From the 'Lords of Thunder' game, run by Matthew Fitzgerald
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| Homeworld : Unstaarn [A-799996-F; star a close binary of M4V and M7VI), an Imperial world in Subsector O of the Ley Sector] |
DESCRIPTION
Brown Skin. Slightly Greying Blonde Hair in a plait which reaches just below ren shoulders. Dark Green Eyes. Left Handed. 6'1" tall with a muscular but lithe build. Rhe has a completely androgynous appearance and could be of either sex from a casual glance - rhe has no sexual characteristics at all. Ren voice is tenor (could be high pitched male or low pitched female) and rhe is fairly handsome in an androgynous kind of way. Usually wears a tailored cloth jumpsuit in blue-green and gold or dark red and gold with some jewellery (earrings, necklace, bracelets) and a hand computer on ren right forearm.
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Entainas ('Tain') Heskuu was born on Unstaarn, a Vilani-descended Imperial world in Subsector O of the Ley Sector [A-799996-F; Trade Classes Hi In; star a close binary of M4V and M7VI; average surface temperature 292K; atmospheric pressure 1.7 atm; atmospheric taint Low Oxygen and high CO2 due to lethargic native life; Naval and Scout bases; attitudes Conservative and Advancing, Competitive and Neutral, Harmonious and Aloof; law Undivided; legal profile 6-6668A; two significant local customs - Marriage arranged by Medical Figures (Eugenics), and No Holidays for any of populace].
Eight hundred years ago Unstaarn was suffering from severe environmental problems caused by industry run wild. Teratogens and carcinogens released into the environment were causing serious medical and genetic problems among the populace. In response a political movement rose up preaching control of technology, the saving of the Unstaarnian environment and the cleansing of the Unstaarnian gene pool. They soon gained a planet-wide following and in an almost bloodless coup rose up and took control of the planet. Industry was forced to clean up, and limits to growth were established. Initially primitive genetic engineering techniques were used in attempt to reverse the damage to the Unstaarnian gene pool, but some very public failures turned the people against these techniques. Since then, and for the last eight centuries, the Unstaarn government has been practising a policy of Eugenics and selective breeding in order to improve their people and remove the genetic legacy of the old days. As part of this all marriages are arranged by the medical profession on a purely genetic basis. A pervasive campaign of propaganda by the ruling committees ensures almost total public support for their program, with disagreements really only occurring over details rather than the program as a whole. The attitudes of the populace stem, at least in part, from the program as well - the aloofness to outsiders for example stemming from the idea that they are mostly carriers of impure and random genes rather than the Unstaarnians own carefully controlled gene pool and the militancy attitudes coming from an assumption of their own superiority - they don't flaunt their military might but knowing they are superior (even their neuters) they have no problems with using force if it becomes necessary. As part of this all Unstaarnians undergo a short period of compulsory military service as part of their education.
As a part of the Eugenics program all children are subject to genetic tests while in the womb. This is to ensure that they conform to the strict genetic criteria all citizens must conform with in order to be able to reproduce. Those children who do not pass these tests for whatever reason are surgically altered using TL15 techniques either before or soon after birth to turn them into completely androgynous neuters (the techniques used are such that they avoid any kind of scarring or hormonal imbalances). For this reason there are effectively three sexes on Unstaarn - female, male and neuter. Despite individual differences there are several common features which all neuters have - a complete lack of external sexual characteristics (although a few traces remain internally), and a complete lack of body hair, apart from on the head. New terms have arisen to refer to the neuters - pronouns are rhe (instead of he/she), ren (instead of his/hers and him/her) and Mn (instead of Mr/Ms). The dress, appearance and general attitude of the Unstaarn people all tend to reflect the differences between the three sexes - they are very obviously either male, female or neuter (surprisingly enough things like homosexuality are hidden very deeply on Unstaarn). Men tend to have short hair, beards and wear clothing with padding in the crotch, or even a codpiece. Women have long hair and tend to wear clothing which emphasises or exaggerates the breasts. Both men's and women's clothing tends to be brightly coloured and decorative except where this is impractical, and they also often wear a lot of jewellery. Neuters have medium-length hair and wear plain, often dowdy clothing.
