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Diary of a Flagritz Officer (Warrior Caste) |
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Diary of a Flagritz Officer (Warrior Caste)
The creature is in pain and this seems to trigger gag reflexes, interesting. I shoot it again, this time in the other upper appendage to see if it will vomit again. It doubles over, tries to support itself against the wall, fails and slides down panting in exhaustion. I wonder if humans have gastric evacuations in their space suits. I'll have some slaves check through the captured helmets. As an afterthought I shoot it once through the head, terminating it.
The slaves run in to tidy up the remains and prepare them for the evening meal. The salt levels are quite high though when washed down with plenty of ferment they are reasonably palatable. The concubines complained of intestinal gases when human were first served. I remember Flanishin of the Xenos order clacked on and on about it. I don't know why I entwined with a Xenos. While I agree that humans smell, secrete water from their entire bodies and have strange bony appendages that causes them to contort ridiculously just to reach certain parts of their body, they are not the greatest threat to the Empire ever spawned. Any organism that doesn't have bio-caste dedicated to conflict will always be inferior to one that does. Still at least she is not always insisting that we should be trying to empathise and join with them like Co-ilsine. Thankfully she isn't an exclusive mate. I don't think I could cope with her right to bring all her drugged slaves in our brooding-chamber.
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If I'm honest with myself I am quite glad that the lot of them bar Xanim are back on Primoridium. Xanim is warrior caste, like me. The brooding is rough and often fails on account of our hardened sphincters, but at least you can concentrate. Relaxing the probile tendons is impossible with all that banal chatter.
Tomorrow we drop on a new world that has a modest human component, hence my interest in their reaction to pain. Xenos get some strange thrill out of making them suffer because they can, see who can cause the most damage before death and other such games. Personally that has no appeal to me. They are simply slaves that just don't know it yet. An integration caste would probably add, 'so what is the point in spoiling the merchandise.'
Of this world, I believe that their primary point of defence has been scouted, a starbase, and we will be engaging this first. Once it falls, we will then move out into the civilian population, breaking them for the arrival of our civilians. As with all newly conquered worlds, the first wave of civilians will be mainly War Order just to keep the civilians under control.
The battle proves fiercer than I anticipate. We have a much higher complement of mercenaries in our forces than I expected. Not just mercenaries, alien mercenaries! Who thought that would be a good idea? Cost cutting exercise, no doubt sanctioned by the Trading Order. We have lost more than a third of our force for very little gain. I lost contact with Xanim some time ago. She was close to the mercenary faction so I suspect that she is dead. Bextrin her oldest is near maturity and has started to get a little boisterous. Declaring him son should be a suitable honour as he has no uncles and I am sure that he doesn't want a slaver as a father.
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Day five of the attack, we have been reinforced twice now and I am surprised that I am still alive, more by chance than either planning or skill. It is just a case of mopping up the defenders, currently holed up in a retreating ground force. No doubt we will be carpet bombing them from orbit as they move through the surrounding urban sector. This suits me fine.
I never found Xanim, though I have spent the past couple of nights with Zoalan. While Xenos Order, having fought side by side against the humans, I find myself sharing some of her hatreds. This is probably just post combat feelings. We are currently barracked in a burnt out factory and it has snowed continuously for days. Still, at least the meat is both plentiful and remaind fresh though what I wouldn't give for a decent slave chef. I heard Wimbles cook very nicely though this was something of an ambiguous comment.
My petition to recognise Bextrin and enlist him on colonisation detail to this world has been accepted. This means I am able to claim Xanim's slave entitlement in our joint names as well as my own when we stamp the brand of the Empire on everyone we find in the surrounding urbanised regions.
We move from dwelling to dwelling. Resistance is minimal, mostly it is shooting civilians in the back as they flee up the streets. They have been warned. We can't make it any simpler - stay in your homes and await the arrival of the branding squads.
I step through a door into a room. There is a human, female I think. She glances to my side, giving me enough notice to open fire in that general direction, gunning down a would-be assassin. This causes her to shriek at the top of her voice, so I subdue her with the handle of the branding rod and she falls to the ground. I pin her to the ground while I activate the brand. Curiously she seems to be reaching for the hand of the corpse. Aliens, who can understand them?
