Jaset

= Biology = Occasionally mistaken for Arkevon at long distances, the Jaset are a race of sturdy reptilians that evolved on the hot, dry, deserts of Jasur. They have a purely carnivorous diet, consuming any sort of cooked or raw meat as well as the various insects that inhabited the jungles of their home planet. Their teeth and claws are sharp and curved, designed for tearing off hunks of flesh rather than holding unto prey. The Jaset are a species well known for their unusual development and extreme sexual dimorphism. Male Jaset, which range from 5 1/2 - 6 feet(1.6764-1.8288 meters) in height, are covered in dull, gray-green, scales which are smooth to the touch and overlap with each other. The scales can also be a dull red or brown, or even completely gray. On their back are two rows of short, blunt outcroppings of bone. They have a single keratin horn that is often used as a weapon to gore opponents. The frills on the side of their heads, which are a mating display, are pointed downward, and can be manually moved around. Their short, stiff tail is mostly unusable outside of maintaining their balance. Male Jaset primarily utilized endurance hunting to take down their prey. They pursue their prey as a pack, wearing out their food with constant pursuit or injuries. They can go two or three days without food before they begin to experience hunger.

Female Jaset, meanwhile, are much larger than the males, averaging 7-8 feet(2.1336-2.4384 meters) in height. Their scales are more vibrant and colorful than the males, with common colors being green, red, and brown with yellow, brown, or gray splotches spread throughout. Female Jaset, as well as the males, can have either red, green, yellow, or black colored eyes. They possess two horns, one smaller than the other, on their head, and their frills point straight outward rather than drooping down. They also do not possess the bony outcroppings on their back, instead having a very short 'sail' that goes down the length of their back before stopping at the base of the tail. Their tails are much longer and more flexible, allowing them to sometimes be used as weapons. Female Jaset are almost universally stronger than their male counterparts, though they aren't able to sprint quite as quickly as males can. During their evolution, Jaset females rarely went out to hunt, instead leaving the males to go out and collect food for them. This often left the mother[s] alone with their children, and is believed to be the main reason female Jaset evolved the way they did; males worked in packs to eliminate pray whereas the females often had to fight alone or in much smaller numbers to protect the young.

Jaset lay eggs and reproduce sexually with a male and a female. A single female will often mate with several males over a period of a few days, with each male usually fertilizing at least one of the female's eggs. After a few days, the female will then lay the eggs. At this point, hormones overflow the female and drive her to fiercely guard the eggs, making them a possible hazard even to her mates; as such, females are often left alone and excused of duties during this period unless absolutely necessary. Unlike Arkevan eggs, the temperature has little impact on the gender of the hatchlings. After a few months, the newborns will break out of the eggs and will require a proportionally large amount of food in order to sustain a period of rapid growth that last for about a year. Jaset officially reach adulthood around the age of seventeen, and they will generally live up until about 80 or 90 years of age without medical or cybernetic assistance.

= History =

Pre-modern History
The many thousands of years of pre-modern Jaset history is collectively referred to as 'The Silent Years' by historians due to the fact that a vast majority of it has been lost and forgotten due to the Jaset's near-destruction of their own species. A combination of constant conventional warfare, nuclear bombardment, the deliberate targeting of historically and culturally significant sites and relics, and a lack of electronic storage resulted in the Jaset species forgetting their history with no way of getting it back; not even help from more advanced foreign powers have been able to recover anything significant. As a result, early Jaset history is riddled with half-remembered stories, misinformation, legends, and propaganda; the varying Jaset states each have a different version of history, and have largely been unable to come to terms with other states in uncovering the truth of their past. It is thus widely believed that the Jaset's pre-modern history is simply forgotten forever.

