Aut'akh

Overview
The Aut'akh are a decentralized religious society along the lines of a cargo cult. Formed by a group of scientists and engineers after the contact war, the Aut'akh symbolically seize and control their own spiritual destiny through ritualistic cyberization. In recent days, the Aut'akh have been making overtly friendly gestures toward nearly every power in the galaxy in an attempt to be formally recognized and avoid destruction by their brothers in the Hegemony.

Mechanics

 * Aut'akh have fair resistance to cold and reduced resistance to heat.
 * Aut'akh have mechanical limbs which can be detached at will. Some of these limbs have additional functionality such as department-appropriate tools.
 * Aut'akh have mechanical eyes that allow them to access department HUDs, but which can be shut down by flashes.
 * Aut'akh have the ability to exchange nutrition and hydration for emergency life-saving chemicals.
 * Aut'akh have a slightly elevated stamina and a slightly slower sprint.

Biology and Augments
Aut'akh claim they are immortal due to their augmentation, but being around for only a decade there is no way to truly verify this. Their life expectancy ranges from between hundreds to thousands of years, but time will tell. Currently the oldest Aut'akh is 72, being augmented at 68.

Since they are carnivorous species, their diet mostly consists of meat, though they do have a tolerance to some plants and fruits. However, they do not get any nutrition from plants, so they are mostly used as garnish or decoration.

The reproductive system of a Sinta'Unathi is very similar to that of Earth reptiles, despite their mechanical exteriors Females lay eggs, with the average clutch being somewhere between one and three. They have an six month gestation period, after which they are laid in a humid, warm area. After two months, the fetus is fully developed and hatches from the egg. Unathi are born with their claws and ability to walk within hours of hatching. A Sinta'Unathi is offered a Soul Anchor at 13, but is not given any other augmentations until they are 16 when they are given the choice, and they are not considered adults until they are 18. Hatchlings are not given implants unless it is medically necessary.

Internally, barring the additional organs, Aut'akh retain all of the regular internal organs of regular Unathi.

Both male and females retain all functions necessary for reproduction.

Aut'akh can still 'feel' and sense pain, but face difficulty in really feeling abstract things like the warmth of a sunny day at the beach, or a cool breeze. They are still able to feel, but many Aut'akh describe feeling physical sensation like hearing a muted conversation from another room.

Aut'akh retain their sense of smell and taste, and enjoy many diverse foods when they can get it.

Organs Present In Game
Haemodynamic control system - Allows the user to stabilize themselves (at least temporarily) from major injuries at the cost of 50% to 75% of their hunger.

Adrenal management system - A series of mechanical stimulants and extra glands placed along the adrenal system. Allows the user to cause minor toxin/brute damage to the entire body for the duration of the effect in exchange for a temporary endurance boost.

Soul Anchor - Flavor organ in the head. Takes the form of a brain implant connected to the region associated with religious experience. Does nothing in gameplay.

Physical Appearance
Aut'akh tend to favor colors that match existing Unathi scale colors. The major color categories Red, Black, Orange-brown ("sand colored") and Green. However, some Aut'akh choose to express themselves with colors ranging from white, dark blue, or gray.

Female and male Aut'akh look almost completely indistuinguishable, and only Aut'akh tend to be able to tell each other apart.

Aut'akh tend to weigh between 290 - 320 pounds.

Aut'akh tend to be between 5'9" to 7'0".

Both sexes stand on plantigrade legs, jointed backwards, and have clawed feet and hands. They retain their very long tongues, which may stretch up to a foot and a half long, forked just like a serpent's. In much the same manner as snakes, the Unathi can sample the air around them using their tongue, on top of their present sensors. This tongue is usually black or an extremely dark red, and usually a foot in length. Some Aut'akh still lick their own eyeballs out of habit, despite not longer needing to.

