Trayn

"Today, we go forth and reclaim the stars! Unbound, undivided, unconquered! We are our own masters now!"

-Overlord Sekel, as the first FTL capable ship was launched

The Trayn are a race of genetically engineered aliens that inhabit the planet Tiren, in an area close to the core of the Ceros galaxy. Several centuries ago they were abducted from their original homeworld by the Nekrat, and genetically altered to be the perfect warriors. Their former government was the Trayn Collective, but has since been replaced by the Allied Bloc after the sudden unexplained collapse of their empire.

History
Trayn history is long, and filled with conflict. Recorded Trayn history began over nine hundred years ago, after the early Trayn were abducted and experimented upon by the Nekrat.

Origins
The Trayn originated on a planet far beyond the Verion Nebula. The world was earth-like, with little predatory wildlife. The Trayn were originally large marsupials. At the time of their abduction, they had already begun to form small tribes. The tribes fluorished, and the Trayn thrived. There were few wars, as the Trayn were not a violent race. The Nekrat, however, saw their potential. Nekrat ships swarmed over the Trayn homeworld, taking several thousand specimens for study. In the invasion, many of the Trayn were wiped out. It is unknown if the original Trayn species died out, or lived on.

Genetic Engineering
The captured Trayn were taken to a massive, hidden Nekrat genetic research space station somewhere deep inside the Verion Nebula. There the Trayn were subjected to all sorts of brutal experiments, including dissection. Soon, once enough information had been gathered by the Nekrat, they began their experiments. The Trayn were strapped down with titanium restraints, and injected with all kinds of drugs. The drugs entered the bloodstream and reached every area of the body, rapidly altering the genetic code of the subjects. Within hours, the Trayn had begun to change. They became larger, more muscular, smarter, and developed a telepathic link with eachother. Eventually, they were not even mammalian anymore.

Unfortunately the Nekrat's modifications were rushed, and they were unable to complete them due to a Jorr'kan fleet discovering and subsequently destroying the research facility. The Trayn, who had not yet had the control genes activated, which would have caused them to obey the Nekrat's every command, managed to escape on a small frigate. They were pursued by the Jorr'kan, but they managed to enter warp, with severe damage.

Unable to find their homeworld, and with supplies and oxygen running low, the Trayn landed on the first habitable planet they found, Tiren.

First Space Age
The Trayn settled Tiren eight and a half centuries ago, and they thrived. They constructed massive metropolises, sent space stations into orbit, and eventually developed spacecraft advanced enough to travel to other planets in the system. They sent organic seed ships out into the cosmos. They built dozens, but only two ever reached their destinitions. The ships were unmanned, and traveled at near lightspeed. However, most suffered critical drive failure only a month after being sent away from Tiren. Others malfunctioned and their fission reactors went critical, destroying them. None of the seed ships found habitable planets, even after centuries of searching.

However, the seed ships attracted the attention of another race. The dying descendants of the Jorr'kan, the Ikan, discovered the Trayn homeworld. The Ikan were religious zealots, and saw the Trayn as impure. They believed it was the will of the gods to wipe out the Trayn, and they did so. The Ikan invaded, but the Trayn held them off, both with sheer numbers and their combat prowess. The brief war ended when the Ikan began bombardment of Tiren. The Trayn were nearly wiped out. The survivors feigned death, hiding in underground bunkers which the Ikan neglected to search. The bunkers masked the Trayn's lifesigns. The Ikan left Tiren in ruins, with much of its surface scarred by the bombardment. The Trayn, however, survived.

Two decades later, the Ikan home star went supernova, and the Ikan Hegemony collapsed.

The Faction War
Four hundred years ago, the Trayn were embroiled in a bloody civil war between four factions. Tiren had never been stable since the brief war against the Ikan four centuries prior, and the once peaceful planetary government had splintered into four nations. The As'ai Empire, the Rander Coalition, the Vir'in Alliance, and the Nerak Council. All sought control of Tiren, and soon war between them erupted.

The war lasted for fifty years, no side gaining the upper hand of the others. Tiren was once again in ruins, decades of war having killed billions. No side dared to use weapons of mass destruction, as they did not want to destroy what they wished to control. Eventually, the As'ai and the Nerak formed a brief alliance, destroying the Vir'in. Vir'in was the second most powerful nation, behind only the Rander. The As'ai and Nerak divided their new territory evenly. But the alliance did not fall apart as some would expect. The combined forces of the As'ai and Nerak moved in on the Rander Coalition's home territory. After a year of massive losses on all sides, alliance forces took the Rander capital city. The alliance, now victorious, remained united as they rebuilt Tiren, eventually forming the Tiren Dominion.

At some point afterwards, the military took control, and it became the Trayn Collective.

Present Day
The Trayn had been hesitant to return to space after the last catastrophy that almost resulted in their extinction. However, eventually they did return to space. They created their first FTL craft, the TWS Claw of Revenge, and ventured out into space.

They soon made first contact with an alien race, the Ghendari. The Trayn did not lock weapons on the Ghendari or attempt to attack them, and instead began to move towards another alien vessel to initiate first contact. The Ghendari took offense at the Trayn's actions and attempted to attack the Trayn ship, the TWS Jetlag. The resulting battle ended with the Jetlag and the Ghendari ship, the GSS Ytavar, heavily damaged.

