Arshai

The Arshai are a mammalian bipedal species with bright pink skin, (generally) red hair and red pupils. They stand at an average of 1.6-1.8 metres and possess two genders with sexual dimorphism similar to that of most humanoids.

One of the distinguishing biological traits of the Arshai is their vision. The Arshai see a wide range in the infrared spectrum but have only a small degree of normal reds being visible to them. This trait likely comes from evolving in the ice age of their homeworld of Arsae; many of the creatures there evolved to have white camouflage, but infrared vision allows easy spotting of any heat-emitting beings among the icy background of the Arsae of that era.

As a result of their vision, the Arshai have difficulty interpreting the delicacies of facial expressions. To compensate, Arshai emit pheromones which reflect their emotional state and can be picked up by other Arshai. It is very difficult for an Arshai to lie to one another as the pheromones are an excellent reflection of one’s true emotional state. However, highly specialized training can allow an Arshai to be stoic, to temporarily suppress their emotions, or even to create false emotions to fool those around them. This is a very rare skill.

Seeing in the infrared range also makes it impossible to read from the computers built by species who perceive colours such as blue and green. Arshai must wear specialized visors which translate these colours into something understandable for the Arshai brain in order to read such computers. Most Arshai working with other races such as the EereE are given these visual cybernetics.

In addition to vision in the infrared spectrum and pheromone sensing, Arshai also have fairly good hearing. Their acute senses allow Arshai to sense and react to danger, compensating for their greatest weakness- physical strength. Arshai muscular structure and bone density make them one of the more physically fragile bipedal races. They are no match for the average human in a contest of strength, though their muscles could give Arshai the capability to move faster if the circumstances are right (see description of metabolism for more detail).

The Arshai have pink skin and blood due to the presence of oxygenated blood as well as chemical substances that are a part of their regulatory system. The regulatory system allows an Arshai to rapidly adapt to different climates in order to survive their harsh and volatile homeworld. This allows Arshai to live comfortably in a wide variety of environments (with a small period of discomfort when adapting to the new environment).

As a side effect of their regulatory system, Arshai physiology is extremely sensitive to the climate around them. In the cold environment of their new world of Sae-En, their metabolism is so slow that it affects how quickly they think, eat and grow. On Sae-En, they live an average of 200 years and mature in their mid-thirties. Arshai can survive in temperatures of up to 60 degrees Celsius (assuming they have proper hydration), though an Arshai who has spent their entire life in such a climate would only live for about 40 years. The hypermetabolism of an Arshai in hot temperatures do have advantages though as they think and react much faster, allowing them to take full advantage of their muscular structure and become highly agile.

Technology and Architecture

The Arshai utilize the same technology as the EereE and assist the EereE in developing this technology (see EereE post for more details). They do not possess unique starship designs of their own, though they do construct ships using EereE design.

Unlike the EereE homeworld, which developed for a long time without the guidance of the Overseer, most of Sae-En’s structures were constructed either during initial settlement to house the then-refugee species, or were built with the direction of the Overseer. As a result, most modern Arshai architecture is highly functionalist and incorporates the minimalist design favoured by the superintelligence, a stark contrast to both the fashionable styles of the various cultures of Arsae and the tall and elegant spires of the EereE.

The Arshai had a rich culture which, under the rule of the Overseer, is now mostly gone, with only vestiges of tradition remaining in modern society. Likewise, despite their best attempts, Arshai history is extremely fragmentary due to the loss of their homeworld.

What is known about the Arshai is that their ancestors first evolved during one of Arsae’s ice ages. With many tougher and deadlier predators on the planet that also possessed infrared vision, the Arshai had little advantage and struggled. However, when drastic climate change occurred due to the unstable orbit of Arsae, the Arshai found themselves being one of the few species to survive consistently due to their regulatory systems.

The Arshai spread and became the most successful species on Arsae, developing civilization. Though they developed many different cultures and polities, their religions all revolved around the sun, the ball of heat that rose and set in the sky. As Arsae’s volatile climate was mostly caused by an irregular orbit, the Arshai noticed that the sun was correlated with environmental changes and believed it to be a supernatural being that controlled the fate of the world.

The first religions attempted to appease the sun with spells, incantations, rituals or simply admirable behaviour of individuals, depending on the religion. Historians refer to practitioners of these beliefs as ‘sorcerers.’ Eventually it became clear that nothing an Arshai did appeared to affect the sun in any way, and a new religion developed, focused on predicting the ‘moods’ of the sun and by extension, understanding the fate of the universe. Practitioners of this view are now referred to as ‘sages,’ and it was their rise to prominence that led to early scientific developments.

