The Kai - or specifically, the Tech Kai - are about what you get when you have something like
this with longer antenna and
this, from "small dog" to "large horse" and "small house" size, although their limbs are covered in what looks like fuzzy spikes. They are in a symbiotic relationship with a ridiculously adaptive (and quite possibly omnivorous) swamp flower that is possibly the greater power in the relationship, although the Kai themselves would probably disagree and offer complex theology to sufficiently advanced Drones, Nurses, and Junior Queens. They feed upon its leaves and flowers, and for every Queen, there's a Queen Flower that's bigger, stronger, and more psychically present. This tends to be the mother plant for all future Flowers in the colony. It's common practice to gather dozens of cultures of the plants for the Queen Flower and plant them in the same bed to compete for the spot.
The particular culture came about after the True Queen decided that the war with the galaxy was unproductive towards the Cause and decided to set out on Her own with the latest and most productive crop of the Flowers from the Prime Hiveworld. All of it - those of the new generations left behind died inexplicably and suddenly, and the Body Kai were never quite able to make the remaining Flowers work quite as well (not that the Tech Kai ever found out, or even bothered to ask.) After years of a
very large fleet wandering around space, the Queen stumbled across Synthetic Civilization and was delighted to find that She had created a new race. After the initial alliance, the Queen further spoke with the then-current Prime Intelligence and, after spending a long time privately with the Queen Flower, decided that the other species in the Galaxy were presently bound to achieve victory, and that survival rested in going along with the movement and eventually regaining planets. From there, it wasn't far that the Queen decided that the other species were, if not exactly equals, possibly peers, and that something resembling adherence to the basic tenets of "galactic civilization" was advantageous for Her and "Us".
Nobody really knows if the Queen means "for now" or "for good" aside from possibly the Princess. Until that future time, the Queen is engaging in "trade" as an intellectual amusement and as a tool to acceptably manipulate others without "enslaving", but merely "directly expressing good-will psychically as We would to one of Our own, since You would possibly be alarmed or offended by Our dancing and pheromones". They don't use mind speak directly towards most races, instead using translator machines, and other species can "hear" intended feelings much like you can hear sounds. It's entirely within Kai capability to mind-slave someone, but they
typically refrain from doing so on the grounds of "Our Queen's Law tells Us that We are not to do things that would cause the Second Great Xenocide."
Since the True Queen is, by definition, a victorious rebel, She has taken the precaution (possibly with the consent or by the imperative of the Flowers) of making sure that only the True Queen and the Princess can create Royal Jelly in significant amounts. It can't be eliminated from Junior Queens without sterilizing them (and possibly risking the Flowers) so the Queen simply allows them to create what they can to enhance their Hive, lay eggs, or perform bioscience. Despite attempts by the occasional False Queens (one of whom actually managed to take over for a short time), none have been able to overcome Her lock, and the Princess is demonstrably loyal as shown by her bringing down the Queen That Failed. There will only be one Rebel Queen who becomes the True Queen, whenever that moment may be, and the True Queen is doing her best to make sure that Her inevitable and proper replacement is fit to surpass Her.
So,as a Kai of sufficient Rank and Caste to command a ship (probably a L5 Junior Queen and a L5 Tech or Nurse Drone, or possibly a lower level Junior Queen), there'd be a lot of Royal We / Imperial Us sort of thing in addition to the regular Kai "Our." They move when awake and sleep when not, mostly, so they are animated speakers. There would absolutely be at least two Queen Flowers on board, possibly three, although far enough away from each other to not go into VIOLENT PSYCHIC DEATH COMBAT mode. As Higher Kai, you'd be able to directly possess lesser Kai and use their bodies with all of their mind's knowledge in addition to your own, so you could easily lead an Elite Marine. Death is pretty painful and leaves you mind blind for a week or two, unless the Flowers smile upon you, so be careful.
It's possible that you guys would have accepted a name that resembles what you see in the Flowers as Ourself, but not all Kai are willing to do so. Most of the Old Generation insist that individual scents and minor differences in color and features are enough for any true Kai, but there's a growing movement among some of the Current Generation and the New Generation to bring the Flowers to the Galaxy so they understand. The Queen has taken no stance whatsoever upon the issue, which can reasonably be interpreted as "yes" when "no" tends to leave bodies and is much more direct (and typically immediate.)
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Topic: Mercenary Fleet OOC: 10?/10? charter members, ??/?? members. Transit 1 (Read 29188 times)