Vaharran

</DynamicPageList>]]UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Physiology

External Anatomy

The Vaharrans were a humanoid type species of similar build to a Human; they were hermaphroditic and externally appeared male. On average a Vaharran stood between 1.9 meters (6 feet 3 inches) to 2.05 meters (6 feet 9 inches) and weighed between 100 kilograms (220 pounds) to 140 kilograms (309 pounds). Their bodies evolved to handle the harsh desert climate of their original and current home world.

Their most prominent feature was their cranial ridges, similar to that seen on a Klingon, made of thick, dense, and hard bone that acts as an armored plate. This cranial armor made up much of the upper half of the skull. It was segmented during infancy but became fused together into a single solid piece by adulthood. This armored bone plating extended further down the back, producing visible ridges on the back neck and along the spine. It was theorized that this armored plating was a holdover from an earlier evolutionary ancestor that used the armored craniums as a form of protection from predators by charging and headbutting them. Further the armored spinal cord made it far more difficult for Vaharrans to receive back injuries or have the spinal cord severed entirely. One further area that possessed this armored plate is the Vaharran sternum, which gave the cleft between their pectorals several pronounced ridges as well. This armor plate is believed to protect the heart, though not fully.

To protect from the harmful UV-rays and x-rays their sun produced, Vaharrans evolved to have rather thick skin. Their skin tones typically ranged from a light olive green color to a dark almost grayish green. Areas where the skin is thinner typically had a prominent reddish hue to them due to increased blood flow in those areas, the reason for this is further explained in the Internal Anatomy section of this article.

Other prominent external features included their ears, which were pointed. Their teeth have several sharp incisors due to their semi-carnivorous diet. Their eyes were fairly typical for humanoids with eye colors that ranged from green to brown and even in some rare cases a goldish yellow. Due to their prominent brow, eye color, and darker eyelids, the Vaharrans were particularly adept at seeing in incredibly bright conditions without the need of shaded lenses, however their night vision was rather poor.

The Vaharrans possessed some hair, mostly in the form of body hair. The hair started out as black then turns gray and eventually white with age.

Internal Anatomy

Vaharrans had a rather high muscle mass that gave them enhanced strength compared to that of a humanoid, their strength being about three times greater than an average human. Though they were omnivores they had to consume high amounts of protein in order to maintain their muscle mass and keep their muscles healthy. An issue that affected some elderly Vaharrans was their bodies could not process protein as efficiently and would undergo significant muscle atrophy, this could be treated with medications.

Internally, Vaharran organ systems were not particularly remarkable, resembling in both placement and composition many other humanoids across the galaxy. The only thing of note was their digestive tract is over fifty percent longer than a human’s allowing them to more efficiently break down food and absorb its nutrients into their body. However, again, owing to their increased muscle mass they still required large amounts of food in order to stay healthy and cannot go without food any longer than an average human.

Due to the very hot temperatures of their planet, the Vaharrans had multiple means to maintain their body temperature and not overheat. They possessed some sweat glands for perspiration, the largest of these is in their armpits, however they did not perspire enough to maintain body temperature. The average body temperature of a Vaharran was only slightly higher than a human’s at 37°C (99°F) and were able to handle fevers far better. The most common method for the body to expel extra heat was through several areas of thin skin with increased blood flow. These areas included the ears, nose, tongue, feet, hands, and groin. These areas could be identified by their reddish hue. Due to their bodies having evolved to exist comfortably in high heat environments, Vaharrans were not able to adapt to other climates. The average temperature that most humans found comfortable, 21°C (70°F) , would feel a bit cold to the Vaharrans who were far more used to a comfortable temperature of 40.5°C (105°F). Not being able to adapt or acclimatize to large colder temperature changes meant that Vaharrans required extra protection in colder environments. A world like Andoria or Efros-Delta would be extremely deadly for a Vaharran even with warm clothing, they would require special arctic exploration protection.

Vaharrans had an increased natural lifespan over that of an average humanoid. Typically they would live on average approximately 200 years. It was not exactly known why they live this long, lacking other sentient species to compare to until recently. Research has been done to determine the cause of the increased lifespan and possible ways using the new technologies and medicines they had acquired from Federation, Klingons, and Romulans to perhaps increase it further; but it was in its infancy and required rebuilding a lot of the knowledge that had been lost with the destruction of their planet and the three centuries traversing space.

Reproduction

The Vaharrans were hermaphroditic species, possessing both male and female genitalia.

The Vaharran penis and testicles were of similar shape to an average humanoid, the main difference being that the skin was a bit thicker like the rest of the body and the foreskin more pronounced in order to protect the sensitive and lighter glans from the harsh sun. Further the glans of the penis were pointed and had a ribbed texture to aide in stimulation. The average length of a Vaharran penis was between 20.3 centimeters (8 inches) to 25.4 centimeters (10 inches) and were between 5 centimeters (2 inches) to 7 centimeters (3 inches) in width. Their testicles were also made of slightly thicker skin and extended lower than an average humanoid due to the heat of their environment. When stimulated the penis would become fully erect and the foreskin retracted to reveal the sensitive glands. The skin of the penis is not highly sensitive but glands themselves contained a greater than average amount of nerve endings and was the primary area of stimulation in order to achieve a penile orgasm.