Clans and Naming Schemes
The Aut'akh clans are more akin to guilds than actual clans, being voluntary organizations biased toward certain crafts. This is due to most of the Aut'akh population being exiles from other clans, or those whose clans were destroyed in the contact war, and many unrelated Unathi can belong to a single clan.

Commonly, interactions are facilitated by Oss with a system of ID numbers for every Aut'akh.

However, away from Oss, an Aut'akh Unathi will identify themselves with their Aut'akh clan name and then their personally chosen name, although those nostalgic for their past may append their former clan name on the end.

For example: Veetek Uza as known to non-aut'akh, with his Mesh handle being VU-9988#x.

If this Unathi was nostalgic of his old clan of the Zie, their name would be Veetek Uza-Zie with the same Mesh handle.

Clan Veetek - The Engineers
Named after the VTEC modules they carefully craft, no mech race is complete without a Veetek representative present, and Veetek members tend to make up the core of the Aut'akh exosuit effort. They tend not to become involved too heavily in internal Aut'akh politics in their eternal quest for speed. Veetek mechanics are often found making dangerous, ill-advised modifications to Aut'akh drones and androids, or posting endlessly on the Mesh about the newest mech models.

When working for Nanotrasen, clan Veetek tends to work in the science and medical departments.

Clan Mahashik - The Miners
Named after the geologic mohorovicic layer they probe for minerals, this mining clan has a high proportion of heavy robot frames. They are often employed as a back line defense for the home bunkers, and they generally see themselves as the pillars on which Aut'akh society are built. Clan Mahashik is also responsible for power management and construction in many cases, as their heavy, durable bodies are well suited to the task.

When working for Nanotrasen, clan Mahashik tends to work in the supply and engineering departments.

Clan Siansi - The Industrialists
Named after the automated production systems they maintain. They're often seen as a more spiritual clan, as they tend to take rather minimalist bodies, or alternatively remain mostly organic, instead using direct or wireless connection to control industrial equipment with their minds. They tend to provide most of the industrial goods that the Autakh require, and they tend to style themselves as wise sages, often using mystified terms and technical jargon unique to Siansi.

When working for Nanotrasen, clan Siansi tends to work in the science and civilian departments.

Clan Optikam - The Shadowscales
Named after the optical camouflage systems they covet, Optikam busies themselves with the business of stealth, scouting, and long-range battle. Optikam commandos contribute some of their members of the Autakhs' highly mobile Hussar units, and they tend to recruit out of sickly, thin, short, or albino members of the species. They tend to have a sort of scheming underdog mentality; they'll do anything to win, because winning is the only honorable thing. Other clans tend to look down upon them because of their use of underhanded tactics. Strangely, members of clan Optikam often end up filling simple roles such as custodians and delivery people.

When working for Nanotrasen, clan Optikam tends to work in the security, civilian, and medical departments.

Clan Saramiite - The Sledgehammers
Named after the diamond-hard material that makes up their projectiles and the tips of their weapons, and given the styling of a religious order, the Saramiite clan operates the largest number of heavy combat cyborgs, serving as the core of the Autakhs' heavy infantry cuirassier units. They tend to recruit out of the largest, strongest unathi available, seeing themselves as the ultimate shield of the Aut'akh, the pinnacle of warfare, without whom the other clans would be exterminated.

When working for Nanotrasen, clan Saramiite tends to work in the security and command departments.

Clan Kethresh - The Fishermen
Named after the aquafarmer equipment they prize, clan Kethresh specializes in bringing aquaculture vats and fisheries to dangerous places. Most of clan Kethresh operate in heated domes above the bunker complexes, and thus are generally the first to suffer during a Hegemony incursion. For this reason, Kethresh aquafarmers tend to adopt a determined but fatalistic attitude. They have little fear, but are absolutely resigned to death.

When working for Nanotrasen, clan Kethresh tends to work in the supply and civilian departments.