Personally I prefer laser branding on the face or close to eye sockets for ease of recognition though I often back it up with a vital organ anchored resonance plate. I have been caught out by aliens that shed their skin and carapaces before now. The pain makes her to pass out, though she does not vomit. The organ tag however causes her to sit bolt-upright and again scream. This startles me enough to knock her across the room and through a door, scattering a few podlings that were lurking behind it.
I decide to tag the small humans as well as I presume they are her offspring. She will be easier to control through them. The first suffers an internal rupture and starts its death throes. I had left the organ tag setting to high. I adjust and move onto the rest - brand to the face and a blast with the organ tag. I consider taking the dead offspring back to camp, it might taste better than the adults but decide against it as I have a few more homes to check. All in all a very successful day and I am feeling about as sentimental as a warrior can - Xanim would never approve.
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Of Castes and Orders
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[Recruit] |
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Flagritz are born both hermaphroditic and without bio-caste. It is only as they gain maturity that they start to develop their gender and bio-caste. There are two genders, male and female and three bio-castes. The bio-castes are warrior, reservist and integrator. These presumably have their roots in hunter-gathering society. It is also an unconfirmed rumour that the flagritz were not the exclusive sentient species native to their world.
There are factors influencing maturation that regulates relative populations of bio-caste within a society. A lack of warriors within the population such as following a war will cause more flagritz to mature into warriors, as will the occasional 'vanishing' by a Xenos Event. There are other social factors such as media influence and peer pressure.
Politics The bio-caste phenomenon strongly slants politics such that, despite name changes over the centuries, there are always three political parties. These currently take the name War, Peace and Xeno, though historically, the Peace party has been known as the Trading Party, the Party for Peaceful Integration amongst others. While each Order or Political Party is almost exclusively made up from the appropriate bio-castes, there are exceptions. There have been times when warrior bio-castes have achieved some degree of power within the Xenos Order resulting in a heightened policy of aggressive control of slaves and client species and the closing of borders. When War had a few integrator bio-castes amongst its elite, the Empire expanded, crushing opposition and expanded its borders, vastly increasing its access to slaves. More often though the Orders are at odds over one thing or another and two factions will only join forces temporarily either to undermine the power of the third or to achieve a mutual goal.
Social Structure The social structure is also quite unusual as compatible-fertility amongst Flagritz is very low and exceptionally so between members of the same bio-caste. As a consequence non-exclusivity between partners especially between bio-castes is normal throughout society. Paternity does not play a role in the raising of children. For the initial years it is generally down to the female side of the family with only satellite involvement of all the potential fathers until the child matures into one of the castes. At this stage there will be a greater involvement of one of the uncles depending on bio-caste. For example, a concubine may have two children to seven fathers. Each of these fathers may see the children, individually or all together until the children become adolescents, though most often they take no part. At some point however if only one becomes warrior bio-caste a natural bond will form between the child and one of the satellite fathers or uncles who is also warrior bio-caste. As the fathers and uncles often have multiple spouses as well there is always some degree of favouritism and competition both amongst the fathers and the children when it comes to bonding. Quite a lot of historical media (novels and myths) revolves around bonding. From a biological point of view, the heavy involvement of the uncles offers a greater degree of certainty regarding the passing on genetic material - though most flagritz will reject this notion, instead declaring the bond as superior to genetic material.
There are occasional anomalies in society, typically amongst reservists where members only take spouses from members of the same bio-caste. Amongst humans this might be described as a cult, in which members reject society and attempt to remove themselves from it. These are known as a 'Xenos Events' as the vast majority are funded by members of the Xenos Order.
As historically they have proved to be a challenge to the Flagritz Empire on account of eventually forming a full complement of bio-castes and their own rival Orders, a Xenos Event often results in a hue and cry followed by assertive reintegration.
Inter-species Relations The flagritz have a tendency to treat other sentient species as cattle, using them as both labour and food. They see no obvious distinction between meat taken from a sentient corpse and that taken from an animal. They do not however eat it raw and will often to to extreme lengths to flavour meat from all sources. They do not however consume flagritz flesh. This may be more to do with its extremely unpalatable flavour (few animals can stomach flagritz meat).