The Vaharran vagina was located directly behind the testicles and like the penis had a similar shape and characteristics to the female genitalia of other humanoids. Also like the penis the skin around the vulva was thicker to protect it from the sun’s rays. The length and width of the vaginal canal was similar in comparison to the length and width of the Vaharran’s penis. Also similar to the penis the exterior skin around the opening of the vagina was not very sensitive but the interior was and could be stimulated to achieve an orgasm.

Vaharran reproduction itself, despite their hermaphroditic physiology, was fairly straightforward and similar to other mammalian humanoids. Utilizing Vaharran terminology, the act of course required two partners, one referred to as the provider and the other the receiver. When the receiver has started to ovulate the provider was able to insert his penis into the receiver’s vagina for sexual intercourse. Once the provider had been stimulated to orgasm he will ejaculate into the receiver’s vagina to fertilize an egg. Vaharrans produced large deposits of semen far above that of a typical human but their actual sperm count was slightly less than that of an average human. Once the egg has been fertilized it will take just over ten months for the fetus to come to full term and the receiver could give birth.

A Vaharran did have the possibility to impregnate themselves, but the chances of success were less than 1%. Further the odds of a child being able to survive to adulthood from such an insemination were approximately 8%. If such a child reached adulthood they would have extremely poor health and a lifespan potentially 60% shorter than an average Vaharran. Such practices of self-impregnation were considered repugnant to nearly all Vaharrans, viewed worse than inbreeding.

Psychology

Vaharrans were communal by nature and lived in large tight knit social groups. Friends were lifelong and families highly devoted to one another. The death of a friend or family member was keenly felt by a Vaharran and their communities at large. Most Vaharrans used their spirituality to temper the pain of loss as they believed in the passing of one soul from the material world to the spiritual world upon death.

These tight knit communities and social groups did have drawbacks in that it spurred factionalism and destructive competition among groups. This has left a violent legacy on the Vaharran past that perhaps rivaled even Humans and Romulans for the destructive wars that took place on their home world. Unlike humans though, the Vaharrans only just managed to escape a full blown nuclear apocalypse but not before nearly half a million people were killed in a preemptive strike on the city of Saratios. Since the destruction of their home world though Vaharrans have embraced the view of the species as one large community; and while factionalism and competition still remained the interests of the now endangered species has brought on unity.

Vaharrans also had a high degree of ingenuity which served them well during the exodus from their destroyed home world and the establishment of their new one. This allowed them to be quite resourceful in maintaining their key ships and equipment for the nearly three hundred year journey through space. It also aided in their ability to adapt the new technology they had acquired from the various new aliens they had encountered after first contact, getting it to work with their own more primitive tech.

Due to their communal nature, Vaharrans have also found themselves to be suspicious of alien outsiders. Not to the extent that they are outright hostile to them but they do keep their guard up whenever they have encountered aliens or have allowed them to visit their world. Certain areas of the home world and capital city were off limits to outsiders without an escort and any temples or spiritual sites barred outsiders completely from setting foot on their grounds. This suspicion should not however be misconstrued as a total dislike of outsiders. In fact many Vaharrans were quite curious about the new peoples they have come across and were very welcoming, provided of course that those outsiders behaved themselves.

Language

Speech

The Vaharran language, known as Tynos, was not particularly complex to understand or translate. Where things got difficult was the sheer number of Vaharran dialects, approximately thirty-nine but before the exodus there were hundreds if not thousands. This large abundance of highly different dialects was influenced by the Vaharrans’ communal nature, communities finding their own forms of speech despite the fact that the language was universal to the entire planet. There were however, two dialects that were considered the definitive forms of Tynos, these were Modern and Classical. The Modern dialect was what was taught in schools and used in all official communications and was the basis for programming the language into the Universal Translator upon first contact with the Federation. The Classical dialect was primarily used for spiritual purposes as it was considered the oldest consistent dialect of Tynos, derived from the dialect of the Akarid tribe of which Monk Zar, considered the founder of the Vaharran spiritual religion, Kyros, was a part of. In order to preserve its important cultural significance, the Vaharrans have refused to allow the Federation or any users of the Universal Translator to program it into its database.

Another dialect that Vaharrans used was what was called Shaa Speech which consisted of a heavy use of slang terminology. While originally Shaa Speech was used by agricultural workers and miners it gradually found use among the military and diplomatic leaders as it could not be translated properly by the Universal Translator, sounding completely nonsensical when directly translated. Vaharrans frequently used this slang dialect to have private conversations among outsiders without as much worry of eavesdropping.

