The galaxy is a mysterious place, and since the foundation of the Imperium, many puzzling phenomena have been encountered. Every strange new world has its own secrets, of course. At best, these are wonders to charge the imagination and make one sing with joy at the majesty of creation. The Pleasure Auroras of Alnus Prime, the Dragons of Berengaria, and the Sentient Sea Jewels of Pacifica are three good examples of “pleasant” mysteries, at least by humanoid standards, puzzles which had baffling beginnings but ended well once the mystery was solved.
But the galaxy also harbors dark dangers. The carnivorous nightbloats of Astralan, the ship-crushing Antares Maelstrom, and the Wasp People of Vereb IV (who seek live, conscious humanoids as food for their larvae) are three examples of baffling phenomena that chill the soul and make the heartiest adventurers cower in fear, even after the mysteries were properly understood scientifically.
Some mysteries have proven more difficult to solve than others. Here are some of the odder phenomena for which Imperium scientists have long sought answers. Perhaps your team can find them.
On Earth, parsley is used as an innocuous garnish and herb. However, the plant has a severe intoxicating effect on Ferasans, Caitians, and related species of sentient felines, acting as a powerful and addictive hallucinogen,like a super-strong form of catnip. Interestingly, actual Terran catnip has no effect on any species besides Terran cats. Parsley is illegal to possess and sell in both the Ferasans Hegemony and Caitian Empire; naturally there is a large underground traffic in smuggling the illegal herb, with Orion Pirate cartels dominating the business. Buying parsley on a Federation planet is easy, successfully smuggling it into Ferasan or Caitian space presents a more difficult, if profitable, challenge.
Various forms of alcoholic drinks are freely available on board Freeport Alpha.
Oxy pills can counter the short-term negative effects of imbibing too much,
although long-term abuse of alcohol can create problems that cannot be solved
so easily. Prices for alcohol vary depending on quality – cheap hooch
manufactured on a chemical still in Downbelow can be had for a credit or two, while rare and/or fine Alien drinks costs hundreds of credits.
Every time a character imbibes an alcoholic drink, they must make a Fortitude save. The DC depends on the strength of the alcoholic drink but is generally quite low, such as 5. Every drink the character has in addition to the first in the same
scenario requires another check, increasing the DC by one each time. As soon as one Fortitude save is failed, the character becomes sickened.
Failure on the secondary Fortitude roll results in unconsciousness for 2d6 hours
Minbari cannot metabolise alcohol as most other races do; it is a psychoactive poison to them, driving them into berserk rages. They use the same rules as Narn do when using Blood Rage, except that they have no control over their actions whatsoever. They also suffer the secondary effect immediately after the rage ends.
Categorized as a controlled narcotic Romulan ale is an extremely potent drink:
most non-vulcanoids become highly intoxicated after onlya few sips. In humans and most other species, long-term use of Romulan ale is strongly linked with liver failure and stomach cancer. Although illegal to purchase or sell, possession of the beverage is actually rather common. Smuggling is rife, and absolute prohibition has been impossible to enforce. Police forces in many jurisdictions “look the other way” where ale possession and underground sales are concerned, although anyone selling the drink openly will be shut down. While many citizens of the Galaxy
have tasted this beverage, the supply is limited enough that only the wealthy can actually get addicted.
Between -Y3000 and -Y300, a starfaring species called the Preservers began a transplant program, rescuing examples of ethnic or social groups in danger of extinction and settling them on new worlds. Some human cultural groups were “preserved” in this way: examples have also been found of Andorian, Orion, Tellarite, and Brecon ethnic groups being transplanted in this manner. In all cases, the groups in question were in danger of being destroyed or wiped out by natural calamities or competition with stronger societies on their own homeworld. Most of the “preserved” groups still live at relatively primitive technological levels and are under Prime Directive protection on their current worlds.
