Ryuu Confederacy
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Ryuu Confederacy are the governing authority of the bulk of the Ryunn Species apart from the three splinter factions. They originate from the Delta Quadrant and due to the freak combination of Borg Technology, Wormoles and Transwarp drive have begun to cause problems on the borders of the Federation, including near the Romulan Neutral Zone.
The first Ryuu attacks in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants began in late 2385 and early 2386, although first contact was had by the USS Bunker Hill in mid 2385, during what would later be termed "The Bunker Hill Incident"
Ryuu, Ryika, Vwoial
The Ryuu Confederacy, the Ryika Imperium and Vwoial Refuge are the primary three political and national factions within the entire Ryunn Race. The split is as a result of the wars of the planet of Raisl, home to the Ryunn people, which date back millenia. There are several key differences, however whereas the Ryika and Vwoial are relatively similar, the Ryuu are almost entirely alien, despite sharing vastly identical DNA. In the aftermath of the Ryuu Incident, the Free Ryuu Nation, was founded on Akilor IV, within Federation space, as a home for a group of renegade Ryuu, who defected during the incident under the command of Koko'Tor Relau Chlan, who would also later be granted a commission in Starfleet and Command of the USS Shanghai.
The Ryuu Confederacy
Are the dominant faction, they emerged victorious from the final war of Raisl, the Fokan War and as such forced the exodus of the surviving factions people. Before hunting them down and destroying all but two, the Evacuation ships of the Ryika and the Vwoial, which escaped due to their technological superiorities.
The Ryuu had always been different, their society advocated a strict code of purity in addition with some often brutal religious beliefs, they from the earliest recorded history practiced a form of Genetic cleansing of their population, the Ryuu consider the age of majority to come at 22 years of age up until that point even the slightest of defects in any of the young would result in the ritual sacrifice of said young. Even at the age of 22 the Govas (Ryuu for Infants) could still be sacrificed if they were not selected by a caste, which was done on the basis of a select group of physical traits. Anyone not selected was sacrificed to Jah'Paek, the Ryuu God.
This Caste system separated the Ryuu into eight different classes (or Mayui), each with their own roles and responsibilites within society. Interaction between classes on a social level is extremely taboo in Ryuu society and is punishable by death, which has ensured a gradual genetic streamlining of the 8 classes into sub-species, a process accelerated by the advent of genetic engineering.
- Tek'mah, the leadership or political class, the smallest of all the classes which was tasked with running and organsising Ryuu government and society. Selection for this class meant that an "Mevekan" (Initiate) would have to spend a further 63 years learning their craft before being granted even the most lowly of government positons. It is also considered to be the most important class, but unusually this class comes with the fewest benefits as every Tek'mah lives merely to govern, they live and eat communally and do not earn any salary or privileges, apart from respect.
- Yo'Tan, or the Learned Ones, this class is responsible for teaching all Ryuu, this is similar to the Tek'Mah in that they live in similar cirumstances and they must train for 38 years before beginning to teach. They do however have a more relaxed code about earnings and communal living. Nonetheless, this class is still highly respected and carries relatively few benefits or creature comforts.
- Bashan, the Priestly class, originally deemed to be the most important but as the need for strong leadership has emerged has fallen in stature, despite this the Bashan remain the most respected of the Mayui, their duties are largely ceremonial but entirely religious but in comparison to the other classes they live exceedingly well, living in opulent palaces, each with a "Byeran", cast quantities of luxury goods and other creature comforts.
- Byeran, often interpreted as the class of companions, this consists of the most beautiful, or most skilled telepaths of the Ryuu, they are specifically tasked with looking after the Priestly class and ensuring the general well-being of the lesser classes. These two functions are often interchangeable, the Byeran are also the only class allowed to produce offspring with another class, but only those of the higher strata. The Byeran contains a wide variety of skills, including entertainers, doctors, carers and consorts, all of which are carefully to please the Ryunnn
- Zedarak or the Warrior class, these are trained soldiers and since the days of genetic and mechanic engineering have been the most well invested in class. They have also nearly always been the most populous class, since overtaking the Jiyn in size millenia ago. The Zedarak train in a vast variety of combat skill for 47 years before they are assigned to a Feltakn, they are then provided with constant training to keep them at the very top of their game. They are also the most well cared for, with access to even more luxuries than the Bashan.
- Zedilak are the Sailor class, the classes purpose is to man sailing ships, or as a result of advances in technology, aircraft and starships. They train for less time than the Zedarak but their training features more of an emphasis on technology than that of the Zedarak, it also features Zero-G training.
