Nep’ta’le Worlds The Nep’ta’le homeworld is Margos III. Slightly smaller than earth, but somewhat more dense (surface grav 1.03G) with 78% land area. The third planet from a dim, yellow star, it is rather far from it’s sun. Despite the weak sunlight a naturally occurring advanced greenhouse effect keeps the planet warm and it is covered with plants which are adapted to the lowered light conditions. Inside Margos III’s orbit there are two small rocky planets, Margos I and II, the larger of which is about the size of Earth’s moon, neither of which have any atmosphere. Beyond Margos III, there are two gas giants, separated by an asteroid belt. Margos III is actually the Centauri name for this world, the Nep’ta’re world used for the planet translates roughly as "home." However, for simplicity, most alien races simply call it Margos III. The Nep’ta’re also control three other systems, Zelgos, Marakesh and Noububar. Zegos IV is an Earth-like world with only 13% land area. Marakesh IIb is the largest moon of a gas giant. It’s atmosphere is thin and unbreathable, so the entire population lives underground. Noububar V is a habitable world with virtually no free water. These systems are remarkable in that NONE of these systems has any appreciable quantities of Quantium 40. Biology The Nep’ta’le are a sapient race originating on Margos III. They have characteristics which most Earth biologists would classify as mammalian. Nep’ta’le are bipedal and average about 1.6 meters in height. Leg structure is similar to humans, though they only have one lower leg bone rather than two. They walk on the balls of their feet, which have pads on the underside and non retractable claws. The arms and hands are also similar to human ones, though with only three fingers and an opposable thumb. The fingers each house a retractable claw about two inches long, which are designed for slashing and tearing. Their bodies are covered with a fine black fur. By preference the Nep’ta’le prefer to go unclothed, and are comfortable in a wide range of temperatures. The Nep’ta’le will wear clothing in hostile environments (such as extreme cold). The Nep’ta’le have a tail approximately 50 cm long. Nep’ta’le are carnivores. In addition to their claws, they have sharp teeth and superior senses of hearing and smell to help them catch their prey. The Nep’Ta’le are nocturnal and possess excellent night vision. The natural sunlight of many worlds is too bright for them and they are usually seen wearing dark goggles during the day when offworld. Their own vessels are usually kept in a state of semidarkness most comfortable to Nep’ta’le eyes. Sexual dimorphism is very low and it is nearly impossible to tell the two sexes apart by observation (though Nep’ta’le are capable of differentiating easily by smelling pheromones given off by members of the opposite sex). Nep’ta’le form monogamous relationships, usually for life. All Nep’ta’le have low level empathic abilities, but these are very limited. They only work between Nep’ta’le (not with other species). When a pair mates, these empathic abilities are strengthened and reinforced, bonding a pair of mates together as one. The bond between mates is extremely strong, to the point that when one mate dies the other will usually commit suicide. Nep’ta’le can mate any time of the year, though the traditional mating season is early fall. Nep’ta’le derive no pleasure from mating, so it is only employed to produce young. The gestation period is about seven earth months (approximately one half of Margos III’s orbital period). Young are born live, usually in groups of three and are nursed by the mother for approximately three months, after which time they are ready for solid foods. Sexual maturity comes at an age of approximately 14 earth years. Nep’ta’le are carnivorous and prefer their meat raw. In pre- industrial times they usually ate small animals, though sometimes they would cooperate to bring down larger game. Live food, killed just before it is eaten is considered best, but for practical reasons, live food is considered a delicacy, reserved for special occasions or the very rich. History Like many non-aligned races, the Nep’ta’le were part of the Centauri Empire. When it was added to the empire in 1654 (Earth reckoning), the Nep’ta’le were a primitive hunting culture. Margos III possessed few natural resources, it had virtually no useful minerals of any kind, the chemical composition of the soil made it unsuited for agriculture and though it was richly forested, Centauri scientists found few useful biological resources. The Centauri added it to their Empire largely because the faced absolutely no resistance in doing so. Most Nep’ta’le went on living their primitive existence for many years after the occupation began. Faced with a virtually useless world from an economic perspective, the Centarui designated the entire planet as one giant wildlife preserve. It was also the site of an Imperial Palace, where the Emperor often vacationed. For the first two centuries, the Nep’ta’le had rather good relations with their masters. The Nep’ta’le were used as laborers at the Spaceport and other facilities and for various menial tasks. The big change came two centuries after the occupation began (around 1850 Earth date). The Centauri decided they could put the Nep’ta’le’s excellent night vision to use by using them as mine laborers. While individuals resisted, there was not enough discontent to spark a popular uprising. The Nep’ta’le were used as mine laborers on three nearby worlds, Zelgos VII, Marakesh II and Noububar IV. In the century that followed more than 3 million Nep’ta’le were shipped offworld. Though the general discontent remained, the situation was relatively stable for more than a century (until 1962) when the beginnings of rebellions were being felt on other occupied worlds and the Republic was on the brink of it’s explosive decline. A minor bureaucrat on Margos III, eager to make a name for himself by implementing some original policy decided to only export male Nep’ta’le as laborers. This decision was made in total ignorance of Nep’ta’le culture and biology. In addition, it had no logical basis. There was no statistically significant difference between the performance of male and female Nep’ta’le in the mines. When this policy was implemented, it shipped many bonded males offworld, leaving their female mates behind. The pain this separation caused both parties was immeasurable. The distance blocked the empathic bond between mates, creating the same sensation of despair as the death of a mate. However, this was even worse in that both mates knew the other was still alive, but that they would probably never see each other again. The separated females led an uprising on Margos III and the males did the same in the mining camps. The fighting was vicious. In the three