Keiñuan

Keiñuans or Keiñu are the descendants of a sapient species of animal which evolved on the planet Keiñei in the Řaqani system (Esshaii 3.B.1.4.7.4). The species first attained spaceflight in Imperial archive year 24746 (15003 BCE Sol time). As of the most recent Imperial Census (356B0), there were 202,654,306,143 Keiñuan citizens of the imperium, although the vast majority of the species' population resides outside of imperial space. “Keiñu” is the official term for the collective races, translating literally as “from Keiñei” or “Keiñei derived”.

History
see entry: Keiñuan Evolution

After the evolution of sapience, Keiñuan developed agriculture several times over a period of half a million years, reverting back to hunter gathering several times due to Keiñei’s above average volcanic activity. Eventually the species progressed past the Neolithic and rapidly industrialised the planet, reaching space and establishing several colonies on other planetary bodies within the system. However, the overexploitation of Keiñei’s natural resources, unregulated atmospheric and oceanic pollution, and the collapse of the planet's biosphere eventually caused a rapidly cascading positive feedback loop of rising temperatures. A united effort to relocate much of the population off the planet was initiated so that it could be revitalised with a future terraforming project, however a large fraction of the population still perished due to resource scarcity and a global war in which engineered asteroid weapons worsened the environment. Social uprising across the entire system at this time led to radical and long lasting socio-economic shifts which shaped Keiñuan culture for millenia. Without FTL technology to facilitate easy access to the stars, much of the Keiñuan population evacuated from their ruined homeworld relocated to hundreds of habitats constructed across the Řaqani system; from close orbits of the resource rich rocky inner worlds to the cislunar space of Keiñei itself, and even the icy fringes of the system's Kuiper belt. Due to overcrowding and resource scarcity, living conditions of many habitats were especially poor, with hypoxia, chronic radiation exposure and low gravity causing average life expectancy to plummet. With improvements in living set to take centuries at best, a large number of people decided to perform genetic and cybernetic modifications upon themselves in order to better adapt to their environments. Within a few generations life expectancy and subjective quality of life improved drastically, as well as reducing the usage of critical resources, leading to further development and specialisation.

Whilst much of the population adapted to their artificial habitat lifestyles, several automated sub-light seed ships were sent out to colonise nearby star systems. There the culture of inhabiting every corner of available space and physically adapting to whatever conditions are presented was continued, further diversifying the species and leading to extremes such as vacuum adapted bodies capable of surviving in space and feeding off of starlight. Progressing advanced in cybernetic technology also led to the accelerated development of the seamless consciousness transfer process, a revolution which saw the lines between AI and biological citizens blurred. Keiñuan records indicate that in the year 25256 they became aware of the Imperium's existence during these forays into interstellar space.

Eventually Keiñuan particle physicists using a circumstellar particle accelerator developed spatial-matrix FTL travel. This technological leap allowed for the linking their colonised systems together into a loose unified interstellar confederation and facilitating further expansion. This also saw the consolidation of the sociological, economic and political developments into a unified culture that would become the basis for almost all Keiñuan civilisations stretching all the way in to the present. The economic boom that followed allowed a project to revitalise Keiñei with terraforming techniques to be undertaken. This work repaired much of the damage done to the atmosphere and reversed the temperature rise. Thousands of species of flora and fauna that had been extinct for centuries were rebuilt from stored genetic stock and slowly reintroduced, making the planet an Eden of life once again. The planet has been set aside as a monument, and the collection of habitats within its cislunar space would later become the capital of the Psohx̂ract Union.

When official contact with the Imperium was established in [date], there was major controversy as to whether Keiñuan civilisation should join such an organisation. Many were concerned about the potential violations to the principles of self determination and independence that defined the confederation that conforming to imperial law would entail, as well as the very concept of bowing to such a power in the first place. Some were also wary about the aspect of sharing information and technology, especially parts concerning Keiñuan biology due to the risk of a hostile element with access to imperial data creating weapons able to leverage any weaknesses. Despite this, a decent fraction of the population was keen on joining the imperium, and several systems with major support of this idea, including Řaqani, began planning to apply as a single entity. Conflict of interest between the union and several political entities concerned about having the home system joining the imperium led to several centuries of protest and deference before an agreement could be reached. In the year 24584 the systems that wished to join the Imperium formally applied as a confederation known as the Psohx̂ract Union. This contained approximately 22.6% of the Keiñuan population at the time, with the rest formally remaining as barbarian systems outside of Imperial jurisdiction, although several other groups of Keiñuan systems have since joined the imperium as well. This event also signified the end of the Unified Interstellar confederation, and the entire species became increasingly more disparate and foreign to itself in all ways other than its shared culture and origin.

