Collective of Civilised Species

The Collective of Civilised Species, often (and in formal conversation) simply as the Collective, is a collection of various races absorbed by the Triarii, an intelligent but physically frail race. While inherently a scientific race which prefers logical solutions, they may become rash when they see no other course of action. When slighted, they will often plan and execute their revenge (Which may not be short term, as they are known to play the long game)

The Collective is noted to have some of the most advanced technology available as well as the ability to develop technology at very fast rates. Their technology sometimes advances at such rates their own industry can't keep up with the changing demand. It is estimated that by the time one of the massive manufactorums on the forge worlds is complete, several upgrades are required for it.

Pre-Records
No information available

The Birth of the Collective; The Hara-ka Triarii War and the Union of the species


From the Triarian city states arose the acts of collectivisation, beginning the short lived United Triarian Collective. This new nation began its exploration into the stars with a bloody chapter. Their first contact, the Hara-Ka, was a warlike race. They had already reached the nuclear age, only to bomb themselves back to a primitive status, painstakingly claw their way back up and appeared to have learnt nothing from the experience. At this time, true laser weaponry was in its infancy inside the UTC and the Hara-Ka tribes were similarly equipped to the Triarii. A land based invasion of the Hara-Ka's homeworld proved futile, the gravity was several times that of Triarius and the Triarii themselves could simply not be effective within it. As such, they began a campaign of orbital bombardment and, after three months of continuous systematic bombing, the Hara-Ka finally conceaded defeat and were annexed. As a name, UTC was decided to no longer be relevant, and was changed to the United Collective

Expansion: Ziatri ascension into the Collective, the Twilight Flame and the 'Great Agreement'


The Ziatri were the first nation to join the Collective willingly (Though some scholars argue they joined to avoid invasion and oppression rather than out of genuine feelings at the time). The unusually long four centuries of peace between the Collective and the Ziatri was a necessary part of this process, and it's argued that the Collective, weak at the time, was concerned about invading due to reports about the deeper area's of the Ziatri swamp worlds being extremely inhospitable. None the less, the Ziatri elders eventually united their race with the Collective and took up seats as Primicerii, assisting in command of the growing Empire. It was at this point that the gift of the Twilight Flame was bestowed upon the Collective by the Ziatri Elders. The Twilight Flame is the name of a type of crystal, mined from within the deepest swamps of the Ziatri homeworld. Possessing the ability to act as a relay for psionic energy, the most important usage of this device has been to allow the projection of the Triarii (and any other psionic capable being, given the right equipment and training) in the form of an energy being, known as a "mimic". The Corruptelae Insectum first met with the Collective when an exploration team arrived. Although the first contact was filled with fighting, the Corruptelae Insectum Empress, the dominant Queen, made an agreement with the Primicerii of the Collective. The Corruptelae Insectum would become a client race of the Collective and would give members of it's worker caste to the Collective for military service, and in return the Collective would grant the Corruptelae Insectum access to it's space ways and would assist in propagating their species to various worlds.

The dark times: The Sector Black 4 Resonance Cascade and the subjugation of the Aru'Shumi


The Resonance Cascade in Sector Black 4, often times referred to as the "Sector Black 4 Incident", was a disasterous event that resulted in several (presumed) billion deaths and the (presumed) destruction of a planet. During a standard test of a new generator, an entire planet disappeared into nothingness. The outer colony world and everything on it was consumed by a disastrous explosion from an experimental generator and transferred into heat energy or torn apart by rifts and scattered across the void. Since the Incident, Collective law mandates that most research be done aboard dedicated research stations or research planets. The theoretical dark energy had not just been proven to exist, but proven to have insane properties. This would overtime become the standard for Collective energy production. The Aru'Shumi were found during the expansion into Sector White 1. After a bloody invasion the Aru'Shumi Emperor surrendered to the Collective might, decreeing that all the honour in the world could not save the from destruction. After 200 years of classless occupation, the Aru'Shumi monarchy was restored and permitted to take part in the decisions of the Primicerii, elevating Aru'Shumi from occupied status to client race. The name is changed to the "Collective of Civilised Species" by the Primicerii.

As luck would have it: An accident, human expansion and discovery by the Collective


An accident with hyperspace technology on Earth resulted in a displacement of a Human colonist ship to Andromeda. From here they restarted their society, struggling with their lack of resources which would have of course been delivered from the other human worlds. Regardless, through perseverance they were able to establish themselves and set up a functioning society. Obviously, this struggle had meant they hadn't focussed so much on technological achievement as just surviving and rebuilding. After hundreds of years, the stranded humans had established a chain of several planets, with a small fleet. Their weaponry was not far removed from the 21st century however. Corvette from the Collective encountered a human colony world. A curbstomp war began in which the forces of the new human nation was destroyed. They put up a courageous fight but were inevitably crushed. The occupation had begun; Police and military forces were quickly absorbed into their successors and used to maintain order while propaganda and educational techniques slowly began to drill in the ideals of the Collective.

Structure
Their society is based around a utopian socialist ideal, all individuals strive for the advancement of the Collective as a whole. As the good of the species is placed before the good of the individual, this can result in actions that seem morally wrong to external species, such as eugenics, cloning and genetic manipulation. Their government is arranged by merit, the most intelligent and highest individuals lead the race while the least intelligent and lowest achieving individuals reside at the bottom. It is arranged into several castes

Collective caste system (Non-Expanded)

Caste 1: Primicerius: The leader caste, they are tasked with ensuring the Collective runs efficently. They are usually very, very intelligent and distinguished. This includes the top member of the Argutus, Equitem and Civilis Protectione

Caste 2: Argutus: The scientists of the Collective, they are in the second to top class and are highly intelligent. While technically, they can order around members of the Equitem, Argutus members often obey Equitem requests out of respect for the Caste and it's duty.

