Ahai Culture
The Ahai became nomads after their home planet became a colony of the Hetarek Hegemony, but they claim their lifestyle comes from an earlier invasion by another species, the Enki. Traveling in large caravans, called Collectives, the Ahai use their wormhole technology to travel from system to system searching for resources. While the Ahai are frequent visitors to other planets, both occupied and unoccupied, they have refused to set foot on the soil of another planet until they can return to their own. When planet side, the Ahai are typically found in chairs or other machines that float above the ground. After generations of living collectively amongst a fleet, the Ahai have a strong distaste for solitude, always traveling at least in pairs.
The heart of the Ahai fleet is the wormhole ship. There is not a clear count for how many travel with the Great Collective, but at least six have been used to open passageways for human ships. These wormhole ships can generate portals large enough for small fleets of their very large vessels. The Ahai take great pride in their ships, which also serve as their homes. The ships tend to be unique, made of organic curves that make it difficult to determine the bow from the stern, or, frankly, the bow from the keel. The Ahai have the capability to defend themselves, although they nearly always choose to withdraw into their wormholes.
The Ahai maintain a strict hierarchy. Rank in society is determined by a prefix before the familiar name. M’ as the lowest ranked position, K’ sits above M’, and S’ as the most senior common position. Ascendency through the ranks completely depends upon the contributions made by the individual to the Collective in a pure, democratic meritocracy. Promotion ceremonies are large affairs, with the common Ahai towards the center, surrounding the honoree, with the senior members standing around the outside. The S’ members often command ships, and sit on a council. At the head of the council is the Doyen, the single head of the Collective. The only position held by a solitary member, the Doyen gives up its name and refers to itself in the plural as it leads the Ahai. The Doyen is elected by the S’ members, and holds the position for life. Generally reclusive, very few Ahai, and fewer still outsiders, interact with the Doyen.
After generations of living on space off of only the resources they carry with them, the Ahai have become extremely utilitarian. Every action taken is carefully weighed for its impact to the Great Collective, what the Ahai call their diaspora.
Ahai Physiology.
Much of the Ahai biology has been shaped by living off-planet for more than a millennia. They are humanoid, shorter than humans, but appear withered. While an Ahai may stand as tall as a human, it may have only two-thirds of the human’s mass. Its eyes are set on the sides of its head, with nostrils above. Their hands have four double-jointed fingers, including two opposable thumbs on either side. They prefer a cool, damp climate and dim lights, more in the interest of preserving energy on their ships than any biological function, but it has led to the common belief that they are naturally designed for such an atmosphere. Similarly, they keep the artificial gravity in their ships low, which significantly degrades their muscle development. Ahai that live on planets, such as the Metic Ahai, clearly show that the species is more than capable of thriving in most habitable environments.
History with Humanity.
The Ahai became the first alien species with whom Humanity came into direct contact. They made contact with a disabled Skipjack freighter named the Janus when she became disabled at the edge of the solar system. The Ahai used their wormhole generators to return the Janus to Earth as a sign of good will. The Skipjack’s owner, Lucius D’Affri, became an ambassador between the Ahai and humans, developing a network of wormholes to improve trade within the system, and arranging the use of wormholes for the first permanent interstellar colonies since the failure of the Gemini project.
The use of the Ahai wormhole networks directly caused the Corporate War. During the war, the Ahai remained neutral, closing down many of its regular wormhole routes while still supporting a handful of human colonies. When the Hetarek invaded, several Ahai ships used their wormhole generators to evacuate humans, often depositing at whatever outposts the Ahai had recently visited. The Hetarek destroyed one of the Ahai wormhole ships during the invasion, which caused the Ahai to withdraw. It took nearly a year for the Ahai to confirm that the Hetarek had seized every human colony. They then ferried all remaining human ships to one location in deep space, where the two species began to coexist in their nomadic lifestyles.
The Metic Ahai.
The Hetarek have pursued and captured many Ahai over the centuries, keeping their servants as overseers. The Ahai of the Great Collective call them the Metic Ahai, and see it as their responsibility to return the Metic Ahai to their flock. While the Metic Ahai share a significant cultural background as their cousins, the Ahai have found it challenging to re-incorporate them once rescued.