Zo'ra in the Republic of Biesel

While the Republic of Biesel prides itself on the rapid integration of aliens and foreigners in their culture, the situation of the Vaurca varies widely from each center of population. Although Caprice may be seen as the golden standard for Vaurcae now, and how they can rapidly recreate their native environments, slums such as Flagsdale are still where most Vaurcae live. The necessity of other Hives to outsource their labor to companies such as Nanotrasen has also bred a mosaic of Vaurcae that, while for humans it is easy to regard as the same culture, millennia of differences have made them distant from one and other. Thus, unlike the K’lax in Uueoa-Esa or the C’thur in the Nralakk Federation, there are few places the Vaurca of Tau Ceti can call as Zo’rane only.

History
After President Joseph Dorn made contact with the heavily damaged Titan Prime in 2456, Vaurcae were deemed to require urgent aid, due to their living conditions. The Hiveship was towed from the outskirts of the Romanovich Cloud to a special dock in Valkyrie, where it remained until 2463. On that same planet, a rudimentary refugee camp called the Quarantine Zone was established, however, it proved to become ineffective too soon.

Early next year plans to dismantle the Quarantine Zone began. Although most of the population was wary of establishing Vaurcae in Biesel, authorities opted to provide the then-abandoned District 9 of Mendell City, mostly due to the carbon capture tower being repurposed to capture phoron instead. While an improvement in terms of space, Flagsdale was, however, much more beaten down than the Quarantine Zone, and to this day it remains a ghetto.

In the following months, to prevent more overcrowding, Zo’ra Queens would establish in Phoenixport, New Gibson, Luthien, and Caprice. Today, the original Quarantine Zone in Valkyrie is now a private dock, with no traces of its link to Vaurca history.

Despite the efforts to relocate many of the Flagsdsale denizens, particularly those that do not belong to the Vaur brood, the recent immigration of K’lax and C’thur to Tau Ceti has led many to settle there. To this day, it remains the most densely populated area in Mendell City and the most populous Vaurca settlement.

Living Conditions
Despite Vaurcae requiring little personal space, the sheer number of Workers housed in single-room apartments has become worrisome for even the Hive authorities. While this problem is most prevalent in Flagsdale, overpopulation is a concern in the Xerxes biodome too.

Due to their eusocial nature, as well as their preference for darkness, some humans find Vaurca apartments strange or even scary, and while some hive-cells might save extra credits to be able to rent elsewhere in Mendell City, plenty of landlords do not allow Vaurcae inside their facilities, despite technically being illegal. A very real concern, however, can be growing k’ois, especially inside shared buildings. While reports of these activities have diminished with the turn of the decade, many Mendell residents still fear the k’ois menace of the past years and do not feel safe sharing living space with Vaurcae.

Even despite their differences, Vaurcae will often prepare to share apartments with other Vaurcae, as adapting to the home lifestyle of other species can be a rather difficult task. This, however, is not unheard of, especially in Mendell City, the Odin, and Valkyrie. In recent years, the Xerxes biodome has attempted to escape the fate of Flagsdale by constructing a subterranean city, allowing non-Vaurca activity on the surface. This process is slow, and many of the Vaurca residents still live in buildings that were repurposed for them. While a vast subterranean network has been established, coordination efforts have become harder with humans and the growing K’lax presence.

Vaurcae of Athvur originally settled in a huge apartment complex near the outskirts of Phoenixport, with the queen herself living in a penthouse near downtown. Following the expulsion of Nanotrasen workers from the city, the Zo’ra Hive evaluated their alliances and decided to have Athvur re-established in Belle Cote. There, the construction of a neighborhood called Veii’ktown is still taking place. The name was chosen after the Veii’kt Plate, historical Zo’ra capital that became synonymous with her Empire at once. It is planned as a tourist attraction in Belle Cote, with plenty of safety measures to ensure no issues from Flagsdale are ever replicated. Despite the Queen’s enthusiasm, her brood is currently burrowed in temporary facilities that are deemed unsanitary and dangerous by other Vaurcae. The construction of Veii’ktown is meant to be finished by mid-2464. Luthien is not so much a colony as it is a factory, since most of the Workers there are Bound Vaurcae from the Xakt brood. The few Unbound usually reside elsewhere, like Mendell, or within the small settlements of scientists and other interested parties that live upon the surface of the planet.

Perhaps the most appealing place for a Vaurca to live in Tau Ceti is Caprice, and specifically its capital, New Sedantis. Although the colony was originally handed to Zoleth by the Tau Ceti authorities, it is now the de facto capital of Vaurcae, given that Queen Vaur has recently moved there. As with other Vaurca settlements within Biesel, the presence of the other Hives is to be expected. However, the diplomatic nature of New Sedantis, housing the new Court of Queens, has made it a cosmopolitan city for Vaurcae. It houses official residencies for each brood that participates in the Court.

