Numicans

''"They have always been a strange race, and not just because of their appearance. They seem fairly docile at first glance, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. The Numicans have always been warlike, and although they seem to have overcome that aggression, I don't think it ever truely left them, it is still there, and I don't think it would take much to make it emerge." - An old journal entry from an unknown author.''

Numican Overview
The Numicans are a cat like people, in both appearance and nature, they evolved on the storm planet Adrima near the outer edge of the Verion Cluster. The Numicans seem docile and neutral in all aspects of their appearance, but underneath that is an aggression that could emerge at any time.

History
The Numican's history is full of wars, bloody battles, and empires that strove to dominate all others. For over 1000 years the Numicans fought with eachother.

Origins
The Numicans originated on the planet Adrima in the Hilder'Ka system far from the Verion Nebula. Adrima is an earthlike planet with one major difference, the entire planet is covered in one giant superstorm. The Numicans were orriginally large cats much like Earth's panthers, over time they began to walk upright and use tools, there were some small wars between tribes, but nothing significant, yet.

Numican World War I
The Numican's first World War began in the year 1921, the entire planet had already been colonized and guns were in common use. The war started when the 5 main countries of Adrima started fighting over control of the poles, the only places on the planet without the superstorm overhead, the fighting quickly escilated, dozens of other smaller countries joined in, joining sides and fighting eachother. The war stretched on for 20 years, millions were killed and the economies of most of countries were devistated. At the end of the war no faction had come out on top, but the countries made peace because they knew that if they didn't, they might destroy their world. The nations joined together to try to make sure that another World War didn't happen, but the system was flawed, and hostility continues to brew between the nations.

Numican World War II
100 years after the first war ended, the hostilities that had been festering since World War I broke out in all their fury. In this war the Numicans had much more deadly weapons: planes, tanks, bombs, and missiles. The nations split into 3 different groups, each one striving to destroy the others. The war stretched on for 3 years, killing millions of Numicans, more then the first World War. Then, new nation was formed out of the chaos, the Filder Republic, it was so small that none of the larger, more powerful nations took it seriously, they were gravely mistaken. The Filder Republic had been formed from the ruins of a country that had been caught in between the waring factions, and it had, in secret, developed the atomic bomb. The Filder Republic quickly made use of this powerful new weapon, and it trippled in size. The war continued for another year, but the Filder Republic soon quelled all resistance and was the undisputed master of Adrima. The Filder Republic set up a permanent government over the planet that included the entire race. Soon after, the Filder Republic was renamed the Numican Alliance.

First Space Age
The Numicans began experimenting with space travel soon after World War II, and while they were interested in it, the leaders at the time deamed that it would be a waste to spend time and money in it when they were still recovering from the wars that had shaken the planet. Despite their not wanting to colonize other worlds just yet, the NA worked on space travel technology and had soon developed a vessel much like the A-22, which they used to keep the peace on Adrima. 50 years after World War II, they successfully developed an FTL drive, however the NA still didn't use it because of a political upheaval at the time. However, the NA soon colonized the nearby planet of Ilundak. With the new colony thriving, the leaders of the Numican Alliance developed a keener interest into the colonization of new worlds. Soon, they had colonized 7 systems around their home world. The NA's first contact with an alien race was with the Trayn Collective while they were exploring a system near their border. The Numicans accepted trade agreements with the Trayn, but nothing more. Realizing the need for a larger fleet to be able to protect their systems, the NA began increasing the size of their fleet. During this time the NA also developed a deadly defence mechanism, a device that transformed the large amount of lightning on Adrima into an extremely deadly bolt, the G5-K2 Bolt Cannon. Now confident with their new defenses, the Numicans continued expanding, making contact with dozens of new races as their did. Soon the NA had built up a large fleet with many improvements to the shields and weaponry, and become the largest faction known to the races in the Verion Cluster.

Recent History
The Numican Alliance had become the largest faction in the Verion Cluster, with many more systems then even the Terran Star Empire. They had a fleet larger then almost any other faction, and had discovered a mineral called Geutronium, which greatly enhanced the power of their battlecruisers, especially their lancers. The Numicans were confident in their strength and unafraid of any other race, but this turned out to be their downfall. When the Great War broke out, the Numican Alliance was at the height of its power, and although the NA was the most powerful of the races Allied against the TSE, it was also hurt the most by the war. When it was obvious that defeat was inevitable, the NA assembled 6500 vessesls to form an evacuation fleet. The fleet was loaded with 15 million Numicans including the greatest scientists and engineers of the day. Materials and computers that might be needed were loaded as well, including a large portion of the ancient databank that the NA had discovered. When the TSE's destruction of NA systems had extended past Hilder'Ka, the evacuation fleet fled, starting from the outermost reaches of NA space. The TSE destroyed almost every habitable planet in NA space, including Adrima. They showed no mercy, and they nearly drove the race to extinction. By the end of the war only 300,000 Numicans remained in the Verion Cluster, and they soon joined the Malsuth Empire for protection. However, the evacuation fleet managed to escape the destruction and fled deep into unknown space. After 3 long weeks of travel, the evacuation fleet selected Ikara as the system where they would rebuild their empire, they collonized one of the system's planets and named it Numa'Ka. Soon after the Numicans collonized Numa'Ka, they joined the Sokana, natives of Ikara, under a single government, the United Confederation of Planets.

Culture
The Numican's culture is complex and has undergone many changes since the last World War. The Numicans believe that the universe was created by one diety and that every life has infinite value.

The Numicans beleive that they are the equals, if not betters, of all other races and they do not easily admit that they are inferior to anyone.

The Numicans are a secluded people, even amoung their own race, openness is uncommon. Hiding their thoughts is a skill that all Numicans master at a very early age, and talented indeed is the outsider who can truely decern what a Numican is thinking.

Architecture
The Numican's Achitecture is largely centered around the weather patterns of their homeworld. For hundreds of years the Numicans used lightning to power their cities on Adrima, and it greatly influenced their architecture. The Numican's architecture is mainly composed of large ornate domes, large spires, and large arches. The Numican's ships are made with similar design, making intimidating vessels.

Holidays
While the Numicans have many minor holidays, the one celebrated by Numicans throughout the UCP is the Day of Hope which celebrates the forming of the UCP.

Language
The Numican's native language is a combination of natural speach and body language, while they use natural speach when dealing with other races, they prefer to use body language. Their speach is extremely difficult to understand because of it's complexity and diversity, a single sylable can mean a dozen different things depending on the context.

Physiology
With an average height of 6'1, the Numicans are very lithe, with little defined muscle, but with extreme strength. The Numican's entire body is covered in a thick coat of fur of varying colors, textures, and lengths. Their heads are much like a cat's head in shape and demensions, but with longer hair then on the rest of their bodies. The Numican's ears are pointed much like a cats, and they have the teath of a carnivore, though they are really omnivores. Their eyes come in every color imaginable, from the purest white, to the darkest black.

The Numicans have long claws on their hands and feet that they can retract at will. They have thick pads of varying colors on their palms and the inside of their fingers which let them grasp things more easily.

The Numicans have very weak immune systems and are easily suspectable to new diseases. A Numican is able to reproduce at the age of 16, and when Numicans reproduce they usually give birth to 1 or 2 babies. The average life-span of a Numican is around 140 years however, there are some Numicans who have lived to be much older, the oldest Numican on record was 187 years old