Post by Lorpius Prime on Dec 21, 2010 3:04:54 GMT -5
The Sazurans are a species of amphibious humanoids originating from the planet Sazura in the Bl star system. They have long, delicate limbs around a bulbous torso and two eyes on a flat, wedge-shaped head. They prefer to inhabit the marshlands of their homeworld, but have colonized most of the landmasses. Their biology requires a relatively humid climate, and they will usually wear environment suits during space travel or outdoors on all but the dampest planets.
Sazurans are relative newcomers to the galactic community, first expanding into other systems just before the foundation of the second Empire of Man. Although they had a technical culture for some time, they had little to offer other species and were little seen except by spacefaring tourists. There are rumors that the species may have been the product of genetic engineering by the first Empire of Man, but so far nothing in Sazuran history or the archaeological record supports this theory.
The species are mostly known as laborers, and Sazurans make up a significant proportion of low-skilled workers in the systems around their territory. Their homeworld is a minor industrial center, but is not notable for exporting any particular commodities or technologies.
Within the Integrated Systems, Sazurans are mostly known for the role they played in the collapse of the second Empire of Man. Sazuran workers had long been politically and socially marginalized on the Imperial worlds where many lived. In the final two centuries of the Empire's existence, however, the Sazuran Federation had consolidated and seen tremendous growth in wealth and power. It became increasingly assertive of its right to look after the rights of Sazurans within the Empire, a stance little appreciated by Imperial and local human authorities. A decade of back-and-forth protests, sanctions, and provocations escalated tensions to the breaking point.
The final straw came in the form of a massacre of Sazuran factory workers on a fringe world. Citing the participation of Imperial officers (acting beyond their authority), the Sazuran Federation declared war and invaded several neighboring systems of the Empire. They demanded reparations for the massacre victims and improved protections for non-human residents of the Empire. Furious, the Emperor ordered the extermination of all Sazurans in Imperial territory, and launched a counter-invasion.
The first wave of Imperial fleets was routed by superior Sazuran tactics and an apparent technology advantage: Sazuran shields could sink more energy than their Imperial opponents, greatly improving their battlespace survivability. The Sazurans quickly began a second offensive, attempting to save their kinsmen from genocide, but they overreached and were beaten back. The war then settled into a long stalemate in which the Sazurans did not have the logistical capability to advance deeper into Imperial territory, but the Empire could not muster the strength to eject the Sazurans from their occupied worlds.
Ultimately, the Sazurans seemed to have the advantage. While the Emperor felt forced by an enraged public to continue sending larger and larger fleets on counterattack missions, the Sazurans were able to hold fast and slowly build up their fleet of starships using captured Imperial hyperdrives. When the Sazurans finally went on the offensive again, they left only sublight warships to guard their conquests, and launched their entire combined starfleet at Athens station, one of the Empire's two hyperdrive factories. The Empire, which had been draining its system defense forces to reinforce its attack squadrons, was ultimately overwhelmed and withdrew. From Athens, the Sazurans were able to send out raiding fleets with near impunity, wreaking havoc among the Empire's inner worlds without having to defend new conquests.
By the time the Sazuran fleet was finally driven away by combined IS and Imperial forces, the cumulative damage to the Empire's infrastructure and morale was fatal. The Sazuran Federation negotiated a peace with the Integrated Systems that met most of their original demands.
Today, relations between the Sazuran Federation and the Integrated Systems are cordial, if not particularly warm. Sazuran workers still provide much of the labor force on many IS worlds, especially among those controlled by the Brouda families, and they are still politically marginalized compared to humans and even other aliens. But the IS strictly enforces its old treaty obligations to protect Sazuran residents, and moves swiftly to suppress calls for violence against or the expulsion of Sazurans from IS worlds.
The Integrated Systems' military has also been far more vigilant than their Imperial predecessors, and the Sazurans are no longer believed to hold any qualitative military advantage over their neighbors. By the same token, the IS carefully monitors the sale of hyperdrive-capable ships to Sazuran buyers, often requiring the return of a quota of hyperdrives before authorizing new transactions.
Sazurans are relative newcomers to the galactic community, first expanding into other systems just before the foundation of the second Empire of Man. Although they had a technical culture for some time, they had little to offer other species and were little seen except by spacefaring tourists. There are rumors that the species may have been the product of genetic engineering by the first Empire of Man, but so far nothing in Sazuran history or the archaeological record supports this theory.
The species are mostly known as laborers, and Sazurans make up a significant proportion of low-skilled workers in the systems around their territory. Their homeworld is a minor industrial center, but is not notable for exporting any particular commodities or technologies.
Within the Integrated Systems, Sazurans are mostly known for the role they played in the collapse of the second Empire of Man. Sazuran workers had long been politically and socially marginalized on the Imperial worlds where many lived. In the final two centuries of the Empire's existence, however, the Sazuran Federation had consolidated and seen tremendous growth in wealth and power. It became increasingly assertive of its right to look after the rights of Sazurans within the Empire, a stance little appreciated by Imperial and local human authorities. A decade of back-and-forth protests, sanctions, and provocations escalated tensions to the breaking point.
The final straw came in the form of a massacre of Sazuran factory workers on a fringe world. Citing the participation of Imperial officers (acting beyond their authority), the Sazuran Federation declared war and invaded several neighboring systems of the Empire. They demanded reparations for the massacre victims and improved protections for non-human residents of the Empire. Furious, the Emperor ordered the extermination of all Sazurans in Imperial territory, and launched a counter-invasion.
The first wave of Imperial fleets was routed by superior Sazuran tactics and an apparent technology advantage: Sazuran shields could sink more energy than their Imperial opponents, greatly improving their battlespace survivability. The Sazurans quickly began a second offensive, attempting to save their kinsmen from genocide, but they overreached and were beaten back. The war then settled into a long stalemate in which the Sazurans did not have the logistical capability to advance deeper into Imperial territory, but the Empire could not muster the strength to eject the Sazurans from their occupied worlds.
Ultimately, the Sazurans seemed to have the advantage. While the Emperor felt forced by an enraged public to continue sending larger and larger fleets on counterattack missions, the Sazurans were able to hold fast and slowly build up their fleet of starships using captured Imperial hyperdrives. When the Sazurans finally went on the offensive again, they left only sublight warships to guard their conquests, and launched their entire combined starfleet at Athens station, one of the Empire's two hyperdrive factories. The Empire, which had been draining its system defense forces to reinforce its attack squadrons, was ultimately overwhelmed and withdrew. From Athens, the Sazurans were able to send out raiding fleets with near impunity, wreaking havoc among the Empire's inner worlds without having to defend new conquests.
By the time the Sazuran fleet was finally driven away by combined IS and Imperial forces, the cumulative damage to the Empire's infrastructure and morale was fatal. The Sazuran Federation negotiated a peace with the Integrated Systems that met most of their original demands.
Today, relations between the Sazuran Federation and the Integrated Systems are cordial, if not particularly warm. Sazuran workers still provide much of the labor force on many IS worlds, especially among those controlled by the Brouda families, and they are still politically marginalized compared to humans and even other aliens. But the IS strictly enforces its old treaty obligations to protect Sazuran residents, and moves swiftly to suppress calls for violence against or the expulsion of Sazurans from IS worlds.
The Integrated Systems' military has also been far more vigilant than their Imperial predecessors, and the Sazurans are no longer believed to hold any qualitative military advantage over their neighbors. By the same token, the IS carefully monitors the sale of hyperdrive-capable ships to Sazuran buyers, often requiring the return of a quota of hyperdrives before authorizing new transactions.