It is uncertain whether the Preservers were motivated by scientific curiosity, altruism, a combination of the two factors, or some other impulse. Most scientists believe that the Preservers were not the same group as the “Seeders.” They were definitely not the Old Kings. They may, or may not, have been the same species known to the Cygnans as the Sky Fathers. Preserver artifacts have been discovered on some worlds and their language has been partially deciphered, but no direct contacts have occurred. It is unknown if they still exist in the Federation, operating clandestinely perhaps, or if they have been destroyed or otherwise became extinct, or if they simply moved elsewhere in the galaxy (or in some other galaxy).
It is an undisputed fact that about 100,000 years ago, populations of primitive humans were taken from Earth and“seeded” on distant worlds. Genetic studies conclusively show that Alpha-Centaurans, Rigellians, Deians, and several other species including Omegans, Eminians, Zurcians, and Miranites are genetically descended from transplanted populations of early homo sapiens dating back to this period of time. Other humanoid populations might be related. Who or what was responsible for this seeding is unknown. It could have been part of an experiment: scientists note that several of the planets “seeded” in this manner (notably Rigel) had environmental conditions rather different than Earth. Perhaps the seeders wanted to watch evolution in action.
It is also noted that at least two Earth close parallel worlds and one Earth direct analogue world were also seeded with humans at the same time. The populations of two of those worlds eventually destroyed themselves during techno-social maturation crises; the third was at PL 4-6, politically stable but unsuited for First Contact, when first surveyed in Y156. Scientists note that these seeded planets developed strong cultural similarities to the “real” Earth, a gigantic mystery that strongly hints of outside interference, although by whom it is impossible to say.
Earth humans were not the only species “seeded” in this manner: Andorians were seeded on Antares at about the same time. Another group of Andorians was seeded on a world in sector 3305, but wiped themselves out through biological warfare about the year -Y450. Evidence strongly hints that Cygnans and Tellarites are also transplants from other worlds, although from where is unclear: they are apparently not directly related to Humans. Vulcans are probably not originally native to their homeworld, but in their case the “transplant” goes back at least 500,000 years.
This “seeding” is not unique to humanoids. The “Leopard Kings” seeded a carnivorous species on several planets about 150,000 years ago, and that root species evolved into the distinctly different (and mutually antagonistic) Kzinti,Lyran, Carnivon, and Jwarundil species.
The “Lizard Kings” transplanted the Gorns to their three homeworlds (as well as at least two others) about 13,500 years ago. One of these became the very different Paravians. The Gerlunians were seeded (from proto-Gorn stock) at a much earlier point.
The “Spirit Kings” helped the Hydrans into space centuries before the “Old Kings” helped the Klingons get there, but apparently did not transplant Hydrans anywhere. Who or what did this transplanting, and for what reason, is one of the biggest mysteries facing Federation scientists. There may have been different groups of such “seeders,” operating with different agendas. No one knows.
Earth ground meat delicacy that is something of an interstellar mystery. Every space faring race is known to have a food identical to Swedish meatballs, be it Narn Br`een or Centauri Prime's Roopo balls. Even races as diverse as the Abbai, Drazi and even the Gaim all have an equivalent dish, though the Centauri are the only ones with the audacity to claim they are the ones who invented it.
Every First One race is monomaniacal on some topic. To a degree, each of the First Ones has insane hubris as a racial trait – it is rare for a race to find a reason for living (the key to a successful transition to a Fourth Age) and not be utterly convinced that its way is superior to all other paths in existence. The Vorlons take pride in their utter commitment to order, but the Shadows are – they must be – equally committed to the cause of chaos, as the Walkers are to exploration, the Mindriders to communication, the Palmans and some of their descendants to multiracial community building and so on.
In a loose sense, most Class-M worlds are “parallel” worlds in that their climates are similar enough for a humanoid to breathe unaided, walk around without a space
suit (but perhaps with a parka), and probably find enough food and water to sustain life.
By definition, Class-M worlds have oceans and land masses, the air is breathable, and the biospheres rather similar to Earth or Alpha Centauri. Most Class-M planets look something like Earth from orbit, even if the shape of the land masses and oceans is much different. But some planets are more similar than others, and to these worlds specific labels are applied.
