Unathi Abroad

From Aurora Information Uplink
Revision as of 04:39, 1 January 2024 by La Villa Strangiato (talk | contribs) (gets rid of a double-header, adds toc_hidden)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Since first contact with humanity and the Skrell in 2403, many Unathi have left their homeworld of Moghes - whether as refugees, corporate employees, or simply to seek their fortune in the stars. The fires of the Contact War exacerbated this, as much of Moghes was left uninhabitable by nuclear war. By 2465, Unathi can be found across nearly the entirety of the Orion Spur, in some capacity or another.

Unathi are a very communal species, and this tends to be reflected in their enclaves abroad - outside of rare cases such as Ouerea, Unathi communities tend to be insular, and keep to their traditional ways rather than adapting to new cultures. Those Unathi who do adopt local ways and customs are generally the more recent generations of immigrants, or from non-traditional groups to begin with such as the Aut'akh communes.

Template:TOC hidden

Unathi in the Solarian Alliance

Unathi interaction with the Sol Alliance has always been limited - though Solarian exploration vessels did make first contact, their involvement was considerably more limited when compared to that of the Nralakk Federation. Due to the Solarian reputation of xenophobia, not many Unathi seek to visit, and to date none have ever been granted Solarian citizenship. The only Unathi community in Solarian space of any note was the Free City of Vezdukh on the planet Mictlan - however, following the Solarian Collapse and the planet's annexation into the Republic of Biesel, there are now no permanent Unathi communities within Alliance space outside of the Eridani Federation.

Though some of the Solarian warlords of the Human Wildlands had business dealings with Unathi pirates, these dealings have for the most part ceased as the last of the warlord states either collapsed or were integrated into the newformed Reconstruction Mandates. This exposure means that the reputation Unathi have in many of the outlying regions of the Alliance is far from a pleasant one, with most contact coming in the form of pirates, smugglers and other such ne'er-do-wells.

Unathi in the Eridani Corporate Federation

The Eridani Federation, while a Solarian member-state, has little in common with the wider Alliance - including the presence of Unathi. Due to the Hephaestus Industries presence in the Eridani system, many Unathi working for the megacorporation will temporarily reside in the Eridani Federation - and though adjusting to the Suit culture can be difficult, a rare few Unathi in higher positions have stayed on permanently, mostly on installations such as Platform 7 rather than on the planets of Eridani proper.

The most notable Unathi community in Eridani is the Aut'akh commune known as 'The Factory' - a group of Aut'akh who fled from Hegemony space to the Eridani Federation, and rapidly came to view the Eridani system as a pit of spiritual evil - the epitome of everything that their religion's founders preached against. To the Aut'akh of the Factory, they are almost crusaders, descending into an earthly Chained Waste in the hope of building a better world in its place. They have settled into the underworld of Eridani I, forming ties with the local Dreg population - and though they despise the corporations that rule over Eridani, many of their members will seek work with them in the hopes of improving the life of their fellow commune members. More information on the Factory and its residents can be found here.

Unathi in the Republic of Biesel

The Republic of Biesel has always been a cultural melting pot, with any manner of life from across the Spur being found within its territory - and the Unathi are no exception to this. Following the end of the Contact War, many refugees from the newly created Wasteland fled to Tau Ceti, and many more have come in the employ of the Spur's megacorporations, seeking fortune in the stars. To many Unathi - whether lucky enough to have been spared from nuclear devastation or fleeing the spreading Wasteland - the torch on the Republic's flag is a beacon of hope; that they might find wealth, glory and a new home far away from the ruins of Moghes. While Unathi can be found all throughout the Republic, there are some Unathi communities of particular note.

Notable Unathi Communities in the Republic of Biesel

Mendell City - The Akhanzi Exiles

Following the Iron Crusade, when many of their oldest temples were burned, the Th'akh monks of the Akhanzi Order fled the Izweski Hegemony for greener pastures. They found sanctuary in the Republic of Biesel, who granted them refugee status. The Order, under the guidance of Vuthix Ahkandi, established a new temple and spiritual library in Mendell City, located in District 10. Though the power of the Maraziite Order who persecuted them has been broken in the Hegemony, the Akhanzi Order have not returned to Moghes, choosing instead to try and share their wisdom as best they can from across the stars.