Writing

The Vaharran alphabet was phonetic and consisted of thirty-two letters: five vowels, twenty consonants, and six unique letters for special sounds. Historically the alphabet was derived from ancient hieroglyphs of the Idira but were gradually adapted and simplified by the Tyrodans into the written form of their language Tynos. The alphabet was formally standardized during the height of the Tyodan Empire. It now has taken on three forms: calligraphy, digital, and written. Calligraphy was really only used as a hobby, particularly among Kyros monks as a form of meditation, but consisted of very carefully writing the language in its blocky angular format with great exactitude. Crisp sharp lines were highly desired and a true master’s work could not be differentiated between a modern printed one. The digital format was simply just the calligraphy put into a computer and had a variety of fonts, but Government 10 was considered the proper standard. And finally, the written alphabet, which was meant to be far more simplistic for quick writing and consisted of dashes, dots, and lines in similar but less exacting shapes as the normal alphabet.

When writing in Tynos there was very little punctuation, only the sentence structure and specific words were used to convey what punctuation would be in other languages. The main form of punctuation was a horizontal dash to show when a sentence had ended. There were other marks in the written form but these were not consistent and tended to reflect specific spoken dialects to put emphasis on certain words within that dialect and were most common in novels and scripts.

The number system of the Vaharrans was pretty standard like the alphabet and itself was also derived from ancient number keeping practices. In this case it was from simple tally marks that were used by merchants, but as scientific and mathematical principles were discovered a more formal number system developed to aid in calculations.

Dictionary

-Kyros - roughly translates to an emphasized version of the word balance or kyri.

-Pykaar - the Vaharran word for their head of state, similar to president or prime minister.

-Sorkaar - the Vaharran word for a senior member of the legislative body of the government, similar to a senator or MP.

-Kyrozek - literal translation is life-balance and used to describe enlightenment.

-Vah - is the pronoun that the Vaharrans use to describe themselves. It most closely translates to he/him.

-Vaho - means you.

-Hudika - means fathers or parents.

-Dako - means provider/giver.

-Daki - means bearer/receiver.

-Suri - means child

-Takonos - means abyss or more specifically is used to refer to the void of death.

-Huri - means brother.

-Zahilin - means hardship or a state of being that is undesirable.

-Ehkeem - means endure.

-Hika - means feast.

-Frak - a swear that has a variety of contexts.

-Nyon - means dark.

-Talna - means love.

-Tavo - means sex.

System and Home World

Former Home World: Tyros

Very few records remain of the original Vaharran home world of Tyros beyond a few textbooks, maps, atlases, nature magazines, and travel brochures. The world was a little bigger than Earth with three large land masses separated by oceans. Much of the planet was arid with great savannas and deserts but had plenty of tropical beaches and dense jungles near the oceans and major rivers. Despite the harsh and hot conditions, life flourished. Very little of that life beyond the Vaharrans themselves was able to be saved during the exodus from the planet, but a pair of trees, supposedly from the Forum of Zar, was saved and planted on an agricultural ship before they were moved to the new capital building on Aros.

The Vaharrans themselves on Tyros were at the height of their civilization. Technological advancements that improved lives, a wealth of culture and art, the ability to travel to other stars. Its largest city, Saratios, was home to over twenty-million people, its skies filled with gleaming skyscrapers.

This was all destroyed when in the Earth year of 2072 CE the star, Sektal, went supernova. The planet, the system, and five-billion Vaharrans were wiped out, leaving behind only fading memories of its survivors and a few books to ever remember them.

New Home System: Kyrofala (Omega Carinae)

The Kyrofala System was the location of the Vaharran home world of Aros and consisted of six planets, eight moons, and over a dozen moonlike objects. On Federation Star Charts the system is known as Omega Carinae in the Earth-centric, Carina constellation and was close to the Federation star system of Canopus.

-Kyrofala (Omega Carinae): This was a Class B8 IIIe star located in the Earth-centric Carina constellation approximately 342 light years from Earth. It was a little over seven times larger than The Sun and appeared blue-white in color. On Romulan star charts it was known as Teritus 5 Major and was used as a navigational marker to map the boundaries of the Federation.

-Saldin (Omega Carinae I): This very large gas giant was classified as J4 or more colloquially a hot Jupiter on account of its very low orbit of the star Kyrofala and relatively extremely short orbital period. It is about three times the size of Jupiter and has an orange appearance with multiple dark bands of counter rotating equatorial jets along with large vortex storms. Saldin was also tidally locked with one side of the planet always facing the host star. Research has suggested that the planet was pulled into its current orbit early during the formation of Kyrofala’s solar system and disrupted the orbit of Nydos to where it is now.

The Arosans placed a remote research station in a locked orbit on the far side of the planet in 2372 to study this unique planetary phenomena. The orbit of the station was expected to have decayed to the point the station would be destroyed by the intense heat of Kyrofala in either 2383 or 2384.