The vast majority of the known Keiñuan population remains outside of Imperial Jurisdiction, and so determining their present population is far from trivial. Official imperial estimates place the total extant population at approximately 750 billion, with greatest density found in systems within 100 light years of Řaqani. Keiñuan habitats are found in various places across every division of the galaxy though, often as part of a larger states sovereign space for the purpose of long distance trade or exploration. Some habitats are mobile, being fitted with G-drives capable of interstellar travel. Many Keiñuan Barbarian states are noted to act belligerently towards imperial forces and will actively deny or disrupt attempts to monitor them, even for explicitly benign purposes. Additionally many groups are isolationist and or nomadic, thus making them almost impossible to accurately track. For these reasons a significant amount of extrapolation has been used to calculate the present population figure, with 750 billion being the lowest significant value based on a typical population growth model.

Biology
Keiñuans are descended from a single species of Type 2 biped, featuring the typical bilateral symmetry with two arms, two digitigrade legs, an attached abdomen and torso, a neck, and one head which houses the brain and most sensory organs. Due to their evolutionary origin they have typical avian adaptations, possessing a beaked mouth, pneumatised bones, and exceptional tetrachromatic eyesight. Their bodies are largely covered in a coat of dark, feathery plumage with the exception of their outer limbs which are bare and reveal grey, scaly skin. Additionally their blood is red due to the presence of ferruginous oxygen carrying metalloproteins.

However, the age in which the Keiñuan race was a homogeneous entity has long passed. The cumulative impact of self-inflicted biological and cybernetic body modifications over many millennia have caused the Keiñuan race to diversify into an array of different morphologies and, by some definitions, biologically distinct species. In the present, a typical Keiñuan may regularly modify their own body for a number of reasons, including moving to a different environment, for performing a job, or for personal enjoyment and recreation, leading to an incredible diversity amongst the race.

All Keiñuans are implicitly genetically modified at their hatching/creation, and all but a few possess some form of Cybernetic modification; from individuals with only a small subdermal chip matrix all the way up to fully biomechanical bodies remotely controlled by a consciousness inhabiting a virtual space. Biomechanical organs composed of synthetic tissue and artificial augments are common even in largely mechanical bodies, and require heavily modified circulatory systems in order to support. Modified Keiñuan blood typically changes properties based on the conditions it’s exposed to but is typically viscous when outside the body and appears black in colour due to colloidal nanomachines saturating the fluid. Keiñuan brains are usually found in their skull, however as stated before some chose to host their consciousnesses remotely, or alternatively distribute neurally active material throughout their body with multiple layers of redundancy, such that even after experiencing a grievous bodily injury their personality and memories will remain intact.

Originally, Keiñuans reproduced through laying one or more eggs and incubating them over half a standard year, and this remains the most common method of reproduction where it can be done safely as even those without the necessary organs can have them grafted within themselves. Alternatively, one can grow their young artificially through a number of methods, including using internal wombs instead of eggs for better protection from hostile external environments. It is also possible to generate a new Keiñuan consciousness in virtual space through a genome-seeded AI matrix environment, although this is less common and heavily regulated.

Culture
Keiñuan societies are typically egalitarian, built around several principles protecting the physical and mental autonomy of individuals and guaranteeing access to essential amenities and travel. Whilst present the Keiñuan political landscape for many centuries before they became spacefaring, egalitarianism as a mainstream ideology gained significant traction in the wake of the numerous social fractures during the the evacuation of the Keiñei's population and the shift away from the class-based hierarchical social order which had been previously dominant. The sociological and political norms that most Keiñuan civilisations follow trace their legacy back to the unified interstellar confederation of the centuries immediately following the invention of FTL travela

Technology
Despite being a relatively young race of the galaxy, Keiñuan technology is known for its complexity and high level of advancement within the imperium.

Keiñuan medical technology is extraordinarily advanced owing to their mastery of genetics, synthetic biology and nanotechnology. It sees extensive use in the crafting of Keiñuan bodies, life support systems and even in construction, but in the age of the Imperium has become a valuable export commodity for those seeking to extend their lifespans or increase the durability of their bodies for military purposes. Another medical technology highly sought after is the process of “seamless consciousness transfer” in which the consciousness of an individual is translated into a computer medium or vice versa without any interruption, copying or deletion of neural activity. It is not a trivial endeavour, however, often taking many months or even years to complete, and the procedure must be tailored to each individual.