Aside from the shamans who fled to Biesel, many Th'akh faithful have since emigrated from Moghes to visit the new temple. The residential areas around the newfound home of the Akhanzi Order have rapidly become populated by Unathi immigrants. A great number of these Unathi are from rural communities close to the sites of the old Akhanzi Temples, and acclimation has been difficult for many who are unfamiliar with the language, customs and culture of Tau Ceti. However, their community is a tight-knit one, and so far they have persisted through any and all adversity that the Republic may present them.

Ashton - The Escapees

In 2452, a group of five Gawgaryn launched an assault on the Izweski stronghold of Camp Integrity, seizing several trade shuttles docked there and forcing their pilots to pick up hundreds of Unathi from across the Wasteland. These shuttles then set course for Tau Ceti, in the hopes of finding sanctuary from the wastes across the stars. The escapees applied for refugee status with the Republic of Biesel, and were granted it - though the bold raiders who stole the shuttles were extradited to the Izweski Hegemony, to face execution.

The fledgling Republic, dealing with its newly-won independence, resettled the refugees on the outskirts of Ashton, an agricultural settlement on the continent of Selene. Though at first things were difficult, the skills that many of the refugees already had were able to be put to use effectively in the farms surrounding the city. As of 2465, the Unathi population in Ashton has grown steadily, and has integrated well with the local population - though the work in the farms of Ashton may be difficult, and very few Unathi in the community have managed to afford their own land instead of simply working for the wealthier human landowners of the region, compared to the Wasteland it may as well be a paradise.

Mendell City - The Razortail Enclave

A group of Aut'akh have made their home in District 11 of Mendell City - known as one of the most violent and dangerous districts of the city. The 'Razortail Enclave', as they have become known, have largely turned to crime in order to survive. More information on them can be found here.

Mendell City - The Bastard Hatchlings

Another Unathi enclave in District 11, the Bastard Hatchlings are an Unathi gang formed largely in response to the existing crime in the district, as a form of protection for the Unathi migrant workers living in the area. As the years have gone on, however, the gang has expanded its operations - gaining a major foothold in the Mendell City drug trade. Though they are far from the Hegemony, and engaging in what would unquestionably considered as deeply dishonorable behavior, the Bastard Hatchlings are largely Sk'akh faithful, and cling to their own version of the Warrior's Code that is, at least on the surface, similar to that practiced in Izweski space.

The Hatchlings are often even more staunchly traditionalist than Unathi actually in the Hegemony, clinging to ideas of a distant and glorious culture as they struggle to survive the streets of Mendell. Perhaps it is this that has led to frequent and violent clashes with the Razortail Enclave - as much over ideology as territory or any other material concern.

Members or affiliates of the Hatchlings are often hired as muscle by other criminal syndicates, and the stereotype of the Unathi hitman is one that has already made its mark on Bieselite culture, with many holovids and films produced in Biesel featuring Unathi in similar roles. To the vast majority of Unathi, this stereotype is an offensive one and one often protested against firmly.

Valkyrie - The Fortune-Seekers

Hephaestus Industries has a large presence on Biesel's moon, as well as within the Hegemony - so it should be no surprise that many Unathi migrant workers were brought there by the megacorporation. In the shipyards, docks and factories of Valkyrie, Unathi workers can be seen, with entire clans having made the journey across the stars in the hopes of finding a new life in Tau Ceti.

The idea of this 'Valkyrian Dream' began as a Hephaestus marketing slogan, to encourage Unathi to move to the Republic as cheap labour. However, over the years it has become a reality, as the megacorporation increasingly relies on the moon's Unathi population to operate its Valkyrian facilities. Unathi have seeped into every part of Valkyrie, rising through ranks both civil and corporate into positions of power - and for these Unathi, the Valkyrian Dream may truly be fulfilled.

This is the largest Unathi community in Tau Ceti, and Sinta from all walks of life and faiths can be found here. Sk'akh churches and Th'akh shrines can be found here, though the Aut'akh and Si'akh faiths are not present, with the former preferring the company of their own kind and the latter largely being relegated to Moghes. As such, the culture is an odd melting pot from across Moghes, with food, music, faith and tradition from nearly everywhere melding together into a culture that is unique to Valkyrie, but an unquestionably Sinta one.