Intensive government propaganda ensures all natives of Unstaarn remain loyal and support the government. At the present time about 20% (730 million) of the 3.64 billion people on Unstaarn are neuters. As time has gone by and the Unstaarnians gene pool has been rendered cleaner and cleaner the criteria by which children are judged have become more and more stringent (although it is denied by the government this is at least in part in order to keep a pool of the neuter underclass available for dangerous work). Because marriages are arranged by the medical profession they are often fairly loveless things; as a result of this many people indulge in extra-marital affairs. This is tolerated, and even encouraged, as long as the Eugenics program is not compromised by those involved.
Because the neuters are created from those who fail the genetic tests they are considered inferior and are very much an underclass. Although they are raised by their parents, and are not supposed to be treated any differently from male and female children by them, they are segregated at school and because of their 'inferiority' (due to their genetic taint and also due to a supposed lack of drive and creativity associated with their lack of a sex drive) neuters also tend to be ill-educated compared to the other two sexes. When they reach legal adulthood at the age of seventeen all neuters must make a choice between the three options available to them : permanent exile from Unstaarn with death the penalty if they return (one of the few incidences of the death penalty on Unstaarn), a career in the Unstaarn military or a career as a menial worker (either a servant or in high-risk industries). Both these last options are essentially jobs which would expose the genetically 'superior' females and males of Unstaarn to danger and so are avoided by them.
On Unstaarn the neuters form their own social groups with family-substitutes which provide the company and emotional support they need. They are kept segregated from the female and male population by social convention as much as by written laws. Because of the distinctions between the sexes on Unstaarn they all have different roles in society : females and males are essentially considered different but equal under the law; both males and females do science and raise children; males work in the areas of politics and business while females form the majority of the military command structure and managers generally, as well as being the majority of military and civilian pilots; neuters make up the entirety of the rank-and-file military and form a pool of unskilled labour, as well as being servants to the males and females.
So far the Unstaarn Eugenics program has had only minor effects on the populace - there are no 'supermen' (yet!). However all females and males on Unstaarn (as well as most of the neuters) have almost no inherited diseases such as diabetes or heart disease, are less susceptible to cancer and are slightly above average physically and mentally, though only by a fraction of a percent. Population growth is controlled, but the population of Unstaarn is rising, with a maximum of four children allowed per family.
Entainas was born in 1082 to Lorin and Narva Heskuu, members of the Unstaarn COACC forces - Lorin (ren father) in Logistics and Narva in Strategic Planning. Rhe was the third of four children (the others being two girls - Marliidigidii and Minkhikiklunash, and one boy - Erru) but the only one of the four to fail their genetics tests due to a slight defect which makes ren slightly deaf with a slightly reduced frequency response in ren ears (easily rectified by technological means). Despite the only patchy schooling typical of that given to neuters Entainas' natural intelligence enabled ren to learn quite a lot. In part this was to escape from a fairly unpleasant childhood and growing up - rhe was mostly ignored by ren parents, bullied by ren siblings and accused of causing trouble when rhe tried to tell ren parents what was going on. Unsurprisingly rhe grew to dislike the whole lot of them.
When Entainas was seventeen and the time came to choose ren future rhe had no hesitation in choosing permanent exile from Unstaarn. Rhe managed to sign onto a free trader, the Mugiirshash, working passage. When the Mugiirshash reached the next world Entainas was able to stay on as a general helper, and over the next few years travelled widely and received training as a starship engineer, becoming good at it quite quickly and being promoted to fourth officer.
Although rhe encountered prejudice and discrimination against what rhe was on some of the worlds rhe visited, initially life was fairly good with many new and interesting things to see, do and learn as she moved between several different free traders. Because of ren conscientious attitude Entainas was given training in purchasing, and because of ren good physique was also trained as a ship security officer, learning how to handle an SMG and acquiring the Snub SMG rhe still carries. As part of this rhe was also trained to handle a sword. In order to assist in cutting through the red tape on some worlds Entainas was obliged to have a genetic test in order to determine what sex rhe really is - it turned out that rhe is genetically male, although Entainas in no way thinks of renself as a man.