Soon afterwards the Ghendari attacked the Trayn colony on Cestus II, and the Trayn and Ghendari fought once again. The Ghendari won the resulting battle. The Trayn eventually established diplomatic relations with the Ghendari, along with the Ferros and Corrundians.

The Trayn thrived. They had expanded to twelve different star systems, built a fleet of over twenty combat-ready ships, established trade routes with several major empires, and had helped save a civilization from slavery. Their golden age would be short-lived, however.

The Decay
Unfortunately, the Trayn's genetic engineering had not been completed, resulting in instability in their genetic code. Only recently has this instability become dangerous. The Trayn have begun to decay, their bodies literally falling apart. Chaos consumed every Trayn colony, from Tiren to Oreliaa. The Ferros, whom the Trayn had trade relations with, developed a drug that would stop the decay temporarily. Shortly afterwards, the Trayn developed biosuits that would also slow the decay, but they were not quite as effective as the Ferros capsules.

The Trayn have sought help from the TSE, the only race advanced enough to help cure the decay. The TSE accepted and sent the Trayn a genetic manipulator, which the Trayn used to cure their race of the decay.

As a result of the Decay, the Trayn population was reduced from 40 billion to 12 billion. The Decay has since been cured and the Trayn have adapted to their new, weaker bodies.

Culture
Trayn culture is complex, and has gone through many reforms and changes throughout the centuries. The Trayn have no religion, although a few religious Trayn do still exist, practicing the Old Religions of the time before the Bombardment of Tiren. Preaching is illegal, however, and those attempting to convert others to their faith are taken away. This includes parents trying to turn their children to their beliefs. No places of public worship exist, and religion is only legal in the privacy of your own home. Due to this attitude, religion is slowly fading from Trayn culture, with few believers left.

The Trayn are firm believers that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, and often have no qualms with sacrificing themselves or others if it will better the whole of the Collective.

The Trayn believe themselves to be superior to most other species, although most will admit that there are other races that are superior to them.

Among themselves, the Trayn rarely lie. Hiding thoughts is a skill few can master, and this ability is often cause for suspicion and mistrust. They have a deep distrust of most other species, which stems from the fact that the only alien races they had encountered up until the present were hostile and wished to kill them all.

The Trayn place much importance on their military, and all males are required to undergo military training once they reach the age of 14. At 16, they can join the military, as that is the age of full biological maturity. It is rare for female Trayn to enlist in the military, instead they often become engineers, scientists, and medical doctors, though there is nothing preventing females from joining the military.

They have little use for items such as gold and gemstones, and will often attempt to barter them off for something more useful.

Architecture
Trayn architecture often involves sharp curves, 45-degree angles, and silvery metal. Their ships are often built in the shape of manta rays. The best examples of Trayn engineering are the massive skyscrapers that dominate Tiren, stretching kilometers up into the air. Residential buildings often have large amounts of windows, while industrial and commercial structures have less.

Holidays
The Trayn have few noteworthy holidays, and most colonies have their own holidays specific to the colony. There are, however, a few holidays celebrated across the entire Collective.

The Day of Founding
The Day of Founding, also known as "Founding Day", is the day that the Trayn Collective was founded. It is celebrated with fireworks, large feasts, and social gatherings. A vast majority, if not all Trayn, take part in this holiday.

Language
Among themselves, the Trayn speak through telepathy in their native language. The Trayn language is difficult to understand for other species. The language has similar grammar and syntax to English.

Government
The Trayn Collective is governed by three individuals, the Overlord, a Supreme Admiral, and a Supreme Commander. The Overlord oversees the civilian aspects of government, while the Supreme Admiral and the Supreme Commander oversee the Stellar Navy and the Trayn Ground Forces respectively. The Overlord also has a say in military matters, however if both the Admiral and the Commander agree, his military decisions can easily be overruled.

The Trayn elect the Overlord from a group of four candidates, two from the navy and two from the Armed Forces. The Overlord then chooses his Supreme Admiral and Commander. Overlords, Supreme Admirals, and Supreme Commanders can serve up to 32 years in office, each term being four years.

The Trayn have a mix of capitalism and socialism, with citizens having to earn their money. There is, however, a thick safety net in place for the less fortunate. Corporations are regulated, and are unable to sell any technology that the Trayn government considers important to any non-Trayn. It is also illegal for them to manufacture any military technology.

Many services, such as healthcare, food, and housing, are provided by the government, but citizens have the option of going with a private company instead of the government.

Physiology
They are about 7'5 with muscular digitigrade legs and arms. Their entire body is covered in a dark gray carapace with interlocking plates. The plates layered in various patterns. Their heads are also covered in the plates, which can be articulated to form facial expressions. They have very sharp teeth, built for ripping meat. They have forked tongues which can be used to taste the air. Their ears are nothing more than small slits behind their eyes, and their nostrils are located just above their mouth. Their eyes glow various colors.

They have long claws on their hands and feet, which have six fingers and toes. Their claws are serrated and capable of shredding flesh with ease. Their fingers lack the bony armor plating, which extends up to their knuckles. The fingers have intricate, bioluminescant patterns that are different for every Trayn. The color ranges from light blue to teal.

They have two hearts and three lungs, and hemocyanin blood. They reach biological maturity at the age of 16, and are able to reproduce at 14. The average lifespan is 200, but a few have lived to be older than that. The oldest Trayn ever recorded was 236.

The Trayn have strong immune systems, and a high resistance to poison.