The homeworld of the Cestuns is a type T planet rating an 8 on the Weber-White Habitability Index. This Index goes from 1 to 10. Earth rates a 5 for a reference point. Their solar systems consist of two orange stars with a total of 27 planets and moons circling them. The first planet from the second sun is habitable planet they come from, there is one more near the first sun. It is one light minutes from the second sun.
The Webster-Wiley indices on Racial Tendencies place the Cestuns at 88% on Militancy, 79% on Determination, 57% in Chauvinism, and a 74% on their Outlook at the Galactic Community as a whole. The indices are rated on a scale from 1 to 100. With the higher you are the more you are of that particular rating. The Cestuns have a very aggressive nature, which is only marginally tempered by their not-so-chauvinistic attitude. Most races see them as a very plodding and relentless foe, willing to make last stands, and all to willingly in desperate situations. In actuality they have a rich culture based on mutual cooperation with an almost socialistic take on communal and individual support. Every member of the race has a place and a duty to perform. And every person strives to improve their community’s standard of living, which in turn raises their own.
The average Cestun stands anywhere from 6'10" to 7'2". They are a bipedal reptilian with light green to dark brown scales, and yellow to golden multifaceted eyes. They have three fingers and an opposable thumb. They have talons on each digit and on their toes. They are strong, and lack agility. Sexual dimorphism is unpronounced. They are an egg-laying race, and cold-blooded. They are carnivorous, and diurnal.
Cestuns live in communal homes called Houses. Each House has a ruling counsel, which directs the focus of it's House. Some Houses organize along the lines of miners or crafters. Some organize on diversity.
Every House was initially self-sufficient. But with effects of civilization that is no longer true. Marriages are arranged between Houses based on skills the individual has. If they do not bring necessary skills to add to the House, they are rejected.
Eggs are placed in a communal nest, which is cared for by the elderly to old to perform their original task, or by those specifically reared to perform these tasks. Once hatched, the hatchlings develop rapidly, in less than 2 years they are capable to be trained into the profession that the counsel chooses for them. Hatchlings will grow to half their adult size in this time. By the time they reach 15, they will have been taught everything they need to be a functioning member of the House. The House then will start seeking suitors for the Hatchling. Males are sent to the new House while the females are kept in the House.
Cestun theology is based on ancestral worshiping. Previous members of the House that contributed greatly to the Houses survival or advancement are deified after their deaths. Members of the House give prayer to these ancestors. Most members of a House will strive to be placed on the scroll that contains the deified Ancestors. The Counsel will select individuals for deification, but the Houses adults have to be in agreement to the deification.
Cestuns government operates by a system similar in function to an elective monarchy.
There are Houses that are focused on political operations. These House then have an alliance arrangement, much like the medieval feudal system, where Houses swear alliance with other Houses. These Houses that have collected sworn alliance then either swear to another House or try to get other Houses to swear to them.
Sworn Houses have a counsel, called a Conclave, with their Lead House. The Conclave is made up of one person from each Sworn House and the Lead House. The Lead House member has all veto rights and tie-breaking vote when determining policy. These Conclaves then report back to their Houses all rules that are to be enforced.
Each Lead House sends one representative to the Conclave of Leads. Which then determines policy on a planetary scale. Every Conclave of Leads votes in a House to be Planetary House. That House serves in that capacity for 10 years, when the Planetary House is voted on once again. Planetary Houses have all tie-breaking votes and Veto powers over the Conclave of Leads. They also send on representative to the Conclave of Worlds.
The Conclave of Worlds has one representative for each inhabited planet. This Conclave sets policy for all intersystem commerce and activity. One House amongst them will be voted as the System House. Voted into office for 10 years. The System House will send a representative to the Conclave of Suns.
This conclave sets all policies dealing with intra-system trade as well as with foreign policies and treaties. One member of this Conclave will be voted as the Cestun House and will be responsible with dealing with all foreign dignitaries and having veto and tie-breaking votes in the Conclave of the Suns. Cestun Houses serve for 10 years.
Each House maintains its own troops to defend its members. Over the years it has been determined that a uniformed and unchanging military was necessary to protect the Collective as a whole. And that each House had to contribute equally so that no one House would have too much influence. So a Cestun Navy was formed.