-Nydos (Omega Carinae II): This small planet was classified as Y for its extreme temperature, toxic atmosphere, and high levels of thermionic radiation. It had a low orbit over the system’s host star giving it a relatively short orbital period and eccentric orbit. Research has shown that during its transition into its current orbit around Kyrofala the planet Saldin disrupted the original orbit of Nydos to where it is now. It was also theorized that had Nydos remained in its original orbit it might have been able to support life.

Due to its abundance in chemical resources and isotopes, the Arosans, with help from the Federation, started extracting raw materials from the planet in 2377. Because of its close proximity to Kyrofala and eccentric orbit, remote equipment is used for resource extraction.

-Aros (Omega Carinae III): This planet was classified as M-6 with the ability to support life adapted for arid environments. This is the new home world of the Vaharran species and the capital world for the Arosan Republic. For further information on the planet itself please see the section, New Home World: Aros, below for more details.

In orbit around Aros was the moons of Zar and Alar, named after the two founding thinkers of the Vaharran religion of Kyros. Zar orbited closer to the planet and was highly rich in natural resources, especially duranium, a primary component in the construction of hulls for starships and space stations. A permanent habitat settlement was established by both the Arosans and the Federation to aid in mining the surface as well as scientific research. The moon of Alar was much smaller and had a somewhat eccentric orbit. It was used for EVA training by the Arosan Marines.

-Ahkel (Omegae Carinae IV): This Class D planet was quite strange for its large rippling fault lines that spanned the entire circumference of the planet radiating away from a massive crater caused by the impact with a planetoid sized object. It is further theorized that this collision is what has caused the planet to rotate on an axis that is perpendicular to its orbit. Its surface consisted almost entirely of hard volcanic rock with craters filled with a silvery regolith.

An Arosan military and research outpost was built on this planet but no suitable resources have yet to be found for extraction.

-Zeerkel (Omega Carinae V): This was a relatively unremarkable Jupiter sized Class J gas giant. Its most interesting feature was its large storm in the northern hemisphere. In orbit were four moons of roughly equal size: Kintheek, Ko, Ushek, and Odaki. Of these Ko was the most unique, its regolithe appearing almost black from now dormant volcanic activity and was initially undetected by the standard telescopes the Vaharrans used during their initial surveys until the moon had transmitted across the lit face of Zeerkel. The moon was named Ko after a mythological horned black skinned demon that preyed upon unwary travelers.

The other moons were of the standard rocky type found throughout other systems in the galaxy and the Arosans established a military outpost in orbit of Odaki.

-Rideera (Omega Carinae VI): This planet was a very large Class I ringed ice giant. It was fairly typical of ice giants except for its size which was nearly triple that of most ice giants found in the galaxy. It is believed that the planet was formed by the collision of another ice giant during the transition of Saldin from the outer system to its current orbit and could also explain Rideera’s eccentric orbit. The atmosphere of the planet to the naked eye appeared a brilliant blue with several dark and light bands of storms circling the planet. The planet also features a pair of dark spots, massive storms that travelled in tandem around the southern hemisphere. The rings of the planet were of a fairly uniform gray color and were tightly packed to give them an almost uniform density from a distance.

Rideera had two moons, Isiros and Eertiso. Isiros was a very large moon, about the size of an average planet and featured an atmosphere almost entirely composed of nitrogen. The moon even had a large abundance of water ice and even liquid water located deep under the ice in some locations. This has led to a great amount of interest in terraforming the moon into a habitable world and as such multiple Vaharran and Federation research outposts have been built on its surface to research the feasibility.

The other moon, Eertiso, was not so impressive but still quite interesting as it appeared to have been formed by the collision of two planetoids that has left both hemispheres appearing distinctly different from one another. The designated western hemisphere was the more typical rocky moon with gray regolith while the eastern hemisphere appeared to have been volcanic while it was still a planetoid and has left it with many colors of black orange and gray. The eastern hemisphere also featured a large dormant volcano.

-Other System Features: The system was also host to an asteroid belt between the orbits of Ahkel and Zeerkel that is theorized to have been a early planetoid that was torn apart during the transition of Saldin to its current orbit. Within the asteroid belt were a variety of very small planetoids and large asteroids as well as a great abundance of raw materials, namely duranium and dilithium. The system also features a typical Kuiper belt with several planetoid sized objects that have only been cataloged but not studied.

New Home World: Aros

Physical Characteristics

Aros was slightly larger than Earth with a circumference of 41,841.6 kilometers (25,999.1 miles), an axial tilt of 5.08 degrees, and a surface gravity of 10.7 meters per section (1.1 g). Its rotation period was 28.1 hours (shortened to 28 hours on local clocks) and had an orbital period of 56 standard years at a distance of 28 AU from the host star. The surface itself was covered by 62% water with the remaining 38% in two large major landmasses, one in the northern hemisphere and one directly south in the southern hemisphere and five far smaller ones of various sizes.