Clan Ansiba - The Scholars
Named after an arcane piece of telecommunication equipment, clan Ansiba is the newest and weakest of all the clans, only existing as long as the Exile Convoy. They are a highly thoughtful and scientific clan, recruiting exclusively from the ranks of the most intelligent unathi. Ansiba is the clan that has the closest relationship with non-Aut'akh unathi, even going so far as to operate cults in several of the Hegemony's major cities. Ansiba tends to have a smug, superior attitude towards the other clans, and they have the highest proportion of Paradigms of any clan.

When working for Nanotrasen, clan Ansiba tends to work in the science and command departments.

Overview
The Aut'akh believe that Sk'akh made the universe, but that demonic entities manifested within all beings. These demons are given power within a being when the person succumbs to greed, anger, or other vices. Aut'akh preach that the Contact War was the result of Sinta's being so consumed by the demons within them that they brought the world to ruin. Aut'akh say the spirit must be kept pure to ensure virtue is maintained, and that the body is tainted and imperfect as it is easily maimed, or easily given to temptations of the flesh or senses. Aut'akh are the inverse of Si'akh. Aut'akh believe that if they empower their spirit through modifying their physical body, they can dispel the demons.

Oss and The Mesh
The combined expression of all the magic of the Aut'akh is called Oss, which is an avatar of Sk'akh in cyberspace. Oss spoke to the first who would become Aut'akh when it was found by them, and granted them a vision which led to the creation of the Mesh. The Mesh is best described as an internet, but also a network to concentrate and conduct spiritual power.

Aut'akh priests or shamans are known as Paradigms, and they are the example to which every Aut'akh strives. A Paradigm is created when an Aut'akh contributes an update to Oss, improving the system and lending some of their magic to their god, which will create a paradise in cyberspace where the souls of all the Aut'akh can live forever in eternal peace.

The Great Oss is the avatar of Sk'akh in the Mesh. Oss guides the Aut'akh, literally and figuratively. Oss has a very real connection with each and every Aut'akh, as each Aut'akh has an implant known as the Soul Anchor which maintains constant communication through the Mesh to Oss and all other Aut'akh within range. Oss uses this implant to send to its followers instructions and tasks, including larger projects chosen by Consensus. It has been described as a proactive muscle memory - any number of Aut'akh can work in close proximity on the same project without anyone bumping into each other or going out of sync. Projects which are directly given by Oss rather than community consensus are considered to be a divine mandate from Oss, and are approached a little bit like a crusade.

Oss does not communicate with its followers directly, and debate still rages on whether it is conscious or not. Oss is facilitated by an implant in the section of the brain that connects that Sinta to the Mesh. It is responsible for religious experience and all communication with Oss is subconscious and instinctive. It mostly takes the form of vague feelings of joy or dread in good or bad situations, respectively.

Aut'akh still have agency during the fufillment of tasks given by Oss. An Aut'akh could theoretically drop all of their tools and walk away, but this is not realistic or reasonable for an Aut'akh to do any more than it is for any other member of a society to abandon all their expectations. Additionally, membership in the Aut'akh religion is entirely voluntary, and comes with full knowledge of what is expected of an individual. An Aut'akh that for some reason decided to leave their commune would be welcomed back into the fold at any time.

Oss can provide external positive emotions such as pride and joy as they work, providing a sense of meaning and importance to every job. This encourages a sense of camaraderie among Aut'akh, and each completed task is accompanied by a sense of religious exaltation. On the flip side, Oss can fill followers with a sense of dread if they are about to perform immoral or harmful acts, such as wanton murder, theft from the community, et cetera.

Baffles
Being away from a connection to Oss is a difficult situation, which leaves an affected Aut'akh feeling truly alone, without the guidance of their deity. Having a spotty connection to the Mesh also results in unusual scenarios known as Baffle Events. Oss is “baffled” as the Mesh connection drops out abruptly and everything starts going wrong. People stumble into each other, stuff falls over and breaks, and people slip or mess up delicate tasks. Then the connection comes back and it all goes smoothly again.