Caste 3: Equitem: These are the soldiers of the Collective. They defend the Collective from alien threats with zeal. The Equitem controls the Space Navy, the planetary defense grid and the ground forces

Caste 4: Civilis Protectione: The police caste, they have the ability to order around any member of the lower castes as well as authorise on the spot judgement.

Caste 5: Higher Kyn: The higher achieving and more intelligent people of the society, these involve any who have got higher level jobs such as doctors

Caste 6: Kyn: The average achieving and intelligent people of the society, these involve any who have got medium level jobs, such as work force overseers and managers

Caste 7: Lower Kyn: The lowest achieving and intelligent people of the society, these involve any who have got low level jobs such as mechanics and builders

Caste -: Infandus: These are former members who are exiled/. They include traitors, Murders and any other criminal who is exiled instead of under going repurposing (Repurposing is the name given to brainwashing. All trace of the former personality is destroyed effectively leaving a 'clean canvas' to re-educate the individual, Genetic Repurposing refers to complete changes of the individual into a synthetic fighting unit for the Empire). An Infandus is attacked on sight, they are obvious because they have been branded with the mark of shame on their head.

Each caste is split into sub-castes (For instance the Argutus have a sub-caste called Munitor, who construct the Argutus inventions) and there are often considered to be other castes between some of them, though the one above is the one that other species recognise, as the massive number of intertwining branchs of the structure are not required for most diplomatic activities.

Current member races
Triarii: The dominant species and founders of the Collective, they stand at an average 5'6. They are highly intelligent and have a remarkably low reproduction rate (While this is partly due to cultural influences. Multiple births are fairly rare with Triarii, the largest number of live births on record being 4. There are 3 of these incidents on records.) Even before birth, the Triarii have a chip inserted into their mind which increases their already high IQ and enhances their inborn 'Psionic' or 'Psychic' powers. Even without this chip, however, they are still strong psionics and it is theorised that early Triarian populations used this to help construct their buildings and technology. They somewhat resemble the Greys. A healthy Triarian will have large, glossy black eyes which will grow orange if they are using a lot of energy in their psionic powers. This eye has a thin, dull orange iris towards it outer edges, which closes along with the eye lids and plays a major part in Triarian Psionics. They have absolutely no capacity for magic; and in term it seems they are resistant to magical energies to some degree. Whether this is something to do with their unique biology is unknown. Their bodies do not have 'excesses' resulting from evolution as one might expect; Indeed, their bodies appear to be designed rather than the product of natural evolution. It is almost as if they were designed as an organic amplifier and indeed, their strange design plays a very important role in their powerful psionic ability. They have a rather frail physical form which makes them poor in close combat, or combat in general when compared to the counter parts of other races. They managed to close this gap somewhat through their advanced technology, but it is still very obvious. They rely on other, absorbed races to help with the combat generally, while they themselves serve as commanders.

Hara-Ka: The Hara-Ka are a large, bipedal, giant ape-like species. They are of simian origin and have been said to resemble large gorillas, but there are other qualities not shared by most other simians, such as their large, predator canines. They have thick skin, and are covered with matted, black, tan, or brown fur-like hair. This is often shaved off before military service as a sign of being civilized. Their large, stocky appearance is due to the insanely high gravity on their planet, high enough to incapacitate some species entirely (And kill too; Without the usage of adaptation suits, the invading Triarii would have been killed due to their extremely weak form). They are physically powerful as a result and aggressive. They are not as intelligent as the average human, but they are by no means stupid. They were intelligent enough to reach the nuclear age twice and produce primitive space craft.

Ziatri: The Ziatri are a reptile species hailing from a dull swamp world with but a few other environments (which are mostly jungle). They have a unique structure which allows them to camouflage themselves however they are also able to alter their form slightly. Through advanced technology, Ziatri entering military service are augmented so that they may assume other forms entirely, within a few feet of their own height. They also produce poison in their glands and are extremely agile, able to jump and climb up walls with ease. Due to the hostility of their world, the general paranoia of the collective and the Ziatri's secretive nature, their culture and how they govern themselves isn't entirely known.

Corruptelae Insectum: Having no native name, they were given a name in the tongue of the Triarii. They are unique among the official 'Member Races' of the Collective in that many of them are mindless drones. Corruptelae Insectum are inevitably slaved to their queens mind. When removed from the influence of a Queen or other such important Hive figure, they often revert to basic, animal like instincts and sometimes go on rampages. Without the influence of a hive figure, one will over time undergo metamorphosis and transform into a Queen to start a new hive. It is unknown whether the Corruptelae Insectum 'drones' actually have a capability for autonomy and freedom when away from the hive for long enough, as almost all specimens will eventually transform into a Queen or will simply be uncooperative. The Collective has decided that research into the area would be unnecessary, costly and have little payoff. The most common form of Corruptelae Insectum is essentially a massive insect with 4 legs and two arms. It has sharp claws and pincers which are venomous, and is very deadly in close combat. They are capable of reproduction, via eggs in an insect like caste structure. These eggs can be placed by the Queen, but members of the warrior caste of the hive are also able to place small eggs within any female of sufficient mass and with the correct biology to support it. They are required to use females as the egg is implanted into the womb, where it quickly forms and is supplied by the females body as though the parasitic insect is actually her child. The new born is ready extremely quickly and after just three hours will claw it's way out of the infected female, usually killing her in the process.

