles that on Earth would traditionally be performed by men. Female Mikaeans boast twice the muscle density as the males of the species, and are almost entirely muscular though their feminine form is not compromised. Mikaean females have proportionately larger and more muscular thighs than human females, which by human standards would be considered somewhat "sexualized" in nature and appearance. Overall, female Mikaeans are universally fit and taut, as befitting their role as the laborers of the Mikaean species.

The average height for a Mikaean of both sexes is about 5'10" (177.8 cm), which has remained the norm within the species for the last four thousand years since their creation. Mikaeans do not suffer from shrinkage as the grow older, as they lack the same rate of sensance as recorded with humans. However, Mikaeans will usually not grow any taller than the norm of 5'10", with anything greater than that deemed to be an abnormality within the individual. Regarding weight, as with height, Mikaeans as a species generally do not deviate from a well-defined norm set by their crafted biology. Mikaean males will generally weight between 138-152 lbs (62.5-68.9 kg), while females within the species weight between 121-144 lbs (54.8-65.3 kg). Though the genetic manipulation by Mikael ensured very little deviation in the physical changes of the species, certain aspects such as weight do differ based on diet and environment by the individual.

### Genetics

Many of the genetics traits of the Mikaeans were tailored by their creator to boast a number of alterations that gave them their existing physiological and psychological distinctions. Beginning with chromosomes, the Mikaeans have 96 rather than 46 chromosomes, which are crossed by the Mikaean father to produce his offspring asexually. As with humans, the Mikaeans have an XY sex-determination system, which is functionally different from within the human population. Rather, Mikaeans have two unique chromosomes: a male V chromosome and a female U chromosome. All unfertilized eggs start off with two U chromosomes, while sperm cells have the third V chromosome, which is used to control the number of fertilized eggs producing male offspring. Overall, Mikaean females have UU chromosomes, while males having UUV chromosomes.

Studies into the genetic diversity of the Mikaeans have unsurprisingly found that the race as a whole lacks genetic diversity, which had been expected by Mikael himself when he created them. With all Mikaeans being, by default, clonal versions of the first Mikaeans created by Mikael, the entire species has been recycling the same genetic code provided to them nearly four thousand years ago. Every Mikaean male is an exact genetic replica of his father, and his father before him, all tracing right back to Mikael O'Neill himself. As a consequence, traits such as poor eyesight, which afflicts the entire Mikaean species, have been long-term issues for as long as there have been any Mikaeans alive to deal with them. In effect, Mikaeans are the male and female clones of Mikael, but are spawned naturally rather than grown in a lab, though the First Sons, the precursors to all Mikaeans throughout history, may be the sole exception to that role.

Interestingly, however, is that Mikael was fully aware what the danger posed by the lack of genetic diversity poised to his children, and swiftly moved to reinforce, or "harden" it, against potential genetic illnesses that could wipe out the entire population of Mikaeans within a single generation. Likewise, inbreeding was completely avoided by making the Mikaeans reproduce asexually via the males in the population, who spawn millions of Mikaean eggs individually, allowing them to avoid the danger of inbreeding depression. Mutations in the Mikaean genome were likewise prevented by "locking down" the Mikaean's DNA from any future alteration, something Mikael accomplished by unknown means. The drawback of these genetic hardening was that the Mikaeans lack any ability to develop as a species on a genetic level, and any hope of utilizing gene therapy or similar concepts, have been forever locked off to the Mikaeans as civilization.

