K'lax in the Izweski Nation

With the Zo’ra remaining shaky allies to the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate in Tau Ceti and the C’thur’s position as partners to the Nralakk Federation, the K’lax follow the most radical form of relationship with their benefactors in that they are a vassal to the feudal Izweski Nation.

Vassalization is leagues different from the other forms of partnerships that the other hives have adopted, and whether or not it benefits Vaurcae or Unathi more is still up for debate.

Vaurcae and Loyalty
The concept of loyalty is often brought up when in reference to vassalization, and many questions whether or not the K’lax will ever truly be loyal to anything but their own Queen. Vaurcae are raised in Virtual Reality, somewhere that, like the Nralakk Federation and the Republic of Biesel, the Hegemony has no control. Anything can be taught to young Vaurcae here, and their masters would have no say in it.

To that end, not much is known about how new K’lax are conditioned to operate in this relationship. In most cases, K’lax follow the orders of Hegemony superiors as if they came from one of their own Ta— and to the same standards. Sentiment-wise, a Vaurca typically follows similar beliefs to that of their Brood’s Queen. There have been next to no cases of outcry or disobedience outside of Queenless broods, leading the Hegemony and the K’lax hive to warm relations, despite whether the contact is forced or not.

Living Conditions
Most Vaurcae in the Hegemony live on Tret, a planet in Uueoa-Esa gifted to the K’lax to colonize, and its satellite, Pid. To this extent, living conditions tend to vary in both quality and architecture. Most settlements are complex tunnel networks, constructed with adequate flooring, roofing, and ventilation in mind; rooms along with the tunnel network function as different facilities. As a rule of thumb, the quality tends to go up the closer in proximity the settlement is to a Queen.

In other instances, Vaurca settlements are constructed similarly to towns on Moghes or Ouerea. Architecture almost identically similar is common in these settlements with the insides of structures instead resembling rooms on-board the K’lax’s fallen hiveship in the capital city of Tret, Ksyne'kizar, otherwise known as Kizar’s Crater. Settlements in this example are typically newer than others, as the designs became popular with Ta following urbanization efforts on Ouerea.

Outside of Tret, K’lax mostly exist in buildings designated as residences by Hegemony officials, and largely serve the sole purpose of housing Warriors or Workers (separately, never combined) for work details and related duties.

Bound in the Hegemony
Part of the K’lax Hive’s obligations to their masters is the contribution of resources and labor. Bound Vaurca are often sent en masse to fulfill these requests, whether it be removing polluting materials from the Moghesian sea, or mining Tret’s bountiful resources to fund the Izweski Nation’s endeavors.

Of all the broods, Leto contributes by far the largest number of bound Vaurcae, often to perform agricultural and construction duties on the outskirts of the Untouched Lands. Their expendable nature and high durability mean that they can either survive the harshness of the Wasteland or be cheap enough to replace in the event they cannot.

K’lax in the Military
The K’lax’s role in the Hegemony’s military is derived from their status as a Vassal. For the most part, the K’lax are free to do with their Warriors what they wish, only needing to send them to aid the Hegemony once explicitly requested. Despite this, several K’laxian Vaurca go further, opting to become Kataphract Hopefuls or to enlist in the Hegemony’s military proper.

Vaurca in the Hegemony’s military often assume one of two roles. One is being soldiers, equipped with Glaives and energy weaponry, often in their own formations outside of Unathi battlegroups due to their unique physiology and tactics.

The few warforms the K’lax possess also fall into this category, often being the centerpieces of K’lax formations. Despite being fewer in number, K’lax warforms are formidable, often appearing as hexapod behemoths with artillery pieces integrated into their biology, and steel claws adorning their legs. This makes them optimal for bombarding enemy locations whilst the Warriors surrounding act as bodyguards.

The second position K’lax are often found in is the role of an Engineer. From simple firearms to breacher suits, K’lax mechanics work tirelessly to maintain and improve upon the technology of the Hegemony’s military. Typically these jobs are performed by Workers, with a minority of displaced Warriors taking on the trade having not found work elsewhere for one reason or another.

K’lax in the Navy
The most notable K’laxian military achievement comes in the form of the 3rd fleet. A battlegroup of space-faring vessels under the Cataclysm-Class HMV Annihilation Super-Dreadnought, Captained by Admiral Za’Akaix’Xitac K’lax, a Vaurca from Vetju’s brood. This fleet is mostly held in reserve, dealing with pirate issues and occasionally jumping at Lii’dra scares, mostly due to Vedhra’s paranoia.