The Cestun Navy mission is to protect the members of the Cestun Collective, seek new territories for the Cestun Collective to inhabit, to conquer any government which continually seeks to do war with the Cestun Collective, and to keep the various portions of the Cestun Collective from losing contact with each other. To this end, the Cestun Navy takes in 10% of every Houses population at the age of 15 to be trained as naval personal. These individuals remain as members of their House and retain all privileges as such. The House in question is too seek them a mate and have their mates transferred to their House. This is the only case where females are transferred out of their Houses of birth.
The Cestun Navy is split into two operational commands, Red Command and Green Command. Green Command consists of all regular naval units designed to attack, invade, or defend. The Red Command includes all naval units involved in surveying, negotiations and scouting functions.
The uniform of the Cestun Navy is a light green knee-length tunic with a belt at the waist denoting rank, rate and assignment. No symbols of the House are allowed to be worn. Medals and Awards are worn across the chest from left to right in descending order of importance. The Red Command in addition has a sash of red across their chest.
The Cestun Houses troops are all subject to the Sun Houses orders to perform as the Cestun Army. These troops generally are used to defend the house in case of invasion and for invading planets. Each House may draw upon the Cestun National Resources to train and arm their troops in return.
Cestun navel ships are design by Houses that bid for the contracts with the Space Lords, the Cestun High Command. The Cestun Space Lords vote on the designs till only three are left. Those three designs are then contracted out to be built. In case of a tie over the designs, the First Lord of the Admiralty breaks the tie. New designs are commissioned when significant advances in technology warrant it.
The High Command does set some rules down as to requirements the ships must conform to. Those are that the engines are to be of the most reliable designs, Jump Carrier Engines. There must be enough to maintain no less than 1 factor less than maximum speed for the hull. Enough ammo must be on board to supply the Missile Launchers and/or Guns for 15 minutes of sustained combat. They also require an even mix of missile and beam weaponry to be designed into the standard crafts. Mission specific designs maybe commissioned when necessary. Those designs may have different design parameters. They should have large amounts of passive defenses with shields and armor evenly distributed, with an emphasis on armor if not. Frigate sized hulls or larger are to carry Boat Bays large enough to carry to Shuttlecraft. The design should also support the Cestun philosophy of fighting till you die with a Beam Weapon being the most protected item. All engine rooms but one should be lost before any weapons are and then the weaponry. After the last engine room, the life support and crew quarters and then last beam weapon should be present.
Survey craft are built on Destroyer hulls, are armed, and have a small Boat Bay to support surface exploration. They otherwise conform to the warship specs above. Survey craft are expected to get into fleet actions as forward scouts and so are armed.
The Cestun command structure is rather different. Filling the role of Military Council and Conclave Liaison as well as military leader ship. The ranks in descending order are:
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First Space Lord Second Space Lord Third Space Lord Fourth Space Lord Fifth Space Lord Sixth Space Lord Seventh Space Lord First Lord of the Admiralty Fleet Admiral of the Green Fleet Admiral of the Red Vice Admiral of the Green Vice Admiral of the Red Rear Admiral of the Green Rear Admiral of the Red Commodore Captain of the List Captain (Junior Grade) |
The Space Lord ranks, First Lord of the Admiralty, And the Fleet Admirals of the Red and Green are each individually held.
The Cestun High Command consists of the Space Lords and the First Lord of the Admiralty.
The High command act as the Council for the Military and one of them is usually in attendance at the Conclave of Suns sessions. The First Space Lord is required to report to the Cestun House.
The Space Lords oversee all aspects of the Cestun Navy.
The First Lord of the Admiralty is always in charge of fleet construction and repair operations. They also oversee the Cestun Research and Development Branch.
The Fleet Admiral of the Green is given Green Command
The Fleet Admiral of the Red is given Red Command.
Vice Admirals of the Green are used for sector commands.
Vice Admirals of the Red are used for forward survey command centers to organize sector surveys fleets.
Rear Admirals of the Green are given command of the sector response fleets.
Rear Admirals of the Red are given command of fleet scouts for the sector that support the sector response fleets. They are present to take command of the sector fleets if the Rear Admiral of the Green is lost.
All other ranks command various planetary, war and survey fleets.