### Life cycle

The Mikaean reproductive cycle is by far one of the greatest differences that exist between themselves and their human counterparts. Mikaean reproduction takes place via asexual oviparity, or internal fertilization, by the father through his two reproductive organs; the paragus, which converts sperm into stem cells and then into egg cells, and the canubula, which houses all of the dormant egg cells within the father's body. These unfertilized egg cells kept dormant within the father—located within the male canubula organ—are expelled from the father's body into a pond of mineral-rich water, typically within a creche. The eggs grow rapidly within the span of a few days to resemble a bed of foam. The Mikaean father himself can spawn millions of these eggs at a time, but is entirely capable of consciously controlling the number of eggs fertilized and spawned. Of note is that unless the male spawning the eggs is a High Patron, all of the offspring spawned by the male will be without fail, of the female sex. This one trait helps to manage population growth by limiting the number of males spawning offspring, as well as an early resolution by Mikael to produce more members of the race without resorting to inbreeding. The female sex within the Mikaean species plays no role in the reproductive cycle, and lack the female reproductive organs found within human females. However, the caretakers within the creches are exclusively female, and are tasked by the males with protecting and looking after their children.

The gestation period lasts for a period of about six months, during which time physical growth by the egg is rapid. The first stage of development, which lasts for a period of about two weeks following the time of spawning, begins with the egg with a tiny embryo at the core of several layers of clear gel-like material. These eggs when amassed together resemble a mass of tiny bubbles, which are protected from the surrounding environment, predators, and parasites, all of which find the eggs too toxic to consume. The gelatinous shells of these eggs allow for a wealth of nutrients to pass through to the embryo, which is initially dark brown in coloration, but develops into a dark pink mass over time. Within a mineral-rich body of water, the eggs grow in size and the interior liquefies to allow movement of the embryo within. Over the course of the second week, the embryo develops into a tadpole which barely touches the edges of the egg shell. In warmer temperatures, the embryos are shown to grow faster within the bodies of water, though these offspring tend to be more aggressive in the later stages of their development during the gestation period. Because of these knowledge, creche caretakers ensure that all eggs remain within a cool climate to main a docile population of gestating Mikaeans, and prevent aggressiveness within the creche.

During the second stage of development, the Mikaean tadpoles breach their eggs and tear them open to enter the pond they are located within. At this stage in life, the tadpoles are known as "sprites". These sprites resemble human fetuses but without arms or legs, and have a long, flat tail which serves as a method of locomotion, as well as fins where the arms would be. As a consequence, Mikaean sprites are often likened to as prenatal seahorses with humanoid features. All sprites are fully aquatic, and capable of surviving outside of the eggs unassisted, still feeding off the mineral-rich waters they reside in. The central nervous system for the sprites, their bones and cardiovascular system, all develop at this point during the gestation period, though they remain partially blind. All of this development takes place over the course of two months, during which time the appendages of the sprites develop near the end of the second cycle. These limbs develop as five-digit clawed fins, which eventually become natural weapons for the Mikaeans later in life. These claws are located on both the hands and feet of the sprite by the end of the second development cycle. Likewise, the sprites develop teeth near the end of the second stage of growth, and are capable of consuming harder foods such as meat, which is their preferred diet.

At the third stage of development, the sprites grow into "nymphs", which start off resembling small children around the ages of two or three, and near the end of the cycle, develop into larger bodies akin to a child around the age of five or six. The tails of the Mikaean sprites grow significantly longer, but shed the fins along the edges. Nymphs are not capable of speech due to the mucus plugs within their lungs which permit them to remain fully aquatic, but they are capable of producing hissing sounds which they use to signal anger or disdain toward their caretakers. At the nymph stage, Mikaeans have fully-developed nervous, cardiovascular, skeletal, and digestive systems, but remain soft-skinned and fragile, and cannot walk or breath outside of the water unassisted. The muscular system of the nymphs develops enough that they are able to move about with complete freedom underwater, and interact with objects easily. All nymphs develop a full head of hair during the first month of their third stage development, and develop complete sight as well though remain nearsighted for the rest of gestation. Nymphs often engage in "rough play", which is allowed so as to help develop their motor skills, though caretakers prevent any harmful behavior during this period. Overall, the nymph stage of develop lasts for a total of three months, during which time they are taught a number of values and concepts to help them later in life.