- Skivgar, or the Creator class, tasked with a mixture of Engineering and Science, the Skivgar are tasked with not just constructing, but designing, planning and researching every Ryuu building or piece of technology. The Skivgar are the most unusual of the Classes, featuring the most genetic differences, including an expanded brain capacity and an extra pair of each limb.
- Jiyn', or the producing class whose function includes the gathering of natural resources and farming. Traditionally the Jiyn would perform this task entirely on their own and were one of the largest classes in the Confederacy, now however they have taken a function more akin to experts and foremen controlling the Shom which has lead to a shrinking of this class in size, if not in importance.
- Shom or the labouring class, over time this has evolved into a slave labour force under the control of the Jiyn. With few genetic or bio-mechanical adaptations the Shom are the closest to traditional Ryunn. They also have few if any social priviledges or luxuries.
Government
Since the Ryuu government is controlled entirely by the Tek'Mah, their system could be described in a number of ways, but certainly not democratic. It is however extremely efficient, members of the Tek'Mah are trained to deal with a particular stream of governance, from which they will never diverge, this training over 63 years merely qualifies them to enter into the ranks of the Junior members, usually employed as clerks or receptionists. To rise up the ranks of the government a Tek'Mah must prove that they are the best in their field and striving for knowledge, it can often be 50 years before a Tek'Mah will reach even the middling branches of government and to reach the highest office, that of Casharit (President) the average time after training is two hundred and fourteen years governmental service at the end of which, you may serve a two year term and then retire, indeed the Tek'Mah are the only class priviledged with the right to retire, but only once they have served for two years as Casharit, meaning that the retirement age population is diminutive, and well cared for by a select group of Byeran.
There are a number of "branches" into which a young Tek'Mah may be placed, these include:
- Military (Zavak) Branch (Responsible for the administration of the Zedarak and Zedilak)
- Judicial (Colos) Branch (Responsible for punishing crime)
- Social Branch (Bas) (Responsible for the control of the class system and the allocation of luxuries and priviledges)
- Religious Branch (Jiertok) (Responsible for oversight of the Ryuu Religion, although this department contains many members of the Bashan)
- Intelligence Branch (Poens) (Responsible for gathering Intelligence, both at home and abroad. The alterations made to members of this branch have lead to suggestions that they form a sub-class within the Tek'Mah)
- Economic Branch (Wualis) (Responsible for ensuring that the labours of the Jiyn and Shon are organised efficiently)
- Education Branch (Delib) (Responsible for training new members of the Tek'Mah)
Military
The Army is entirely in the control of the Zedarak and the Zedilak with oversight and administration being provided by the Zavak Branch of the Ryuu Government. The Zedarak are organised into 600 man "Ijas" or Regiments, each with a collection of assigned Priests and highly equipped. They are highly motivated and extremely aggressive in combat. The Zedarak feature a seniority scheme, wherein the oldest and most experienced man in the Ijas will command it and then command of smaller denominations follows incrementally, much as the Ryuu government does, however the Zedarak at the bottom of the pile have the right to execute any commander who they feel is unfit for duty, unchallenged by the Ijas-Tok (Regiment Leader).
The Zedarak also feature heavy bio-mechanical and genetic enhancements, common genetic enhancements include improved eyesight, hearing, thicker skin, large claws attached to their forearms, increased speed, strength and healing as well as requiring less food than a traditional Ryuu to do the same tasks they can operate at full effectiveness without food or water for twenty days. With the advent of the Borg threat, converted Borg bio-mechanical devices began to be added, including some personal shield devices (to elite units) weapons grafts to various parts of their bodies and occular implants to increase vision. The result is that the Zedarak feature a brutal array of weaponry and improvements which made them formidable enemies, even to the Borg. Indeed the incredible degree of adaptations within the Ryuu species have been suggested as a reason for Borg interest in them, despite their distance from Borg territory.
The Zedilak in comparision are organised as needed onto starships, with a far more communal spirit, there being small crews on all Ryuu vessels due to a mix of telepathic control, robotics and the organic nature of many of their systems. The Zedilak have a similar structure to the Zedarak hierarchically, however the most senior officer aboard is referred to as the "Koko'Tor" or Pilot Leader, as opposed to a normal Pilot, Koko.
