Five Galaxies (Uplift)

The Five Galaxies are home to many independant and often atagonistic star-faring societies. While disparate, they are united by their common civilisation and the bureaucratic Institutes. The Institutes exist mainly so that there can be some communication between enemies and to ensure that there is still a civilisation in the next million years.

All intelligent species are the product of training, genetic engineering and development of another older species. This process is called 'Uplift' and is guided by the Institute for Uplift, which determines the general rules on which species can be uplifted and how. Traditionally uplift from an intelligent, presapient species to full sentience with space travel, mathematics, art, and war takes about 100,000 years. Since the rules as to what may be added, subtracted and molded in a species are intentionally vague, intelligent life is highly diverse. Status in this society is based on who uplifted your species and what it has uplifted itself.

Galactic civilization is also old. Very old, with estimates of two to three billion years. As such, good planets are hard to come by. The Institute of Migration thus requires strict ecological management of inhabited planets and typically leases them to star-faring species for only a few million years at a time. When they leave, they have to take all their technological accessories with them, or dump them in the nearest subduction zone. After inhabitation, a planet may be left 'fallow' much like in farming, for several of million years so that the ecosystem can fully recover and new pre-sapients hopefully arise.

With age comes knowledge. All accumulated infomation within the Five Galaxies is compiled by the Library Institute and distributed as 'Library units' to member species. The library has everything a galactic citizen may need to know. Methods for agriculture in acidic soils to feed a city of millions? It's in the library. The historical shakedown on one's new neighbours? It's in the Library. Plans for mile long battle-cruisers? They're in the library. Of course, such information has a price - more information. But every spacecraft has a Library recorder, and one's patron species has established your own species a good credit line for your first 500,000 years.

With size and age comes the need for safe FTL travel. Over its long life, many ways of traveling FTL have been developed in the Five Galaxies. Charting and making safe passage in five constantly moving galaxies is the province of the Institute of Navigation. If someone doesn't want their invasion fleet to wander too close to some black holes, best for them to ask 'NavInt.'

Regarding invasion fleets, the Institute for Civilized Warfare exists to register who's fighting whom so that others don't wander into the area, and more importantly to ensure that planetry ecosystems are not unduly harmed. So, planet destroyers, virus bombs, and full scale bombardment are forbidden. There are also obscure customs and formalities that have to be observed, even against hated foes. On the ground, infantry and light vehicles are the order of the day. Out in space however...

Into all this humanity stumbles quite by accident. No library or library credits. No known progenitors or 'Patron species'. No idea where anything is or a single clue as to how to hang on to what they have. Humanity looks like it will be exterminated or enslaved in the next five centuries, according to the bookies. And better yet, it seems that the Five Galaxies is entering what the ancient Chinese would refer to as 'interesting times' and all that entails.

Record 844 - universe - Last update 28 Mar 2007, 23:09:20

Update this entry - Your update will be submitted for moderation.