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THE CYBERNETHI The Cybernethi are sentient robotic life-forms that evolved from sentient sublight-powered space probes sent into deep space by a sentient species that destroyed itself tens of millennia ago.  The Cybernethi have a plethora of sizes and shapes and often physically join together to form gestalt beings; their ability to function both as individuals and as mass-minds is one of the major tensions in Cybernethi psychology.  The lifetime of an individual Cybernethi varies widely.  Some live for only a few years and cease to function after a particular task has been performed, others can live for centuries.  Some have been known to live for millennia.  Cybernethi have developed bodies that roughly mimic those of organic species they are willing to interact with.  Such artificial bodies are said to not only have the same physical senses as those of the species they are based on, but also have a variety of other senses that only the Cybernethi enjoy. The Cybernethi relationship with Humans is ambiguous. They are not an united species; some groups will work happily and closely with Humans; others remain aloof and interact with Humans only in a crisis situation, and yet others are actively hostile. The Cybernethi claim to be able to transfer human consciousness into artificial bodies much better suited to live and thrive in deep space.  It is unknown whether any Humans have taken them up on this offer to actually find out if having a Cybernethi body is preferable to remaining fully Human.  The Cybernethi present Humanity with the challenge of deciding if such a tranformation is indeed the next stage in human evolution. Cybernethi Star Wanderer 9Y5 - The Cybernethi have attained tech level 8 star-faring technology.  Their starships vary widely in size and configuration with no two Cyberenthi vessels being exactly alike.  A design element that most Cybernethi ships do have in common is an asymmetrical open framework hull that lacks the life support systems required by most star-faring organic sentient species. THE T'LAR The T'lar are sentient carbon-based chlorine breathers.  They are smaller than Humans and have shorter life spans, usually around one hundred years.  T'lar have eight squarish limbs, four arms and four legs.   Each leg has a four-toed foot, with two toes in front, two toes in back; and each arm ends in four fingers.  The upper pair of arms tends to be stronger than the lower pair, but the fingers on the lower pair of arms are capable of more delicate movements than those on the upper arms.  T'lar walk in a kind of galloping motion.  They have two eyes that can see to the side and up, as well as forward.  Breathing gills on either side of the head also contain speech organs; the mouth in the center of the face is used only for feeding.  Two auditory organs with hair-like projections are located on the upper left and right sides of the head.  Their skin colors range from light pink to dark purple. The T'lar have somewhat more developed psionic powers than Humans, with some telepathic and empathic abilities used on a regular basis, but no telekinetic skills.  They are bisexual; two T'lar must mate to produce offspring, but either partner can bear and suckle the children.  T'lar are quite gregarious and have a psychology somewhat similar to Humans.  Their emotional reactions resemble those of Humans but the T'lar usually don't exhibit as powerful mood swings.  It has been suggested that their lack of division into separate, strongly defined sexes has been a factor in this greater emotional control than that exhibited by most humans.  The T'lar have a warm relationship with Humanity that developed relatively peacefully.  They are Humanity's closest friends in the Deep Space Exploration Group universe. T'lar J'ny'ar Class Star Explorer - Major tech level 6 exploration vessel used by the T'lar with a roughly equal star-faring technology with the Human Deep Space Explorer Aquarius. T'lar Hy'atsu Class Star Explorer - Major tech level 7 exploration vessel used by the T'lar with a roughly equal star-faring technology with the Human Deep Space Explorer Inspiration.  In the era of these vessels, Human and T'lar are sharing star-faring technology and thus some features of their ships look alike. THE VENTASIANS The Ventasians are sentient silicon-based life-forms averaging about four meters tall.  Their bodies consist of multi-faceted crystal plates and pillars with electrical charges constantly flowing within them. They have a three-sided core pillar from which a trio of three-sectioned overlapping cape-like plates emanate.  These "capes" absorb certain wavelengths of energy radiated by external sources such as sunlight and local chemical processes; this absorbed energy is then used as sustenance.  Energy absorbed that is not immediately needed for functioning is stored in battery-like organs in the central body stem.  All body surfaces of a Ventasian are divided into smaller facets, with a variety of bluish and greenish opaque hues that start out pale in youth and grow richer with age over some four and a half centuries, the typical lifespan of a Ventasian.  Fine, fingerprint-like individualized etchings can also be seen across the facets. Ventasians move themselves and objects in their environment using highly developed telekinetic powers. They usually float their bodies near a floor-defining surface but they can also fly further away from a ground plane for a period of time.  They move inanimate objects in a similar fashion.  Ventasians use telepathy for private conversation as well as communicating with other sentient beings.  They also communicate by illuminating various plate facets on their "capes" in a variety of patterns and can project holograms that float in the space surrounding their heads to express complex ideas.  The plates forming the "capes" can also subtly change shape and this is the main form of Ventasian body language.  A Ventasian's body constantly emits a musical hum which can be controlled only partially as it reflects a Ventasian's general mood.  Each Ventasian's hum is unique.  