The Unathi of Valkyrie are, to many, a model community - hard workers, diligent in their duties and ambitious in the pursuit of a better life for themselves and their kin. Others, however, resent them for their Hephaestus ties, or how they tend to look down on less well-off groups of Unathi in the Republic - particularly criminal groups such as the Razortails or the Bastard Hatchlings. To many of the Unathi living in poverty in Mendell, the Valkyrian Unathi are nothing but obedient lapdogs, happy to trade the Hegemon's boot on their neck for that of Joseph Dorn or Titanius Aeson.

Valkyrie - The Jhakal Syndicate

The Unathi noble clan known as the Jhakal Syndicate has seized a great deal of power on the docks of Valkyrie, taking their cut from smugglers and traders alike, and securing their power over the moon. In recent years, concerns have arisen about the possibility of succession, as the clan’s current ruler grows older - but all those who seem positioned to succeed her may not be up to the task. Though the Jhakal have secured wealth and power greater than they ever had on Moghes, only time will tell if it will last - or if the clan will experience a second fall. More information on the Jhakal Syndicate, and their dealings on Valkyrie, can be found here.

Luthien - The Pact

Another Aut'akh commune in Biesel, the Unathi of the Luthien Pact work closely with the megacorporations, granting them a better quality of life than many of their kin elsewhere in the Republic - though at the cost of their prized freedom. More information about the Luthien Pact can be found here.

Notable Unathi Communities in the Corporate Reconstruction Zone

Unathi on Mictlan

As the Contact War ravaged Moghes, Unathi fled across the Spur - whether to escape the victorious Hegemony, or simply out of desperation as their ancestral homes were swallowed by atomic fire. A large group of these Unathi fled to the territory of the Solarian Alliance, hoping that the humans would grant them asylum from the devastation their homeworld faced. While the Alliance did not turn them away, they wished to divert these Unathi from the Jewel Worlds, and thus the Vezdukh Refugee Camp was established on the planet Mictlan, for holding and processing the thousands of Unathi refugees seeking to enter the Alliance. Both Hegemonic and Traditionalist refugees were sent there, and forced into making a new life on an alien world.

Eventually, the refugee camp grew into a true city - dubbed in 2453 as the 'Free City of Vezdukh' by the locals. The city grew prosperous, and integrated further into Mictlani society, creating something wholly unique - a hybrid of Mictlani democracy and Unathi tradition, where even the lowliest peasant of Moghes could rise into the newformed aristocracy of the city. Following the Solarian Collapse and Mictlan's annexation by the Republic of Biesel, the Unathi of Mictlan have largely been in favor of the Bieselite presence - to them, one distant human government is much the same as another, and nearly all of them have welcomed the opportunity to become full citizens of the Republic, rather than the nebulous refugee status they had held previously.

However, this is not a belief shared by all, with some of the younger and bolder Unathi of the Free City seeing in Biesel's presence the same corporate hand that is wrapped around the neck of the Hegemony. While it is a rare site, some Unathi have been reported among the Samaritan movement fighting for independence from the Republic, believing that the people of Mictlan should claim their own destiny instead of bowing to foreign masters - whether Solarian or Bieselite.

More information on the Unathi of Mictlan can be found here.

Unathi in the Coalition of Colonies

There are not many Unathi in the Coalition of Colonies - its distance from Moghes and smaller Unathi population does not encourage immigration compared to Biesel, and the Coalition tends to be wary of Unathi due to the problem of various Unathi pirate fleets raiding on its southern borders, whether of their own volition or in the pay of other interstellar powers. However, the Coalition does have some Unathi dwelling there, for various reasons. Hephaestus often brings Unathi workers from the Hegemony to its operations within the Coalition, with some Unathi being assigned to Burzsia I, the megacorporation's regional headquarters. While not many of these workers stay for long, some have stuck it out and gained citizenship within the Coalition - though this is a difficult choice for many with clans or families back in Izweski space. Perhaps as a result of this, many Guwan in Hephaestus employ have sought out work in the Coalition of Colonies, where the name that brands them as a criminal can be left behind or ignored.