Physiological and Psychological Differences Warrior castes are slightly larger with tougher dermal layers. Their eye sockets are more recessed giving better stereoscopic vision. They have significantly lower empathy levels, allowing them to resist combat shock. When working with other aliens this can cause friction as they see little issue with terminating non-combatants. At the other end of the scale are the integrators. They are the smallest and most adept at understanding alien perspectives, though this does not immediately equate to empathy.
Xeno are somewhere in-between, though their interests are purely along the lines of self-preservation (extending to flagritz as a whole). It is thought that this bio-caste would at one time have been the workers though flagritz penchant for use of slaves has meant that these tend to be the bio-caste most likely to deal with keeping the slaves productive. These are therefore often seen as the most cruel of the bio-castes - a combination of lack of empathy and willingness to experiment with conditioning techniques. |
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Star Date: 221.3.3

Meklanmania
Meklan scout ships continue to be seen around the Orion Spur periphery. These cyborg creatures in service of hidden ancient masters appear to be terrorising the Wimble Nation in particular. Despite public lamentations against the hardship of defending themselves, the Wimble leadership have not yet responded to our request for comment.
 Artist's impression of a Meklanised Wimble
However, Xavier Fox, CEO of Galactic Transport and Trade, did give us the following statement:
“We have engaged several Meklan ships, although currently the source has not been identified. GTT Directors have been running patrols and have engaged and destroyed numerous ships that have attacked outlying outposts belonging to different affiliations. The pattern of ships encountered leads us to believe there is a central source, but until that is found we would suggest any affiliation with assets in the area provide adequate defences.”

Doomsday On Pause
At the site of the Thete anomaly, the Dewiek Nation has sent media sensation Sharon Aleman to the scene. Aleman, whose cybernetic enhancements allow her to directly interface with her ship’s sensor array, led her hardened crew into a dive of the outermost “edge” of the anomaly. After spending several days collecting and analysing data (mere minutes to the rest of us outside the anomaly), Aleman reported her shocking discoveries.
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Star Date: 220.50.5

Veil Lifted on Flagritz Home Space
As the Hellcadium ISR field continues to fluctuate, one of the newly exposed systems is Junista inside the previously hidden and inaccessible home periphery of the Flagritz Republic.
Over the past few weeks Flagritz Republic patrols and platforms have dealt with a number of scout ships from the Human Empire as the IMP wasted no time in exploiting this opportunity to poke around in their old enemy’s backyard. It is understood that at least one of these unarmed scouts was destroyed with no one willing to estimate how many more might be buzzing around.
Coincidentally, suspected IMP lackey, SSL TOAD, has also been overheard showing an obsessive interest in the Flagritz periphery. However, we have received no reports of this being anything other than his usual drug-fueled, barely decipherable mutterings at this stage.
Either way, this sudden, uninvited interest in the Flagritz Periphery has left the FLZ leadership muttering darkly about appropriate measures being taken. Defensive fleets and supporting structures are being deployed in the Junista system and beyond in expectation of further uninvited guests.
 When You stare into the Flagritz Periphery...

Thete's Timey-Wimey Tease
Investigation into the Thete anomaly continued in the Dewiek Pocket Periphery. The anomaly was scanned from all angles by a number of the Dewiek Nation’s best sensor ships and officers. The data, collected over several weeks, was sent to one of the DEN’s most advanced scientific laboratories for analysis.
What they found will shock you!
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Star Date: 220.45.1

Perfidion Reached
Long speculated by theoretical Stellar Cartographers, Perfidion Reach finally opened in the last few weeks. Immediately, the Detinus Republic boldly staked a claim on the first accessible system, Hellcadium. Only time will tell the true value of this strategic move but their much-taunted bureaucracy may have finally proved its worth.
Early reports from scans of the system reveal a wildly fluctuating ISR field. Rumours suggest that at least one ship was destroyed as it was forced into an asteroid belt chasing a stable jump field attempting to exit the system. Casual travellers are warned away from the system at this time for their own safety. Leave it to skilled explorers and navigation officers.
 Mathematical model of Hellcadium ISR Field.