Climate and Biomes

The climate of Aros was classified as M-6, suitable for a great abundance of life that had evolved to thrive in an arid climate. On the whole the planet’s landmass was dominated by great deserts and savannas, particularly along the equator; some rivers and deltas in these biomes allow for lush plant growth along their banks. At certain latitudes above and below the equator these deserts gave way to great jungles and tropical coastlines. Near the poles the environment became a lot colder with small bands of evergreen forests and tundras. Because the planet had a very small axial tilt much of the planet did not experience seasons except closer to the poles.

The oceans teemed with life and the shallow sea between the two major landmasses was abundant with colorful coral reefs and the many fish that resided there. Due to the bluish light that Kyrofala put off the entire planet had a certain faint blue hue to it that made its already vibrant blue oceans even more vibrant.

Civilization

Having only recently been colonized by the Vaharran species there is very little civilization on the planet. Most of the population was confined to the main capital city of Zahkeed. The only other major settlement was Yamashiro, named after the Starfleet vessel that made first contact with the Vaharran species, located outside the city; it was home to permanent non-Vaharran residents. Other settlements around the planet were mostly military and research outposts.

The city of Zahkeed, had come a long way since it was established in 2366, from a rough grid of tents and colony habitats on the banks of a fertile river delta to a small but fully built city. At its center was the recently completed Idahk Skyscraper, a monument for the future of Aros and the Vaharran people. Nearby were the government buildings and the Forum of Samek along with its large reflecting pool. Around the forum and government complex are the homes and apartments where the Vaharrans live, all traces of cramped habitats and moldy tents replaced with grand architecture modeled after the style of Vaharran New World Modernism. Throughout the city were the various temples, markets and public services; all connected by a recently completed metro system.

Just outside the city is the space port that sees the arrival of people returning from the orbital stations or aliens coming to visit Aros itself. Further beyond that near the coast is the settlement of Yamashiro, built around a Ferengi established resort, it is home to a large portion of the non-Vaharran population. The settlement boasts a wide variety of activities and cultures, mostly Federation, who have come to Aros to help build, for business, for pleasure, or simply because they wanted to live there. Starfleet maintains a small presence in the settlement to protect Federation citizens.

Flora

A few examples of notable or important flora found on the planet of Aros.

-Kyros Bean is a source of plant based protein and one of the few plants to come from the original home world. Used in place of animal protein on the fleet.

-Surida is a type of seed used in the seasoning of food. It has a potent mustard and citrus taste. Because it was easy to grow in abundance it became the primary source of seasoning and condiments on the fleet and is still popular. One of the few plants to come from the original home world.

-Tyldara is a tuber that is most closely equated to the Earth potato, however its flesh is red in color with more of a waxy consistency. It was a great source of starch and grows well in hot arid environments. One of the few plants to come from the original home world.

-Kedros Ridge Mushrooms or Adaratos Mushrooms are a hallucinogenic fungus that grows under rocks. It is poisonous to life forms such as Vulcans and Romulans.

Fauna

A few examples of notable or important fauna found on the planet or Aros.

-Haanas are a type of livestock that provide meat for the Vaharrans. However, because they only were able to keep a handful eggs and sperm in cryogenic stasis it will be some time before they can become the primary source of protein in the Vaharran diet once again.

-Skybreakers are a type of large bird that is able to fly at extreme heights.

-Kadaloks are a type of bird similar to a falcon. They are named after another similar bird from the original home world.

-Soks are a rodent creature that inhabits the mountains. They like to make homes among remnants of rock slides and live in large colonies.

-Gellens are a predatory feline that lives in the jungles on the planet. They are noted for their brown fur with tan spots and large protruding upper canines.

Culture and Customs

The culture and customs of the Vaharrans was a shadow of what it once was, just whatever physical pieces or references to it that were on the ships that escaped or what had been passed down from the Vaharrans that had themselves escaped. Further a new set of cultural norms had developed over the three centuries that the Vaharran species lived on their cramped spaceships transiting the void of dark space.

Art, Literature, and Other Media

Much of the original artwork that survived the destruction of the home world was aboard the cruise ship Vitrios along with several private yachts. The style of the art ranged from realistic, typically in the form of statues and paintings of historic events or famous people to the more abstract which featured angular designs and sharp lines typical of a lot of Vaharran designs at the time. Most of these original pieces have been preserved and put on display at Zarkeel's Museum of Art. The traditional techniques still continued even after the exodus but a art style that developed during the years of The Fleet was an impressionist style meant to convey the feelings and emotions of those who had lost their homes and would never see the sky or feel real ground ever again. A lack of camera film and with digital storage at a premium a large amount of still life watercolors and sketches that recorded life in the fleet have also survived through the decades. These are also on display at the Zarkeel Museum of Art as well but the majority are on display or stored at The Fleet Memorial Hall along with many other artifacts of fleet life.

