Suvelians
The Suvelians were the first aliens species discovered by humanity in the year 2325. They are a sparse, but technologically advanced species native to the Suvelia system, but were forced to ferry their people to the stars to seek out a new homeworld after their native planet, Suvelia, succumbed to ecological disaster and subsequent invasion.
Biology
Not much is known about the biology of the Suvelians, as every member of the species wears a full body-suit that protects their fragile immune-systems. Evolving from ancenstors similar to the talpidae of Earth, the Suvelians grew accustomed to clean, disease-free environments by living under Suvelia’s crust, which over hundreds of years weakened their bodies to the point staying too long above ground could be fatal. To compensate for this, the Suvelians constructed themselves protective suits to keep their bodies safe as they began to expand their underground homes to the surface.
Each Suvelian is bipedal, with a body structure similar to a human. They average at around five feet tall for the females, and six feet for males. They sport four fingers on each hand split into two pairs, with one pair located near the wrist, each tipped with small triangular nails. The legs are slightly longer than the torso, ending in four cloven stubs similar to hoofs, with two at the heel and two at the front, much like their fingers. Although visibly thin in comparison to the legs, these hooves are very flexible and can anchor a Suvelian to the spot at almost any angle for long periods of time.
Their bodies are completely concealed behind their suits, the concave visors protecting their heads are polarised, revealing only two glowing spots where their eyes are located. Each eyeball is twice the size of an average human’s.
Suvelians give birth to live young, and the process is difficult for both the newborn and mother alike. Each birthing must take place in a controlled environment that is completely sterilized to allow the Suvelian mother to take off her suit momentarily, and any mistake during this process could be fatal.
Suvelian young are born healthier than their parents, allowing them some time before airborne bacteria can start to effect the child. This window is temporary, however, and caretakers use this time to take measurements of the newborn and construct them a suit which they will wear for the rest of their life. Children are revered in Suvelian society due to their overall declining population, and it is not unusual to see members outside of a family help in the newborn’s upbringing.
Suits
Due to their vulnerability to disease, Suvelians must wear form-fitting, protective body suits at all times, which they will live and die inside of. Each suit is fully sealed to allow the user to traverse both in and out of a vacuum safely. The helmets are polarised, concealing their faces save for their large eyes. Since they are so essential to their bodies, the suits can be tweaked by the user in every way, from the tightness, to the internal temperature, and even how much the suit assists in strenuous movements.
The suits are built to be as flexible as possible for the user to adapt to any situation, and are built to expand as the user ages. using the flexible ‘C-loys’ material. There are several hardpoints located throughout the suit and helmet to allow the user to add and remove attachments such as additional armour, pouches, external interfaces, and even rocket boots. This modular approach allows the Suvelian to carry a lighter or heavy load depending on the situation.
The helmets provide a heads-up display, or HUD, that displays tactical information about suit systems and the surrounding environment, allowing the Suvelian to interface with any nearby system, both Suvelian and not, with the blink of an eye. Each suit is powered by microscopic reactors built into the lining of the suit, internal coolers feeding the heat out through sealed vents located near the feet to provide some concealment against thermal imaging.
No two suits are the same, with varying colours and personal touches differentiating each member, most notably the presence of murals and effigies that represent an individual’s worth, or Proving. Entire suits can be covered in tapestries that speak of some grand event, or engraved with scenery unique to the wearer’s life. With their bodies hidden away, this is one of the few ways Suvelians are able to express themselves to one another.
Society
All Suvelians are ruled by one sole government called the Unity, which consists of a small ring of officials called Elders, who answer to the Hierarch, who holds ultimate power over the species. Any disagreements between the Elders are resolved by the Hierarch, though such interference is a rare occurrence. According to the species, the Hierarch is chosen by an ancient god called Saduun, who chooses the Hierarch’s successor through a secret act of divination no human has ever witnessed. Due to this act of divine interference, the whole species follows the Hierarch without question, and negative opinions on the current Hierarch are almost unheard of.
