The Chronicles of Terra, vol. V

The following are excerpts from an encyclopedia of the ExoSquad future, written shortly after the war's end.

Auto-Mutation Syndrome
Chaos
Dark Matter Syndrome
GRAF (GRAvitational Focus) shield
Neo mega
Neo lord
Neo sapiens
Neo warriors
Pirates

Auto-Mutation Syndrome is a terminal disease that afflicts Neo sapiens. It is a result of a defect due to their having been genetically engineered, and it can be triggered by injuries or other physical damage. It is fatal and incurable, although during Neo sapien rule of the Homeworlds progress was made in extending a victim's remaining lifespan. The effect on the body itself is to slowly liquify it, so that the Neo sapien's body gradually loses cohesion until he finally just falls apart. Given their potential for extended lifespans, AMS is often described as a Neo sapien's greatest fear.

The most famous case of Auto-Mutation Syndrome to date was that of Phaeton, who orchestrated and ruled during the Neo sapien takeover of the Homeworlds.....

Chaos, the tenth planet in the solar system, is composed entirely of dark matter. This interesting characteristic kept it hidden from Homeworld astronomers, and the planet was only recently discovered by the Pirate Clans, who gave it its name.

Chaos currently has only one major population center, Port Chaos. Given the Pirate way of life it resembles more of a military base than a city. With the Io Alliance agreement that promised to hand over Mars to the Pirate Clans at the end of the Neo sapien War, there are plans to abandon habitation of the planet. Since the planet is made up of dark matter, permanent residents risk suffering from Dark Matter Syndrome as a result.

The Pirates utilized the dark matter characteristic of Chaos not only by building an undetectable base, but also by using it to create cloaking devices for their spaceships. The cloak effectively renders the ship invisible when it is activated, and can even render it impervious to some forms of attack.

As Chaos has only recently become known to Terran scientists, little about it is thus far known.....

Dark Matter Syndrome is a neurological ailment that afflicts those with extended exposure to dark matter. As a result most of those affected are members of the Pirate Clans, many of whom lived on the dark matter planet Chaos or worked on spaceships that utilized dark matter in a cloaking device. Dark Matter Syndrome is symptomized by aggressive and violent tendencies. The actual health threat is minimal unless combined with some other injury.

Treatment consists of full-spectrum therapy which allows complete recovery.....

The GRAF (GRAvitational Focus) shield was designed by the former University of Chicago Professor Algernon. The GRAF shield consists of a dome or series of domes that can be powered up and its energy directed at a target. Because it is an emerging technology that cannot be explained by traditional fields of physics, and it is one with military applications, little information regarding it has been made public knowledge.

From appearances, the GRAF shield seems to increase the strength of the force of gravity within its target range. Target range is between high orbit and the upper atmosphere of a planet. Spaceships in its field begin collapsing in upon themselves, and can easily be reduced to one-tenth their normal size if they don't explode first.

Cloaked vessels (a capability Pirate ships have) are unaffected by the field produced by a GRAF shield, as the shield's energy tendrils act like light rays.

At their current level of technology the GRAF shield is used as a defensive weapon. Installations must be built on a planet or moon, and the shield requires a great deal of energy, more than a current spaceship could produce....

The Neo lord was the last new brood created by Neo sapien science, and they were also the work of Praetorius. Neo lords stand at about eight feet tall, and their strength well exceeds the typical Neo sapien's. They are also blue-skinned, but their skin is extremely resistant to weaponry and explosions. They have wings that resemble a hornet's that enable them to fly, and razor sharp claws on their fingertips. They are also capable of controlling their own body temperature.

The Neo lord was created to be the perfect warrior. Neo lords exhibit intelligence, but this isn't of much significance.

The Neo lords did not have much an effect on the war, as the Neo sapiens were defeated before a great number of them could be produced....

The Neo mega was the first attempt to improve upon the Neo sapien species. Created by the Neo sapien Praetorius, Neo megas were intended to be the perfection of mankind. A Neo mega is blue-skinned and has a brood mark, just like a Neo sapien.