As rhe moved in a trailing direction out of the Imperium and Ley sector into Gateway sector. Rhe also improved ren general level of education significantly, and took a number of courses from which she learnt a variety of technical skills to complement ren engineering skill. Because of this technical training Entainas was able to gain promotion to third officer and as part of officer training learnt how to pilot a starship, and improved ren skill at handling people. As time went by Entainas eventually got over the bitterness rhe felt towards Unstaarn, and as rhe has got older and seen people rhe knew settling down rhe now feels rhe made totally the wrong decision when rhe decided on permanent exile Unfortunately it was now rather too late for second thoughts.
Shortly after this the news reached Gateway sector that the Emperor Strephon had been assassinated and the rebellion had started. Although this had little initial effect a few incidents with refugees caused Entainas to improve ren skill with the SMG. As time went on and the rebellion continued a few problems with spare parts have forced Entainas to improve ren engineering skill, as well as learning how to repair electronic systems.
Entainas has grown to dislike low-tech worlds as they tend to be more provincial and prejudiced. This dislike was not helped by an incident on one world where ren only avoided being kidnapped off into a freak show thanks to the prompt action of ren crewmates. Also on three worlds ren was not allowed out of the starport extrality zone because what rhe is is considered illegal by the natives. Entainas now feels rhe made totally the wrong decision when rhe decided on permanent exile from Unstaarn - rhe sometimes gets very lonely and desperately wants to be loved and have someone love ren. The romance of interstellar travel wore off long ago and Entainas now just goes through the motions for want of anything better to do. More than anything else rhe wants to go home to Unstaarn, but knows that this is impossible. Because of this Entainas occasionally indulges in recreational drugs of various kinds, usually on ren own in private, although rhe never uses anything which causes permanent physical damage or indulges while on duty as ren work is the only thing rhe really has and rhe doesn't want to lose it. Rhe also needs anti-depressants too, in order to keep going, and tends to fall apart without them...
Entainas has no problems with aliens, and in fact prefers them to some humans as they tend to be less prejudiced, not seeing ren as something unusual but more as just another member of the human species.
Although very good at ren job, Entainas is a quiet and not particularly social person, in part because of the negative reactions rhe sometimes gets from others. Rhe also tends to be stoic and uncomplaining about things, keeping ren problems to renself. Rhe spends a lot of ren spare time reading on a wide range of subjects and listening to music. Rhe usually has at least one book rhe is currently reading in the memory of ren hand computer. Rhe tends to wear practical jump-suits with lots of pockets; these are usually made of armoured cloth. Rhe prefers them coloured, with blue-green and gold or dark red and gold being favourites. Rhe also wears jewellery quite often. Both of these are a general reaction against not being allowed to wear them on Unstaarn.
Because of ren Vilani-inspired training Entainas practises jump dimming when entering jump space.
CAREER HISTORY
Term 1 (Base Skill : Streetwise-1)
Position, Special Duty; +1 Dex, Engineering-2; Benefit : +1 Int
Term 2
Special Duty (4); Broker-1, Liaison-1, SMG-1, +1 Dex; Benefit : Weapon (Snub SMG)
Term 3
Special Duty (4); Mechanical-1, Computer-1; Large Blade-1, Gravitics-1; Benefit : 10000 Cr
Term 4
Promotion, Special Duty; Pilot-1, Liaison-1, SMG-1; Benefit : 20000 Cr; No Stat Losses from Ageing
Term 5
Promotion, Special Duty; Engineering-1, +1 Str, Electronics-1; Benefit : +2 Edu; No Stat Losses
Rank Benefits
+2 Edu, +2 Edu
Miscellaneous
-1 End from Radiation Damage
NOTABLE EQUIPMENT