Ventasians have the ability to transfer their consciousnesses for a period of time into artificial bodies for use in environmentally hazardous conditions. They use such artificial constructs instead of spacesuits. Ventasians adults live in triads and reproduce via a long, arduous process that requires the combined physical and mental efforts of all three and takes years to grow a new Ventasian ready to separate from one of their bodies.  While adult Ventasians reproduce voluntarily, they normally find this arduous process ultimately rejuvenating; Ventasians who reproduce usually life longer lives than those who have chosen not to.  Each adult Ventasian in its triad usually takes its turn as the parental body once during its life.  A Ventasian adult triad normally produces three children during their collective lives. Once born, a Ventasian takes from sixty to ninety years to fully mature. The parental triad monitors the child's growth and trains it how to control its visual and auditory forms of communication.  The parents also instruct the child in the use of its telepathic and telekinetic powers.  This adult family triad usually finishes their education of the child by taking it on a psychic and sometimes even physical multi-year tour of a portion of the galaxy.  Once this ritual is complete, the newly matured Ventasian typically leaves the parental triad to make a life for itself, find two other single Ventasians to form a new adult triad with, and eventually initiate a new reproductive cycle. In millennia past, the Ventasians were a proud and arrogant star-faring race, supremely confident in their extensive technological abilities.  Unfortunately, a number of their experiments with space-time became horrendous disasters that destroyed not only their own home star system, but those of several others sentient species as well, with a tremendous loss of sentient life.  Deeply shaken by such catastrophes and the responsibility they bore, the Ventasians made profound changes in how they perceived themselves and their role in the galaxy.  They scattered themselves throughout the Milky Way galaxy to serve as traveling teachers promoting peace and goodwill among the galaxy’s numerous technologically advanced sentient species.  They also serve as guardians for sentients species who are as yet incapable of faster-than-light communications or travel, keeping aggressive sentient species with faster-than-light travel from encroaching upon star systems occupied by lesser-developed sentient species. In the Deep Space Exploration Group universe, the Ventasians have been the mentors of Humanity.  The Ventasians are sometimes stern but usually wise and helpful guides as Humanity grows into a full member of the community of star-faring sentient species.  As one of the oldest sentient species still working with younger ones, the Ventasians are held in awe and respect by most of the other star-faring sentient species in the galaxy.  Ventasian Type 4 Star Guardian - The Ventasians have been star-farers for tens of millennia and have attained tech level 9 star-faring technology, the highest tech level yet encountered by Humans.  Their giant vessels are capable of traveling to other galaxies.  The Type 4 Star Guardian is a typical large Ventasian starship with its faceted, multi-hull design.  It is as much a traveling colony as it is an explorer. It is one of the most powerful starships in Human explored space and has been in use for thousands of years. Space-time disruptor beams emanate from the upper and lower sensor towers and quantum bulb distributors are located internally in the vicinity of the upper and lower engineering cores. The spikes of the quantum foam absorbers project an energy dampening field that envelopes a target object up to a certain size and drains it of energy. As a last resort, very powerful energy beams emanating from the engineering cores can be shot out at the center-top and center-bottom of the vessel.  Also, the ship has the capability of projecting 3D projections up to thousands of kilometers from the vessel.  The three main hulls can operate separately and are supplemented by numerous smaller ships and craft of various sizes. PRIMARY DESIGN INFLUENCES 1. Cybernethi - A cyborg concept presented by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry at a Star Trek convention.  It is included as a bonus track on the Inside Star Trek with Gene Roddenberry CD; part of the 20th Anniversary Collectors Edition of the Star Trek: The Motion Picture soundtrack.  The cyborg concept given here by Roddenberry was much different and more positive than that of the Borg as seen on Star Trek: The Next Generation and related movies.  Two other influences are a cyborg concept presented by science fiction author James White in his final Sector General series novel Double Contact, and a race of artificial life forms called The Consensus of Parts from the science fiction TV show Andromeda. 2. Cybernethi Starship - Original design by David C. Mueller 3. T'lar - The look for the T'lar was inspired by an unnamed alien race featured in "The Aliens," a bonus feature included in the back of some Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. comic books from the late 1960's. The psychology for the T'lar is a mix of that used by Ursula LeGuin for the bisexual Gethenians presented in her science fiction novel The Left Hand of Darkness and that used by Alan Dean foster for the insect-like Thranx in his Humanx Commonwealth series of science fiction novels. 4. T'lar Starships - Tropical fish and the other is the large Minbari cruiser from the science fiction TV series Babylon 5 5. Ventasians - The look for the Ventasians was originally inspired by some tall crystalline creatures presented in the fantasy film Dark Crystal.  Fellow artist Jeff Robb took my initial concept and developed it extensively, providing both sophisticated concept art and background material.  The psychology for this sentient species is inspired by the numerous super-advanced alien species presented in a number of science fiction novels by Arthur C. Clarke, and the Vorlons as seen in the earlier seasons of J. Michael Straczynski's science fiction TV show, Babylon 5. 6. Ventasian Starship - Crystals and a Ventasian starship design created by Jeff D. Robb