Aru'Shumi: The Aru'Shumi evolved from avian creatures. The most common form is a 5'11 alien with their avian ancestry giving them a bird-like beak and long quills protruding from their heads like hair. Smaller quills, possibly the evolutionary remnants of feathers, can be found scattered over their bodies. Maybe the most prominent feature of the Aru'Shumi is that they evolve in two ways. The primary manner is the standard reproductive means, but they can evolve in a secondary manner by selecting traits of their defeated foes to absorb through eating them. Due to this, the inhabitants of different Aru'Shumi planets can be very diverse and the Aru'Shumi cannot be properly described in any one way. They have a very strict structure of honour. While they do not have a god they believe in the 'Warrior Spirit'. They believe that when a warrior of any race dies, his warrior spirit should be kept, and the only way to do this is by reusing his flesh, sometimes by eating it and sometimes by turning it into clothing. With the arrival of the Triarii, the Collective has exploited this through the use of body recycling, the Aru'Shumi heavily in support of this idea. The idea of the 'Warrior Spirit' was retained as part of their culture, albeit 'Warrior Spirit' now being called a new name and slightly altered teaching provided by the Collective, 'Warrior Genes'. This sort of combination of culture is far from rare within the Collective. Their leader is the Emperor of the Aru'Shumi, who is now a member of the Primicerii Xenos, and the Aru'Shumi are now officially a client race of the Collective. The majority of the Aru'Shumi surrendered to the Collective upon the Emperors orders, as disobeying the orders of a superior is seen as even more dishonourable than surrendering. Despite this, there was some resistance upon several planets, which was quickly put down by the Collective Due to their bird like ancestry, they have keen eyes and excel at sharpshooting because of this.

Human: The Newest Addition to the Collective, these humans were a second set of refugee's from Earth who encountered and were absorbed into the Collective. In informal conversation, many institutions are still referred to by their original names, and it is mostly in documents or official orders the newer names appear. The species has generally split since their recent absorption, though the few who are brave enough to take up arms against the Collective are outmatched and outnumbered by the Collectives occupying war machine. Having all standard features of human biology, they have fallen into the category of species within the Collective who lack any special traits; They are not the intellectual equals of the Triarii, the Physical Equals of the Hara-Ka, they are not agile and fast as the Aru'Shumi, they lack the special shape shifting abilities of the Ziatri and are not effective as a terror weapon or body wave attacks like the Corruptelae Insectum.

''Other various species exist, however they are not counted among the official members. These species are generally considered non-sentient''

Military Forces
Collective Military forces use highly advanced equipment and often deploy en masse, making them extremely deadly. The minds of a large amount of there forces have been 'programmed' with combat tactics and skills and thus they are extremely deadly opponents. For land forces, the Collective Equitem does not, so to speak, have soldiers and vehicles in their land force. Instead they have a wide selection of specialised Genetic and Mechanical constructs, or Synths and Mechs. They are then coordinated by Command Units, which are usually the only Triarii one will see on the ground baring very special circumstances

Military Forces, Synths
The process to create many of these designs is so extreme one might wonder if ethics is a word that even exists within the Collective. Entire new creatures have been created in a never ending attempt to create an adaptable and powerful military force, beings melted down and their biological mass fed into machines designed for the construction of a synthetic army.

Servitor: This basic synth has generally maintained orientated augments and implants, and it's main purpose is simply to service other Synths and mechs. It is not a frontline combat unit as a result. It's implants and augments and their purpose can vary based on their designated position

Hunter: A 8ft tripodal synth, it's official designation is Anti-Body. It's legs end with extremely sharp barbs making it a more than capable close combat unit as it can use it's body to knock down opponents and then impale them, often taking out part of their insides with the barbs. It has a pair of retractable spikes that are also able to be used during a charge, though they are less deadly than the barbed legs they shouldn't be underestimated. It has a flechette launch which can fire in large bursts, short bursts or single shot. If they are going to die, sometimes they will fire as many rounds as they can in a shotgun like fashion to try and take their target with them. These flechettes have two prongs on the end which allow them to embed in their targets, they explode shortly after a growing noise indicating the flechette is 'charging'. The explosion showers nearby targets and is extremely deadly. They are known for being quick and agile, they are fairly resistant to damage, but not on the same scale as other, heavier units.

Dropship: This crablike synth carries metal pods that the units wait in while they are taken down to the ground, or carries entire units for larger units such as the Marcher. The front and two rearmost pairs of "legs" on the craft contain engines that give the Dropship lift and movement. The front two legs also hold retractable wings used for maneuvering. The middle four legs end in large suction pads which are used to carry various forms of cargo. The Container is a large, streamlined container used to transport Equitem units or Civilis Protectione units. It is used in conjunction with a Dropship, which picks it up and carries it wherever it is needed. While the dropship is unarmed, these containers are equipped with a powerful heavy plasma machine gun turret mounted on the front of the container, designed to provide suppressing fire for the troops as they disembark.

Marcher: A towering 25ft tripod, which bears the official designation of Viscerator. It is armed with a Plasma Auto cannon and with a Warp Cannon. It's legs have spikes at the bottom which allow it to stomp on anything which gets too close to it. Chitinous plates reinforced with heavy metal alloys to make it a durable and effective soldier.

Megarachnid (Corruptelae Insectum Auctum): A insect like synth with 4 legs, it's formal designation is Virome. It has extremely sharp claws and pincers which are venomous, and is very deadly in close combat. The only synth capable of reproduction, via eggs in an insect like caste structure identical to it's non-augmented brothers, the Equitem sometimes release a small group of megarachnids into the underground of an empires planet. Because of their fast reproduction rate, they will have infested the planet within a short time, the Equitem then comes in and uses the megarachnids to capture the planet. Generally, they know only to kill, reproduce and follow directives. it's chitin provides protection, but it is less durable than the other synths

Gunship: A flying synth which measure 20ft from nose to tail. It's formal designation is Nebuliser. It is armed with a heavy plasma machine gun which fires in large bursts and a deadly Warp Cannon. It is very agile in the air and has proven useful in both providing support for ground units and fighting other aircraft. Light but strong metal alloys are combined with strong chitin to provide a strong armor for the gunship.

