Dariilec

[Core]

I'm new here, but hopefully I can get some contributions in edgewise. Anyone reading about them will find that my species tend to have relatively simple names, compared to those of others in this forum I've looked at.

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Species: Derelict

Background on the Derelict:

Millions of years ago, before virtually all other current factions, the Dariilec were enjoying peace and prosperity.

After centuries of biological development, they almost immediately created a global government. During the two hundred or so years that followed, they discovered advanced space travel technology and colonized their solar system. Interstellar travel was still a mystery to them.

Then something happened; it was most likely an argument between two farmers over a cow or something. This tiny issue spread to other farmers, and then to normal people. Basically, a schism in the Base Theology of their so long-united species/government was created.

At first, nothing much came of this slight difference. Throughout the history of the species, NOT ONE WAR HAD EVER BEEN FOUGHT. EVER. But then a small conflict sprouted, and grew to an armed conflict, which grew to a war between the two equal halves of the species.

There minds were unable to cope with such a sudden change in ideals, and became focused entirely on war.

Now, millions of years later, the strongest [ancient/original] Dariilec would break down in tears if it saw what the race had become. The original humanoid and organic species had evolved into metal/bionic monsters. They had given up their identities, their free will, and even their individual minds and souls just in favor of fighting.

Being trapped in one system left them with a tiny supply of natural resources, which they quickly used up, so they began reusing parts and entire *derelict* vessels in the extreme. The vessels of modern Dariilec- which are now called only and always, The Derelict- resemble huge cylinders with hollowed out centers, or like pipes, made completely out of derelict ships, space stations, and anything else, all interconnected into a single functioning unit.

Only a few decades ago, they captured a vessel that was exploring the new star system, and copied faster-than-light drive technology...

The war had raged for millions of years, until now. Somehow, they united under one Derelict Megastaire or more likely the collective consciousness of one of their mightiest ships. How will a species that knows absolutely nothing but war cope with a lack of fighting? Their massive 'garbage ships' are a mighty force ‘like no other’, and they can repair damage practically as quickly as it could ever be inflicted.

The largest danger is that they 'work for trash'. If they had a hundred metric tons of diamonds, already refined and shaped, and you offered a broken down plasma canon in exchange for them, they would accept the deal without hesitation. They can therefore be recruited by even the weakest species as a powerful, highly dangerous mercenary force.

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As a species, the Derelict wish for little else than to expand into the space surrounding their resource-dry homeworld. They hold no particular grudge towards any other race , but also lack all forms of respect. If a planet belonging to another race is of extreme interest to them, they'll most likely (try to) take it- though planets they find interest in ussually aren't at all useful to other factions.

I'm not sure how complex the trade system for FreeOrion is planned out to be, but depending on such, there would preferably be an option to buy the Derelict out as a mercenary force when speaking to them. They would still remain an individual race, and would only help their employer for the duration of the contract. Once again, they will still take a planet of interest from a faction, even if that faction is currently employing them, but this is very rare.

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Weapons:
Way back when, before the Dariilec lost all of their individuality and free will, but well past the point of no return, one of the best minds of the species accurately predicted its bleak future. He realized that they would loose all knowledge of terraforming and colonizing, while at the same time adapting to take in lethal toxins and radiation as nourishment. He influenced the designing of all future components to incorporate the radiation emissions.

These emissions cause extremely fast reactions within the atmospheres of planets, turning the air into toxic fumes. This would allow the Derelict to easily move in.

Besides their automatic terraforming emitters, Derelict use any weapon they can get a hand on. Many of their strategies during battle are designed to yeild undestroyed enemy vessels for them to assimilate into their own. Taking in a left over vessel makes it a part of theirs, and all of it's weapons (that weren't destroyed in combat) become available to the Derelict.

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The Derelict are a race of rampant disadvantages and advantages.

-Extremely uncreative: they almost only know how to steal tech from others, if they research anything, very few technologies will be yeilded from the effort.

-Slow Research: going hand-in-hand with being uncreative, any research the Derelict attempt will progress at a crawling rate.

-Major repair bonus: based on variables undetermined at the moment, the Derelict can repair their vessels anywhere from 20 to 70% every individual combat turn.

-Structure point bonus: Derelict vessels are of a convoluted form created from many smaller ones. This very fact makes it difficult to damage the structure of the ship as a whole.

-Poor dimplomacy: The Derelict care little about anything but garbage, and have little social prowess to speak of.

-Very poor farming: Derelict worlds can't be farmed, but must be supplied with expensive hydroponic farms to generate edible organics. (this is based off the hope that multiple buildings of the same type could be constructed in FreeOrion, as opposed to Moo2)

-Little expansion competition: because Derelict favor radiated worlds, they have to worry little about the majority of other species feeling the need to take them.

-Poor ground attack: in the beggining, the Derelict will be INCAPABLE of launching ground attacks. Only after technologies such as battloids are developed will they find a means of raiding a planet.