Outside of Hephaestus, some Unathi merchants who find the Hegemony's mercantilist economy too limiting seek citizenship in the Coalition, due to its lax requirements. While this was largely limited to non-Guild members, the bankruptcy of the Merchants' Guild in 2465 has led many of their former members to take what vessels they could and flee the Hegemony, hoping to find greater profits in human space. While some of these merchants have set course for the Republic of Biesel or the Empire of Dominia, a large number of them have chosen instead to seek their fortune in Coalition space.

Unathi in the Empire of Dominia

The Empire of Dominia has a small, but influential Unathi population, formed primarily from members of the clans Kazhkz and Han'san having fled Moghes following a failed assault on Skalamar. After several years of piracy, these two clans made contact with the young Empire in 2440, and while some on Moroz feared that their fleet would be the first true test of the Imperial Fleet, the pirates chose a different path - pledging their service to the Emperor, and being granted positions of nobility. The two clans reorganized, becoming the Great House Kazhkz-Han'san. Occupying an odd space, noble yet distrusted, favored of the Emperor yet often despised by the other Houses, the Unathi of Dominia have managed to thrive nonetheless in this alien civilisation. More information on Unathi in the Empire can be found here.

Unathi in the Serene Republic of Elyra

There are not many Unathi in the Serene Republic of Elyra, and no citizens. The privateers of House Kazhkz have often raided the edge of Elyran space, and other pirate fleets in the Badlands and Sparring Sea have often clashed with the Elyran Navy, creating a distrust of Unathi among many of those who fought against such pirates during their mandatory military service. The one exception to this, however, is New Suez, where a small Unathi population has emerged, largely as workers for the Hephaestus Industries presence on the moon. Though they tend to keep to their own communities, with the largest of these taking up nearly an entire district of New Hormuz, where the vast majority of Unathi in Elyran space can be found.

Though the life of a Non-Citizen Person in Elyra can be difficult, and most Unathi on New Suez do not stay long, instead working there for a few years at most, some of them have managed to build a more permanent life there. Though they will likely never be considered citizens of the Republic, their presence has helped the general image of their species - at least among the citizens of New Suez, who have been given a chance to see a different side to the Unathi than that of the pirates that have plagued the Serene Republic in the past.

Unathi Outside Human Space

Unathi settlements outside of their own or human space are rare bordering on nonexistent - largely for practical reasons. The Co-Operative Territories of Epsilon Ursae Minoris are on the other side of the Spur, and while the Nralakk Federation is closer, it still lies on the far side of the Sparring Sea - far further than most human states for those fleeing the Contact War. The isolationism of the Skrell also means that trade is limited, with not many Unathi merchants bothering to brave the dangers of the Sparring Sea to trade with the Federation. While the Tajaran homeworld of Adhomai is closer, its freezing climate and recent years of strife and warfare mean that not many Unathi would wish to set course there, even without considering that many of the locals would likely not appreciate their presence.

Gakal'zaal

There is one major exception to this rule, however - the colony of Gakal'zaal, originally founded by Tajaran refugees in 2452. These refugees made a living on the planet for some time, suffering from pirate raids and extortions until 2457, when the Izweski Navy expelled the pirate presence. After a deal with a powerful Tajara family on Gakal'zaal, the Hegemony annexed the planet, appointing Makar Yizarus, cousin to the famed admiral, as the new Overlord of Gakal'zaal. Due to the ongoing Second Revolution on Adhomai, none of the Tajaran powers involved themselves in affairs, leading to five years of feudal rule as Unathi colonists arrived on the planet.

In 2462, however, with the assistance of the Adhomai Liberation Army, the organization known as the Gakal'zaal Liberation Front rose up, fighting to depose Overlord Yizarus and place the planet back in the hands of the Tajaran people. Due to the ongoing civil war on Moghes, the Hegemon provided no help, leaving Overlord Yizarus to face the rebels himself. Due to Yizarus's corruption and mismanagement of the colony, Not'zar Izweski stripped the Overlord of his titles and abandoned Gakal'zaal, leaving Yizarus to the mercies of the Liberation Front. Now, the DPRA controls Gakal'zaal, with the remaining Unathi on the planet now living under Tajaran rule.

More information about Gakal'zaal, and the Unathi and Tajara who dwell there, can be found here.