The Terrans
What makes the Terrans special is their
glorious need to strive, that cosmic -dwarf
complex that makes them over-achieve
rather than perish on a harsh planet. With
nothing but their colossal brains they
have conquered a disastrously hostile
environment, so much so that they now
take that victory for granted. Especially
remarkable is the wondrous variety
among the Terrans, the infinite dreams
and imaginations among those teeming
billions of brains housed in vulnerable
flesh. They are a walking contradiction:
dreamers and cynics, poets and tax
collectors, warriors and peacekeepers.
They may not look it, but they are a
formidable enemy for the rest of
the galaxy.
Translated from Celareon Magistrate Elan’s
“Thoughts on the Terran.”
glorious need to strive, that cosmic -dwarf
complex that makes them over-achieve
rather than perish on a harsh planet. With
nothing but their colossal brains they
have conquered a disastrously hostile
environment, so much so that they now
take that victory for granted. Especially
remarkable is the wondrous variety
among the Terrans, the infinite dreams
and imaginations among those teeming
billions of brains housed in vulnerable
flesh. They are a walking contradiction:
dreamers and cynics, poets and tax
collectors, warriors and peacekeepers.
They may not look it, but they are a
formidable enemy for the rest of
the galaxy.
Translated from Celareon Magistrate Elan’s
“Thoughts on the Terran.”
History
It is ironic that the prevailing sentient organism from Terra, a planet no less than three-quarters covered in
water, would be a warm-blooded land mammal. The dominant creatures we call Terrans are soft-bodied,
finely furred, live-young-bearing creatures who, like their planet, consist mostly of water. Their chief manner
of locomotion is a precarious, inefficient bob from one of two lower appendages to the other. They possess no
protective shell and go into a mild coma approximately every twenty-four hours.
This lack of any natural defence against a hostile and largely uninhabitable (for them) environment has only
aided their adaptation of intelligence. Hence, their fragility has become their strength: not only do these
weak, flightless, bipedal creatures boast a life span of a shocking 100 to 120 years, but constantly improving
technology has made those lives all the more lengthy. A dense, near-impenetrable, top-mounted cranium
houses the only truly impressive organ the Terrans possess: their large and heavily folded brain, rivalled only
by the all -mind energy- being Celareons.
It took thousands of years for the Terrans to finally bring the small portion of Earth on which they could
survive under the rule of one government. The main impediment, of course, was once more the adaptive
intelligence and imagination of the species, which habituates men to imagining more and better,
regardless of the circumstances.
Since the earliest Terrans developed their first machine - the lever - the keys to human technology are two
prevailing and counterbalancing precepts: imagination and functionality. “Does it work? Can it work better?”
A man sees that he cannot survive bitter cold, and yet he suffers winters. Whereas other species would adapt
hard shells or thick fur coats, man has adapted intelligence to lead him to take a fur coat from a bear. The
drive to make things that work better has led him to remain both a constant dreamer and a thorough
moderate, so that even today his ships are functional, utilitarian, and even-keeled. If they are beautiful, it is
because beauty was a feature someone thought would be useful.
water, would be a warm-blooded land mammal. The dominant creatures we call Terrans are soft-bodied,
finely furred, live-young-bearing creatures who, like their planet, consist mostly of water. Their chief manner
of locomotion is a precarious, inefficient bob from one of two lower appendages to the other. They possess no
protective shell and go into a mild coma approximately every twenty-four hours.
This lack of any natural defence against a hostile and largely uninhabitable (for them) environment has only
aided their adaptation of intelligence. Hence, their fragility has become their strength: not only do these
weak, flightless, bipedal creatures boast a life span of a shocking 100 to 120 years, but constantly improving
technology has made those lives all the more lengthy. A dense, near-impenetrable, top-mounted cranium
houses the only truly impressive organ the Terrans possess: their large and heavily folded brain, rivalled only
by the all -mind energy- being Celareons.
It took thousands of years for the Terrans to finally bring the small portion of Earth on which they could
survive under the rule of one government. The main impediment, of course, was once more the adaptive
intelligence and imagination of the species, which habituates men to imagining more and better,
regardless of the circumstances.
Since the earliest Terrans developed their first machine - the lever - the keys to human technology are two
prevailing and counterbalancing precepts: imagination and functionality. “Does it work? Can it work better?”
A man sees that he cannot survive bitter cold, and yet he suffers winters. Whereas other species would adapt
hard shells or thick fur coats, man has adapted intelligence to lead him to take a fur coat from a bear. The
drive to make things that work better has led him to remain both a constant dreamer and a thorough
moderate, so that even today his ships are functional, utilitarian, and even-keeled. If they are beautiful, it is
because beauty was a feature someone thought would be useful.
Technology
The most balanced of all the races, the Terrans have very capable small, medium, and large
ship-to-ship combatants, long-range strike capability, and high-tech special weapons.
ship-to-ship combatants, long-range strike capability, and high-tech special weapons.