While the K’lax Admiral is a considerable show of power, especially in the eyes of the Zo’ra, command of the fleet still falls under the Hegemon, and not the K’laxian Queens. This conflict of interests is often brought up in calls for the removal of the Admiral from the Navy structure, as it could potentially be catastrophic in the albeit unlikely event the K’lax would rebel.

K’lax Kataphracts
The Kataphracts are an ancient class of warriors recently revived by Not’zar Izweski, the current Hegemon. They are hardened fighters known for keeping to a very strict Warrior’s Code of Honor, traveling to distant places in search of adventure to keep up their reputation as brave and stalwart combatants.

In recent years, the number of K’laxan Kataphracts has been on the rise. Though these individuals are limited by the structure of the Kataphracts, being stuck in the low position of Kataphract Hopeful for what seems like infinity. K’lax hopefuls often struggle to understand the sense of honor their Sinta comrades possess, following the rules but not knowing the logic behind them without a significant amount of experience as one.

Despite their lack of understanding, K’lax hopefuls are typically seen in a positive light by Hegemony citizens and are viewed as honorable warriors all the same. Until called upon to fight, a substantial number of hopefuls find employment in locations across the Orion Spur, notably Tau Ceti.

The Mi’kuetz
The Mi’kuetz are a band of Queenless Vaurca that roam the wastelands of Moghes, living a nomadic lifestyle and occasionally being hired by the Hegemony to perform jobs that Sinta cannot. They are recognized as being a part of the K’lax Hive and even maintain warm relations with them, often being sought out by scholars and archivists looking for information about Moghes.

The Mi’kuetz are well adapted to life in the Wasteland, being much more tolerant to the harsh weather and terrain than most. They have also developed large Bound lifeforms to suit their nomadic lifestyle, serving as gargantuan pack animals of sorts.

Whilst the Mi’kuetz maintain a positive relationship with their Hive and the Izweski, they have a near hostile relationship with just about every other faction in the Wastelands, finding conflict with the Aut’akh in particular.

More information about the Mi’kuetz can be found here.

The Yiaa’mak’tzut
Although not as prominent as the Mi’kuetz, part of the Yiaa diaspora can be found within the Aut’akh of Moghes. They are not recognized as part of the K’lax Hive and thus are often undocumented. The Yiaa endorse this isolation, and some hive-cells are known to act hostile towards strangers, particularly other Vaurcae. In a short span, they have become subject to various folk legends due to their eccentric behavior.

More information about the Yiaa’mak’tzut can be found here.

The Queens and Feudalism
Despite their title as Queens, the place of K’lax representatives in the Izweski Hegemony’s Feudal structure is similar to that of Lords, with High Queen Zkaii being the Overlord of Tret.

Under this system, the Ta among the K’lax population are the closest analog to the Nobility that can be made. The land they ‘own’ is typically the settlements on Tret they are assigned to oversee. In the event of multiple Ta in one settlement, the area is divided amongst them. While they technically own this land, it is often treated and seen as, the Queens owning all of it and having the final say.

Warriors of the K’lax hive often do not enjoy the same pleasures Sinta warriors do, as they are vast in number and don’t fit well into the Feudal structure. Most Sinta see K’lax warriors on par with the peasantry, alongside the workers. As of right now, there are very few guildsmen amongst the Vaurcae. This is due to the Queens preferring to trade resources with the Hegemony directly rather than buy and sell from the rest of the Galaxy. The one exception to this is a small number of merchants from Leto’s brood, as they attempt to search for historical items in exchange for goods.

K’lax Citizenship
Much like Unathi, K’lax are considered citizens and have the same rights and obligations, with some key differences. For both Bound and Unbound of all castes, they require the consent of their Lord to travel to the greater galaxy. The Hive Queens are legally considered Lords of Tret, and the Tas in charge of hive-cells are considered Clan Leaders. In the case of Mi’kuetz requesting to leave Hegemony territory, the consent must come from High Queen Zkaii. The process for all Vaurcae, however, is similar in that individual Tas will raise these matters to the Queens for them to approve.

Although the Mi’kuetz are tolerated within the Wastelands, for most Vaurcae traveling to Moghes or Ourea requires a special permit, often understood as a ‘work visa’, by the Unathite Clan Lord of their territory to settle. This measure was placed to contain Vaurcae in Tret, in order to prevent k’ois outbreaks in Unathi-dominated territories.