It is unknown how exactly the beliefs of the ‘sages’ became so widespread; while it was traditionally thought of as violent conquest, the archaeology also shows evidence of gradual and peaceful cultural assimilation. Regardless of how this new religion gained acceptance, Arshai history was undoubtedly bloody, with countless instances of war and tyranny.

The ancient Arshai were highly adept at warfare, riding large predatory beasts into battle and fashioning deadly weapons. Classic Arshai tactics revolved around quick precision strikes and guerrilla warfare rather than the meeting of massive armies, and their arsenal reflected their strategies. Instead of the pikes and shields seen on ancient Earth, which were designed for maximum efficiency in formation, the Arshai emphasized the skill of each individual soldier, developing many elaborate martial arts techniques. The most well-known of classic Arshai weapons is the Zolre, a double-ended spear which can be separated into two shorter javelins. Weapons like this allowed soldiers who wielded them to be extremely versatile units.

The warlike ways of the Arshai came to a destructive peak with the arrival of the EereE. The avian alien visitors attempted to convert the Arshai to their beliefs of order and in return gave them advanced technology. Equipped with doomsday weapons but not yet culturally advanced enough to use them responsibly, the Arshai’s internal conflicts escalated and eventually set the planet on an irreversible path of destruction. Most of the Arshai population perished in the coming years, the only survivors escaping on the few starships they possessed.

Not even all of those who fled the dying homeworld managed to survive. Those that made it saw a reformed EereE Order that sought to correct their mistakes, offering the Arshai a new planet which they named Sae-En, New Home. Sae-En was a cold world comprised mostly of tundra, similar to the climate in which the Arshai evolved, but inhospitable to the EereE. The remnants of the Arshai settled there under the rule of the EereE, as they were in no state to rule themselves. The EereE helped and protected them and eventually subjugated the Arshai (alongside themselves and the Vu’Lez) to the Overseer AI network, which continues to guide Arshai society to this day, albeit with heavy restrictions such as being forbidden to colonize other planets.

Modern Society in the EereE Order

Present-day Arshai society is very similar to EereE society in that all aspects of life are closely regulated by the Overseer. It is essentially socialist in nature, with all members of the community serving the greater good of the community and receiving their share in accordance with their contribution. The Overseer various smaller AIs meticulously calculates the amount of work every individual had put out, rewarding those who perform well and punishing those who fall behind.

The main difference between the Overseer’s treatment of the EereE and its treatment of the Arshai is that Arshai life is deemed a priority due to the status of their species. Though their numbers are quickly approaching one billion, the repopulation of the Arshai is still not yet complete. Arshai are not simply viewed as resources, but also as a species that must be preserved. Whereas EereE who continually fail to meet expectations are left to die by the Overseer (as it is seen as the natural way of things), Arshai in similar situations are given much fairer treatment and prompted to work harder using various methods other than the threat of death. Under no means is the execution of an Arshai permitted, and the worst punishment an Arshai can face is exile from EereE space. For most Arshai this is akin to a death sentence, but theoretically it is still possible for Arshai exiles to repopulate with other exiles and thus permissible for the Overseer. The children of exiles are allowed back into Arshai society, though they may be subject to an extensive re-education program if they wish to do so at a late age.

In accordance with the EereE’s insistence on the ‘order of life,’ genetic augmentation and cloning is forbidden, and the Arshai must repopulate through natural means. Modern Arshai are communally raised in the Overseer’s education programs and do not form family units with their biological parents, who are genetically paired up purely for the purpose of reproduction. All Arshai are expected to contribute to repopulation, except those few deemed to be genetically unfavourable, who are barred from having offspring.

Due to the lack of family and the only loyalty being to the community as a whole, the Arshai perceive an individual as a collection of what they do and what they can do. This is reflected in their names, with only the first part of the name being a personal name. Arshai names are in the following format:

(Name)-(Affiliation) Dos (List of what they are trained to do) Nos (Profession)

The affiliation part of the name was once used in ancient Arshai names to denote the faction an Arshai belonged to. Many attempted to keep this tradition upon settling Sae-En, but their descendants eventually abandoned it. Most now affiliate themselves simply with the Arshai people as (Name)-Arshai; though the extension EereE is usually used to mean a member of the EereE species, some Arshai have also claimed it as a sign of loyalty to the Order.

Many modern Arshai have become essentially EereE in terms of culture, believing in the philosophies held by the EereE. Few still follow the religions of old, especially since the sun that was worshiped is no longer even the star that their current planet orbits around. Some continue to believe that there is a supernatural power at work, an idea which is not in contradiction with the any of the EereE beliefs of order, so it is not discouraged by the Overseer.