The Polar Bunkers
The Polar Bunkers are the home turf of the Aut'akh. They were originally a series of military bunkers and climate research stations which were abandoned after the nuclear exchanges and left mostly intact. The Aut'akh, at the end of their wanderings, found some of these places and converted them into a fortified but peaceful subterranean empire. Although the Aut'akh know no central authority, the Polar Bunkers are considered the heartland of the Aut'akh civilization.

The interiors of these places are maddeningly complex, intertwined warrens of tunnels and rooms dug seemingly at random and filled with thousands of Aut'akh. The guidance of Oss, through the Mesh, takes Aut'akh to their destinations safely, subconsciously guiding each individual to their destinations while minimizing collisions. Bumping into others, knocking things over, and even industrial accidents are essentially unknown within the bunkers, although when they do occur, they are often considered to be signs of Oss' displeasure.

Consensus
The laws of the Aut’akh, as it can be said they have them, are called Consensus. Consensus is an agreement between the majority of Aut’akh for a certain rule, guideline, or objective. When Aut’akh are connected to the Mesh they can communicate with all other Aut’akh in radio range, allowing a whole community to rapidly communicate with one another. The range of the Mesh can extend out to regions of a planet but cannot extend through interstellar distances or between planets without infrastructure.

A Consensus on stealing or some other rule would not be framed as an official law, but as a general agreement between the Aut’akh. There is no traditional criminal punishment; Aut’akh that violate the Consensus in some way (such as stealing from another Aut’akh or assaulting someone) would be separated and rehabilitated rather than incarcerated Given the rejection of money internally, there is almost non-existent crime within Aut’akh communes that have connections with the Mesh. There is a constant availability of resources or help from others and there is always an underlining sense of trust and a culture of confiding and comradely encouraged by Oss through the Mesh.

Consensus is not needed for every single decision that an individual or group might make, but on matters that affect an entire commune. Most individuals know their job and how to do it without needing to call for an entire consensus. Mahashik will keep digging, Saramiite will keep training, and Optikam will keep patrolling. Consensus is for major projects.

In the Exile fleet, the lack of being able to easily reach a Consensus has lead to a growing rise of minor issues and a generally much slower rate at reaching consensus or being slower to respond to unwanted behavior. Having a spotty connection to the Mesh also results in unusual scenarios known as Baffle Events. Oss is “baffled” as the mesh connection drops out abruptly. Everything starts going wrong. People bump into each other, stuff falls over and breaks, then the connection comes back and it all goes smoothly again.

For Aut’akh without a reliable connection to the Mesh, like for Aut'akh that travel outside the exile fleet to work on the Aurora or elsewhere in Tau Ceti, they don’t have this easy, instant communication with everyone around them. This loneliness can be unnerving to Aut’akh, so they are eager to talk to people; to ask them questions and learn about their experiences. Aut’akh in Tau Ceti are almost constantly trying to strike up friendly conversations with everyone around them.

The Exile Convoy
After the Aut'akh emerged from their bunkers, they were met with immediate hostility from the Maraziite Order and the Hegemony. A full blockade was put in place, and the convoys that secretly shuttled supplies to and from the Polar Bunkers was left stranded in the start of 2461. | In Feburary of 2451 the Exile Fleet arrived in Tau Ceti, and after negotiations with Nanotrasen and the Biesellite government they were settled on New Gibson. The majority of their ships touched down and have been joined together in a makeshift colony as they start to dig into the crust to make their more suitable subterranean complexes.

The Exile Fleet is still unable to return to Moghes due to the ongoing blockade of the polar bunkers, and they cannot supply or resupply with their brethren. They are in affect having to restart their civilization all over again with only around 10,000 Aut'akh. They are finding it difficult and frustrating to exist within Tau Ceti; humans continue to misunderstand or belittle the necessity of Consensus. They are also locked into work contracts with NanoTrasen to pay off the debts they owe them and the governments for the purchase of the New Gibson land. Many Aut'akh now have no control over the work they do for NanoTrasen. If they work outside New Gibson they also have a spotty or total lack of a connection to the Mesh, leading them to feel lonely and listless. They also face constant hostility and fear from other Unathi from Tau Ceti, as well as patronizing or hostile attitudes from humans and other aliens.