Crab Synth: The Crab Synth has many spiked protrusions and various mechanical systems on its front and rear. It can charge at targets to do large amounts of impact damage due to it's size, crushing bones and damaging targets as it does. It is equipped with a plasma autocannom which is stored under its belly when not in use, hidden behind a plate.

Mortar Synth: The Mortar Synth consists of a fleshy, triangular body with a mortar located on its back. Its front end features many spiked protrusions and various mechanical systems. Hovering low above the ground, it uses its mortar to hit far away targets, blowing up enemies before they can get close to the main forces. It acts as a sort of support unit, softening up enemy targets or suppressing them while the main force moves into position

Synth Soldier (Hara-Ka Auctum): A 8ft Synth which has more in common with an augmented ape than the other synths. It's formal designation is Causteriser. Like most other synths, it is incapable of reproduction so it's numbers are kept up through cloning and growing of the base species followed by Augmentation once the creature reaches the adolescent stage. With metal implanted into the skin, an increase in the density and mass of their already impressive muscles and the grafting of their nerves to increase reaction times, they are very aggressive, strong and durable. It has another variant, the Aerial Synth Soldier who has had his legs removed and had cybernetics and anti-gravity pads fused into his flesh and back. These are strong, quick moving combatants who serve as fast attack units and can traverse heights quickly. They are also equipped with a more conventional flight equipment piece for a boost. The energy from this is supplied from the equipment of the Aerial Synth Soldier, though it is also able to turn waste products that would usually become excrement into fuel, as well as draw from energy transfers within the altered Hara-Ka's body.

Synth Soldier (Human Auctum): A 6'6ft Synth that is made from a Human. It's formal designation is Causteriser. Like most other synths it is incapable of reproduction so it's numbers are kept up through cloning and growing of the base species followed by Augmentation once the human reaches the adolescent stage. They are not as strong or as durable as their Hara-Ka counter parts, but they are more intelligent. Regardless, they are fewer in number as they are not considered to be as effective. They're usage along side Civilis Protectione Xenos members in enforcing the occupation of the humans has earned them the name "The Overwatch", though this is a misnomer that stuck after citizens overheard information from the Comm Chatter

Synth Infiltrator (Umbrae Populus Auctum): This Synth is the infiltrator of the Triarian Collective. Able to 'shape shift' it is able to infiltrate other species. It is a quick learning alien and is thus capable of picking up languages and customs, as well as creating clevar cover stories for themselves. Regardless of form, they are highly flexible and can jump approximately 16 meters into the air, which they often use to get atop buildings, and also survive very long falls. They are able to spit a poison which is produced in glands in their mouth and their ability to shape shift makes them highly durable if they have enough energy to shift form to heal their wounds.

Synth Sharpshooter (Aru'Shumi Carnivorus Auctum): The Synth sharpshooter is a heavily augmented Aru'Shumi carnivores. It's natural features, when augmented, make it extremely accurate, their birdlike eyes perfect for sharpshooting. On top of this, they are fairly quick and strong, although not to the level of many other synths. They are usually armed with the Beam Rifles, making them extremely deadly and they fill the role of designated marksman. Like the other Aru'Shumi synths, they are very lightly armoured

Synth Skirmisher (Aru'Shumi Celeri Auctum): The Synth Skirmisher is a heavily augmented Aru'Shumi Runner. It's natural features, when augmented, make it excellent for a fast attack unit, being quick and agile. They would be armed with a light plasma rifles as they dash around their enemies, leaping to heights and scouting out terrain. They fill the role of a scout and, along with the hunter, fast attack unit

Synth Guardian (Aru'Shumi Carnivorus Auctum): The Synth Guardian is a heavily augmented Aru'Shumi Carnivore. It is the strongest of the three Aru'Shumi Synths and they are equipped with a plasma pistol and a point defense gauntlet, which is a wrist mounted directional shield, large enough for them to hide behind. They are used for holding positions, creating phalanxes with their point defense gauntlets, and are often used to support Stalkers, guarding them from flanking enemies so that the Stalkers can snipe

Synth Marauder: The Synth Marauders are generally used as a vicious attack unit, taking a lot of punishment and wreaking havoc amongst the enemy. Standing much higher than the usual Synth Soldier, they are stronger, faster and more durable. They have adaptive bone marrow and other such durability implants to make them recover faster, and are much more imposing. Furthermore, they have in built weaponry and they have additional sensory organs which appear like fine spikes, allowing them to detect movement

Military Forces, Mechs
Collective AI technology of varying strengths incorporated into robotic forces, these units perform their tasks with the precision only a machine could achieve. Fabricated in massive manufactorums by machines and construction beams, these mech forces make up a formidable armoured backbone to the already formidable Equitem forces

Collective Sentry Turret: A turret which is either portable and set up on the floor by ground units or attached into walls, ceilings or floors in more permanent bases. They are referred to as Sterilisers and rapid fire Dark Energy at their enemies, depending on model and thus the security level of the zone. They can be used to lock down zones quickly but are immobile and reliant on other units for deployment and retrieval

Walker: A 12 ft, bipedal mech, formally referred to as a Hemostat. It is very durable and well armed, along with the Soldiers they make up the bulk of Triarian mech forces. It's right arm ends in one of several weapons, varying by mech. These are either a heavy plasma machine gun or a light plasma machine gun. On it's shoulders are mounted fuel rod cannons and it's left arm ends in a three fingered hand.

Mech Soldier: A 6' Bipedal mech, formally referred to as a Stabiliser, they are often seen setting up floor turrets or entering buildings because other mechs are too large. They serve the role of general infantry, similar to the soldiers of other species, hence the informal name. Along with the Walkers, they make up the bulk of the Mech forces. The soldiers do not have any built in weapons and use the same range of weaponry used by Synth Soldiers

Scanner: A small, flying mech, they are formally known as Diagnosers. They are rather easy to destroy, their purpose being to recon area's, to search for hiding targets or as spotters. There are two variants, the Equitem variant, which is armed with a small laser attack beam that is weak but deadly to unarmored targets and the Civilis Protectione variant (Which is not called Diagnoser, but merely Scanner), which lacks the laser and serves more as a flying security camera or serves to follow criminals so they aren't lost than as a actual unit.

