*yawwwn* Right. I finally finished revising the Cybran Codex Entries. Bit bigger, but I think they'll work a bit better for world building now. Slapping them up for commentary. Enjoy! ...yeah, definitely having too much fun worldbuilding. System Alliance is up next after some sleep, then perhaps some good ol' combat doctrine files. Glee and Gumdrops!
PS: For a terrible idea, make a drinking game! Take a swig every time you see the word 'Cybran'!
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Codex:
The Cybran Nation
The Cybran Nation is a small political entity located in the Terminus Systems, founded by the eccentric cyberneticist and scientist Dr. Gustaf Brackman. The Cybran Nation has its origins in Dr. Brackman's original work for the Alliance. Employed by several Earth governments as well as the Systems Alliance, Brackman helped research newer and more effective cybernetic implants for both military and civilian use. His crowning achievement, unveiled in 2099, was the 'twining' process, which involves implanting a fully functional AI into a subject, resulting in the creation of a symbiont. While many were understandably wary of the idea, Brackman still managed to attract numerous volunteers for the process, giving rise to a decent sized minority population of symbionts on Earth and in the Systems Alliance's ranks.
Following the First Contact War, Dr. Brackman and the Systems Alliance were made aware of the Citadel's stance on AI research. While the Council graciously allowed symbionts to continue living, as they had, by 2157, been around and stable for almost sixty years, further research into AIs was illegal under Citadel law without heavy regulation and restrictions. Dr. Brackman refused to accept these terms, but, being a man of peace, was also not willing to drag the System Alliance into another incident so soon after the First Contact War. Reaching a compromise with the Alliance, Brackman and a majority of his supporters 'stole' a colony ship, 'managing to evade Alliance patrols' and taking a mass relay to the Terminus Systems, far outside both Council and Alliance control. Setting up shop with his followers, Brackman declared his new colony to be independent of Council and Alliance oversight like many of the other colonies within the Terminus Systems.
With a population composed entirely of symbionts, the Cybran Nation currently controls three worlds within the Terminus. Due to the extensive implants and data processing capabilities available to them, Cybrans actually lack a proper 'centralized' government as most other political entities see it. Instead, the Cybran population is highly decentralized in of groups that the Cybrans refer to as Nodes, with each Node being given large amounts of independence when it comes to making decisions for how to run itself. A Node can form around anything from family groups to political parties to business ventures.
Technically, the Cybran Nation is a democracy. When a group decision is required, the entire Cybran Nation can be polled and vote on the issue. The actual day-to-day grind of governance is carried out by a small group of dedicated administrators, as due to their inherent data processing, and with VI and AI assistance, a single Cybran can handle a legion of clerks' worth of duties. Due to this decentralized style of government, Dr. Brackman actually lacks much direct control over the various Cybran Nodes, although his opinion is still greatly valued and most Cybrans tend to take his 'advice'.
The Cybran Nation have a small population by galactic standards, but manages to project power far beyond their numbers due to embracing automation and extensive use of AIs beyond the ones that all symbionts are implanted with. Automated factory-complexes that are run entirely by VI and AIs, with only a small staff of overseers are the norm, and production rates are equivalent to that of an organization with several times the Cybran's total population. This also applies to spaceships and stations, and Cybran vessels require only a fraction of the crew that would be required for a similarly sized shape built by another faction. This is a necessity, given their smaller population, although this population is slowly but steadily increasing. This is a cause of concern to the Citadel and the Alliance, as a larger population base would allow for an exponential increase in Cybran political and military power, destabilizing the relatively comfortable status quo of the Citadel races.
The Cybran economy is extremely diversified, as Nodes form around whatever catches their interest or seems profitable. To the great annoynace of the Citadel and Alliance, however, this does mean that not all the business ventures that Cybrans invest their time and energy in are strictly legal. Cybran hackers are known to brag that they own the Extranet, and information brokering is an energetic and highly respected trade for a Cybran to pursue. While they lack as much of a physical presence as some of the other information brokers, Cybran Brokers have a large network of favors, credits, and other information exchanges to call upon, swapping these back and forth between other Infowar Nodes at high speeds, leading to several of the more shadowy groups active in and near Council space to have a wary respect for the Cybrans, as one can never be quite sure just how much they know, or how fast they can find out something to use as leverage in their dealings.