Though much of their culture has disappeared, one of the customs still kept by the Arshai is the use of tattoos. Almost every inch of an adult Arshai’s skin is covered in red tattoos. These tattoos represent the life of the Arshai, detailing things from personality to experiences. Tattoos are added gradually as an Arshai grows and experiences new things, and some are erased or drawn over. Some of these tattoos are meant to be displayed to others, most notably those on the face and hands, while others are kept private. The Overseer views this custom as a desperate attempt to cling to individuality, though it does not forbid it, as its purpose is not to erase individuality but to ensure that individuals understand their place in society and in the universe.

The most distinguishing biological trait of the Arshai is probably their vision. The Arshai see a wide range in the infrared spectrum but have only a small degree of normal reds being visible to them. This trait likely comes from evolving on their tundra-covered homeworld of Arsae, where only the equatorial region ever thaws out; many of the creatures on Arsae evolved to have white camouflage, but infrared vision allows easy spotting of any heat-emitting beings among the icy background of Arsae.

As a result of their vision, the Arshai have difficulty interpreting the delicacies of facial expressions. To compensate, Arshai emit pheromones which reflect their emotional state and can be picked up by other Arshai. It is very difficult for an Arshai to lie as the pheromones are an excellent reflection of one’s true emotional state. However, highly specialized training can allow an Arshai to be stoic, to temporarily suppress their emotions, or even to create false emotions to fool those around them. This is a very rare skill.

Seeing in the infrared range also makes it impossible to read from the computers build by species who perceive colours such as blue and green. Arshai must wear specialized visors which translate these colours into something understandable for the Arshai brain in order to read such computers. Most Arshai working with other races such as the EereE are given these visual cybernetics.

In addition to vision in the infrared spectrum and pheromone sensing, Arshai also have fairly good hearing. Their acute senses allows Arshai to react quickly, compensating for their greatest weakness- physical strength. Arshai muscular structure and bone density make them one of the more physically fragile bipedal races. They are no match for the average human in a contest of strength, though their muscles do allow the average Arshai to move slightly faster.

The Arshai have pink skin and blood due to the presence of oxygenated blood as well as chemical substances that are a part of their regulatory system. The regulatory system allows an Arshai to rapidly adapt to different climates in order to survive the harsh weather of Arsae. This allows Arshai to live comfortably in a wide variety of environments (with a small period of discomfort when adapting to the new environment). A downside of the regulatory system is that Arshai have very high metabolism, making it difficult to build their already rather weak muscles.

Almost every inch of an adult Arshai’s skin is covered in red tattoos. These tattoos represent the life of the Arshai, detailing things from personality to experiences. Tattoos are added gradually as an Arshai grows and experiences new things, and some are erased or drawn over. Some of these tattoos are meant to be displayed to others, most notably those on the face and hands, while others are kept private.

Arshai and EereE have long influenced one another, and as a result their technology is based off the same concepts and principles. Arshai design, however, varies dramatically from that of the EereE. The difference in design is largely due to the uniqueness of the Arshai visual spectrum.

Arshai consoles on ships make use of buttons rather than touchscreen panels. While panels that emit in the infrared spectrum exist, they were phased out of military use as it was difficult for an EereE (many of whom filled the lower ranks in the Arshai Theocracy) to switch to something they could see in a hurry. This proved problematic in emergency situations, thus buttons emitting different degrees of heat as well as light in the visible spectrum were used instead.

//A typical Arshai transport ship.//

While the Arshai can adapt to cold planets, as evident by their survival on their homeworld, their ships and buildings usually possess elaborate heating systems installed in the walls. This serves the dual function of providing a comfortable environment for other species as well as making the walls emit a high level of infrared radiation, rendering Arshai unable to see through them and guaranteeing a degree of privacy.

Arshai transports are a simple, modular design with cargo attached to a compressed spherical central area similar to the main hull of Starfleet’s Hope class science vessel.

Arshai military vessels are sleeker in shape, with a more flatter central section then transports, akin to Starfleet saucers. This section is known as the Habitation Ring, where the bridge and crew quarters are located. The habitation ring can be detached in emergencies and possesses its own thin layer of shielding.

Outside the habitation ring is the Systems Ring, where the weapons, main shield, engine and deflector systems are housed. This ring is the outer defence of the ship and is designed to protect the Habitation Ring from being hit. The warp core is located in the section connecting the rings. Like the transports, Arshai military vessels are also equipped with cargo modules that it can attach to the main hull.