Uwao

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Uwao
[[File:|250px]]

Homeworld:

Seela

Length:

2m

Height:

2m

Diet:

Meat

Intelligence:

Sapient

Technology:

Extremely advanced (Class XI)

The Uwao are a sapient race of class XI aquatic beings from the Wheorl Galaxy, in the Viperius Galaxy System. They are notable for being very curious and scientific.

Physiology

The Uwao are, in their adult stage, globular animals exhibiting sevenfold symmetry. Their main body is around two metres across and high, though they have an arm-span of up to four metres. Seven equally sized parts radiate from their central axes, each equipped with a long spine on its top half and a manipulatory tentacle on its bottom half. Eyes are present between the spine and tentacle on each of the sections, surrounded by a hard, crystalline circle to prevent debris from entering and also as a defensive adaptation.

The eyes themselves are shaped like a hexagonal prism, with a calcite lens focussing light on a concave retina, with the nerves in front of the light-detecting cells much like in mammals. They possess vision from green to ultraviolet, but not red, due to the lack of red light at depth. In addition, they have a ring of primitive eyespots in the top of their bodies.

Like fish, they have a lateral-line system for detecting pressure waves underwater. It is quite acute, allowing them to detect objects moving within a large radius. In addition, they possess a ring of cilia below this capable of beating powerfully to produce pressure waves, which are very modifiable. They are the primary form of communication amongst the Uwao. Other senses include chemoreceptors around the animal's bottommost section and a series of statocysts to enable them to remain upright, and give them a sense of their orientation in the world.

Only their tentacles bear touch-sensitive nerves in the skin. However, the entire outer body has heat- and pain-receptive nerves, located under the shell. All senses send their gathered information to the brain, which is around 1.5kg in mass and roughly ring-shaped, going around the stomach, though one side is more highly developed and makes the ring uneven. It possesses no spinal cord, so all reflexes are governed by the brain.

The shell is hard and crystalline, formed from interlocking calcium carbonate plates around a centimetre thick. The spines are attached to rounded tubercles in the plates, and are of the same composition. Spines are typically one metre or so long and quite thick, so hard to snap. Their ends are not particularly sharp, but can penetrate skin or thin armour.

The arms contain nine bones, connected by tough ligaments, and capable of flexion in four directions. The tip is capable of independent but delicate flexion to take hold of objects. It is also capable of being detached from the animal if grabbed, and will continue to thrash to distract a predator while the Uwao itself escapes. They are very sensitive to touch and heat, but also very dextrous. It takes around a month to regrow a tentacle if lost.

Uwao possess in internal skeleton, formed from crystalline rods similiar in composition to the plates on their skin. It is associated with the muscles of the tentacles and siphon.

Propulsion is achieved by using the animal's siphon. This shares the same channel in the animal's underside that is used for excretion, and resembles that of a squid, taking in water and then expelling it forcefully to thrust the animal. The siphon is capable of being aimed within a few degrees, so the animal can propel itself in more than one direction while remaining upright. One of the two gill networks is inside the siphon, but above the excretory tube, setting up a counter-current to the passing water in the blood to maximise oxygen uptake. The other gills are around the tentacles, and have fluid pumped through them by muscles associated with the internal skeleton.

Uwao have a closed circulatory system, using nucleate blood cells containing haemoglobin to carry oxygen around the body. They have many kilometres of capillaries to allow the blood to reach all tissues. Because of this, they also require a heart, which is two-chambered and located above the stomach. They have several types of phagocyte and even a specific immune system, using a type of cell referred to as K-cells which are capable of producing six-headed antibody-like molecules which possess a central channel. The antibody binds to receptors and then the central channel punches a hole into the membrane or cell wall.

They also possess arteriocytes and venocytes, which are cells that physically grab and bind debris or pathogens together and then take them to the anal vent and eject them from the body.

The Uwao have a mouth on the top of their bodies. It has seven self-sharpening calcium carbonate teeth to crush incoming food and then a fleshy bulb which acts as a tongue within, but is also studded with scutes to assist in grinding food. They have a true oesophagus below, into which the ground food passes and becomes a ball which can be pushed via peristalsis down into the stomach. The stomach is incapable of inflation, and is held rigid by cartiliginous rings. This does not contain acid, but only digestive enzymes. Food remains here for about two hours before going through a short length of intestine for the digestion of lipids, but is then expelled via the anal vent, which enters near the bottom of the siphon.

Their teeth are capable of chewing into stone and holding the animal there. They can also crush the shells of sea creatures and even hard bones as they work, and Uwao must gnaw often or become uncomfortable. It the plates grew large enough, they would not be able to chew properly.