Stalker: A human sized, bipedal mech, they are formally known as Scalpels. They have advanced targeting optics and are equipped with a grappling hook and a Anti-Matter Sniper Rifle. They are snipers who are often grouped with scanners to serve as spotters. They carry a plasma Pistol as a side arm but rarely use it, usually preferring to run than to fight.

Phase Assault Platform: The Phase Assault Platform, sometimes refereed to as Phase Tanks are a half-saucer shaped craft with a single warp cannon mounted on the it's underside, and dual heavy plasma machine guns on each of it's 'wings'. On the top of the tank is what appears to be a lone optical sensor built into the vehicle's "head". Phase Assault Platforms are able to traverse almost any terrain and cross deep water with no difficulties as they are hovering. Phase Assault Platforms are equipped with a phasing generator which leaves them in a sort of limbo, half in this dimension making them appear almost like ghosts. This allows them to pass through solid objects (such as structures and even the ground) and rendering them immune to any sort of damage while the Phasing generator is active. They cannot, however, attack in any way. The Phasing Generator can remain active for periods of up to thirty minutes. The Phasing Generator takes a thirty seconds to activate, so it cannot be used to phase in and out to avoid enemy fire. The Phase Assault Platform is also able to hover up off the ground to reach high places, and it can rotate its 'wings' to enable it to act as an fighter air craft, soaring across the skies to assist in air combat.

Reaper Drone: The Reaper Drone, formally known as 'Collector' is a mech that is essentially a mobile teleporter for breaking down materials (organic or not) and teleporting them to supply ships or assembly walkers. Each Reaper Drone possesses advanced artificial intelligence that allows it to distinguish between different materials and collect them in a prioritised order based on how easy they are to break down, how much of each resource is required etc. The Reaper Drone's teleporation beam works by breaking down an object and teleporting it away over short distances. They have a Heavy Plasma Machine Gun to help defend them, but often they simply use their beam to break down and teleport any enemies who attempt to attack them.

Defiler: Defilers appear as extremely spindly tripods consisting of a thin, cylinder-like body and a much larger crescent-shaped head attached to it. At the base of the Defiler's head is a glowing orb from which the Defiler projects it's irradiated beam, which is designed so that it will burn through inorganic material but not affect organic material, which it will mutate into a slave for the Collective. Attached to the crescent is a horseshoe-shaped structure ending in silver nozzles. These nozzles can release the mutagenic radiation into the surrounding environment, corrupting and mutating organics. The mutagen actually contains nano bots which prevent it from attacking Collective forces

Military Forces, Space
All Collective ships (Except for Drone fighters, which detonate upon taking significant damage) are fitted with a self destruct device which triggers upon the death of every crew member on board. This can also be triggered by a command from the commanding officer of the ship, and the AI does take into account field promotions when receiving this command. Collective ships bury their bridges deep within their bowels, surrounded by manufactorums, security positions and reactors. The idea is that to damage the bridge and the reactor, one has to destroy not just the ships armour but almost it's interior. This means that the ships can continue to provide at least some function even when heavily damaged.

Drone: A Drone is a fighter/bomber space craft designed to engage the enemy in space, though it can provide assistance in atmosphere as well. It's formal designation is merely Drone. It is fast, agile and dangerous in swarms and is program with advanced flight patterns and tactic analysis which allow the drone to 'learn' from it's enemies tactics. It is classified as a Mech unit under the Equitem Unit Classification Index

Onus Class Cargo Vessel: This is a cargo ship with only very minor weaponry and weak shields. It's purpose is merely to transport goods from A to B.

Velites Class Corvette: A small and very fast ship capable of combat with smaller enemy vessels. It's mainly used as a patrol vessel, but is occasionally used in battles to finish off injured ships or pursue any who are retreating while the main fleet continues the main battle. This ship has capable shields and capable defences for fending off smaller encounters, though is not a mainline combat vessel

Venator Class Frigate: This ship is capable of putting up more of a fight against larger ships than the Corvette. Frigates serve a role similar to the Corvette's overall, but are more frequently used in larger battles than the patrol orientated Corvettes

Indespectus Class Prowler: A unique class of ship that incorporates cloaking technology by utilizing several different means, including active camouflage that bends light around the ship in order to render it invisible to the eye and Stealth Ablative Coating which is black in color and serves to refract most basic sensors, making the ship invisible to radar and other minor sensors, similar to the way Active camouflage cloaks something from eyesight. The coating must be maintained perfectly or it will return radar signals. This necessitates constant maintenance on the entire coating, which is done after every mission the ship goes on. This only works on minor and some moderate level sensors, making it good mostly for avoiding the eyes of pirates or sneaking through low security sectors and past small patrols, as higher security sectors and enemy warships are likely to use more advanced sensors. It has Counter-electronic systems as well. Weaponry wise, it carries weaponry on par with a Velites class Corvette, save for a miniature version of the Energy Projector that would not be able to generate enough power to glass a planet or even destroy enemy mainline ships but is powerful enough to cut through weaker ships. It is used mostly be Spectre and Ghost during their operations in order to travel unseen around space.

Hastati Class Cruiser: The main Cruiser used by the Collective. Like many smaller Collective ships, it is a fast and agile ship, though not to the extent of the Corvette or the Frigate. It's main purpose serves more as an actual frontline ship than as the Corvette and Frigates support roles.

Princeps Class Destroyer: One of the mainline ships used by the Collective. Although slower than the classes preceding it, it has heavier armour, better shielding and superior firepower. It is designed to engage enemy ships on the battlefield alongside the larger capital ships.