Other nodes concentrate on less risky business, such as manufacturing. Given the materials, or time to break the material down from other sources, a Cybran factory can build just about anything it has acquired for its design databanks. Some nodes specialize in 'knockoff' products, cracking the copy protection on the plans sold by companies for self-assembly in omni-tools and the like, producing goods and sellling them to the surrounding systems. Food tends to be grown in massive automated hydroponics arcologies. Due to low population and high productivity per individual, Cybran Nodes tend to accrue a respectable amount of resources in a short time.
Codex:
Cybran Nation Relations
The Cybran Nation does not enjoy particularly warm relations with any of the Citadel governments, mostly due to their stance on AI research. For the most part, the Cybran Nation and the Citadel adopt a 'We'll ignore you if you ignore us' approach towards one another, as the Citadel can't take any overt military action for the same reason that they refrain from attacking any other Terminus governments, and the Cybrans lack the military power and inclination to force any sort of real resolution to their issues. Cybran corporations pay higher taxes and tariffs in Citadel space, but the original crippling tariffs were dropped after protests from the Council's constituents, due to the efforts of several Nodes in both the political and economic arenas.
The Systems Alliance officially does not have any sort of relation with the Cybran Nations, preferring to treat them exactly the same as any other Terminus power. Off the books, however, the two groups have a rather brisk trade, as part of the deal Brackman made when he left the Alliance. These trades include information, resources, and trade goods flowing back and forth through back channels, as well as a small but steady stream of symbiont immigrants to the Alliance. Not every Cybran fits into life in the Terminus, and for some, service in the Alliance military is a good 'out', as well as benefitting the human race. The existence of the Cybran Nation also causes some tensions with their off-the-books partners, as while a few pro-AI advocacy groups support the existence of the Cybran Nation, other groups of lobbyists view them as both a danger and competition for Alliance control and influence in the Terminus, and campaign periodically for sanctions against them.
The Migrant Fleet is extremely paranoid about the Cybran Nation, and will detour some way to avoid the systems under their control. Quarian escort ships and warships also tend to keep weapons armed, readied, and trained on any Cybran vessels in the area. The quarians view the Cybrans as one step above Geth, and just as dangerous, especially considering their continuing AI research.
The Salarian STGs have a long-running rivalry with Cybran Infowar Nodes in the Terminus system, using the Cybrans as a training exercise for electronic warfare strategies. In turn, their opposiing Cybran numbers take great delight in mucking up STG operations wherever they can, preferably in a way that leads to some sort of humiliation. Neither side generally escalates to the point of actual open conflict, preferring to rely on electronic one-up-manship and datastealing from each other.
The Cybran Nation is also aware of a few less-than-reputable groups, such as Cerberus and the Shadow Broker. Unlike the STGs, the Cybran Infowar Nodes take the Shadow Broker as a serious threat, and go out of their way to hinder Broker operations in their territory. At the moment, the Cybran Nation is an annoyance to the Shadow Broker, as they have an annoying tendency to make up for their lack of operatives on the ground with superior electronic capabilities, as well as large amounts of actively controlled drones and bots.
As for Cerberus, the majority of the Cybran Nation has hated them from the moment they became aware of Cerberus' tendency towards hardcoding symbionts with loyalty programming, as well as rumors that there is a project working on making said loyalty programming /viral/. A few Nodes or individual Cybrans have worked for Cerberus as mercenaries, but such Nodes face ostracization and heavy suspicion from the rest of the Cybrans as to their loyalties. Some of the more active Nodes, upon locating Cerberus Cells in or near the Terminus Systems or the Attican Verge, will raid them, smashing apart as much of the project as possible, ripping as much data as possible, then burning the site to the ground. Cerberus has returned the favor as well, either directly or indirectly arranging for Cybran Nodes to be assaulted in some manner, whether by unfavorable business conditions or pirates dropping in on undefended worlds. This has guaranteed a constant state of low-grade Cold War throughout the Terminus Systems and into Citadel space between the two organizations, and the Cybran Information Brokers are usually quite happy to pay good credits for Cerberus secrets, then sell them cheap, arranging for Cerberus' enemies to find them.