A few planets, much more similar to each other than the laws of chance would seem to account for, are formally recognized as “parallel worlds” by astro-geographers. By definition, a parallel world is one where the mass, size, atmosphere, material composition, and proportion of land to water on the planet are virtually identical, (i.e., less than 1% variation) to another known planet not in the same solar system
Note that a parallel world can have rather different geography and topography and still be rated as a parallel, as long as the proportion of land to water is the same.
A very small number of such “parallel worlds” are so nearly identical as to be rated as “analogue worlds”. An analogue world is an extreme example of a parallel. The
same criteria are applied, except analogue worlds are also extremely similar to each other geographically: land masses and oceans are virtually identical in shape, obviously the work of some higher power (as coincidence is just too impossible). Not just the substance of the worlds is parallel, but the form as well. Parallel and analogue worlds are sometimes inhabited, but more often not. In a small number of cases,
such worlds seem to have been “seeded” by a precursor species.
The mystery is this: how did such worlds come to be? While the existence of a few dozen “parallel” worlds with a galaxy of billions of planets seems (barely) plausible as a result of random chance, no natural phenomenon seems to account for the virtually identical analogue planets. Did some immensely powerful ancient species terraform these planets, or otherwise ensure that they would develop in this way?
No one knows.
The vast majority of planets which have native life do not develop sentient species. Most planets habitable for carbon-based life host a variety of microbial species, plants, insects, aquatic life, and perhaps lower animal forms. A few even reach middle forms such as wolves, apes, or raptorial birds. Complex and intelligent, but non-sapient, animals are somewhat uncommon, and sapient life forms (able to change their world) are the rarest of all. Even so, if only 0.1% of Class-L/M/N planets develop sapient life forms, this still results in the existence of hundreds of sapient species within the territory of the Imperium. Most of these species are not technologically advanced and fall under the protection of the Prime Directive.
On Class-M planets with native sapient life, bipedal humanoid life forms acting as superpredators at the top of the food chain tend to be a rather common evolutionary outcome. Many of these species are biochemically similar to humans, though most are not directly related to humans genetically and evolved separately on their homeworlds. The point is not that humanity is something special, but rather that humanoids are actually not particularly special, at least as physical specimens. Similar planets tend to evolve similar forms of life, from bacteria all the way to bipedal sentient or sapient primates, according to this viewpoint. Many scientists accept
this naturalistic explanation, but others do not. Some believe that all humanoid life, even those not directly related to each other, show evidence of having been the result of DNA manipulation going back billions of years. This is a separate mystery from the undoubted “seeding” of species which has occurred in the Milky Way.
Most cultures have urban legends or myths about herbs, drugs, or other substances that boost sexual desire. Few of these have any basis in reality, but one that does is K-rlhnan-ak-Toq’na, an herb family native to Qo'Nos and known in Imperium space as “Klingon aphrodisiacs.”The ground leaves of these plants produce a very strong boost in sexual desire for many species, including humans. A single one-gram dose will provide a virtually irresistible surge of lust for two hours. While this would seem to have obvious recreational benefits, the herb has no detectable flavor. As a result, unscrupulous individuals are known to give doses to unsuspecting victims, hidden
in food or drink, making it a potent date-rape drug.
The Old Kings dominated most of what is now the Klingon Empire, and the “eastern” two-thirds of the Federation,from about the year -Y500 through -Y25. A bit more is known about the Old Kings compared to the other “precursor” species, due to the fact that the Old Kings employed Klingons and other species (but not Humans from Earth) as “subject” or “worker races”. The Old Kings were very careful, however, in what they told the less advanced species, and surprisingly little is known about them.
No one is sure exactly where the Old Kings came from. Their “capital” was probably located somewhere in what is now the Klingon Empire or somewhere in human space, but the precise coordinates are unknown, and this was possibly not their true homeworld. The Old Kings were relatively peaceful, in that they preferred trade and diplomacy to conquest,but they were rather “alien” in their attitudes and were often not particularly friendly. Some species report that the Old Kings tutored them in higher technology and treated them well, while others believe that the Old Kings exploited them and treated them as definite inferiors. Some of the Old Kings reportedly engaged in medical experimentation on Subject Races, but this was not particularly common. There may have been more than one Old King faction,some more exploitive than others.