Vaharran literature, like most cultures, was very diverse with many genres. Many classics survived the destruction of the home world including: Ko’s Bargain about the hero Razod being tricked by the demon Ko to serve him for eternity and how Razod eventually turned the tables and defeated Ko. There was also Ten Rings, an epic fantasy struggle for ultimate power. Since the arrival to the new home world there was an increase in the amount of poetry and other pieces about the natural beauty of Aros. Another important form of Vaharran literature is their religious texts of Kyros. These included various myths, notably The Trials of Razod from which Ko’s Bargain was adapted but also the many written works of spiritual philosophers like Monk Zar. Many of these works were saved by Monk Adasu who carried the cases with the thousand year old scrolls to one of the last transports to leave the doomed homeworld of Tyros.

In the modern era things like radio, film, television, and video games also entered the cultural lexicon of the Vaharrans. Like their literature this was quite diverse but what was most popular were the big studio fantasy and war epics from famous directors like Amad al-Zimek. The most popular Vaharran film in history was the adaptation of Ko’s Bargain simply called The Bargain by the visionary and eccentric director Gartos al-Karii. Even while the fleet had limited production resources, some films and television were still produced. The two most popular of these was a weekly comedy sketch show called Live From Nowhere and a medical procedural called Hospital Ship. In 2381 a documentary was completed about the early days of the fleet using hours of footage recorded by contemporary documentarian Hama al-Zula and is one of the only full visual records that recorded the day of Tyros’s destruction.

Video games were also a popular form of Vaharran entertainment but the need for digital storage meant they fell out of favor during The Fleet’s journey. Many of these video games were lost due to deletion but a few popular ones remained on disks and have recently been made available again. The introduction of holodeck technology by the Federation has however stifled any real resurgence of traditional video games.

Vaharran music was also quite diverse but several distinct styles and popular instruments were common throughout. The most popular instrument was the akadi, a stringed instrument with a rather striking similarity to an Earth erhu. Drums were also a popular component of most Vaharran music, typically very bassy.

Cuisine

Vaharrans were omnivores but required high protein diets in order to stay healthy. While originally this was done by the incorporation of animal proteins, specifically the livestock animal haana, while living on the fleet their protein had to be substituted with what was called Kyros bean. Since the establishment of the new home world haanas have been bred once more but it will be some time before their numbers are great enough to form a staple of the Vaharran diet once again. The Vaharrans have also been working with Federation scientists on using protein resequencing to make substitutes for the haana meat that has the same look, taste, and texture, but there has been resistance to this method from a great many Vaharrans. Utilizing replicators for food has also received a strong amount of pushback from the population.

On the whole Vaharran food is very hearty with a great deal of spicy and sour flavors. A dish would typically consist of a large main meat course with a garnish of some sort of grilled vegetable or tuber and accompanying sauce. Each meal was always made with a side of steamed iima (similar to white rice but with a red hue). To drink each meal will have a specific hot tea that compliments the flavor of the main dish. Dessert usually consisted of a bowl of fruits in sour syrup; a frozen version of this has become quite popular with non-Vaharrans when they visit Aros.

Architecture

While the architecture on Tyros was quite diverse and spanned thousands of years of history the new architecture styles that have been seen on Aros are far more simplistic to allow for easier and quicker construction. This was very important so as to transition the population away from living in tents and colony habitats as quickly as possible. Two principle architectural styles have emerged since rebuilding began: New World Modernism and New Classical.

Vaharran New World Modernism - follows a trend of brutalist inspired architecture. The most common aspect of this style is angular designs with sharp edges. The building material is typically smooth bare cement. As a nod to the Classical style these will usually incorporate large water features.

Vaharran New Classical - a reinvention of what is now referred to simply as Classical or Old Classical but with modern techniques and building materials. Featuring pointed arches, stark white materials, and large water features this style is less ornate than its original inspiration but is still crafted with great care. This architectural style is most often found in use for temples.

Clothing

Vaharran clothing was made specifically for the wearer to feel comfortable in the hot arid environments in which they dwelled. They were typically baggy and made of lightweight fabrics that allow them to breathe. Vests and sleeveless shirts were common as they were considered comfortable but also exposed arms and torsos were considered attractive. Those of high positions in government typically wore a long robe and sash. Military clothing was much more standardized and less reveling owing to its more utilitarian nature.

Vaharrans prefered to be barefoot, this has cultural and religious significance that stretches back nearly a thousand years. This has led to modern settlements incorporating features of their thoroughfares in order to make them more suitable for walking in general but walking barefoot in particular. This included much smoother surfaces, covered pathways, fountains and pools to kept feet clean of dirt and sand, and public sanitation services that kept the pathways clean. Since modern realities and special work outside of cities still required the use of footwear Vaharrans took to the style of slippers and boots that could be easily slid on and off when entering areas where it would be impolite to wear shoes.