To think otherwise of the Hierarch or the Elders would label that individual a heretic, a title of ultimate shame in the Unity. Those who shirk their duties, or disobey their superiors are also considered heretics.
This blend of religion and politics has dissolved all disagreements among the species, all Suvelians acting as one single entity when it comes to major decisions, hence the Unity’s namesake.
Where a human might struggle, every Suvelian can identify one another with ease. Due to their lack of properly seeing each other through the suits, other forms of expression such as song and dance, and a focus on body language has made up for this shortcoming.
Singing is an important part of life in the Unity. Through the suit-transmitters, open channels are devoted to lullabies any member can participate in. These channels increase productivity of the listener, and is used both in and out of combat situations. Current day translators are unable to bring these songs into context, but it is speculated these songs also double as species-wide bonding exercises.
Names and Titles
All Suvelians are given a first name upon birth, which proceeds a prefix that describes the Suvelian’s profession. For example, Guider Lolanne, Shipmaster Terlus. Suvelians gain a suffix to complete their name after they find a mate and produce offspring. Holding a completed name as such is a sign of the individual’s true value to society, these members well-respected throughout the Unity.
Religion
Suvelians are a zealotous people, who worship a sole god called Saduun. Very little is known about him. He was a soldier of some sort who sought to end the War of Claims, the most bloodiest event in Suvelian history. To do so he climbed the highest mountain towards a place known as the Spire, where he claimed divinity through mysterious means. With his new power he ended the War, leaving only one ruling family alive, his own, who would later found the Unity and live on to the modern day.
Saduun interacts through the Unity by proxy, guiding the current Hierarch along through visions – the discovery of Panthea being one such occurrence. Although every Suvelian holds Saduun to a high regard, he is known to be kind as well as cruel, sometimes helping the species along, sometimes letting it sort out their own problems.
Planets and Systems
Since the fall of Suvelia, the species has had to resort to living on space stations and a few small moons to sustain themselves as they searched for habitable worlds. Many planets close to the home system had already been occupied by humans, slowing the species’ search down significantly. When they discovered the Panthean system, an exodus was organsied to move the entire species into the system, claiming Panthea as their new homeworld.
Colony ships are the heart of any expansion. These ships are some of the largest vessels in the Unity, reaching over six hundred meters from nose to stern. They are packed with essential resources to start a colony, housing raw materials and tens of thousands of colonists contained within cryo-chambers.
Cities are then constructed in rings around the colony ship, which acts as a temporary power plant until more advanced reactors can be constructed. Underground railways, similar to those built in the species’ early days, wind through the city to help alleviate foot traffic as colonies begin to expand further. As of 2500, the Suvelians can only be found living on Panthea, all further expansions on hold as they pooled their resources to adapting to the new homeworld.
Technology
Whether the Suvelians are older or younger than humanity is up for debate, but their advanced technology suggests the former. Their weaponry is focused primarily on plasma, both handheld and shipmounted variants widespread among the Unity. Although not as numerous as the fleets of the UEC, Suvelian spacecraft are highly efficient in terms of material cost and fuel consumption, despite being on average larger than their human counterparts. Experimental drives capable of warping a ship from one place to another are currently in the works, though the design has not been put to the test since the mass exodus to Panthea.
Military
The Unity has only one spacefleet, called the Quin-Talash in their native language. The battlegroup is composed of three battleship-class ships, one dozen support frigate-class vessels, and twenty smaller craft that are similar to the corvettes used by humanity, as well as the Hierarch’s flagship. Each ship is sleek and smooth in appearance, valuing form over function, and yet lacking in neither field. Each ship has almost a quarter more weaponry available to it compared to the human ship equivalents, the plasma guns capable of performing well at both long and short ranges.
Due to their low numbers, the Suveilans focus on a strong defence in engagements, letting their powerful guns weaken the enemy while keeping at range as long as possible. Each ship is led by a Shipmaster, who can take command over several other vessels if a group needs to coordinate.
For ground units, squads are led by Avants, who issue commands to their subordinates. Suvelians prefer to hold ground rather than take it, letting the enemy wear itself down by holding a strong position before taking the initiative.