Evocatus Class Battleship: The Evocatus Battleship is very dangerous and strong. It is known to take extraordinary amounts of punishment while still dishing out damage to it's foes with it's dangerous plasma weaponry. It is one of the slowest vessels, with this mobility being sacrificed for even more powerful weaponry and stronger durability. While it does carry some Synths and Mechs (Though with a sizeable drone force), it's forces are more of a security and boarding detail. This is the first vessel with one of the Collectives most deadly space weapon appears; The energy projector. The energy project is an intensly hot and powerful beam of energy, capable of burning straight through a variety of materials and heating up a planets ground to the point it fuses together in a glass like construct. While such planets can be restored, it is unlikely to be done without the use of advanced terraforming. Using this beam in such a way will destroy most life within miles around, this is even more pronounced as the ships often fly across a whole continent, burning these scorched lines into it. These scars are often visible from orbit, and a popular urban legend says that a Fleet Master once had a message burned into a planet using this weapon. While there is no known record of this happening, it remains as a popular circulation and has spread from out of the Collective and into galactic society. Like most Urban Legends, while it may seem legitimate at first glance it falls apart upon closer inspection.

Aquilifer Class Carrier: This massive ship is about 30 KM long, however most of this is storage space so it is able to many synth and mech forces as well as drones. It is able to repair smaller ships as well. It's shields are strong enough to take a number of ships but it is rather lightly armed, with the exception of it's energy projector. As such, it is usually protected by the other ships in the fleet while it deploys it's drones or drops it's forces onto the planet. These ships are often pivotal in invasions as they carry the majority of forces.

Praetorian Class Ship of the Line: One of these is the flagship of any given fleet. Except for the Invictus and Aethereus class, these ships are the strongest and most deadly available to the Collective. There are usually a few in the fleet, although the flagship will have considerable improvements over the standard ones, usually in the form of better weaponry and shields, though flagships being larger and carrying more forces is not unheard of. Since they sport two energy projectors, it is advised that captains do not keep their ships close together, lest multiple ships get attacked at once by the beam. These ships are deadly foes.

Invictus Class Super Carrier: A massive flagship, it has massive firepower and extreme durability as well as being able to carry a massive amount of ground and air forces. This ship is a massive 50 KM long and as such cumbersome. While this ship is a force to be reckoned with, it is similar to the the Aethereus in that it's usage rarely involve it going into actual combat due to it's value, indeed, it's large on board foundries make it perfect as a mobile construction and repair center. Each of the Overlords has one of these, with the Supreme Overlord commanding from the Aethereus Super Ship. They have four energy projectors and Overlords are not known for their hesitance to use them against opposition should it appear

Aethereus Class Super Ship: The largest Collective ship at over 90 KM long. Unlike the other Collective vessels which are highly manuverable, the Aethereus class is a very slow, hulking ship. It is only used by Supreme Overlords. It serves more as a symbol of prestige and a deterrent for war than an actual war vessel, as the Supreme Overlord prefers to stay a safe distance away from the actual war zone due to both the ships and his own high value. It has eight energy projectors and this means the Aethereus class is usually able to engage and sometimes outright destroy multiple enemy ships at once when they are charged, which doesn't take to long considering the advanced Dark Energy reactors used. Like the Invictis Class, it is almost always performing non-combat functions as opposed to entering actual combat.

Military Forces, Command
An army is useless without a commander. The command structure is split into several sections; Ground, Naval and Defence. The Ground section is adapt at leading assaults on any planets, the Defence section is operating planetary defence grids and the Naval section excels at leading space engagements, as one might guess from the naming

Ground Officer: The lowest rank of Command Units, they are by no means incapable of ground command and all have, at the very least, a sound grasp of military stratergy. They are typically in command of an attack in the field.

Naval Officer: The lowest rank of Command Units, they are generally used in monitoring the many stations of a naval vessel. They are typically acting as a bridge officer, subservient to the commander of the ship.

Defense Officer: The lowest rank of Command Units, they are still capable of commanding a defence section effectively. They are typically in command of a section of the defence force.

Ground Overseer: The second rank of Command units, they are typically in command of ground operations in a Sector.

Shipmaster: The second rank of Command units, they are typically in command of a single vessel.

Defense Overseer: The second rank of Command units, they are typically in command of all defenses in a sector.

Ground High Overseer: The third rank of command units, they would be incharge of ground operations on a Planet

Naval Overseer: The third rank of command units, they would be incharge of a section of the fleet

Defense High Overseer: The third rank of command units, they would be incharge of ground operations on a Planet

Field Master: The fourth rank of command unit, they would be incharge of ground operations in a Star System

Fleet Master: The fourth rank of command unit, they would be incharge of an entire naval fleet

Defence Master: The fourth rank of command unit, they would be incharge of all defence for a Star System

Overlord: The Fifth rank of command units, they would be incharge of all Equitem operations in a galactic quadrant. Unlike all the ranks preceeding it, and like Supreme overlord, they are not part of a section, but are instead classified as the High Command

Supreme Overlord: The highest rank in the military, they are incharge of all Equitem Operations in a Galaxy. Unlike all the ranks preceeding it save for Overlord, they are not part of a section, but are instead classified as the High Command

Military Forces, Elite
Massive armies cannot replicate the success of small and elite forces at certain tasks, especially those dealing with discretion...

