A Gerian soldier in full power armor
Gerians are a militant humanoid species of alien in the Saggitarius-A galaxy. They are very widespread and do not have one unified planet on which they live. However, they believe to have originated on the planet Eranus, and it is called their homeworld. While many Gerians live freely wandering the galaxy, those that live in the Pariant star system are considered citizens of the Gerian Empire, and are bred for war, trained by the government at a young age.
Physiology[]
Gerians are often confused with humans because they look extraordinarily similar to humans. The environments the two races evolved in were very similar, so they evolved similarly. Gerians do not have pinky fingers or toes. They also do not have appendixes or wisdom teeth. They have hair only on their heads, and have very bright colored eyes, often lime green, yellow, or red, and more rarely purple, orange, and white. Their muscular system is more advanced than humans', allowing them to become stronger, taller, and faster more quickly. However, their immune system is lacking in comparison to a human's. They heal from wounds slower and are more susceptible to disease. It is for this reason that Gerians are developing power armor with built in gas masks.
Childhood[]
Gerians are raised normally by their parents until one year of age (in Eranus years, 1 Eranus year = 2 Earth years). However, they are fed subliminal messages throught radio broadcasts, television, and speaker systems the government has placed everywhere. At age 1, Gerians are seized from their parents by the government. Then they are initiated into "pre-training," in which they are taught basic skills like hunting, scavenging, starting fires, basically just surviving in the wild. While their native language is Dukurian, the official language of the Gerian Empire is English (for communication purposes), and Gerians are taught both languages in pre-training. Then, at age 8 they have a letter-number sequence tattooed on their arm (a complex algorithm, for identification). They also have to decide which of the military classes they fit best in. Once they choose, there's no going back, and they are trained in that specific class for another four years. Then they are shipped off whenever the Gerians happen to be involved in a war. Which, since their government initiates many of the wars they are in, is often.
Government[]
The Gerian government is based on a heavily guarded Citadel on Eranus, and they have complete and total control over the Gerian Empire. A militant dictatorship, it is led by the mysterious Keran Dominus. Few have seen him in person, and some people describe him as genius, while others describe him as insane. The government's only apparent goal is to lead the galaxy and possibly the universe in technological innovation and production. The government plans to do this by conquering all the independent governments in the Saggitatius-A galaxy. Once that is done, they believe their size and the power of their military, as well as their technology, will be so great that they will no longer need a draft instituted. They attempt to conquer other planetary systems because they have more intelligent alien species that can more quickly develop technology, which they then sell to other planetary systems. The Empire's economy is therefore self sustaining; they create innovative products, which they sell to other nations. They use the money to build up their military and conquer other nations, who help them creare more products. The cycle repeats.
Military[]
The dominant force and trait of the Gerian Empire is its prevalent military. All soldiers receive salaries based on their obedience, and their progress on missions. Every soldier is allowed one month's leave each year, but they are only allowed to leave the month of their birthday, so the government can plan missions more easily. This is known as their "birthday month," and anyone dating will often look for someone with the same birthday month as them so they can spend it together. The military is separated into classes, dependent on how much training the soldier has received and what super-class they have decided to train in. The government has stated soldiers will not be allowed to retire unless certain conditions are reached. The main condition is if the Gerian Empire assumes control of the entire Saggitarius-A galaxy, so soldiers are are encouraged to use brutal force. The faster the takeover, the sooner this will all be over. Other conditions are if a woman is pregnant, if a soldier receives a crippling wound, or age prevents them from fighting at maximum capacity. One final condition for retirement is if a soldier has completed and surpassed all sub-classes in the military, from Parvulus all the way to Vincus Finatarus. There is much talk of rebellion in the Gerian military, a lot of it from other races the Gerian Empire has taken control of and forcibly put in the military. All soldiers are encouraged to report any sort of rebellion, and kill the "freedom fighters" responsible. Anyone doing this sort of thing is rewarded with a bonus, and occasionally a promotion.
Class System[]
Most class systems in the Gerian Empire at this point are military, since most people spend their lives there. Everyone is trained as a recruit first. Then people can decide which of the super-classes they fit into, while the sub-classes are decided by ranking officers (they work like normal army ranks).
- Parvulus: The recruited rank in the military. It is considered a sub-class even though it is not. Gerians are trained in this rank from ages 1-8. Other races taken over by the Gerian Empire have their people trained as parvuli, no matter their age. So younger Gerians are more often seen in high-ranking positions than younger people of other races.
Super-classes
- Footsoldier: The first super-class, and the most common for people to go into, because training is easiest. When deployed, they attack with anything they've got. Guns, grenades, melee weapons. They are taught to make the most of their surroundings.
- Operator: The second super-class. Some consider it the safest, others the most dangerous. It involves driving the many machines available to the Gerian Empire, from the four-legged charging CH33-T4H mechs, to the massive airborne Predator ships that rain death upon their enemies. Some soldiers train to operate only one machine, but those who train for several are paid more.
- Commando: The third super-class. These soldiers, instead of charging the enemy head-on, take a more tactical approach, be it attacking with a sniper from a mile away, or sneaking into the enemy base at night and planting charges. Due to the often high-risk nature of their missions, Commandos have the highest death rate of all the super-classes. They also, however, have the lowest capture rate, because all Commandos carry suicide pills in case of capture.
Sub-classes
- Preat: The rank all soldiers are promoted to immediately after parvulus training. Can only be promoted by Turates with a legitimate reason.
- Erat: The rank soldiers are promoted to after Preat. Have immediate control over Preates. Cen only be promoted by Etarates with a legitimate reason.
- Turat: The rank soldiers are promoted to after Erat. Have immediate control over Erates, but provisional control over everyone beneath them. Can only be promoted by Finates with a legitimate reason.
- Etarat: The rank soldiers are promoted to after Turat. Have immediate control over Turates, but provisional control over everyone beneath them. Can only be promoted by Turari with a legitimate reason.
- Finat: The rank soldiers are promoted to after Etarat. Have immediate control over Etarates, but provisional control over everyone beneath them. Can only be promoted by Etarati with a legitimate reason.
- Turarus: The rank soldiers are promoted to after Finat. Have immediate control over Finates, but provisional control over everyone beneath them. Can only be promoted by Etarati with a legitimate reason.
- Etaratus: The rank soldiers are promoted to after Turarus. Have immediate control over Turari, but provisional control over everyone beneath them. Can only be promoted by Finatari with a legitimate reason.
- Finatarus: The rank soldiers are promoted to after Etaratus. Have immediate control over Etarati, but provisional control over everyone beneath them. Can only be promoted by Vincus Finatari with a legitimate reason.
- Vincus Finatarus: The rank soldiers are promoted to after Finatarus, and the final rank in the military. Have immediate control over Finatari, but provisional control over everyone beneath them. Can only be promoted by Keran Dominus himself.
Non-military classes
- Royals: The unofficial name for retired Vincus Finitari. Everyone strives for this rank, since they are paid insurmountable sums of money by the government in pension payments, and their family doesn't have to go to war. They are basically set for life. There are only two in existence right now.
- Jumpers: Nickname for people who ran away or went into hiding to avoid military service.
- Fall-outs: How most people refer to those who were taken out of the war due to age or injuries. They are often looked down on in their society for whatever reason.
Contact with Humans[]
The Gerian Empire has made extensive contact with humans, but they are too far away for the Gerians to attack them right now. Moving an entire military force that distance would be costly and inconvenient. However, many humans live in the Gerian Empire, and many Gerians live in the Solar System. The two nations are engaged in active trade, which is often the Gerians' tech for the humans' rare minerals.