The Sol/Alpha Centauri/Vulcan neighborhood was on the outer edges of Old King territory. It is known that an Old King outpost was maintained at Zeta Reticuli, relatively near the Sol system. There were limited economic and diplomatic contacts with the Vulcans, but the Vulcans never learned much about the background of the Old Kings, who were reticent to share much. Descriptions of their appearances vary, but they do bear some resemblance to the stereotypical “grey aliens” of Earth’s UFO lore. It is suspected that they had conducted surveys on Earth for centuries, although it has never been conclusively proven that they contacted Earth governments directly. Officially,no Old King artifacts have been found on Earth, although conspiracy theorists (and a few legitimate researchers) dispute this (and many search for such artifacts). Millions of cheap books are sold every year describing the evidence for the “Old Kings” having been on Earth.
Where the Old Kings went after they vanished is not known. Officially, no one has seen an Old King since -Y25,although occasionally rumors will crop up that the Old Kings have returned, or a derelict Old King spacecraft has been recovered, or that the GIA has captured an Old King and is keeping the being (and others) in a secret facility somewhere. Old King artifacts are occasionally found, and any planet bearing signs of Old King presence is usually placed under research quarantine.
Spoo is/are (the plural of spoo is spoo) small, white, pasty, mealy critters, rather worm-like, and generally regarded as the ugliest animals in the known galaxy by just about every sentient species capable of starflight, with the possible exception of the pak'ma'ra, who would simply recommend a more rigorous program of exercise. They are also generally considered the most delicious food in all of known space, regardless of the individual's biology, almost regardless of species, except for the pak'ma'ra, who like the flavor but generally won't say so simply to be contrary.
Spoo are raised on ranches on worlds with a damp, moist, somewhat chilly climate so that their skin can acquire just the right shade of paleness. Spoo travel in herds, if moving a total of six inches in any given direction in the course of a given year can actually be considered moving. They stay in herds ostensibly for mutual protection, but the reality is that if they weren't propped up against one another, most of them would simply fall down. They do not howl, bark, moo, purr, yap, squeak or speak. Mainly, they sigh. Herds of sighing spoo can reportedly induce unparalleled bouts of depression, which is why most spoo ranchers wear earmuffs even when it's only mildly cold, damp, wet and dreary outside. If there is any life-or-death struggle for dominance within the spoo herd, it has not yet been detected by modern science.
Spoo ranching is one of the least regarded professions known. Little or no skill is required, once you've got a planet with the right climate. You bring in two hundred spoo, plop them down in the middle of your ranch, and go back to the nearby house. Soon you've got more. When it comes time to cull out the ones ready for market (the softest, mealiest, palest, most forlorn-looking spoo of the pack), little physical effort is required since they're incapable of rapid movement without falling over (see above). They do not resist, fight, or whine; they only sigh more loudly. When spoo harvest time comes, the air is full of the sound of whacking and sighing, whacking and sighing. Even an experienced spoo rancher can only harvest for brief periods of a time, due to the increased volume of sighing, which even the sound of whacking cannot altogether erase. (also see above) Some have simply gone mad.
Spoo are the only creatures of which the Interstellar Animal Rights Protection League says, simply, "Kill 'em."
Fresh spoo (served at an optimum temperature of 62-degrees) is served in cubed sections, so that they bear as little resemblence as possible to the animal from which they have just been sliced. Spoo is usually served alongside a chablis, or a white zinfandel.
Further information on the care, feeding, eating and whacking of spoo can be found in the second edition of the Interstellar Guide to Fine Dining.
At first glance the palman empire's system of measurement seems quite unusual as it draws on both elements of the current human systems Metric and imperial.
the Imperial population and comptuer systems use:
Pounds[Lbs] for weight
Feet/inches for Height
Millitres, Fluid ounces [28.4ml], Pints [568 ml],litres and Gallons [4.5 L] for liquid measurement
[this will be updated later]