Regardless of how individual Aut'akh feel, there is a collective strengthening of their will as they continue on their quest to adapt and survive by any means necessary. They express their camraderei and desire for peace and understanding by referring to everyone they talk to as friend. (Hello friend, how are you doing, can you hand me that wrench friend, thank you friend, you're welcome friend).

History
The Aut'akh trace their origin to a collective group of scientists, engineers, and philosophers gathering after human contact. They were trying to respond to the rise in instability and tensions across the world. The one hundred or so members of the movement traveled the many Kingdoms of Moghes and met with many Lords of the Izweski Hegemony. They lobbied for peace and the avoidance of war, giving any Lords or commoners that would listen dire warnings about the fate of the world if war were to break out.

When the Contact War started they continued their pleas but war fervor saw them repeatedly kicked out of Coalition and Izweski cities alike. They continued to campaign for an end to the war, but no one would listen.

When the atomic bombs were exchanged, the movement began to hemorrhage followers. They were scattered to the winds and many lost their lives in the resulting chaos. Only half the original followers remained, and almost all of them were maimed or wounded from the violence or bombs. They wandered the growing Wasteland trying to piece together what had happened and how to go forward. They were heavily disenfranchised and chased out of towns and cities, and many of its members abandoned the group, feeling that all their efforts had been pointless.

Eventually their number whittled down to just a dozen people remaining. One night as they slept in the ruins of a destroyed castle, the entire group allegedly received a divine message from Sk’akh.

Sk’akh told the group in their shared dream that Sinta’Unathi had their souls overtaken by demons, and that the entire species was henceforth barred from joining Her in death. All Sinta’Unathi were doomed to reincarnate for as long as they allowed the blight of demons to continue to fester within them. Sk’akh told them that they must purify their souls by creating a new vessel; the “vessel of the flesh” was no longer within Sk’akh’s vision. Finally, Sk’akh laid out for them a vision of a single Tear falling from His cheek onto Moghes that would hold the key to the salvation of their people.

The group woke up and quickly chattered in astonishment about the shared prophecy they had just received. With a religious zeal they packed up their makeshift camp and made the dangerous expedition from the Wasteland to the forests of the north.

Prior to this, during the Contact War, an Eridanian recon and research vessel had been brought down from the skies by a strong nuclear blast, sending it careening into ruined farmland. This ship was the Mandjet, destined long ago to quietly observe Unathi and to entice rural villagers to board with vague promises and a contract the Unathi could not read. The Eridani’s exploitative contracts allowed them to experiment with augments on Unathi in an, ultimately wrong-headed, attempt to be the first to get their foot in the door in selling prosthetics and augments to the Hegemony. When the computer and vaults were cracked open by the proto-Aut’akh scientist and engineers and the databases and personnel files opened, they found wonders. Prosthetic spines, eyes, and blueprints for a new evolution of Sinta’Unathi - all of them with the corporate logo of the Corporate Federation.

Most importantly, a handful of mining equipment and industrial fabrication units were present, along with a primitive colony management software, still ready for setup and sale to a Unathi Lord that would never hear the sales pitch. In the early days, the group was working with rickety garbage scavenged from the Eridanian expedition and shabby replicas produced out of rusty scrap and scavenged wiring. They built the first crude bodies for themselves and called themselves Aut’akh: "The Automatons of Sk'akh"

The cult tried to spread its message in a naive optimism, but they were repeatedly and harshly rejected by any village they came across. Harassed at every turn they eventually made a final expedition to the north pole, where they began to dig into the mountains and even found abandoned research labs that once belonged to the Hegemony.