centuries of the occupation, the Nep’ta’le had mastered most Centauri technology, including their PPGs. However, they preferred to administer the coup de’ grace with their own claws. More than one Centauri noble tried to go up against them with a dueling sword and found to their cost that it was no match for a determined Nep’ta’le. Margos III was the first of the League Worlds to be completely cleared of all Centauri. Using captured Centauri vessels the Nep’ta’le managed to free Zelgos IV, Marakesh IIb and Noububar V as well. Thanks to the massive rebellions throughout what would later become the Leauge of Non Aligned worlds, the Centauri were never able to act against the Nep’ta’le. After the rebellion was over, the Nep’ta’le began setting up an independent government. The resulting arrangement was basically democratic, but with one interesting twist. Rather than voting for a single individual, the Nep’ta’le vote for a bonded male- female pair, who hold the office jointly. This form of government has lasted three centuries and looks to remain effective into the indefinite future. The history of the Nep’ta’le since the end of the Centauri occupation has been dominated by one factor more than any other. None of the four systems held by the Nep’ta’le have any appreciable deposits of Quantium 40. Since most races consider Quantium 40 as a strategic mineral (in other worlds, not for sale). The Nep’ta’le have been restricted to what they can buy on the black market or from the few races which will sell it to them. Both methods of purchase are expensive. This means that in the three centuries since the end of the occupation, the Nep’ta’le have not even built a single jumpgate. In addition, they have very few jump capable ships. They remain confined to the same four systems which they owned 300 years ago. The other dominant factor in post-occupation Nep’ta’le history is a race called the Markon. Before being conquered by the Centauri they were quite and advanced race. While they did not posses jump technology, they had colonized several worlds through the use of sub-light sleeper ships. One of these worlds was Noububar IV. During the occupation, more than a million Nep’ta’le were shipped to Noububar IV to work in the mines. At the time of the revolution, the Nep’ta’le on Noububar IV outnumbered the Markon in excess of three to one. The Markon have always felt that Noububar IV was rightly theirs, though they have never managed to capture it for long. The Noububar IV situation first erupted into open war half a century after the end of the occupation (Earth date 2017). After a long and bloody struggle, the Nep’ta’le retained control of the system. In subsequent years the Markon would make five more attempts at capturing it. Finally, in Earth year 2230, they managed to take the Noububar IV system and conquer the planet. However, two months later the Markon were invaded by the Dilgar. The Nep’ta’le used this opportunity to retake the planet. Fortunately, Earth declared war on the Dilgar before they could turn their attention to the Nep’ta’le. In 2258, in the spirit of cooperation engendered by Babylon 5, the Markon and the Nep’ta’le agreed to submit the matter of Noububar IV to the League of Non-Aligned Worlds for resolution. In 2259, the League voted to give the Nep’ta’le custody of the planet, though they also mandated that the Markon minority on the planet be given local autonomy and some measure of self government. The Markon withdrew from the League in protest. The latest Markon attempt to take Noububar occurred in 2260. Like many non-aligned races the Markon allied themselves with the Shadows and, with their encouragement, attacked Noububar IV. While they were unable to take the planet, their attack managed to damage the Jumpgate, rendering it inoperable. As of 2261, the Nep’ta’le are trying desperately to scrape together enough Q-40 to repair it. After their civil war the Minbari committed to providing technical assistance and a sizable amount of Q-40. With the formation of the Interstellar Alliance, other races have promised to help as well. During the Shadow War the Nep’ta’le fought alongside the other League worlds against the Shadows, and participated in the final showdown between the Shadows and Vorlons. Military The Nep’ta’le are not an aggressive race, though they are very territorial and can be extremely ferocious when provoked. The Nep’ta’le armed forces are split between the Space Defense Forces and the Ground Defense Forces. The lack of Q-40 the Nep’ta’le to create a unique space combat doctrine, quite different from those of other races. They have few major jump capable warships, instead they rely on small, non jump capable, Gunships. These must get to the battle area either through jumpgates (a major disadvantage) or by riding Combat Carriers. All Nep’ta’le vessels are painted flat black and are very difficult to see against the background of space. If an enemy ship attempts to target a Nep’ta’le vessel without a sensor lock (ie the vessel did not spend at least on offensive EW point against the Nep’ta’le vessel) there is a -4 to hit penalty in addition to the normal double range penalty. Nep’ta’le Weapons Spinal Mount Particle Beam A massive and powerful weapon, capable of taking out large vessels with a single shot. It can only fire in Piercing mode. Plasma Accelerator This weapon is extremely similar to the Centauri weapon with the same name. Pulse Laser A laser weapon with pulse capability. Interceptor The Nep’ta’le are one of the few races besides the Humans to use dedicated interceptors. Nep’ta’le interceptors have none of the anti- laser effects of EarthForce interceptors, but they can switch modes with no penalty. Nep’ta’le Vessels Combat Carriers Thesse are large, lightly armed (but heavily armored) jump capable warships, capable of carrying up to twelve Gunships. These allow Gunships to be used for offensive attacks when no jump gate is available. In addition, for short range missions, additional gunships can travel through hyperspace alongside the Combat Carrier (though they don’t have the endurance for long voyages) and exit hyperspace through it’s jump point. Because of their jump drives, Combat Carriers are the most important ships in the Nep’ta’le navy. They are seldom risked in combat situations. Guncannons Nep’ta’le Guncanons are literally built around the enormous Spinal Mount Particle Beam Cannon. Guncannons mount no secondary weapons save for a few interceptors. Corvettes Essentially a larger version of the Gunship. Corvettes have somewhat heavier armament, but the big change a much greater endurance. Gunships Small, heavily armed, extremely maneuverable vessels, Gunships are the mainstay of the Nep’ta’le space forces. Gunships are atmosphere capable, but they have extremely low endurance and they are incapable of long missions.