Zedilak ships appear highly organic in nature and are often said to resemble the skull of a Ryuu. Indeed the likeness is often apparent to aliens. The interiors of the starships are unusual, there is no gravity aboard, since the Ryuu see it as a waste of energy, there are also no decks, per se. Instead the interiors appear to be a large cavern, with a few segmented off areas, for example, their shuttle or fighter bays are always sealed off from the rest of the ship, as are the Zedarak quarters (which also have gravity) the Shrine (usually located in the dead centre of the vessel) and the Command Centre, from whence the ship is steered. Apart from this, transport around the starship is acheived by moving from "string" to "string". These strings are infact insulated power conduits, which string (hence the name) themselves across the ship like an arachnids web. They feature a strong outer casing to enable them to be used as handholds by the Zedilak. The interiors of the power conduits feature a network of crystals, which conduct electrical impulses which serve to transfer power and data throughout the vessel.
The Zedilak's vessels also do not feature sleeping areas, since they are able to simple latch on to the exterior hull and fall asleep that way, due to a number of their modifications which enable them to move about their vessels efficiently. In terms of augmentation, the Zedilak feature a high level of telepathic communications powers, which enable them to communicate with one-another across even the largest of Zedilak ships without the need for communications devices, it also allows them to interface with the ships primary computer, which is actually an organic lifeform in it's own right, since they breed computers from highly augmented Ryuu DNA.
Zedarak, sub-classes
Whereas in most species militaries specialisations are achieved via training and hard work. Whilst this is also the case in the Confederacy's military, they also take this a step further, genetically and bio-mechanically augmenting specialists to create sub-classes within the Zedarak. As such, the Zedarak features the following sub-classes:
- Zediralak, literally this translates as "sailor-soldiers" this sub-class is the one designed specifically for warfare in space. As such they have been bio-engineered to be able to withstand extreme g-forces and temperatures, be able to hold their breath for extended periods of time and feature many of the agility improvements of the Zedilak, which enable them to manouevre about aboard their starships. They also tend to be somewhat smaller than most Zedarak, to save space and enable them to better utilise small spaces such as Jeffries tubes. Whilst not able to survive indefinitely in a vacuum, the Zedilarak's bio-mechanical and genetic upgrades enable them to survive in a vacumm for several minutes and emerge the other side combat capable.
- Zedarunak, which translates roughly as "Soldier defenders" are tasked with defensive operations and function as the garrison forces for Ryuu worlds and bascially any installation which isn't better guarded by the Zediralak. This class features the fewest adaptations from normal, with the exception that it's recruits are either the largest or, those slightly too tall for the Zedilarak. The Zedarunak features a further two sub-classes to fill two roles:
- Zedarunalik, who form the scouting element of the Zedarunak, these Zedarak feature a number of enhancements which predispose them to stealth, including skin which is able to mimic it's environment, heightened vision and hearing, telepathic communications and short stature, whilst not as small as that of the Zediralak, they are still diminutive in comparison to the Zedarunurk
- Zerdarunurk, are the largest and most powerful soldiers in the Zedarak. That is pretty much all the specialisation they require, apart from environment mimicking skin, as their basic role is closest akin to that of a Fire Support Marine. Mounting an extreme level of heavy weapons they are capable of putting out a heavy level of fire, from premade defensive positions. They are extremely difficult to defeat or to avoid, since their leaders are adept in deploying them effectively with interlocking arcs of fire and having layers of defence.
- Zedarijak, these Ryuu are known as shock troopers. This small group of elite Ryuu has only two roles, to guard members of the Tor, when they leave the Ryuu homeworld of Ryussa and and to invade planets which are desired by the Ryuu. They feature heavy levels of adaptation, featuring increased speed, strength and agility as well as phaser and disrupter resistant, environment mimicking skin and telepathic communications. The Zedarijak also feature high resistance to disease and radiation and require very little food or sleep to operate at maximum efficiency, indeed during a month of hard fighting they require just 200 calories and 20 minutes sleep a day.
Further information on Ryuu Starships can be found here
Territory
The Confederacy is relatively small compared to the Federation, encompassing around 100 worlds, however it features a much higher population and population density due to the fact that most types of planet and asteroid are inhabitable by the Ryuu, with a little genetic and bio-mechanical engineering of course.
Justice System
The Confederacy's Justice System, according to reports is extremely flawed and controlled by those in power in the quadrant. The Ryuu operate on a "total" justice system, in which the offender is given one chance to explain their case, and then, if the judge is paid well enough either way, they are either not guilty or guilty. Guilty is the often verdict, with about 90% of offenders put to death.