Keiñuan



Keiñuans 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). As of the most recent Imperial Census (356B0), there were 150,343,865,173 Keiñuan citizens of the Psohx̂ract, which is approximately 20% of the estimated total population in the galaxy. “Keiñu” is the official term for the collective races, translating literally as “from Keiñei” or “Keiñei derived”. The antiquated term “Cava” -the result of a mistranslation- sees occasional modern use although usually appears in older documentation from before [date].

History
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 violence. 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. The extreme conditions on many of the habitats and colonies were not suited for base Keiñuan physiology, thus forcing their inhabitants to perform genetic and cybernetic modifications upon themselves in order to better adapt to their environments. This drastically improved quality of life and productivity.

Whilst much of the population adapted to their artificial habitat lifestyles, several relativistic seed ships were sent out to colonise nearby star systems. There the culture of inhabiting every corner of available space was continued, further diversifying the species and leading to extremes such as vacuum adepts capable of surviving in space and feeding off of starlight. Progressive cybernetic technology also led to the development of the seamless consciousness transfer process, which blurred the lines between AI and biological citizens. Keiñuan records indicate they became aware of the Imperiums existence during these first forays into interstellar space, on [date].

Eventually the Keiñuans developed FTL travel, linking their colonised systems together into a loose confederation and facilitating further expansion. 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.

When relations with the Imperium were established in [date], there was major controversy as to whether Keiñuan civilisation should join such an organisation as it would violate the principles of self determination and independence that defined the confederation. Many were also wary about sharing information and technology about Keiñuan biology It took over a millenia of debate and deference before a consensus could be reached, and those that wished to join the Imperium formally applied as a federal union of several systems (including Řaqani) known as the Psohx̂ract. This contained approximately 22.6% of the Keiñuan population at the time, with the rest remaining as “barbarian” systems outside of Imperial jurisdiction, although some other groups of Keiñuan systems have since joined the imperium as well.

Biology
Keiñuans are descended from a single species of Type 1 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.

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 millenia 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 such as when moving to a different environment, for performing a job, or for personal enjoyment and recreation, further diversifying the race.

All Keiñuans are implicitly genetically modified at their hatching/biofacturing, 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 nanocatalysts are common even in largely mechanical bodies, and require heavily modified circulatory systems in order to support. Keiñuan blood 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 distribute neurally active material throughout their body with multiple layers of redundancy, such that even after experiencing a grievous bodily injury their personalities 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.

Technology
For all of their history, Keiñuan habitats have been among their most advanced feats of engineering. A typical atmospheric habitat consists of a large rotating drum within which a natural landscape constructed out of an aerogel base covered with a thin layer of strata imitating a natural environment is situated. The sides are usually capped by a multi-layer carbon metamaterial with variable transparency that distributes light evenly across the inner surface and is used to produce a day/night cycle. The drums vary in dimensions, ranging from several hundred to giant orbitals just shy of fifty million units in diameter, however 100,000 is a common size. The rate of rotation is often quite slow, resulting in low gravity to the order of 1/3 to 1/9 standard gravities. Modern Habitats utilising artificial gravity systems often consist of flat plates with habitable areas on either side which rotate slowly to create a day/night cycle. There are numerous habitats built to house only vacuum adepts, featuring no traditionally liveable areas and only vacuum-adapted plantlife  Habitats too far from their host star often create artificial light for the sake of growing plants and supporting an ecosystem, although many small habitats for vacuum adepts may forgo such endeavours. Some unique habitats are grown using genetic material derived from Řaqani plant life extensively modified to survive in hard vacuum. These form orbital “forests” which grow over 100,000 in diameter onto which various pieces of living infrastructure can be grafted.

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 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 without any interruption, copying or deletion of neural activity. It is not a trivial endeavor, however, often taking many months or even years to complete, and must be tailored to each individual.

Several Keiñuan inventions are considered picotechnology, often involving manipulation of G-space dimensions in order to miniaturise certain devices and improve their functionality. 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 improve processor density.

Keiñuan built warships are typically monolithic and angular, built around a spherical gravitational pinch reactor. They can be up to 9000 units in diameter and extend over 200,000 units in length. If a ship must be physically crewed rather than being controlled remotely, they usually come in the form of a virtual consciousness cluster, with facilities on board biofacturing bodies if they are required. This is because the ship's crew areas lack gravitational counter-generators, and the rates of acceleration the ships are capable of would render any occupants into a thin paste no matter how tough their bodies are.

Government
The Psohx̂ract union (IPA: soχrakt) is the largest Keiñuan-majority political entity in the Imperium. It is a decentralised democratic confederation composed of thousands of habitats and colonies across [] 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” which some may find humorous. Despite this, citizens of the Psohx̂ract are often known for their outspoken critical views of the Imperium.

The capital of the Psohx̂ract is officially the 'Magna Geosphere' habitat of the Keiñei Cislunar habitation cluster, a spherical installation 5 million units in diameter with four equidistant circular openings. The inside of the sphere holds a varied ecosystem onto which many arcologies are built, with 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.

External Relations
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The vast majority of the known Keiñuan population is situated outside of Imperial Jurisdiction. Best estimates place the total population of Keiñuans at approximately 750 billion, with the vast majority located within 100 light years of Řaqani. However it is possible to find Keiñuan habitats in various places in every division of the galaxy, often as part of a larger states sovereign space for the purpose of long distance trade or exploration. Many Keiñuan Barbarian states have been noted to be highly aggressive towards imperial forces and will actively deny or disrupt attempts to monitor them, even for explicitly benign purposes. For this reason a significant amount of extrapolation has been used to calculate the present population figure, and it is thus likely that 750 billion is an underestimate.

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 millenia, as well as their habit of sponsoring of pirate activity in the area.