The final stage of development, known as the neophyte stage, is the period in which the Mikaeans in the creche instinctively swim to the bottom of the creche pond, and proceed to emit a gelatinous substance which covers their entire body in the form of a large jelly-like mold. Within these gel cocoons, the nymphs undergo the two-week long process of metamorphosis where they transform into neophytes. Throughout this chrysalis stage for the Mikaean neophytes, they remain completely dormant at the bottom of the pond. The chrysalis of the Mikaeans is naturally toxic to non-Mikaeans, protecting them from potential predators or parasites that may attempt to feed on them during their dormancy. During the change, the Mikaeans complete the rest of their physical and mental development, losing their webbed hands and feet, their long tails, and the gills on their abdomens. As the interior of the cocoon hollows out, the neophytes slowly float toward the top of the water where they will be free to break out of their shells. At the end of the neophyte period, the Mikaeans begin to break out of their cocoons, and swim to the edges of the pond to walk freely. Upon leaving the creche pond, the neophytes vomit out the mucus plugs preventing them from speaking, and adjust to breathing outside of the water. By this point, the six-month gestation period has come to an end, and the Mikaeans neophytes are taken into the creche to be raised for the next six years.

As a race, Mikaeans generally cease to age physically around the age of 6–7, which is about the human equivalent of an 18-21 year old individual. Rather, slight changes in a Mikaeans behavior and appearance will became visible, such as wrinkles around the eyes and greying streaks throughout the hair of the individual. Their voice will become slightly deeper and more authoritative in tone, and psychologically, the Mikaean will be more interested in stability and discipline rather than individual wants and desires. They become more patient and less aggressive as people, and tend to act in a slower manner. In spite of these changes, as a Mikaean grows older, their physical strength does not wane, nor will their appearance deteriorate over time. Rather, a Mikaean will simply "look" older without suffering from the effects of actually *being* older. One change which does take place is that the Mikaeans already poor eyesight will deteriorate over time, making corrective lens or eye surgery mandatory. Interestingly, Mikaean females become stronger than their younger counterparts, and are more domineering as befitting their stronger and more authoritative status within the species.

### Diet

Mikaeans are omnivorous, fully capable of consuming and digesting both plant and meat-based foods. Because of Xyon's stable climate and lack of axial tilt, the variety of foods available to the Mikaeans have been limited in scope, but readily available anywhere on the planet. Historically, the two main staple crops on Xyon have been rice and wheat, with the former comprising a far greater share of the Mikaean diet than the latter. Due to the high levels of rainfall and highly rich soils of the planet, the Mikaeans have been able to maintain large populations on a relatively simple diets, with famines and crop failures having been a rare occurrence outside of the Tribulation era. In spite of this, due to the traits inherited from their creator, Mikaeans prefer meat-based diets, or food with meat as a plentiful side-dish or supplement to their meals. Beef, poultry, and seafood are the most common sources of protein in the Mikaean diet, and the most popular meat choices across the global population for their ease of acquisition, cost, and overall taste.

The Mikaeans never went through a hunter-gather phase thanks to the influence and knowledge given to them by Mikael, who oversaw the early development of the population for four decades after creating them. Large-scale agriculture and crop rotation had been implemented by the Mikaeans from the beginning of their civilization, resulting in population booms which stressed the capabilities and sustainability of the land. Rice was the primary staple crop of the species for centuries until wheat was cultivated in the far west along the Kordanian Coast, some years following the First Great Diaspora. The development of an alternative source of food away from the rice fields of the Verdant Plains was a major development in Mikaean civilization, as it meant that the looming threat of crop failures due to extensive rice farming was adverted for several centuries.