Spectre: Spectre units are Elite forces, highly trained and skilled. They are recognisable by their distinct black armour and handle special operations. They are known to only take orders from Overlords and above. Information on them is limited, but it consists mainly of Spectre Synth soldiers, who are further augmented and trained over the standard and elite Synth soldiers, and Spectre Commanders, Elite Triarii who are very skilled in using their psionic powers and are fairly effective in combat considering their frail form. Spectre units are given advanced equipment and use it with deadly efficiency

Military Forces, Other
The category for those that don't fit in elsewhere for whatever reason

Civilis Protectione: While they are technically their own caste, the Civilis Protectione units will fight against invaders should a planet be attacked. They have three sections, Ghost, the Civilis Protectione it's self and the Civilis Protectione Xenos. The Civilis Protectione Xenos are composed of unaltered members of the species conquered planet who have joined the Collective. While these members may be brainwashed if they were formed in a high unrest planet following a hostile take over, they are generally not altered. They sometimes use plasma pistols, but generally they use electroshock batons and laser pistols in order to minimse collateral damage, particularly when unrest is high. Higher ranked units may be given light plasma rifles or other such equipment, though it is mostly ceremonial and they are not expected to use them without due consideration. The standard Civilis Protectione is the police force of Triarii who maintain order. They are known to use Electroshock batons and plasma pistols, though higher ranks may again use light plasma rifles. Finally, Ghost is the Civilis Protectione equivalent of Spectre. The difference is while Spectre is a military special operations force, Ghost is more a SWAT force meet Detectives. Civilis Protectione are obviously less dangerous than Equitem and their resistance generally serves as little more than a minor inconvenience against any organised invader as they are a police force rather than a military. They are NOT "Officers", as some occupied humans have labelled them. They are "Units", with Officer being a rank within the structure. Civilis Protectione has its own ranking system that parallels but is not identical to that of the Equitem.

Conscripts/Loyalists: Civilians given minor arms and sent into battle for whatever reason. Conscripts are extremely rare, only called up when there is no other option. Loyalists is the term used for pro-government conscripts during civil wars or full scale uprisings, and as such the term has never actually been used correctly, and is often used simply to refer to those who are Pro-Collective instead.

APC: A vehicle in service to the Civilis Protectione. It is used for transports and patrols, and sports a mounted plasma turret. It is based off of designs of vehicle used by the Hara-Ka and later incorporated some elements of Human design. As it is not expected to be sent into war but more to deal with riots and transport, it's designed to be cheap, like most Civilis Protectione equipment, hence why it uses wheel based designs instead of the more advanced gravitational movements.

Overwatch: Overwatch is a highly Advanced AI system. Where this AI slots into the rank system seems unclear, but while it has been seen giving orders to Command units, it is also seen taking orders from Command units. This implies it isn't actually a Commander it all but more of an executive officer, passing orders along a chain. Indeed, the AI's major purpose seems to be to give warnings and information about the situation and state engagement codes. It's standard format is a cold feminine voice thats speech appears to be made up of seperate sound files which acts as an executive officer and relays orders to units while reading out codes and both mentioning rewards and warning of punishments. While all Overwatch Programs and linked and are programmed with loyalty to the Collective, they are allowed some degree of autonomy. The subprograms format may be customised depending on it's superiors preference, but due to this usually being seen as a pointless feature, few superiors actually edit the subprograms standard format. Even fewer grant the program the autonomy to redefine its self

Deployment Walker: The towering Deployment Walker has four long, but bulky legs that it uses for movement and sports dozens of Plasma cannons and Heavy plasma Machine Guns and Light Dark plasma Machine Guns. It also has two massive warp cannons and sports a sort of low powered energy projector on it's main body. The walker contains many sophisticated teleporation systems, hallways, storage bays for synths and mechs, which are beamed down through it's teleporation system. The Walker's upper body is somewhat shaped like a lopsided hexagon. The sheer size of the Walker allows it to destroy many buildings by simply stepping on them with its legs. The walker is also truly "all terrain", able to climb cliffs and mountains or wade through lakes and even be fully submerged. It's external armour is extremely thick, battle ship grade with shielding, making it hard to destroy with most ground based weapon. Rather, enemies should destroy its hardpoints to expose the walker's internal workings, then break the dark energy cores protective casing and from there destabalise the dark energy core through damage.

Assembly Walker: Like the Deployment Walker, the Assembly Walker is a massive, quadrupedal walker armed with hundreds of plasma cannons, Heavy plasma Machine Guns, Light plasma Machine guns and a teleportion system. It is more than twice the size of the habitat walker, making it a gargantuan walker. The Walker's upper body features two large 'arms' that are covered in weaponry on either side of the main body and a giant teleport device on its back. It sports four massive warp cannons on each arm and an energy projecotr on its main body.. The Assembly walker acts as a sort of walking manufactorum, producing synths and mechs as it advances across the world, through supplies that are teleported to it en mass. Like the other large walkers, the Assembly Walker can crush almost anything in its path and traverse nearly any terrain, including cliffs. The sheer size of the Walker allows it to destroy many buildings by simply stepping on them with its legs. The walker is also truly "all terrain", able to climb cliffs and mountains or wade through lakes and even be fully submerged. It's external armour is extremely thick, even stronger than that of the habitat walker. Enemies should destroy its hardpoints to expose the walker's internal workings, and from there disable it's internal energy shielding, followed by it's internal protective casing then the dark energy core can be destabalised, causing a self destruction

Collective Weaponry
Collective weaponry makes widespread usage of their advanced technology. Very few of the weapons were originally designed as weapons, with most being adaptations of equipment used for mining or demolition.

Culture
The Culture of the Collective is composed of various pieces of the cultures of the different species. Critical thinking is allowed, as is individuality, but several area's are suppressed and the strange moral standards of the Collective are extreme to many outside species. Almost invariably other species are brought into the Collective by force, a process referred to as 'Collectivisation'.