But a Neo mega is generally smaller and apparently weaker than a Neo sapien. They have only three fingers on each hand and three toes on each foot. A Neo mega has a larger cranium and slightly larger eyes. They are also capable of communicating at frequencies beyond the range of hearing of both Neo sapiens and Terrans.

The larger cranium is attributed to their greater intelligence. Neo megas were created to think, not fight. They do not have the limitations in lacking creativity that Neo sapiens often do. They are often quite skilled at predicting the actions and reactions of Homo sapiens or Neo sapiens, though they are too often reliant on this skill. They are very often arrogant, and see themselves as superior to both Terrans and Neo sapiens.

Phaeton had each of his generals assigned a Neo mega or two as assistants, and they served in those posts well. This is despite the fact that the commanding general was often annoyed by the presence of such an aide, and would often follow any advice only grudgingly. Neo megas were also put in technical posts, to further genetic engineering projects, perhaps try to find a cure for Phaeton's Auto Mutation Syndrome, or improve weaponry.

Their existence was first discovered by the ExoFleet in the Battle for Ceres....

Neo sapiens are the genetically engineered creation of natural born humans. This new race, since it was to be used as slave labor in the mines on Mars, was created to be physically superior to Homo sapiens. A Neo sapien is stronger, larger (typically about seven feet tall), and can survive in harsher conditions that his human counterpart. A Neo sapien requires less food and no sleep. A Neo sapien has better hearing and more sensative eyes. Neo sapiens have blue skin and (two or three) different colored marks on the forehead known as a Brood Symbol, which can be used for identification. They have four fingers, including two opposable thumbs, on each hand, and four toes on each foot. One feature denied to the Neo sapien race was the ability to procreate, thus the only way for a new Neo sapien to be created is in a brood chamber. Despite this shortcoming, some Neo sapiens resemble males, while others tend to be considered female.

Mentally and psychologically Neo sapiens are similar to Terrans, for they are not any more intelligent and they do experience emotions (although they often seem tempered or dulled). It is occasionally noted that although Neo sapiens are as intelligent as Terrans, they are not as creative. Another difference is that Neo sapiens often lack adaptability.

The first Neo sapiens were created in 2040. The most significant improvement occurred in 2060 with the creation of Alpha Neo sapiens. This new brood was created to be more intelligent than their predecessors, and was successful in this regard. But in 2069 the Neo sapiens rebelled against their masters, in an attempt to win their own freedom. The revolt was largely centered on Mars, and was led by the Neo sapien Marsala....

The rebellion's downfall was largely due to their lack of weapons and technology. It ended when the Neo sapien Phaeton was captured, and revealed Marsala's whereabouts on the threat of death.

Although Neo sapiens were granted some rights, as well as control of the planet Mars, they were by no means equal, de jure or de facto, to their Terran counterparts. Many Terrans continued to harbor prejudice against the Neo sapiens, while others did consider Neo sapiens as equals. The First Neo sapien Rebellion actually did little to change the status of Neo sapiens, and many of them hoped to eventually achieve equality.

This was the general feeling that Phaeton was able to harness when launching his own attack on the Terran held Homeworlds in 2119. This assault was successful for a time....

Once the war had ended, Marsala (who fought for the ExoFleet during the second rebellion) was able to convince, after much debate, the Homeworlds Congress to authorize the creation of one final brood of Neo sapiens that was to have the ability to procreate....

The existence of the Neo warriors was discovered by the ExoFleet during the Australian Uprising. They were also the work of the Neo sapien Genetics Minister, Praetorius. The laws on genetic engineering had forbidden the mixing of human DNA with that of other animals. But once Phaeton replaced the Terran government with his own, he ignored such laws so that he could create even more powerful warriors. There are many different types of Neo warrior, each a mix of Neo sapien and one type of animal.

Praetorius told Phaeton that those of the Neo warrior brood feels no pain, no fear, no pity, and can heal nearly instantaneously. Obvious benefits of having such warriors includes not needing to train them, equip them, or provide them with technical or logistical support. All the different types created proved very resistant to whatever weaponry was used on them. They were often put right on the front line, and their lives were not valued highly.

