Asterians are an ancient race
About
Asterians appear in many ways similar to mankind. They are, on average, the same height, weight, and shape as human beings, though tending towards being more lightly built and slender in comparison. They also possess long, pointed ears, but it is beneath the skin that the differences between the races really become pronounced.
For a start, Asterians possess two brains - a primary cerebrum and a smaller, secondary one, centrally-located near the stomach. They have three combination heart-lungs pumping a copper-oxide-based blood and this unique anatomy allows them to live as many as a thousand G-standard years without showing any outward signs of aging. It also gives adult Asterians an acute sensitivity to neuro-electrical impulses, a low-power form of empathic telepathy that allows them to feel the emotions of close companions without extending to direct communication. This ability is not one that is widely known outside Asterians themselves - not out of any consideration for secrecy but simply because it does not occur to most Asterians that they are doing anything special.
This is perhaps for the best. Any alien race with telepathic abilities tends to make certain heads within the GCPS nervous, and it does occasionally present an obstacle to communication between Asteria and the GCPS. A more obvious and yet possibly more confusing difference is that Asterians have three genders, designated by corporate analysts as true-male, neuter-male, and female. While these labels may be slightly misleading in their simplicity (both masculine forms are completely ‘male’ but the sociobiological triggers that might move an Asterian from neuter to true-male are not fully understood in the GCPS) gender certainly plays a large role in determining the life of an Asterian.
True-males are traditionally and historically Asteria’s warriors, merchants, and bankers. Indeed, the Cypher Clades are almost exclusively made up of true-males. In contrast, the less aggressive neuter-males are most commonly encountered within the political and diplomatic parts of Asterian society, while Asterian females tend to follow careers within the arts and sciences. This is not to say such things are predetermined or cast in stone. There are female Asterian generals and true-male Asterian scientists and in many ways the gender system of Asteria is less rigid and restrictive than the caste system of the Veer-myn or the plutocracy of the GCPS. But conformity to expected standards is nonetheless generally the norm amongst Asterians.
DOSSIER 35327/80/AST; GCPS COUNCIL [RESTRICTED: SECURITY LEVEL GAMMA]
SUBJECT: ASTERIANS; TRANSCRIPT OF KEYNOTE SPEECH
BY PROFESSOR LI TSUN PEN, HOUSE LU-FAN.
Asterians are elegant humanoid aliens, an incredibly ancient race with knowledge of biotechnology far in advance of our own. Their ‘empire’, such as it is, is a loose confederation of planets, systems and artificial moons spanning a vast – though as yet undetermined – area. They are a race who could teach us much, were they not so unutterably alien, cold and aloof.
Recent skirmishes with Asterian forces in and around the Death Arc have forced us to re-evaluate our position on these aliens, and examine what we know of them so as to better defeat them. It is our belief that the Asterians are hiding something in the Death Arc, and as such are standing in the way of our rightful expansion. Indeed, recent evidence discovered by McAelia Corp xenobiologists in the quarantine zone suggests that the Asterians encountered the Plague long before we did, and stood idly by while our people suffered. That they withhold any information that could lead to a cure suggests that not only do they wish to see humanity destroyed, but that they may have had something to do with the outbreak in the first place.
If this is true, the Asterians may be the most dangerous enemy we have ever faced.
Initially, it appeared that the Asterians were a peaceful race, albeit one strangely unreliant on commerce. Our two races enjoyed a period of diplomatic cordiality and mutual understanding. It is easy to see why. Physically they look much like humans, though specimens we have been able to study have a biology radically different from our own. They appear beautiful to us – tall, slender, fine of feature and preternaturally graceful – and it cannot be a coincidence that their outward appearance is so similar to ours, and so close to depictions of Elves and other divine beings from Earth’s old mythology.
By their own admission they have encountered many fledgling races, leaving them to evolve at their own rate; how much the Asterians interfered in that evolution is anyone’s guess. They spend their long lives creating intricate works of art – mostly unfathomable to man – and tending vast gardens, which they believe represent the balance of the cosmos. It is this unerring belief in natural balance that ostensibly explains their arrogance, and their unwillingness to involve themselves in the affairs of what they see as ‘lesser races’, but we believe it is much more than that.
The Asterians, although they protest against warfare and violence, have certainly been embroiled in great conflicts during their long history, and remain so today. Their mastery of artificial intelligence, biomechanical constructs, energy weapons, anti-grav technology and cloaking devices suggests a well-developed military arm, excelling in covert operations. They guard this technology jealously, rejecting fair trade terms out of hand. Every time we have come close to capturing some of the Asterians’ more advanced tech, they have gone to great lengths to reclaim it. What secrets they have amassed over the millennia, what atrocities they have been responsible for, and what knowledge they possess that could yet prove invaluable to mankind’s continued expansion is yet to be ascertained. All we know for certain is that the Asterians cannot be allowed to stand in judgement over us any longer. If they will not offer us assistance in our hour of need, we must assume they wish us harm.
KNOW YOUR FOE
MILITARY BRIEFING
FILE 01089/70/AST/C-2
Asterians display a distaste for martial combat that smacks of both arrogance and cowardice, and it is rare to face them on the battlefield. Instead, they direct biomechanical constructs known as Cyphers, which for all intents and purposes function as sophisticated and adaptive war-robots. The Asterian race as a whole will avoid open armed conflict where possible, and experience against Corporation forces has taught them that avoiding direct warfare is ill-advised. However, the Asterians excel at surgical strikes and stealth manoeuvres, utilising the small numbers and rapid deployment offered by ‘Cyphers’ to great effect.
The fragile appearance of the Cyphers is deceptive – they are deadly combatants, protected by energy shields and swift on the attack. Concentrated fire from superior numbers is more reliable way of bringing down Cypher Clades, as their speed and advanced targeting arrays allows them to pick off small units and light vehicles on the move with unerring accuracy. If no Enforcers are present, ground troops encountering Cypher Clades are advised to create a secure firebase, maintaining a position of high alert until the threat can be pinpointed and neutralised.
In the unlikely event that you find yourself engaging an Asterian in the flesh, do not let their beautiful forms distract you from their true nature. Under the skin they are more alien than any other race encountered in the GCPS, and their cruelty and arrogance cannot be overestimated. They are faster than a man, but physically weaker. They will seek to outmatch Corporation troopers at range or, in desperate times, engage in hand-to-hand combat using their speed and sophisticated weaponry. Drawing them close will often work to your advantage: short-ranged, rapid-fire weaponry, flamethrowers and grenades will make short work of lightly armoured Asterians before they have a chance to engage.
Gallery
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Asterian Race -
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