Violations and Verdicts
A list of Collective Violations and Verdicts

Level 1 Violation
-Running (Without valid reason. Referred to formally as travelling at unauthorised velocities)

-Jumping (Without valid reason. Referred to formally as unauthorised vertical movement)

-Minor Theft from a Kyn

-Uncivilised Behaviour (Such as sitting on the road, insulting others (Except when the insult is true) etc)

-Level One contraband possession

-Swearing (Without valid reason. Referred to formally as an Audio Violation)

-Yelling (Without valid reason. Referred to formally as an Audio Violation)

-Wasting Protectione Team time (Asking useless questions or lying)

-Minor Kyn Vandalism (Defacing Kyn Property)

Verdict - 2 Violation Points and re-education

Level 2 Violation
-Major Theft from a Kyn

-Minor Collective Disrespect (Unwarranted disrespect of Collective Personnel)

-Tampering with unconscious/dead bodies,

-Level Two contraband possession

-Major Kyn Vandalism (Damaging/Destroying Kyn Property)

-Minor Malcompliance (Failure to Comply with the orders of a Superior)

-Minor Inaction

-Kyn Trespassing (Entering Kyn Property uninvited)

Verdict - 4 Violation points added and a one cycle detainment

Level 3 Violation
-Resisting arrest

-UPA (Unauthorised Procreative Activity)

-Unauthorised IRA (Interspecies Reproductive Acts) (Stacks with UPA)

-Illegal Checkpoint Bypass (Bypassing checkpoints without good reason)

-Conspiring to commit a Level One, Two or Three violation

-Minor Collective Vandalism (Defacing Collective property)

-Failure to Comply with Loyalty Check (Providing False Identification)

-Major Collective disrespect (Directly abusing Collective Personnel)

-Major Malcompliance (Failure to comply with the orders of a Civilis Protectione or Equitem)

-Major Inaction (Not reporting a level 3 or 4 Violation)

-Avoiding a lockdown (Intentionally avoiding the lockdown)

-Trespassing (Entering Outer World Space, or minor outposts without authorisation

-Spreading unauthorised propaganda

-Assault

-Level Three Contraband Possession

-Minor theft from the Collective

Verdict - 6 Violation points and 5 cycle detainment

Level 4 Violation
-Conspiring to commit a level Four or Five Violation

-Capital Malcompliance (Failure to Comply with the orders of an Argutus or Primicerii)

-Sociocide (Assaulting a Ground Unit of the Civilis Protectione or Equitem)

-Major Collective vandalism (Damaging/destroying Collective Property)

-Major Trespassing (Entering Middle or Inner world space, or major outposts and warehouses, without authorisation)

-Level Four contraband possession

-Capital Inaction (Not reporting a level 5 Violation)

-Major theft from the Collective

-Forceful Procreation (Rape)

Verdict - 10 Violation points followed by 10 Cycle detainment

Level 5 Violation
-Level Five Contraband Possession

-Murder

-Hostaging (Note: This is different from locking criminals in a building and calling the Civilis Protectione, which is allowed!)

-Policide (Assaulting a Command Unit of the Civilis Protectione or Equitem, or assaulting any member of the Argutus and Primicerii)

-Theft of Absolute value item

- Unauthorised trading of Triarian technology to outside species

-Illegal Entry of Collective Building

-Having over 40 Violation points

Verdict - Amputation, Repurposing or Genetic Repurposing

Contraband
A list of Contraband in the Collective

Level One Contraband
- Non-sanctioned food

- Non-sanctioned drink

- Alcohol

Level Two Contraband
- Unauthorised binding equipment (IE: Energy Cuffs)

- Illegal Currency

- Unauthorised communication devices

- Unauthorised minor ship devices

Level Three Contraband
- Lower Strength Ammunition

- Falsified identity documents

- Unauthorised major ship devices

Level Four Contraband
-Melee weaponry

- Higher Strength Ammunition

- Unauthorised minor ship weaponry

Level Five Contraband
- Unauthorised ranged weaponry

- Unauthorised Explosive

- unauthorised Major ship weaponry

Economy
The Collective does noe have a formal currency. Instead, your work earns you 'Civic Work Points' which are used to redeem certain 'rewards'. The idea of their Collective generally works on the idea that all should look out for each other and function as one, living being. This has both good and bad effects. The good is that they generally don't have trouble acquiring anything within their own Collective, as it technically belongs to one and all, so in times of war they can easily call up anything. The bad is that they find trade with other empires difficult because of this lack of currency (and indeed, lack of full understanding of the concept)

Technology
Collective Technology is highly advanced and they are capable of making bounds forwards at shocking speeds. Their weaponry is mostly plasma based at the current time, and their genetic engineering and AI technology is highly advanced. No species can boast the speed of the Triarii at developing new technologies, and consequentially, no other union has been able to match the speed of the Collective.

The most notable Collective Technologies are:

Julius-Corvus Trans-Dimensional Device: Essentially working by cutting a hole in normal space and dropping into a separate universe with a different set of rules of physics, allowing them to cross the distance between Star Systems and possibly even galaxies.

Dark Energy: The Collective have an unparalleled mastery of Dark Energy, allowing them to power the costly technologies such as the Energy Projector and their powerful shields, as well as harnessing it for use in bladed weaponry

Energy Projector: A beam of powerful energy capable of causing biosphere disaster for a planet, as well as turning the surface to a 'glass like' substance.

Genetic Engineering: Highly advanced genetic engineering technology allows the Collective to make large alterations to species to boost their capabilities and even create entire new species from biomass. They can create synths when this technology is combined with Cybernetic Augmentations

Cybernetic Augmentation: Highly advanced Cybernetic technology allows the Collective to graft large amounts of cybernetics into species to boost their capabilities and create synths when combined with Genetic Engineering

AI/SI technology: The Collective are able to make sentient intelligence programs such as Overwatch as well as the programs used in their Mech forces

Relationships with other races
The New Roman Empire: Positive; Coalition against Abh and joint archaeology program underway

The Eight World's Empire: Neutral, though the two are currently at war the Collective harbours no ill will against the EWE