We spoke to Captain Zakiyah Ummahi via subspace link. Zakiyah led the first DEN expedition into the Perfidion Reach. "Spirits remain high but this is largely down to the extended R&R we were all forced to take immediately prior to jumping into this hole. Initial scouting reports show at least one planet with plenty of forests and grasslands which might help if we're going to be stuck here for Folkvar knows how long waiting for this damned ISR field to stabilise."

Valhalla Stargate Reopens
Dewiek engineers and scientists have finally managed to re-enable Stargate Valgrind this week and the protective Exclusion Zone is to be lifted. If DEN investigators discovered who caused the gate to malfunction, or why, they were not willing to share it with us. Military sources, however, have announced a project to provide a significant boost to the already formidable defence platform in the stargate’s orbit.
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*** Inter Galactic News ***
Empire - DEN action grinds to a halt
After months of tension relations between the Empire and the Dewiek Nation, which rose to several large scale fleet actions ending in the DEN losing over 60 Direwolf warships in Solo, things appear to have moved from antagonistic to unfriendly. With the Solo system being a particular issue an agreement has been reached between the Wolf Mother of the DEN and Xavier Fox of the GTT. Since this things have become very quiet, not just because the shooting has stopped, but also because my reporters have been on their summer holidays.
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News For Discerning Naplians! ---- Special Galactic Edition ----
(The Host sits at his desk as the studio lights dim, and a single spotlight bathes him in light. He looks straight into the camera and begins to speak: )
Host: Naambta! Good Greetings, and welcome to the show.
This is News for Discerning Naplians, and i’m sure you are all showing much impatience to see this week’s Panel Discussion. We will be discussing religion with the Lady Ghadir of the Temple of Ya Zoon, renowned neo-naplian spiritualist Chairman TonTon, and a very special guest from our imperial neighbours, Bishop Samantha Porteus of the Brotherhood. But before we get to that...
(Looks demonstratively at his digital wrist watch. )
... it is time for a word from our sponsor.
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******Empire Syndicated News Network (ESNN) ******

Welcome to the latest version of ESNN, giving the news and views from the ESNN's reporter and news anchor, Ainsley Moore, making this the peripheries' most favourite unbiased publication in the known universe from our new home in the Heartland,
And so with the news from the last few weeks,
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*** Inter Galactic News *** DEN assault FEL base and get wiped out CIA Trade fleet caught and destroyed by the DEN Krell denounce worship of the True One
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***** Inter Galactic News *****
Huge fleet skirmish at the London/Crossley wormhole
A large fleet of over 700 DEN warships responded to the EMP action in Crossley, where a 4000 hull DEN platform was destroyed. Reports show the DEN ships caught a group of CIA ships napping and inflicted significant losses on the humans. IMP and GTT fleets moved to assist the CIA, matching DEN fleet numbers, but the arrival of over 1200 Hexamon ships seems to have tipped the battle in favour of the DEN-HEX alliance.
The combined DEN-HEX force pushed through the wormhole into the Heartland area of human space and retaliated, attacking several CIA platforms in response. The outnumbered Empire fleets abandoned the area and fled, they are currently waiting for the larger alien force to make their next move from their hiding places.
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***** Inter Galactic News *****
Admiral Lord Simms killed after a long and distinguished service to the Empire.
The Imperial Services have intercepted and serious damaged several DEN ships on the way to the Empire’s home systems. Unfortunately during the action Admiral Lord Simms was injured and reports from the Viceroy indicate he has passed away, fighting the enemies of the Empire like any true Imperial Officer.
The Viceroy has stated that the officers and crew of the DEN ships have been captured and are now awaiting trial at a secret IMP base.
DEN continue to strike at the Empire
Reports are coming in of multiple engagements between the Empire and the Dewiek Elder Nation over the last week. With several battles taking out Empire ships in the Heartland of the CIA.
AFT turn to piracy
The Association of Free Traders have, after a long history of neutrality, turned to piracy this week. AFT Drake boarded an IND ship in the Halo periphery, killing several of the crew in the process. Independent trader Jarlebanke Langhofdi immediately took to the public communication channel demanding an answer to why supposedly peaceful traders had killed his crew and taken his ship.