Though Hegemony law technically allows for Vaurcae to become Guwan, this in practice never happens, and instead, those deemed defective by the Hive are either culled or voided with impunity.

Queens and the Government
The Queens of the K’lax hive are divided in their opinions towards their Status as a Vassal. Some are extremely positive towards the Izweski Nation and make it a point to further relations, while others are less content with being under someone that is not their High Queen, instead preferring a truly independent K’lax Hive, with no benefactors, or to at least reunite with the Zo’ra.

High Queen Zkaii maintains a warm attitude towards the Hegemony, being the Overlord of Tret. Of the K’laxan Kataphracts, the largest number are from Zkaii’s brood, hoping to act as the face of the K’lax Hive to the galaxy at large. In addition to this, the concept of the Mother Dream is a topic the Sk’akh faithful and Maraziite order have taken note of, seeing some parallels in both religions in that Mother K’lax herself could be interpreted as Sk’akh. A small Mother Dream priesthood has developed in Zkaii’s brood as a result of this.

Vetju, often seen as the opposite of Zkaii, resents the hive’s relationship as a Vassal, despite seeing the reasoning as sound. To her, the K’lax can never prosper, and it never will under anyone’s rule but their own. To this end, Vetju holds a much more intense hatred of the Zo’ra, seeing similar issues on top of the injuries Vetju has sustained at their claws. Despite Vetju’s opinion of the vassalization, she makes no attempt to undermine it (though her spawn tends to be rather vocal about their dissent at times), and there is even a Vetju-born Admiral commanding one of the Hegemony’s fleets.

Leto has, by far, the largest population of workers out of all K’lax broods, and thus most work involving hard labour, agriculture, and terraforming the Hegemony requires will be requested from Leto rather than the other broods. This has led to a positive relationship between the two, with most being able to find jobs and the Izweski getting all of the labour they could need readily.

Vedhra has an outlook that can only be described as neutral when it comes to the Hegemony. This is largely due to their feverish hunting of the Lii’dra scourge, with most of the the brood’s actual contributions coming in the form of weapons research. Many Sinta find Vedhra’s spawn to be distasteful due to the excessive augmentation they often possess, and also find conflict in religion as Preimmenence can clash with Unathi faiths. Most of Vedhra’s offers to “perfect” the Unathi’s biology has been rejected by the Hegemony.

Tupii, the newest Queen, is one of the most supportive voices behind the Vassalage. Knowing that separating from the Hegemony is currently futile, Tupii has worked with her benefactors in the hopes of revitalizing the K’lax brood. The extent Tupii’s brood can actually contribute to the Iizweski is fairly limited due to their diminished size and authority, but this is gradually changing for the better.

Hephaestus Industries
Hephaestus Industries has a large impact on the Izweski Hegemony, and the K’lax are no exception. The megacorporation finds keen interest in the activities of the K’lax, seeing them as relentless workers that are invaluable when it comes to cheap, hazardous labour.

To that end, the K’lax and Hephaestus have made great strides in constructing a working relationship, with an Orbital Factory above Tret being constructed and operated almost entirely by Vaurca personnel, as well as swathes of Vaurcae being employed in mining and engineering jobs across parts of the galaxy Hephaestus has influence over.

Gene Clinics
Constructed in 2460, the K'laxian gene clinics are facilities that provide free treatment to Unathi suffering from radiation related birth-defects and other genetic afflictions. The gene clinics are situated in the nine largest cities on Moghes and were erected by the K'lax Hive as part of their contribution to terraforming and restoring the former lush planet. Due to Hegemony laws surrounding land ownership and business, the facilities are run through the Tretian Medical Guild, which was established by the K'lax Hive for the clinics and is completely supplied with pharmaceuticals manufactured on Tret. They are staffed primarily by Hegemony medical officials with heavy K'lax oversight due to the complicated nature of their work. Since their original establishment, the number of gene clinics throughout the planet has been steadily increasing, leading to a noticeable decline in preventable deaths and an increased life expectancy in many urban areas. Despite this, they face heavy skepticism from a majority of the population, who vastly prefer to trust traditional medicinal solutions. Many of the patients within clinics are modernized urban nobility, or Sinta who have no other options left to them and wait-times for the facilities in more populated locations can be extremely long depending on the measured severity of the issue. Unathi nobles and notable guildmembers are given priority to bypass these waiting lists.