Keiñuan orbital habitats are among their most advanced feats of engineering. Rotating drums or other shapes are common where artificial gravity is desired, with lush environments grown atop a thin layer of strata over an aerogel base. As much of the population is/can be adapted to microgravity, however, there are many habitats which are simply balls of air, with spacious chambers and open spaces to allow ease of movement for pedestrians and logistical infrastructure. Where applicable, light is distributed into living areas through a carbon-based metamaterial which can have its transparency controlled in order to simulate a day cycle and supplanted with artificial systems. Habitats utilising artificial gravity systems often consist of plates of material capped with habitable areas on both sides, rotating slowly to create a day cycle, although more abstract and confusing configurations of living space better suited for low gravity living and exotic bodies are also common. There are numerous habitats built to house only vacuum adapted individuals, featuring no traditionally liveable areas but often featuring vacuum-adapted and radiation-hardened plant life. Habitats too far from their host star to support life often create artificial light for the sake of growing plants and supporting an ecosystem, although many small habitats for vacuum adapted populations may forgo such endeavours. Some unique habitats are simply grown in space using genetic material derived from Keiñeian plant life extensively modified to survive in hard vacuum. These form orbital “forests” consisting of one or more organisms which can exceed 100,000 units in diameter, onto which various pieces of living infrastructure can be grafted onto the structure and inhabited.

Several Keiñuan inventions are considered picotechnology, typically involving the manipulation of G-space dimensions in order to allow subatomic miniaturisation and manufacturing. The cutting edge of Keiñuan computing is a prime example of this, being based on the principles of particle physics and G-space manipulation in order to reduce waste heat and increase information density beyond ordinary physical limits. This allows nanotechnological constructs to be granted enormous computational and fine spatial manipulation abilities, the applications for which continue to expand into the present.

Psohx̂ract union
The Psohx̂ract union (IPA: soχrakt) is the largest Keiñuan-majority political entity in the Imperium with 150,343,865,173 citizens and was the first to join. It is a decentralised democratic confederation composed of thousands of habitats and colonies across 5 sovereign systems and 30 registered outpost systems. The leadership is composed of a ruling council with one member for each system and a legislature of two representatives elected each habitat, however their power is relatively limited. The majority of governance is handled within an individual habitat or colony through direct democracy hosted in a virtual space environment in which citizens debate and vote on pieces of legislation and elect representatives for the legislature. The legislature and council elect representatives to the Imperium however take referendums from the public as a measure of approval for their choices.

Psohx̂ract translates literally as “Voluntary Union”, referring to the act of volunteering to join the Imperium. This does make the full name of the Psohx̂ract Union the “Voluntary Union Union”.

The capital of the Psohx̂ract is officially the 'Magna Geosphere' habitat of the Keiñei Cislunar habitation cluster, a spherical installation 3 million units in diameter, the inside of which holds a lush ecosystem onto which many arcologies are built. Artificial gravity and supplementary light is provided radially from an installation in the center. This idyllic living area hosts the main administrative complex, built along the coastline of an artificial sea.

Añytheku Collective
An imperial member state with a population of [] billion centered around the capital system of Hauwza. A relatively militaristic society known for its libertine attitude towards mercenary groups the activities of which form an important sector of its economy. The Collective governs a close group of stars that were visited by the seed ship Alzhan, and has a mysterious early history that likely involved cult worship of the ship which has since been lost.

Barbarian states
There are hundreds, if not thousands of Keiñuan barbarian states in the galaxy, concentrated around the rimward side of the 3rd and 4th grand divisions. Most are descended from the former United interstellar confederation, making democratic governments all but universal and their societies typically fundamentally similar to those of the imperial Keinuan-Majority states. Through both logical inference and direct reverse engineering, several of these states are known to be on par with their greatest imperial counterparts in terms of advancement and industrial capability. The largest known barbarian state is the Kořa'ovua federation. Pirate and mercenary groups are also common, such as the notorious Levellers Fleet.

External Relations
Several dozen major wars between Keiñuan collectives and confederations, including the Psohx̂ract, have been recorded, however the casualties of these domestic engagements are usually limited. The cause of these wars are often due to territorial disputes aggravated by the habit of overzealous Keiñuan expansionists to intrude into the territory of other political entities. This habit has extended to other alien species as well, and although the Psohx̂ract has respected the space of other imperial members it has engaged in armed conflict with several barbarian nations over border disputes and access to resources. Several Keiñuan barbarian states have gained an infamous reputation in the 3rd and 4th grand divisions due to strings of particularly violent attacks against imperial forces in the past few millennia, as well as their habit of sponsoring of pirate activity in the area.