The AFT remain silent over the attack.
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***** Inter Galactic News *****
Combat Special Edition
Since the DEN started shooting at those lovable FEL fluffballs things have certainly been heating up. So we through it would be prudent to bring you, gentle beings of the peripheries, a special edition in order to keep you updated with all the latest action in regards to who the DEN are shooting and who is shooting them.
Felini strike back at Dewiek
Reports have come in of the FEL striking back at the DEN in the Kallisan system. A huge FEL force supported by the IMP and CIA assaulted DEN positions taking both the platform and base called Lucien. There was much rejoicing in the FEL camp as the Felini proved they were not such lovable fluffballs after all!
GTT get sucked into the war
A passing fleet of GTT warships got caught in the fighting and this saw the GTT enter the war. When asked about this CEO Fox pointed out they are not warships at all, they are trade defence ships. So how they came to be in the DEN system of Kallisan is a mystery to us. But the GTT CEO was clear that they only engaged using support and defend orders to protect allies. Needless to say, the CEO commented “We found ourselves on the Dewiek Nation’s enemy lists pretty soon after.”
Dewiek Nation attacks GTT positions in Orion Spur, breaking DOM system rules
A fleet of DEN warships has engaged and destroyed a significant number of GTT cargo ships and escorts in the DOM system Monument. The GTT immediately took to the public channels to ask why the DOM were not doing something. In reply the DOM issued a statement to stop, which the DEN ignored.
The DEN newssheet "The HOWL" published a completely unbiased review of the attack shortly after.
DOM make a choice
After the above incident and then further raiding by the DEN, taking out a few GTT cargo ships in the DOM system of Coptuv, the DOM seemed to have been faced with a choice of stopping drinking their tea and doing something or just hoping it would go away. Instead they seem to have decided to abandon the whole idea of being an active affiliation and we have since folded. The lengths some people will go to not to have their elevenses disturbed is truly staggering. We asked the DOM for a statement on their new system rules to share with our readers but have received no replies.
DOM positions share out
Just as we were going to press news has come in of various DOM assets being given to other affiliations or sold. Hopefully we will have more on this story in the next issue of your favorite factual newsheet. Yes, that's us at the SSS.
*** Affiliations ***
AFT Association of Free Traders (54) - Marion Tweedy CIA Combined Intelligence Agency (64) - Laton CIA DNA Displaced Natives Asylum (66) - DNA people DTR Detinus Republic (58) - Morley Decker DEN Dewiek Elder Nation (67) - Urd DOM Dominion (57) – we believe the DOM are now inactive FCN Falconian Republic (70) - Bacran FEL Felini Tyranny (49) - Juris FLZ Flagritz Republic (47) - Kayxaer FET Frontier Exploration & Trade (56) - Cu Chulainn GRC Gracians (13) - HG1 GTT Galactic Trade & Transport (52) - Xavier Fox GCE Garcia Enterprises (4) - Neil HEX Hexamon (23) - Ando IMP Imperial Services (51) - Jack Jones KRL Krell (30) - Namica KRT Krell of the Reverence Temple (37) - Kal Torak KST Kastor Kastorians (12) - Kastor MZC Mizuchi Combine (86) - Mizuchi MOH Mohache (73) - Listens MIC Mohache Independent Commune (76) - Sleeps with Dragons NLF Naplian Liberation Front (38) - NLFHQ RIP Regularly Involved in Piracy - Githyanki RRH Roy Robert Holdings (39) - Roy Roberts SMS Stellar Mining and Smelting (53) - MikhailM USN Ulian Stellar Nation (34) - Oeipus Prime WMB Wimble Nations (25) - zz
* Leader MAY be inactive, affiliation may be active ** Affiliation has no leader but this is the only known contact
NPC / FoC: ARC, CIV, CGT, FRE, HBO, HEF, IND, ISP, JCN, MEK, MRC, PIR, PRV, TCA, TRN, KAS
Inactive: ANT, BHD, COD, HVE, IDC, RIP, RCF, SKW, TAG
Deceased: CAL
*** Submission ***
By private message to The Editor or via Mica if you prefer to remain anonymous.
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