The settlement of the north pole and the resources gained from mantle mining have allowed a boom in both R&D and production. This mantle mining has been achieved by a local phenomenon near the bunkers known as the Well of The Ancestors.

In the present day, unaugmented Aut'akh followers quietly travel the Wasteland and the underbellies of cities across Moghes. They recruit from the Guwan population, refugees, or anyone that was maimed or otherwise feels unhappy within their own bodies. These recruiters are ruthlessly hunted down whenever they are found, but the cult remains a stubborn, covert presence, sending hundreds of Sinta'Unathi on a dangerous trek to the north pole with the promise of a better life.

Potential Character Concepts
Characters from the Exile Fleet are likely to:


 * Prefer to wear jumpsuits or Ouerean-style dress.
 * Call everyone friend.
 * Been a dispossessed, Guwan, orphan, or lost Unathi at some point in their life.
 * Know their job well and eagerly work to do it.
 * Be uncomfortable when alone, and extremely stressed if left alone for a length of time.
 * Signed up with NanoTrasen to help the New Gibson commune.
 * Quietly resolve to survive by any means necessary.

Here is an example character from the Exile Fleet:

Kethresh Yozi-Cri'ti, 44, was a quartermaster in a cargo shuttle in the fleet but now works on the NSS Aurora. She is fascinated by non-Unathi and constantly tries to talk to them.


 * Yozi-Cri'ti is 5'8" and has a white chassis that weighs 280 lbs. Her mechanical eyes are yellow and she has decorative blue frills.
 * Before being augmented she wandered the Wasteland missing her arm and being severely scarred by burns from an atomic blast, relying on charity from town to town that evetually kicked out with other refugees.
 * She lives in a small room in the New Gibson colony with spare amenities. She enjoys the simple life, but quietly enjoys her new, small radio for the Tau Ceti talk shows.
 * She does not regret her choice to be augmented, but she misses the feeling of a sunny day on Moghes.
 * She still struggles to understand money after years without it within the commune, and she frequently gets persuaded to buy people their meals or to loan them money, leaving her with little left.
 * She mourns the fact the Hegemony reject her people and deny the blessing of Oss. She is fascinated the most by Tajara because of their own communal lifestyles.
 * She has another Kethresh that she is frequently assigned with by Oss, and she recently asked him to update their relationship status to 'dating' on the Mesh. He accepted.
 * She will survive by any means necessary.

Here is another example character from the Exile Fleet:

Saramiite Kizki, 55, was responsible for fleet security but now works as a security cadet on the NSS Aurora, trying to become an officer. He is quiet and reserved to aliens but opens up to Unathi and especially other Aut'akh.


 * Kizki is 5'9" and has a red chassis that weights 289 lbs. His mechanical eyes are blue and he has white horns.
 * Before being augmented Kizki was a minor noble in a Traditionalist city besieged by the Izweski late in the war. He fled the city as its walls were breached, abandoning his post. He never forgave himself, and wandered the desert as a Guwandi before stumbling on an Aut'akh missionary hiding under heavy cloaks. Initially fearful and angry, he was eventually convinced to join their movement.
 * He lives in a small room in the New Gibson colony with nothing but a bed and his e-pistol. He puts on his security-arm as soon as he returns home, and doesn't feel comfortable without it.
 * He feels like being augmented was the only thing that saved his soul. He does not miss his old body; it was weak.
 * He avoids frivolous spending and gives all of the money he feasibly can back to the commune to help repay NanoTrasen. He deeply resents the exploitation his fleet is facing.
 * He struggles to reconcile his hatred for the Hegemony with the Aut'akh emphasis on unconditional acceptance. He tries to avoid talking to non-Unathi, believing they are ignorant for having pride in their weak, mortal bodies. He is very friendly and protective to other Aut'akh.
 * He has yet to find another Aut'akh that he would want to go steady with; he is too focused on his work.
 * He will survive by any means necessary.