First Generation Neo warriors

Crab The Neo warrior based on a mix of Neo and crab DNA has a large claw on one arm and a normal Neo sapien hand at the end of another. The head, claw, hand, six apparently nonfunctional crab legs, and knees are blue; the rest, including a large shell over the back, is purple. These widebodies did a lot of the heavy gruntwork, as the shell acts almost like armor.

Scorpion Thinner and quicker is the scorpion derivative, with two large claws for hands and a stinger tail. They are mostly green, although the torso is yellow.

Raptor The raptor Neo is distinguished by a lizard's head and eyes (the cranial structure of the other types of Neo warriors is only superficially different from the typical Neo sapien) as well as a tail. They also have two-toed, clawed feet, and are capable of spitting acid. They are skilled trackers, are especially agile, and have displayed the ability to fight well as a group tactically.

Bat This Neo warrior was the only one of its generation that could fly, and it did so with bat-like wings. These have large ears and fangs.

Octopus This was a type of Neo warrior with tentacles meant to patrol the waterways.

Spider These spider mixes are mostly orange with purple, having six spider legs and two Neo arms. Their distinguishing feature is that they produce a sticky webbing substance, which is used for seizing and tying up enemy e-frames.

Rhinoceros Very large and very strong, they are capable of denting armor and can bull rush e-frames. While the head is like that of a rhinoceros, complete with horn, they stand upright and the muscle build is that of a humanoid, only exaggerated. These are apparently anywhere between seven and ten feet tall.

Ant This mix of Neo sapien and insect has a pair of claws, a pair of Neo sapien arms, a pair of Neo sapien legs, and two pair of insect legs. It is apparently able to dig underground tunnels.

Second Generation Neo warriors

Raptor This raptor Neo is very similar to the first generation raptor, though these are darker blue with green eyes and horns. Second generation raptors are more intelligent than their predecessors, possessing rudimentary language skills. They run, track, and hunt with the previous type, sometimes with one serving as pack leader.

Crab This Neo sapien and crab mix is very similar to the previous type of crab, but has a white shell with a yellow pattern. The claw is on the left arm instead of the right as with the other crab type. The face seems slightly better defined and the body slightly wider. A similar improvement in intelligence from the first generation as with the raptor type may be presumed.

Third Generation Neo warriors (not widely used or produced, these bridge the gap between the earlier Neo warriors and the Neo lords)

Eagle This skilled flyer of the third generation Neo warriors is a blend of bird and Neo. It has large red avian wings on the back of a humanoid body. It exhibits intelligence, for it is able to communicate in both English and the feral language of the Neo warriors.

Feline These are the trackers/hunters of their generation. They have the head of a cat on what is pretty much just a sleeker form of a humanoid body. They have claws at the end of their fingertips, and these claws can be shot out of their fingertips.

The Pirates are descendants of Earth criminals that were sentenced to hard labor, and were sent to mining operations on the moons of the outer planets. With the creation of Neo sapiens, whose physical abilities made them better slaves, the pirate ancestors were abandoned on those moons. They survived, however, and were able to build spaceships of their own, so that they could attack other (mostly Terran) ships and steal whatever they needed or wanted. Many of them developed a sense of hatred for the Terrans (who lived in comparative luxury) and the ExoFleet (whose sole purpose for many years was to hunt them), and often the feeling was mutual.

The Pirates discovered a tenth planet in our own solar system, and named it Chaos. This planet is made up entirely of dark matter, and the Pirates have used it to create cloaking devices for their ships. The dark matter has had psychological side effects which result in aggressive and violent tendencies (Dark Matter Syndrome).

The Pirates had organized themselves into clans, and Jonas Simbacca is currently their leader. Both the ExoFleet and the Neo sapien Commonwealth wished to have the Pirates as allies, and opinion within the clans was split. Typhonus' treachery (promising to negotiate an alliance but instead taking Simbacca hostage) caused them to side with the ExoFleet, and their decision was a turning point which eventually led to an ExoFleet victory in the war. Their contribution to the alliance (in return for the planet Mars once the war was concluded) were ships with cloaking ability (including Winfield's flagship, the Resolute II) and use of Port Chaos.

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