Family

Vaharran family structures were a bit different to other humanoids owing to their hermaphroditic physiology. Parents, or hudika, went by the terms dako, the one who provided the sperm, and daki, the one who bore the child. They were not called these terms by their children who would simply refer to them by Hud followed by the parent’s name. For example, a child born of the hudika Hassar and Adaar would refer to them as Hud-Hassar and Hud-Adaar. A child’s surname was inherited from the daki upon reaching adulthood, but it is not uncommon for a child to hybridize the two surnames of their parents in honor of them. Surnames being more important to the basic family unit than to the genetic lineage as a whole. Other family members are simply referred to as kin or diim.

Mating Practices

In ancient times Vaharran mating was a bit violent, the two partners would fight each other in vicious brawls with the victor gaining the right to penetrate the loser. This practice fell out of favor as time went on and was practically unheard of in the modern era. There are some ultra-traditionalists that still practice this violent form of mating but in most cases it is done consensually for added sexual thrills.

Much of Vaharran sexuality and mating practices were based on strict adherence to mutual satisfaction and that both partners should have the goal of climaxing simultaneously. While obviously each person is different and this could be a difficult goal to achieve, no attempt at all was considered highly selfish and in bad form. To this end though Vaharrans utilized a variety of interesting techniques and positions to achieve mutual and mostly equivalent pleasure. Further to aid in this the Vaharrans also liked long foreplay sessions to help heighten arousal to the point that simultaneous climax.

Another aspect of Vaharran sexuality was the extensive use of body art. This was not so much in the form of tattoos, due to the toughness of Vaharran skin tattooing as a practice did not see widespread adoption like other humanoid cultures, but in various forms of body paint. This use of paint is designed to enhance one's features and appear more attractive to a potential mate. This art can sometimes be quite complex with the use of powders, oils, clay, and fine sand in addition to paint. Several Vaharran television shows were actually devoted to competitions involving the elaborate body art their contestants would come up with.

History

Ancient History and Early Modern History

The Vaharrans originated on the arid desert planet Tyros in the star system they called Sektal, literally translated as The Great Star. On Federation star charts it is FSC-10904-03 in the Vela Constellation; it was not discovered for many years by Earth based astronomers due to it being almost entirely obscured by the IRAS 08544−4431 binary system and its thick dust cloud. The star was recorded by Romulan astronomers around 1850 CE but mistook it as being part of the IRAS 08544−4431 system as a trinary; however a Klingon astronomer, Vochek, did properly catalog the star in 2101, by which point the star had gone supernova nearly thirty-one years before hand, however the light of this explosion would not reach Qo'nos for many hundreds of years.

The earliest Vaharrans evolved in the rolling deserts and savannahs of the southern hemisphere, but as they developed tribal societies and followed the animals they hunted for food, they gradually expanded across the planet. The first known Vaharran civilization was the Adariti who were also credited for being the earliest origins of the myths regarding Vaharran spirituality or Kyros. Other important civilizations of this period included the Tyodans who created the language for which the modern Vaharran language, Tynos, is derived. These early civilizations would go on to form the building blocks of the modern Vaharran nation-states These nation-states frequently would get involved in long and bloody wars as part of the Vaharran species’ violent past. These wars only became more violent and destructive as the Vaharrans entered their own industrial revolution.

This culminated in what was known was The Great Desert War, the first and only world war that the Vaharrans ever faced, seeing the first use of machine guns, modern rifles, poison gas, tanks, battleships and so on. Despite the war having started in the massive desert of Sakira it quickly spread into a global conflict that lasted twenty years and left tens of millions of Vaharrans, both soldiers and civilians, dead or permanently scarred. The war was so traumatic to those who lived through it that it would eventually lead over a century later to the more unified and peaceful world that would turns its eyes to the stars.

Modern History

While the Vaharrans never had a chance to form a unified world like that of many other humanoid species they did come close, The countries of the world worked generally together and avoided military confrontations with one another; but as the Vaharrans entered space a new sort of rivalries began, that between corporations.

Initially space exploration was handled by various government entities that could afford it. Corporations, notably a company called Distant Ventures, started to join in as their own wealth and technological understanding began to rival that of the governments. Distant Ventures would take the lead in this race by being the first to mine an asteroid, initially only as a stunt to say they could but soon it became a big business for them and other companies were rushing to keep up. Soon the entire system saw itself the battleground, in some cases literally, between different corporations hoping to exploit its natural resources. Concerned that this competition could become literally destructive several governments formed a coalition and built the first “Enforcement Cruisers”. They operated as military vessels and were tasked with ensuring that corporate ships did not carry weapons of any kind. These cruisers were highly successful and eventually lead to the formation of the formal Tyrosian Navy.

The technological advancements in this rapid exploration, colonization, and exploitation of their system would soon lead to the Vaharrans discovery of warp technology. This great enhanced the abilities of ship travel within the system that would allow even the common man to go into space. Soon a whole industry of space cruises developed along with a large habitat resort on one of the system’s larger moons. But the Vaharrans were not content to stay in their own system and began the construction of two new large special exploration ships that could warp off into a new era of interstellar space exploration. These two ships would soon be called upon for the most important mission of what would become very long careers.