Generally-speaking, the Mikaeans boast a number of traits which allow them to circumvent a number of the weaknesses of being a rapidly reproducing species. While Mikaeans can only survive for about 3-4 days without water, not unlike their human counterparts, Mikaeans as a whole can go three weeks without food at a minimum, with body fat stored within the lower-half of the body as potential energy. When storing the full capacity of body fat physically capable on a Mikaean, they can go up to a month and a half without eating. In spite of this, obesity or rather the capacity for obesity was biologically restricted by Mikael in the Mikaeans. A Mikaean female can only store as much fat as her body as is allowed within the parameters set within a thighs, buttocks, and breasts; upon reaching that limit, a Mikaean will lose the ability to store any additional fat and regurgitate any previous ingested food. Starvation was eradicated nearly two centuries ago by the federal government, and food distribution has since been equalized across the planet.

### Biological variation

Almost more than any other trait in the species, the lack of biological diversity within the Mikaean species has been one of the most defining features of their population. When creating the Mikaeans, Mikael developed them along a narrow premise of creating a race in his image based on his biological and psychological characteristics, limiting any variety within their population with regards to biological and genetic variation. As a species, Mikaeans are by all accounts a race of naturally-reproducing clones, passing on the same physical characteristics of one generation on to the other without alteration. The Mikaean gene pool was by the description of one biologist who studied the species, "forever hard-coded" by Mikael. Alteration of the race's genetic code was rendered impossible by their creator four thousand years ago, ensuring that each Mikaean is a mere replication of that ancient genetic blueprint. Thus, the genetic similarity between any Mikaean within their respective sexes is always 100%. Consequently, there is more than 5-6 times as much genetic diversity within the human gene pool compared to the Mikaeans, and more than 10-15 times more diversity in the chimpanzee gene pool.

In spite of this revelation, the Mikaeans share the same ability to adapt or at the very least cope with a wide variety of climates and environments as humans. Though the Mikaeans will never develop the ability to acclimate to the new environment to the same degree as humans, they are able to develop a level of resistance to the negative effects of being introduced to a new biome, though with considerable discomfort. Mikaeans across the board lack the ability to truly adapt to their new environments, maintaining the same height, weight, and physical features as one another regardless of the area they are located in. Because of this, the Mikaeans prefer to remain in regions that share some of the features as Xyon, namely, cool, humid regions with significant rainfall. The height, weight, skin color, hair color, build, and base psychological profiles of Mikaeans are all the same, serving as both a boon and a weakness for the species. While medical innovations, cybernetics, fitted clothing and ideas are easy to develop and spread across the population, diseases, psychological drawbacks, and genetic traits associated with their father such as poor eyesight, are inherited by all Mikaeans.

## Psychology

### Sleep and dreaming

Mikaeans are diurnal as is the case with their human cousins. The average sleeping requirements of the species is about six to seven hours a day, with the average remaining relatively stable at all stages of a Mikaean's life. Mikaean males generally sleep longer than their female counterparts, getting nearly ten hours of sleep per day, largely as a consequence of their body's need to recover more due to the extensive energy requirements necessary for the species' reproductive cycle. As a species, sleep deprivation effects both sexes equally in terms of length and health consequences. It is generally accepted within the medical field that a Mikaean who receives less than four hours of sleep a day is at risk of heightened psychological instability, reduced memory and hand-eye coordination, increased aggression and physical discomfort. Migraines and bright lights are an increased issue for such individuals, and loud noises are a common trigger for sitting such individuals off due to their higher aggressive risk. Mikaeans as a whole have the ability to dream while they sleep, though such dreams are relatively few in number based on their sleep cycle. What few dreams they do have are reported as being vivid and often of a violent nature based on fighting and aggressive behavior, with the Mikaean being the participant rather than the observer in nearly all of the cases.

### Motivation and emotion

The Mikaeans are a unique species given that their civilization is partially built upon a form of psychological mimicry; with the individual personalities of Mikaeans built around that of their fathers. Though all Mikaeans have their own individuality and free will, as a species they are shaped and molded by the character of their varies patriarchs. One such example would be a particularly violent patriarch who will ultimately spawn daughters who share his violent proclivities, while another would be a patriarch renown for his love of knowledge who will father millions of erudite offspring. Mikaeans are thus a mirror image of the patrons of their species, who in turn, each share one or more of the psychological aspects expressed by their creator Mikael. While it is unknown whether or not the species could spawn themselves upward into intellectual heights or down into an academic dark age, it is well understood that Mikaean psychology is flexible and designed to ensure that a High Patron and his children are of the same thought and motivation.

