RESEARCH AREA: BIOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY
LOW PRIORITY RESEARCH (-1 Hand Size, all subfields)
Sociology & Political Science:
Political Sponsor: Alkata Varashta
Trait: Innovative (Higher chance to draw rare technologies.)
COMPLETED: FORM-BASED EDUCATION
While some grumble about the new curriculums narrowing the access of young Klaxes to outspecialty resources, Sponsor Varashta's new educational programs are overall a resounding success, increasing the amount of useful material covered while cutting down on cruft and irrelevancies. Even our current specialists have benefited from the targeted education methods developed by Sponsor Varashta's new programs.
Form-Based Education Polity Benefits:
All specialists with non-Hybrid Forms have gained an additional +2 to the natural stat bonuses of their Forms.
All future specialists have an increased chance of positive traits.
All future specialists are less likely to have traits not applicable to their specialties.
The positive trait "As According To Form" has been unlocked.
The negative trait "Shell-Bound" has been unlocked.
The Specialization and Eugenics polity memes have been significantly reinforced.
The Self-Modification and Workability polity memes have been weakened.
Technology Cards Decked:
Formal Representatives [Political Science]
Formal Apprenticeships [Political Science]
PROSPECTIVE TECHNOLOGIES:
Interstellar War Doctrine
While the Warp Drive has obvious applications to warfare, its full military implications are not wholly understood. We want to avoid attempting to fight an interstellar war as if it were all within a single gravity well: however, rethinking our assumptions on that front will require a serious and thorough look at our current military doctrines.
Of obvious theoretical importance, but has no known practical applications at this time.
Coordinated Voidborne Tactics
As we begin to develop a proper presence in interstellar space, the question of maintaining coordination between military ships, their drones, and any stations or other Klaxes assets in the local area is of growing importance - especially given our current lack of any FTL communications.
Unlocks battlegroups and military commanders for our Voidcraft. Of obvious theoretical importance for further research into interstellar military logistics.
Independent Enterprise [Dangerous]
The recent successes of the outspecialty actions of multiple Klaxes have intrigued many of our sociologists, as has the Lights' ability to survive and even thrive despite their astonishing lack of coordination. Upon careful review of Directorate records, we've discovered no less than a dozen scientists before Xartaxes who observed the same odd phenomena that lead to the discovery of the Warp Drive, but were quietly censured through social shunning, grant withdrawals, and other forms of social reprimand - often so vague and diffuse that it's difficult to ascribe blame to any individual. Clearly, our system has a flaw.
If we want to encourage the next Xartaxes, we need to overhaul our decision systems to allow more resources to unpopular opinions and long-shot technologies. While some say we're risking the same kind of anarchy that the Lights work under, it's unlikely that a small shift like this will result in major issues.
Increases the likelihood of our Specialists gaining rare Major Traits, and makes them more likely to have positive Traits related to out-specialty work.
Political Science Cards in the Innovation Deck: 6
Never-Drawn Technologies: 4
Hand Size: 3
Xenology:
Xenologist-Director: Ak Tratka
Trait: Firebrand (+1 Hand Size: Unresearched Technologies are always discarded.)
MEMETIC SYNTHESIS EFFECT: SCIENTIFIC GOLD RUSH
The combination of the Workability and SCIENCE!! memes allows a random technology to be researched in the newly-established field of Xenology, despite its discovery partway through a Grant Cycle!
COMPLETED: XENOECOLOGICAL ADAPTATION
Ak Tratka's pioneering research on genetic adaptation to alien environments, performed on a shoestring budget partially appropriated from a Genetics grant, is a truly astonishing study, full stop. That they managed it under ridiculous constraints only makes their achievement more impressive.
Rather than attempting direct genetic modifications to adult Klaxes, Ak's work focusses on improving the hardiness of our crops, alternate biosynthesis of common industrial materials and required nutrients, and better understanding of the likely conditions on alien worlds, fed both by survey reports and Light codex data. As a result, their work is likely to be broadly applicable to many exoplanets, a truly rare achievement in this newborn field.
In the process of making the Directorate recognize the importance of their research, Ak Tratka became the standout candidate among those jockeying for the newborn Xenology chair: their drive, passion, and personal charisma in their steadfast advocacy for their work has won over both you and Director Vashtex. (...though you do suspect Vashtex voted to confirm them because they wanted to make sure the new chair was filled by a Klaxes with a genetics background.)
As such, they are now the third member of a new spawning of Directors, young, agile, and fundamentally more flexible and demanding than their more traditional peers. If their tongue doesn't get away with them, their name might go down in history next to your own.
Polity Benefit: Xenoecological Adaptation
All alien worlds gain a +1 modifier to their Habitability.
Technology Cards Decked:
Habitability Studies [Xenology]
Tailored Speciation [Genetics]
PROSPECTIVE TECHNOLOGIES:
Xenoarcheological Codex: Nova
Despite our salvage team's detailed investigations of the Precursor ship, we still know very little about the species that built it: their culture, biology, and industry are still largely unknown to us. However, a dedicated grant would allow thorough processing of the masses of data recovered from the precursor cruiser. Dedicated specialists will no doubt catch information the Carcina's crew missed in three days.
Unlocks a basic Codex containing more information on the Precursors whose ship we discovered in Proxima Axtra. Of obvious theoretical interest for further xenoarcheological research.
Cultural Analysis: Far-Flung Lights
Though we've known of the Lights for some years now, it's only recently that we've gained the ability for some of us to go live among them. With a dedicated grant, we could send a full xenographic research team to learn as much about the Lights as possible, as fast as possible.
Unlocks a detailed Codex containing extensive information on Light culture and its current political realities. Also contains basic dossiers on major Light public figures. Of obvious theoretical interest for further xenoethographic research.
Xenopropaganda
Though our persuasive techniques are known to work well on Klaxes, adapting them to entirely alien biologies and cultures is no small task. In order to try and avoid this yawning cultural gap, a team of xenographers are seeking to find shared motivations and instincts between us and the Lights, in the hope of finding truly universal negotiation methods.
Increases the projective memetic power of the Klaxes Directorate, making it more likely that aliens we are in contact with will experience memetic drift towards us. Of obvious theoretical interest for further research into commonality of minds between species.
Diplomatic Miniclimates
Given the difficulties experienced by Lights in our default station environments, and the discomfort experienced by Klaxes collaborators in Light-modified station environments, the development of tailored environments both species can comfortably reside in would improve quality of life for everyone. It would likely also be of some value to us in understanding how to modify alien worlds' conditions to make them more friendly to ourselves.
Reduces penalties suffered by collaboration between species that prefer different climate types. Of theoretical interest for further research into terraforming technologies.
Xenology Cards in Innovation Deck: 4
Never-Drawn Technologies: 4
Hand Size: 4
Choose one technology to receive the Political Science grant for this cycle.
[ ][Political Science] Interstellar War Doctrine
[ ][Political Science] Coordinated Voidborne Tactics
[ ][Political Science] Independent Enterprise
Choose one technology to receive the Xenology grant for this cycle.
[ ][Xenology] Xenoarcheological Codex: Nova
[ ][Xenology] Cultural Analysis: Far-Flung Lights
[ ][Xenology] Xenopropaganda
[ ][Xenology] Diplomatic Miniclimates