The Destruction of Tyros

In the Earth year of 2072 CE the Vaharran star Sektal suddenly and inexplicably exploded in a form akin to a supernova. Very little data of the event was taken by the ships that escaped the system but what is known is that just before 0900 on Alato Day, a celebration of the successful end of a harvest, the star suddenly grew intensely bright and changed color. Minutes later it was observed through ground based and orbital telescopes that the star was in fact increasing in size at an alarming rate that was thought to be impossible. Panic took hold of the planet as its inhabitants attempted to evacuate into any ship they could reach.

The star continued to expand for approximately two hours. Temperatures on Tryos rose quickly, even on the far side of the planet, and radiation levels grew in intensity. On the side of the planet facing the star the radiation and heat grew so intense that any Vaharrans caught in the direct light would be quickly overwhelmed and die. Admiral Maled al-Tazani, commanding the Tyrosian Navy vessels in orbit, sent out a blanket radio signal to all civilian ships within the system to immediately warp out of the system if possible and for those that did not have warp to make their best sublight speed directly away from the star. Meanwhile the military ships would remain, their armored hulls able to withstand the heat and radiation far longer than the civilians in order to pick up transports from the planet.

At about 1215, Sektal explosively shed its outer layers. It is believed that at this time nobody above ground on the exposed side of the planet was still alive. The far side was not much better, the atmosphere had heated up significantly and some of the last transports leaving that area of the planet reported seeing the savannahs, jungles, and even some cities, aflame. Officially the last Vaharran to ever leave the planet was Leehad al-Farada who was born only a few hours before. Their daki carried them from the hospital to the nearest transport they could reach, but seeing that there was no more room handed the child to one of the passengers and remained behind.

The military ships warped away moments before the front of radiation from the explosion hit the planet, killing anything that was left alive and setting the atmosphere alight. In total some five billion Vaharrans were killed, leaving the species on the brink of extinction with no other habitable planets within their immediate reach to call home.

Forming the Fleet

In the days following the disaster chaos reigned throughout whatever ships had managed to escape. There was no government authority, all but a few members who had been off world at the time were dead. The sole surviving flag officer of the Tyrosian Navy was Admiral al-Tazani who himself only survived because he did not attend the yearly Admirals Banquette that was being held on the day of destruction because he was ill with a cold. Al-Tazani also came to the conclusion that there was no civilian authority left or at the very least organized enough to get things under control and thus instituted martial law until such time as a proper civilian authority could resume control. After his declaration of martial law, the Admiral then went about gathering the scattered ships from around the system and form a convoy; he also sent in several fast ships to re-enter the system to collect supplies and equipment from mining outposts located in orbit of the outermost planets, having not yet been destroyed by the supernova.

With all ships and survivors that could be found a total accounting was made of what was left of the Vaharran species and their civilization. Of the over five billion Vaharrans only 201,813 survivors remained but within days twenty-eight more would parish due to injuries, old age, or suicide. The fleet of ships that had been gathered amounted to 253 including both of the recently completed exploration cruisers, all but one military vessel, a cruise ship, several agricultural ships, several mining ships, a refinery ship, and even a mobile repair dock; the rest were private transports, cargo ships, and warp capable ferries. While not ideal for a comfortable life in deep space these vessels would allow the Vaharrans to survive almost indefinitely.

Shortly after the fleet was gathered a member of the civilian government was found, Aded al-Samek, a low ranking member of the Pykaar’s Council, the Under-Councilor for Agriculture. However, Al-Samek did not exactly have the full authority to act as the nominal civilian leader. On Tyros the World Coalition Council worked with the countries on Tyros towards general global cooperation, but did not have the authority to issue laws or orders. Even the Navy was not technically a true unified whole, each ship was owned by a respective country that in theory could recall their ship from the Navy. Al-Samek and Al-Tazani both realized that this state of affairs would not do and through several speeches and deals essentially unified the Vaharrans under what was called the Tyrosian Provisional Government. Al-Samek was declared Pyjaar, now given full power as the head of state and leader of the people, while Al-Tazani was placed in command of all military assets and fleet security. This arrangement had a lot of growing pains but would eventually find a comfortable balance of power.

Once these matters were mostly solved the question of what exactly to do next was debated. Everyone knew that the Vaharran species had to find a new home world or likely go extinct but which direction to go to start looking was the main stumbling block. Having never had a chance to use the exploration ships that had been built, the Vaharrans didn’t really have experience with interstellar travel and thus had to learn as they went. It was eventually decided that a course would be set towards the galactic core, the theory being that with the great abundance of stars the greater possibility of a planet that could support life. Granted the Vaharrans were not even sure if there were any planets that support life except their own or if they did have the climate that could support a Vaharran colony. The greatest hurdle to reach the galactic core would be first having to transit the relatively barren space between galactic arms, something that was expected to take over two centuries, possibly more.