Citizenship
Shortly after their introduction to Tau Ceti, President Dorn offered a worker visa to every single Vaurca with rightful employment. In early 2459, Congress approved this visa to be upgraded to full citizenship for all members of the Zo’ra Hive. However, this does mean that the registry must be done by one of the broods. Thus, Queenless Zo’ra do not apply for such benefits.

Despite this, the so-called Universal Citizenship Program for Vaurcae in the Republic of Biesel, or UCP for short, has been considered a success, with almost the entire Hive seen as Biesel citizens.

Bound in Tau Ceti
In spite of their cognitive limitations, the full citizenship offered by the UCP program includes Bound forms of Vaurcae, and even the stored Warforms in Dis are considered citizens of the Republic of Biesel. Due to this, the Viax that caused the accident in which Vice President Hurk’jurl passed was to face a murder trial. Although the responsibility of the driver is questionable already, given the circumstances of the death, many have voiced their concerns regarding the absurdity of trialing a Bound Vaurca. While the individual is no longer to face any charges, the incident has sparked a discussion regarding the Bound employment, citizenship, and legal rights in Tau Ceti.

So far, limitations in career paths are considered lax for the Bound in Biesel, as seen in the allowed jobs for Viax onboard the Horizon. Unlike owned IPCs, the assassination of Bound Vaurcae is seen as murder. A new bill to change this, as well as to grant them a unique status, is in the works, supported by the Zo’ra Hive.

Vaurca and the Military
Being a founding member of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, the Zo’ra Hive has employed most of its Warrior assets in the defense of the Republic of Biesel. While the most extravagant Warforms are vestiges of ages past, and although many of them had to be culled shortly after their arrival to Tau Ceti, the Zo’rane Warforms are officially considered property of the Foreign Legion. The legal dispute of Dis and the Republic’s presence is a matter of controversy within the Hive and the Government.

The sheer number of Warriors in the Hive, however, has meant that many of the simpler bioforms have either been repurposed in other areas of expertise or now work in private security. The unemployment of Warrior castes remains an issue, as they greatly contribute to the violent crimes in Flagsdale.

Queens and the Government
The Zo’ra Hive is on great terms with Biesel. Although the young republic does not have great military strength, they believe that, as akin to them, Biesel is the face of humanity, and value the Biesellite culture. The greatest example of this is Athvur, who was chosen as Queen shortly after first contact was made, and has been tasked with proper integration of human customs in Vaurca culture. While the syncretism this has caused can be considered laughable by some, it has greatly helped in the public acceptance of the Hive, and Vaurca as a whole, in Tau Ceti society.

High Queen Vaur, chosen to replace her mother shortly after first contact, is the most influential Queen of the whole race, with her name being common knowledge in many corners of the Spur. Her personal friendship with Joseph Dorn perhaps symbolizes the alliance between both species. While her actual power outside the Hive organization is very limited and almost symbolic, embellished stories of her reign are popular amongst Vaurcae of all Hives, who at the very least fear her.

While considered a warmonger by many, Queen Zoleth is perhaps one of the most diplomatic Vaurca Queens, and her colony, Caprice, has shown in recent times what inter-Hive dialogue, as well as collaboration with other species, can achieve. Her brood is perhaps the most successful of all the Zo’ra, and the main reason the alliance with Tau Ceti prevails.

Because of their personalities, both Scay and Xakt tend to shy away from the public. Xakt in particular appears to be apathetic towards this new era, however, her high number of Bound has proven essential to revitalize the k’ois production, as well as to promote a brand of Zo’rane products for human consumption. The Scay brood, on the other hand, has helped in moments of emergency in New Gibson, as well as promoting Vaurca science in Biesel. It is said by the Zo’ra that she is responsible for the new Bulwark caste.

Ta Consulars and Biesel
In 2465, the Zo'ra Hive began a renewed bout of diplomacy with the Republic of Biesel government following tense relations the year before. While primarily focused on planting the seeds of later plans, one of the most notable achievements came in the form of the Diplomat Ta from the Zo'ra Hive now being permitted to work directly as Biesel Consulars. While this may appear to be a minor change in practice, with many Zo'ra Ta already having similar expectations and duties, it is the first time Vaurca have been allowed to serve directly as diplomatic representatives for a human civilisation, and it is an opportunity that the Hive intends to seize. The Ta that find themselves working as Consulars for the Republic also represent their Hive and even the Court of Queens simultaneously, leading to a split in duties that, depending on the circumstances, many would struggle with; however, the Zo'ra Diplomat Ta are expected to be skilled at balancing these roles in the rare circumstances where they conflict.

The duties and expectations of these Diplomat Ta vary, even from brood to brood, with some Queens having a differing preference for what is focused on. They generally include recruitment and low-level management for the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, something which Zo'rane Ta have long assisted in, ensuring Tau Ceti Law is being followed when applicable, managing visa and citizenship applications to the Republic, promoting the Zo'ra Hive and Republic of Biesel's public image, ensuring fair treatment of Vaurca, cataloguing and noting anything of scientific interest; and otherwise assisting Biesellite and Vaurca citizens.