Discuss the Kraliens
A Kralien Starship Captain
From the Artemis Manual:
Despite human prejudices the Kraliens are not man-sized bugs. They are true vertebrates who happen to have hard carapaces like Earth’s beetles or lobsters.
Kralien society is highly religious. Upon promotion all Kralien captains are ordained into a priest class. Their religion is unusual in that all Kraliens believe in the same set of gods: ancient super-beings that lived on the Kralien homeworld for several generations then left our galaxy forever. Even Earth’s scientists believe the Kralien religion is grounded in fact.
Today’s Kraliens believe that their gods granted them ownership of the entire galaxy. They also believe that the gods answer the prayers of devout Kraliens.
The Kralien government considers all non-Kraleans to be tenants living on their property. We are
welcome to stay, but we owe them millions of years in back rent payments. For now the ships of the
Kralien Defense Fleet are ill-equipped to collect that rent, so they are often seen in formation with those of stronger allies.
A city on a typical Kralien colony world.
Why the Kraliens are Religious:
The Artemis game mechanics give the enemies a decision-making process that works really well with stong, black and white motivations that leave no gray area in between. Kraliens have that. It explains why a lone Kralien cruiser is willing to take on a mighty TSN dreadnought. A very devout Kralien captain will use faith as his shield and fight to the death against any enemy. A less faithful Kralien captain will reatreat the moment things look bad.
In future a version of Artemis, it will be possible to have a Kralien crew that is more religious or less religious that their captain. When that happens there can be a mutiny in the heat of battle, causing a sudden reversal of that ship's motivation. A surrendering ship might turn and attack, or a fanatically savage ship might back down and break formation.
[Last edited Apr 07, 2013 05:20:43]
"Damn the torpedoes! Four bells, Captain Drayton!"
(Likely actual words of Admiral David Farragut, USN, at the battle of Mobile Bay. Four bells was the signal for the engine room to make full steam ahead).
(Likely actual words of Admiral David Farragut, USN, at the battle of Mobile Bay. Four bells was the signal for the engine room to make full steam ahead).
Is there any chance that the Kraliens' belief holds some measure of truth-- for example, they're an uplifted race from the same planet who's actual, initial sentient species had long since transcended into beings beyond reckoning?
I sure hope not.
Here is the perspective of Earth's top scientists: We believe that long ago the Kralien homeworld really was visited by aliens with powerful technology. The Gods stayed a few generations, teachning the Kraliens methods of agriculture, plus some codes of morality and ethics that have served them well for centuries. It does appear that The Gods eventually left the Kraliens and may have departed our galaxy entirely.
Beyond that our scientists debate the meaning of the Kralien scriptures. Even if The Gods really do favor the Kraliens over all other races, do The Gods now answer the prayers of devout Kraliens? Did The Gods really grant the Kralien race ownership of our entire galaxy? Even if they did, why should we respect that claim of ownership?
Beyond that our scientists debate the meaning of the Kralien scriptures. Even if The Gods really do favor the Kraliens over all other races, do The Gods now answer the prayers of devout Kraliens? Did The Gods really grant the Kralien race ownership of our entire galaxy? Even if they did, why should we respect that claim of ownership?
"Damn the torpedoes! Four bells, Captain Drayton!"
(Likely actual words of Admiral David Farragut, USN, at the battle of Mobile Bay. Four bells was the signal for the engine room to make full steam ahead).
(Likely actual words of Admiral David Farragut, USN, at the battle of Mobile Bay. Four bells was the signal for the engine room to make full steam ahead).
Well, I'd like to think that they stopped by, threw a couple trinkets at the locals, and then went along their merry way and the Kraliens are (from the God's perspective) the equivalent of that one time you volunteered at Habitat for Humanity back in college-- you feel good about what you did, but you'd be darned if you could remember who else was there. I'd suspect that the Kralien's Gods are dealing with bigger things nowadays.