Life Cycle

The Uwao are sexual animals. Males are fractionally smaller than females, and possess two testes, while the females possess two ovaries. The female forms an egg sac within her body and the male fertilises it with his milt. Mating is traditionally for life.

Mothers lay eggs in clutches of ten or more, which are held in a sac together. The female carries this sac in a tentacle and holds it close while the embryos grow. They undergo gastrulation into three germ layers while inside the egg, and then take their larval shape.

Uwao are born bilaterally symmetrical and roughly oval-shaped. These larvae undulate to allow them to move through the water, but also possess tubular feet which they use to attach to their mothers as they grow. They detach after a few months and then begin to develop the plates and skeleton of an adult, in as little as a month. They reach reproductive maturity at about a year since hatching.

Diet

The Uwao are carnivorous animals. They eat animals in the water both large and small, and are capable of eating both shelled and unshelled creatures. They have generally resisted a move towards nutrient bars, preferring to catch food themselves. Uwao do not object to cloned or genetically modified meat.

Intelligence

Sapient beings, the Uwao are capable of higher thought and have complex brains. They are not very emotional creatures, remaining relatively calm even under extreme stress, but do possess a variety of emotions.

They are particularly adept at analysis, and are more effective at interpreting and processing data. Their sense of the world around them is more complete and comprehensive, and their memories are particularly good.

Society

Uwao society is founded upon semi-anarchist principles, allowing the populace to do much of what they want within reason. They, however, prefer to stick together, and have a sense of racial loyalty. Those who break rules are punished by sanctions rather than prison or execution.

All Uwao have equal status and a series of granted rights. Members of other species, if thought worthy, are allowed to join Uwao society and share the same rights, as equals.

They possess no true form of currency. Goods are transported freely around their society and when trade with another race is done, it is by means of bartering or simply as a gift in return for a favour.

Language

The Uwao communicate using the pressure waves created by their central band of cilia. The amplitude, frequency, and the pattern of the waves determine the meaning of a particular wave. As such, they have an enormous variety of possible words, and even more so since a word usually consists of several waves. The rapidity of their cilia also means that they can speak more quickly than many races, and quickly get a point across.

Formal language is noticeably different than informal, even to an outside observer.

Religion

While not truly religious, the Uwao have in the past shown a great respect for the species which uplifted them to sapience, treating them as divine beings. This belief has declined and is unheard of outside of history books in current Uwao culture.

Technology

As a class XI race, the Uwao are extremely advanced. Their focus on science has allowed them to progress faster than many other species, and as did the head-start they were granted by the race which uplifted them.

Spaceships

Uwao spaceships are not conventionally designed.

During construction, a framework of carbon nanotubes, forming a rough sphere, will be set up within the ocean. Then, a double-layer membrane will be placed over the framework, seperating the interior and exterior water. Drones and other machines will be sent inside to construct the central core, as well as all the other important machinery. While they do so, the space between the two membranes will steadily be filled with molten high-purity and high-strength glass, eventually forming a sphere around the internal water. Only the engine, weapons, sensors and hatches go through this. Then, another membrane will be erected around this and the same strengthening process will occur, leaving a thin layer of water between the two glass spheres.

Plants, corals, and other fauna will be placed inside the ship, making a true ecosystem within. Also, spherical habitats will be placed. Some specialised buildings, too, will be added. Some larger ships contain internal factories, research laboratories, and more.

They Ultradrive to travel faster than the speed of light. They are also equipped with repulsor sheets over each glass sphere for protection, as well as a transparent ablative borosilicate layer (which is also very effective at stopping radiation, though the internal water achieves this as well). Internal robots patrol the hull and will patch any holes with membranes and then refill them with glass.

There are several classes of Uwao ship:

Wuara are cruiser-type ships, around 400m long. They are the most common type of Uwao ship and often act as transports or trade cogs. They carry a wide variety of sensors, and sometimes weaponry such as Ruwri Beams. A typical Wuara might have a crew of 500.

Nwaoa are frigate-type craft. Designed for independent patrol and exploration, they can be 600m long, with particularly powerful drives and proportionally smaller crews, of around 300. They carry Ruwri Beams and Gaalwa Beams.

Rawmwa vessels are like a combination of a carrier, raw-materials tug, and a battleship. They are both heavily armed and bear large hangars in which ships can both dock or repair, and large factories are present on board, which produce more ships. At 17km or more long, they can have 90,000 crew. Rawmwa are typically armed with Ruwri Beams, Gaalwa Beams, and Swall Missiles.