World War
What is known of Jaset history are the years leading up to the last great conflict between the Jaset as well as the war itself. In the decades leading up to the Jaset's last global conflict, many of the Jaset's modern nations had already risen to become dominant powers; Aldor, a very conservative totalitarian state with imperial ambitions and a large military; Inok, a monarchy neighboring Aldor which had long been its bitterest enemy due to their rivaling ambitions; Iktis, an island nation that was fighting to hold unto its colonial territories against various powers, including Inok; Nalsok, which was a confederation of various states which ruled over an entire continent and had rivalries with Iktis and Aldor; Ilta, which was a breakaway state from Iktis and developed ambitions of conquering them; and Lintok, which at the time had the world's second largest army and desired to unite the world under its vision of a socialist state, personal freedom for all, and equality. These powers frequently fought against each other, and the smaller powers were either forced to choose a side or attempted to remain neutral despite the increasingly difficult odds.

The reasons for tension and conflict were many; imperialists rivalries, territorial disputes, differing ideologies, and intense nationalism had long drove an increasingly large barrier between the various nations, putting to rest the possibility of a peaceful resolution. Wars and skirmishes between the various powers were common but more often than not accomplished little, devolving into bloody stalemates which accomplished little. These wars were escalating in their scale and cost, and many nations were looking for ways in which to end the global stalemate and gain the upper hand. Aldor was the first state to create a battle tank, Inok introduced air combat, and Iktis was the first to develop the flamethrower and various chemical weapons. Each tool escalated the violence of war, but was ultimately unable to end the global stalemate.

Tensions escalated further when Inok unveiled that it had discovered nuclear fission and had constructed several atomic bombs. The threat of nuclear annihilation was soon used as a bargaining chip for the monarchy to get what it desired. Unfortunately, this sparked a nuclear arms race which soon enveloped all of the world's global powers. Within the span of about a year, Aldor, Nalsok, Lintok, and Iktis had all developed atomic weapons; Ilta also developed weapons, but it took them several more months to catch up. Large-scale conventional wars quickly ended as a tense cold war developed between the powers; the minor powers soon became the site of various proxy wars as the nations attempted to expand their influence. During this period, technology developed at a rapid pace; nuclear bombs soon developed into Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles, and the first satellites were in orbit around Jasur. Regardless of the threat posed by nuclear weapons, tensions never waned; in fact, they increased, particularly with Lintok and the rest of the world. Lintok was attempting to preach its message anywhere it could before it was 'too late' and nuclear war enveloped the world. They were not alone in their concerns, many states began to develop emergency plans for the threat of nuclear war, such as building vast underground settlements. For some, it soon went from being a question of 'if' a nuclear war would happen, and instead a question of 'when' and 'why.'

Tensions came to a head thirty-five years after the development of the first atomic weapon. During a visit to a major Aldoran city, the empress of the Aldoran Empire was assassinated by a car bomb. The bomb also wounded or killed several dignitaries, including military officials and other members of the royal family. The effects of the attack was immediate; news of the event spread around the world, and outrage and confusion swept over the countryside. The military was put on high-alert, as well as the nation's entire nuclear arsenal, which at that point consisted of over one thousand ICBMs. At the same time, the empress' eldest daughter, a young and extremely aggressive militarist who was intent on conquering the world, took the throne. These events put the other nations on edge, and they responded by preparing their own military forces. Civilians across the world also began for the possibility of evacuating into underground vaults.

Despite a lengthy investigation, no one is certain who planted the car bomb or why it was put there. A number of conspiracy theories spawned, from Lintok terrorist to Aldoran separatist. Regardless of whatever the facts there may have been, the newly crowned empress pinned the blame on Inok and Nalsok, who she claimed may have formed a secret alliance to try and destroy Aldor. The young empress had the nation's nuclear arsenal pointed directly at Inok and Nalsok and sent an ultimatum to both requesting that they stand down and surrender; both declined. In a surprise move, Ilta also became involved, proposing a secret alliance with Aldor and preparing its nuclear weapons against Inok and Nalsok, a move that is believed to have been done to try and get support for an attack against Ikta, who was willing to use its arsenal to defend its colonies that Ilta wanted to capture. Between all of this stood Lintok, a nation which had more or less been forgotten about and used the opportunity to evacuate its citizens and make one last, desperate plea for negotiations. As all of this was happening, more and more civilians either willing or were forced into underground vaults for their own safety.