My crew and I respect there claim of ownership in that we try to pay them with our superior technology and weaponry. We keep throwing beams, torpedoes, ECMs, nukes, and mines at them but they just explode.
Maybe we don't know the proper conversion rate to their currency.
Maybe we don't know the proper conversion rate to their currency.
Joking aside, why do the kraliens work with the other races against the terrans? You would think they would want back rent from them as much as they do from us.
I'd venture that the Terrans, as the "new kid", are seen as an enemy because 1) they have to be put in their place, galactically speaking, and 2) it's an easy opportunity for the Kraliens to demonstrate to everyone else around that they're a force to be reckoned with. Teaming with other forces to achieve that just gives them a better chance to study their allies for weaknesses for when they inevitably strike (possibly a religious doctrine of their own-- I'd imagine whatever passes for the Kralien Bible is similar to the Old Testament as narrated by Sun Tzu and Machiavelli) -- after all, they DO believe the Gods are on their side, and fanaticism tends to be a pretty powerful, if not devastating weapon.
[Last edited Apr 10, 2013 08:36:56]
Oh! It could also be because we have something of religious significance to them-- Sol, for example, might be mentioned in their culture as the point of light in the night sky where the Grand Maker started the Stride of a Thousand Stars, and they're ticked to find that a bunch of hominids are living nearby and basically stinking it up.
Just a thought.
Just a thought.
[Last edited Apr 10, 2013 08:39:26]
2) it's an easy opportunity for the Kraliens to demonstrate to everyone else around that they're a force to be reckoned with.
But they're really not. The Kraliens are like the North Koreans of space. Everytime we see them my crew always comments with remarks like "how cute. they think they're a threat." before we blow them up.
They are the weakest of their four allied races. A complete joke. You never see a large fleet of Kraliens and think "This is going to be a hell of a fight." You think "Look, target practice"
So I repeat, why would the Arvonians or Torgoth care? The Skaarans are getting paid so that makes sense.
[Last edited Apr 10, 2013 19:58:50]
My point entirely. The Kraliens need to prove themselves before they can sit at the big boy table of galactic affairs. So, like the most scrawny bully in the playground, they're picking a fight with the new kid they think they can beat and hopefully gain the favor of the other bullies.
Yeah, that doesn't seem to be working our for them.
[Last edited Apr 10, 2013 22:26:49]
Joking aside, why do the kraliens work with the other races against the terrans? You would think they would want back rent from them as much as they do from us.
You are correct. In fact, whenever a war starts the Kraliens try to pick a winner and join that side. They are almost never neutral, but unfortunately for them they have a poor record for picking winners.
During the Unakalhai Uprising the Kraliens side with the USFP against the human Rebels, which turns out to be a good choice. But during the The First Spiral Arm War the Kraliens side with the USFP and are nearly annihilated for it.
As a population the Kralein decision making process is based in religious faith rather than logic. When choosing sides in a war they do not consider which side has more ships or stronger weapons. Instead they consult their sacred scriptures for guidance.
"Damn the torpedoes! Four bells, Captain Drayton!"
(Likely actual words of Admiral David Farragut, USN, at the battle of Mobile Bay. Four bells was the signal for the engine room to make full steam ahead).
(Likely actual words of Admiral David Farragut, USN, at the battle of Mobile Bay. Four bells was the signal for the engine room to make full steam ahead).
Wow. I don't know what to say that isn't rude and reflective of my hardcore atheist ideals. I can say I will take new found joy in what my crew does to Kralien warships.
With that in mind, could we find ourselves in the future fighting alongside Kralien forces? If you were to create eras in the game to play (as you mentioned in another thread) would the era of the first spiral arm war see us ordering Kralien allied vessels in to position?
Captain Xavier Wise
T.S.N. Falcon (BS-042)
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T.S.N. Falcon (BS-042)
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As good as that sounds I wonder kraliens would take orders. Even from stronger allies.
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