Wysiwn are the dreadnoughts of the Uwao, even if usually not meant for military service. At 70km long, and with crews of millions, they have many factories and hangars, and often develop their own mini-cultures and traditions. Their armament is typically Ruwri Beams, Gaalwa Beams, and Swall Missiles.

Kweo are the largest Uwao ships. At 230km long, and with up to ten glass spheres in stead of three, they possess respectable internal gravity. They often have billions of inhabitants, and can seem to become cultures in themselves. With factories, hangars, and much more, they are the focus-points of Uwao civilisation.

Fleets

The Uwao have several billion ships. They are divided, in turn, into hundreds of thousands of fleets, though many ships are independent and not part of a fleet at all. However, those fleets which gather under the command of one ship will travel together and work together, while maintaining links to other Uwao cultures around the universe.

Notable fleets include:

The Fleet of Tastes Just Like Kraot, which consists of five million ships, including twelve thousand Kweo. The ship in command named the the fleet after itself. They seek to have a good time in the cosmos and make sure that other races do to.

The Fleet of Stardust Upon the Bow is of similiar size, and is commanded by the Kweo Sands of the Vacuum. They are mainly scientific, analysing the universe and doing research.

The Fleet of Shaky and the Sponges contains just over a million vessels of various kinds. Its lead ship is named the Shaky Bubble and is best known for the music it produces.

The Fleet of The Path Less Shovelled is made up of around two million ships, and led by the Ancient Alien, a Kweo. Like Stardust Upon the Bow, it is mainly a research fleet.

The Fleet of Guards! Guards! is a heavily armed and armoured fleet of nine hundred thousand ships, which tries to advance its own weaponry and show that of others to be primitive and weak. Its lead ship is the Thing in the Deep.

Weapons

While Uwao are peaceful creatures, they do possess the technology to make war. If negotiation and a diplomatic solution are impossible, then they will fight.

Infantry Weaponry

Uwao hand weaponry mainly consists of spine attachments or small self-propelled projectiles due to the more limited range of kinetic weapons underwater. Spine attachments include metal sheaths, chainsaws, and axeheads. Self-propelled projectiles include miniature torpedoes fired from pistol-like devices and spears with rockets attached around the end.

Space Weaponry

The space weaponry of the Uwao is designed to minimise recoil, wear, and the size of the hole that must be cut into the glass sphere. As such, it mainly consists of beam weapons and missiles which can be held externally.

Ruwri Beams are infrared lasers, with terawatt power sources and lenses around ten metres across. They are highly accurate, long-ranged weapons which do not occupy much space on an Uwao ship.

Gaalwa Beams are neutral particle beams (neutralised after acceleration). They fire heavy atoms at high relativistic speeds, with energies of mega-electronvolts to tera-electronvolts, depending on the application. They require a spiral-shaped accelerator and so cannot be held on the smaller ships.

Swall Missiles can reach high subluminal speeds but also enter FTL to chase down a target. They many very small mass drivers which fire as the missile approaches close range, each projectile with a kiloton-scale yield. The missile compensates for the recoil and then crashes into the enemy itself.

Computing

The Uwao have developed sapient artificial intelligences. Each ship contains one, which does much of the vessel's management and has a personality of its own. They are considered to be the ship, and choose a name for themselves and it together. While it is never truly stated, the ship AIs are functionally in charge of the ships.

There are also drones, which are often sapient and highly intelligent. They can be found on most Uwao ships, and often form friendships with individuals. Drones are highly sophisticated and often equipped with a large inventory of internal technologies.

Sapient AIs are regarded as equals in Uwao society.

Settlements

Most Uwao live on board spacegoing vessels. However, others settle on planets, and can maintain links to the rest of their culture or become independent without anyone minding particularly. They will occupy the seas and develop enormous underwater cities. Often they will guide advanced species around them towards sapience, and protect the planet from any dangers which could cause damage to the ecosystem.

Military Doctrine

If conflict becomes necessary, the Uwao prove themselves to be capable tacticians. They emphasise the safety of their citizens above all else, and will usually use their superior computing and weaponry to attack from a long distance. Given their power, this will usually result in victory. Their FTL missiles will also allow them to attack from far away.

History

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This page is a work in progress.

Relations with other races

The position of the Wheorl Galaxy and the Uwao's rather chaotic exploration has prevented them from meeting many truly advanced civilisations. However, they have encountered several races. The diversity amongst the Uwao often means that different groups have different relations with another race.