Within a few days of the ultimatum, the worst-case scenario occurred; fighting between the various nations broke out. It is not known who fired the first shot or even where, but the situation immediately fell out of anyone's control and escalated into an all-out war. The war only lasted for a few hours, as nations soon began to deploy their nuclear weapons in a desperate bid to utterly annihilate their enemies while they themselves hid underground and survived. As government officials, military officers, and others began to evacuate into whatever underground settlement they could find, thousands of ICBMs were launched across the world. The bombing resulted in the near-complete destruction of the surface world; the majority of cities were reduced to ash, the biosphere was destroyed, and a fierce nuclear winter fell over the irradiated landscape. Most of those who could not find shelter were immediately vaporized, though a few survived, only to die from radiation poisoning or starvation. It is estimated that several billion people died due to the bombardments, especially in the minor nations, as they far fewer protective measures against ICBMs.

Aftermath
Fortunately, despite the horrific destruction caused by the bombardment, several million Jaset were still alive; locked away in either vast communal vaults, personal vaults, or were struggling to survive on areas that had been least affected by the nuclear attack. For several years, these advanced underground settlements became the Jaset's new homes; few dared visit the surface, and generally did so only to check on local conditions. These vaults were quite advanced, featuring electricity, temperature control, running water, and various facilities. Some of these vaults were connected to each other through tunnel networks or wired communication, allowing for vaults of the same state to stay in contact with one another; however, no form of contact existed with the other states, isolating the nations and rendering them blind to each others whereabouts.

Sadly, life within the vaults would not be as peaceful as some hoped; though some vaults maintained control and order, new conflicts arose within the shelters. Anti-government movements, fueled by intense frustration, a desire to rebuild their nation, and the goal of forcefully disposing of those responsible for the nuclear destruction of Jasur began go rapidly grow in some settlements. Attempts to violently repress these movements were made, but only resulted in further agitating the population. It was not long before armed conflict once again broke out, this time between loyalist and rebels, most of whom were of the working class or military. What began as small skirmishes escalated into fierce conflict in which the Jaset were using anything they had left against each other. Some vaults were captured by rebel forces, becoming their 'fortresses' which would be used as staging areas. Territory was soon drawn and many were forced into fighting. Of the various battles that occurred, the worst were in Aldor, Inok, and Nalsok. Ilta and Lintok managed to remain relatively stable while Iktis managed to suppress most of its rebellions, rendering them a minor issue at worst.

Despite gains made by both sides in the early portions of the conflict, these underground struggles devolved into bloody stalemates. After hundreds or even a few thousand casualties, fighting eventually calmed in many locations, with few factions venturing outside of their established territory. They were extremely protective of their 'land' however, and would fire upon outsiders. In this time of tense peace, some began to venture back up to the surface; nuclear winter had subsided, and though radiation levels were still quite high in some locations, had lowered enough to make some locations safer. The underground settlers were also surprised to find settlements that had been built by survivors on the surface. The reactions from these survivors spanned from outright hostility to suspicion; many were bitter towards the underground dwellers and were protective of their limited resources. Despite initially uneasy tensions, some groups did manage to get along and had begun rebuilding together. Some of the more aggressive underground dwellers, however, instigated violence and attempted to steal resources, prompting sporadic fighting. Combined with certain groups from various nations, including Inok and Aldor, reestablishing limited conflict, three-way fights could sometimes break out between survivors and the people of these two nations. Despite these setbacks, the Jaset had finally managed to place themselves back on track to rebuilding, and very slowly things began to look up for the world.

Galderan Intervention
A mere few months after many Jaset had come back up to the surface and began to rebuild their shattered world, an expeditionary fleet from the Empire of Galdera -then called the Arkevon Empire- arrived in Jasur's solar system. The fleet took immediate interest in the world after scans revealed the devastation on the surface. Initially, small, unmanned drone were sent to investigate the surface. Over two months this took place, fears and rumors mounted on the Jaset, who did not know what to make of it. Theories ranged from a nation that survived the bombing to extraterrestrial forces.