This is due to the fact that they don't have defined forms anymore, but are worked into the machines of their ships. Without the machines, a Derelict would splatter to the ground (just a heap of organs, pretty much).

-Bombardment terraforming: Everytime they bombard a planet, they terraform it in the direction of being radiated. It would take several bombardments to fully terraform a planet, but they should preferably have the option of bombarding empty planets.

I could go on, but I think this would be a good stopping point for the race description, as I have many more to give as of yet.

[Impaler]

Some interesting Idea, basicaly a very Borg like race, their agressive and asimilate tecnology and machinery (but nothing organic I asume) and they have excelent repair/recycling of machinery.

I dont realy like the "millions of years old" stuff though, our back story involves the Orions being a vastly powerfull intergalactic empire how could we explain the lack of contact?

Also the transformation process could use a bit more elaboration, are these cyborgs now or purely machines, how do they now organize themselves? How did they make this transition?

My biggest complaint is the "fight over a Cow" and "NEVER EVER EVER HAD SO MUCH AS A SHOUTING MATCH" prior to full scale war global war. You stated they had achived a peacefull global goverment, I think that would tend to be long and involved process far more likly to cause a conflict then an argument over a cow. Some kind of Theologic argument that you alude too sounds like it has potential but it will need more elaboration to be belivable. As for never having previous conflict of ANY kind thats just silly, organic life forms would absolutly have knowlage of conflict/battle/agression ect just by their nature and the nature of things around them (they do EAT right). Theirs a first time for everything though and we can say that this global war was the most shocking and violent thing ever to happen to them and it caused a radical shift in their outlook on society.

Lastly we need somekind of Physical description, this will be tricky as we already have some other similar sounding races (Giant souless killer Cyborg robots, boy suprising aint it they seem rather popular).

Lastly I dont know if bombardment translating directly into terraforming would be that wise, its likly going to be overpowering as it would ruin most worlds for everyone else and make them perfect for these guys at virtualy no industrial cost. Perhaps some other method?

[Core]

Yes, I'm afraid that I've had this idea for quite some time before stumbling upon the maricle to be that is FreeOrion, and the description I submitted was a mix of old and newly written data.

The millions of years old stuff is something I forgot to review and rethink. Just slipped through there, and is defunct data. The timeframe for the existence of the Dariilec would preferably be a few centuries or so before the Orions came to power. During that time, they were peaceful and confined to their planet. They feel into war an were still stuck insystem during the Orion's ruling, and just now managed to widdle up some FTL technology, at the starting date of the game.... It was also stated that the Orions stayed relatively close to their homeworld when it came to expansion.

The cow was to emphasize that they were not use to conflict, and when something started, they weren't smart enough to resolve it. Thus, the entire race was split over something that most people would consider incredible simple.

NEVER HAD WAR- once again, the emphasis of this statement (also a little old) is that which matters at this point. They were once an extraordinarily peaceful species/civilization.

*Ahem*, you think that an immediate (relatively) and peaceful global government is impossible because your mind is that of a human. Such a thing would be impossible to US maybe, because of human nature. Eating or not, it is still concievable, though hard to consider possible.

Physical description....well, think of a largish industrial machine, make it rust colored (just colored, not Actually rusty) and add several partially exposes tanks of organic fluids/organs/ the general soupy mix, with green backlighting, and you have the average Derelict. Perhaps similar than the battle machines imployed by humans in the Matrix, but make it asymetrical, ad heavy armor, and replace humans by tanks of organs. I have them invisioned well, just need to find a way to accurately express such.

The terraforming part does yeild costs, as they do eat, and they must build large amounts of costly and high maintanance hydroponic farms to survive. Therefor, NO world is perfect for them....poor guys Otherwise, the radiation emmissions could be made to give tham some form of different bonus when attacking planets.

Correct, they do not assimilate organics.

Organization is closely related to a Collective. Each ship operates as a single entity. If the ship is broken in half by weapons fire, then you have two different, singular entities. All of these communicate among themselves, and the never before seen Megastaire, which is what they call the most powerful vessel/being that somehow managed to unite their race. All vessels act as a council for the Megastaire, which has the final authority, but utilises all the incoming suggestions effectively.

[Krikkitone]

As for why the Orions didn't contact them... the Orions did have a form of 'Quiet contempt' for all other races, perhaps a perpetual systemwide war made for interesting watching (a sociological natural experiment), if the Orions were advanced enough by the time they got into the system, they may have sent in some stealthed scoutship, and then interdicted the world.

[huezang]

For FreeOrion is planned out to be, but depending on such, there would preferably be an option to buy the Derelict out as a mercenary force when speaking to them. They would still remain an individual race, and would only help their employer for the duration of the contract. Once again, they will still take a planet of interest from a faction, even if that faction is currently employing them, but this is very rare.