## Behavior

### Warfare

Throughout the existence of the Mikaean species, warfare has has been a major aspect of their civilization, as competitions for farmlands, living space, and mineral resources drove the various households of Xyon to war. Given the particular aspects of their reproductive cycle, the Mikaeans frequently found themselves with a lack of all three of the aforementioned resources necessary for their species to thrive in a comfortable manner, as a single patriarch could easily spawn millions of daughters who would immediately tax the carrying capacity of the lands their father controlled. Consequently, most wars throughout Mikaean history were of the genocidal variant, as the need to support one's own family saw the need to remove the other family already living on the land. Within the century proceeding the unification of Xyon alone, more than 330 million Mikaeans had been killed either as combatants or non-combatants of the countless wars which proceeded what was the bloodiest of them all, the Unification Wars.

Religious and civil wars were rather rare throughout Mikaean history, as it was commonly understood that a civil war was a war between literally brothers and sisters, while religious wars were typically avoided given the historically omnipresent power and influence of the Black Cross Church. This is not to say that either conflicts were unknown, with the Great Oneillian Vendetta being the most famous example of civil war, while the Sakranite Jihad was the largest and bloodiest religious war ever recorded on Xyon. Overall, military technology advancements were made in a short frame of time, gradually increasing the death toll on Xyon until the planet was unified, though nuclear weapons, though made into a feasible weapon of war as early as 3733 YM at the cusp of the Fission Age, the Mikaeans never resorted to developing and using them in anger. Today, Xyon has become far more peaceful a planet, though the military remains a massive institution, and terrorism and insurgencies are a fact of life for Mikaeans.

### Religion and spirituality

The Mikaeans as a species have historically been a deeply religious people, regarding the teachings of Mikael in his *Mikaean Codex* to be the founding creeds upon which their entire civilization was built. The moral code which developed within Mikaean civilization was largely based on the *Mikaean Codex* and the psychological traits inherited from Mikael by his offspring. Indeed, combining their creator's psychological profile with the text he left behind, had a major effect on the behavior of the Mikaeans and the religions which they ultimately developed, all of which involved Mikael to some degree or another. Indeed, the first Mikaean religion, Mikaeanism, was founded with the express intent of rendering worship to Mikael himself, though later denominations of the faith downplayed his divinity as he would have no doubt wanted. In one way or another, all Mikaean religions share the same underlaying doctrines that define the identifying markers of a Mikaean faith: Mikael's divine role in creating the Mikaeans, his status as the heavenly father of their species, his teachings in the *Mikaean Codex* serving as the basis for all morality, and that he shares a spiritual link with all of his offspring with the patriarchs as his arbiters.

Uniquely, whereas religiosity has proven difficult, if not impossible to gauge within the human species, the Mikaeans have proven themselves to be of one mind in at least one regard as to their own species. Within their civilization, over the nearly four millennia it has existed, the concept of atheism had never been introduced, only coming into the modern Mikaean vocabulary following contact with humanity in 3942 YM. The idea of denying the existence of a god had never crossed the mind of a Mikaean, and to this very day, the Mikaeans continue to struggle with the concept of atheism and completely ignoring what they deem readily-available evidence of creation and an intelligent creator. Sending the point home is the fact that the Mikaeans actively despise humanity for having allowed themselves to come to such a point, and most Mikaeans will generally avoid interacting with those they deem devoid of any hope for salvation, either by their own god, or those of the Mikaeans. However, given that Mikael was indeed a historical figure with a large footprint left proving his existence, many Mikaeans – though steadfast in their disgust for atheism – have acknowledged humanity did not have so ready a source of confirmation for their beliefs, and urge tolerance for their "wayward" behavior.