When the two months ended, Arkevan forces made the decision to make landfall and establish contact with the Jaset. They then lowered their vessels enough into Jasur's orbit to render them visible to the naked eye. Having no way to establish radio contact, the Arkevon formed several landing parties and had them land at various Jaset settlements. The Jaset, having never seen alien life before and fearing invasion, panicked. In the few minutes between the ships appearing and the Arkevon landing, some began to prepare for combat, while others fled into the barren wastes. Most, however, did little; they knew there was little they could do to whoever had come and come to simply accept whatever was coming.

Many settlements sent out messengers to speak to the Arkevon, who had decided to land a small distance away from the various settlements. Half-expecting immediate death, they were surprised when the Arkevon revealed they had brought food and other humanitarian aid and intended to help the Jaset. Once they were allowed in, they began to treat the wounded and established numerous 'safe-zones' of prefabricated settlements for the Jaset to temporarily reside. Those who resisted were swiftly arrested rather than killed, the Arkevon considering them an insignificant threat and desiring to prevent the panic caused by killing them. To further east possible tensions, Jaset from differing nations were segregated into different safe-zones. The Arkevon soon gave them access to translators (after having spent several days deciphering the Jaset's languages) and informed them about the galaxy and their location within Arkevon Empire. It was then that the Arkevon gathered together what remained of Jaset leadership and gave them an ultimatum; the Jaset could become a protectorate of the Empire, in which the Arkevon would help them rebuild their fractured civilization and give them access to Imperial technology and industry as well as the possibility of becoming a member state and having representation in the Senate, or they could reject the offer and be relocated to a new location far away from the Empire and their homeworld, which would become an Imperial colony.

Left with only one reasonable choice for their people, the Jaset accepted the offer of becoming an enclave of the Empire. Soon after, the Empire set to work on large-scale terraformation and rebuilding projects to bring Jasur back to where it was previously. The Jaset were in the beginning of an era of prosperity; their population exploded, their cities were reborn, and the technology granted by the Imperium was beyond anything they had prior to nuclear war. Unfortunately, with this also came revived rivalries between the various nations. Their old feuds were never fully ended, and while total war was unlikely, acts of violence and general unease were once more becoming common. The nuclear war was still fresh on every Jaset's mind, and the nations pointed the blame at each other, making cooperation difficult and resulting in a slow, indecisive government.

Frustrated, the Arkevon intervened in the matter, bringing together the Jaset's leaders to discuss a solution and a general reform to the Jaset's government. The resulting debate (though many would rather call it a 'childish argument') would progress for several hours with few results until Emperor Tarsovis himself personally came to the meeting to act as a mediator. After bringing order to the situation, Tarsovis was able to come up with a solution that would ultimately become the Jaset's modern government. The homeworld, as well as various planets, became what are now the 'neutral' worlds while each Jaset nation was granted its own territory within the Empire. During this process, the nation of Haltset, which began as a seperatist breakaway from Inok, was born due to the fierce rivalry that had developed between the two. Thus began the Jaset Confederation.

Modern Era
Since induction into the Empire and the creation of the Confederation, the Jaset have grown and developed considerably; their population is the highest it has ever been, and is even beginning to rival the older Empire of Ilsur. As well, their industrial capacity has also expanded at unprecedented levels. Largely untouched by the Empire's wars, they have been allowed to do this growth uninterrupted, and the Jaset still work tirelessly to improve and grow their Confederation. They became an official member race several decades after first contact and have a number of representatives expressing Jaset interest in the senate. Many would go to say the Jaset's largest export is its population; the Confederation has given the military a massive amount of soldiers which have seen combat all across the Empire. The Jaset work tirelessly to better their nation, and an increasing number have gotten involved in engineering and scientific fields. The Jaset are well on their way to becoming a major power within the Empire.

However, not all is perfect within the Confederation. The early stages of their industrialization produced a great deal of pollution that only started to become reversed with the intervention of outside environmental groups. Rivalries still persist between the nations which can cause problems with cooperation, though they hardly ever result in large-scale violence. Sometimes severe gender inequality, corruption, and nepotism (especially in the states with sovereign governments) all hold back the Jaset, and it is likely that it will ever go away anytime soon.

= The Nations =

Haltset
= Culture =