[tesco samoa]

ok sorry but i must post this.

this is to date the greatest empire description i have ever read.

If this mod can even come close to this I will be proud and the game will be fantastic. I will have to post everyones now.

Biological Description

Nobody really knows what the Vorlar look like. Every race that has encountered a member of the species sees them in their environmental suits, which are humanoid in shape. Even in the few instances that a member of the species has been captured, the environmental suit seems to "dematerialize" and fade out of existence, evidently some built in self-destruct mechanism. There has even been speculation that the Vorlar are actually mechanoids -- however, if they are, they are capable of the same range of emotions as any biological entity. Since a discussion of their true biological nature is impossible, we will discuss the capabilities of the Vorlar environmental suits.

First and foremost, the environmental suits seem to be an extension of their bodies, and it has never been observed that a Vorlar feel "uncomfortable" in their suits. The colour of the enviromental suits vary, are always humanoid in shape, and have a shiny "pLastic" look. However, the seemingly fragile nature of the suit is quickly replaced by insipiring awe by any who spend time with a Vorlar.

The civilian models at the very least sport a utility belt, anti-gravity boots, and comm system. On any well-established Vorlar colony, it is not surprising to see several different styles of suits, and the Vorlar seem to take great pride in their unique fashion statement. It is not unusual to see many Vorlar spending their leisure time gracefully leaping over buildings with their anti-gravity boots. There is also a small pad-like device embedded in the right arm of most suit variants. This device seems to be a self-organizer, a communication device, a holo-emitter, a recording device, and a simple scanner at the same time. Since nobody has ever seen the inside of a Vorlar helmet, one can only surmise what kind of advanced technologies are embedded in it. Sometimes Vorlar are seen to be laughing to themselves, or deeply engrossed in watching an ordinary scene. Observers have speculated that Vorlar have some sort of embedded holograpic screen in their helmets, providing entertainment whenever desired.

It is the military models of suits which are the envy of the galaxy. Miltiary models are usually black. However, it has been observed that the suits can "meld" and change the pattern on their surface to resemble any natural environment. Combined with a slight "phasing" effect which renders the suit slightly more difficult to see with the naked eye, the Vorlar have a unique advantage when it comes to personal combat.

All Military models also have an anti-gravity capability, and as well have a short range flight capability of up to one standard kilometer. It has been observed that large numbers of Vorlar co-ordinate just as well as small numbers, and a Vorlarian stormtrooper has never been seen to be caught unaware of his surroundings. Vorlar stormtroopers have never in their history been outflanked or surprised, even by well planned tactics and advanced technology. This has led to suggestion that the Vorlar have advanced scanning equipment built into their enviromental suits.

Vorlar personal weapon technology is fearsome and elegant at the same time. Vorlar suits have three types of weapons. The first is a short rapid-firing pulse type weapon that has a slight homing ability, and able to kill or stun an enemy combatant. The second is an anti-vehicle weapon, capable of varying yields and able to fire with accuracy at ranges in excess of half a standard kilometer. The third is the most unique and most devestating. When the Vorlar decide that they require precision targeting, and do not want collateral damage, they simply aim their arms at their intended targets. If the Vorlar is not killed or disabled, in less than a standard minute, the target begins to dematerialize. In less than three standard minutes, the target has faded out of existence, forever banished to some unseen realm.

The Vorlarian Elite Troopers are the most overwhelming. Often, it takes not more than a handful of these troopers to subjugate an entire colony. Volarian Elite Troopers combine all the abilities of their standard counterparts, along with the terrifying capability to dematerialize and materialize wherever they wish. Most enemies caught unawares have their command and control centers quickly disabled, and their own automated defenses turned on themselves by these masters of subterfuge and surprise. It is also the Elite Troopers that make up the Volarian Space Marines, which are able to take control of an enemy vessel with their shields down by teleporting to enemy command and control centers.

As well, there is a special class of space marine employed only against the Vorlar's most hated enemies. This "assassin" is beamed through enemy shields by a tightly-focused beam-like weapon. The "assassin" then proceeds to disable whatever he has been ordered to -- shields, weapons, engines, computers, or even simply run around the vessel slaughtering as many enemies as he can. Computerized vessels are especially vulnerable, as the assassin can simply teleport himself to the computer core and destroy or disable it. When the "assassin" is finally surrounded and is cornered, he detonates himself, causing significant structural damage. There have been instances where battlecruisers have been disabled by a single shot of a Vorlarian vessel, presumably by an assassin beamed into some critical area.

Societal Description

The Vorlar are a democratic society. Their leader is elected semi-annually, and decides foreign and domestic policy through a general consensus of the public. The use of environmental suits by all their citizens means that crime is non-existent on Vorlar worlds, as their suits constantly monitor the activities of their inhabitants and automatically cease to function if a crime is about to be committed, effectively containing the user until authorities can arrive. Non-Vorlar can also be a part of the society, and are afforded the same rights as a member of the species. As well, all Non-Vorlar are issued an environmental suit with almost all the capabilities of a Vorlarian citizen, except teleportation technology. There is no doubt that true political power can never been attained by an outsider. The best an outsider can hope to achieve in the Vorlarian society is tolerance. Although Vorlarians are polite and kind to other species, they have a slight arrogance to their speech, and view most outsiders as technologically inferior.

No discussion of Vorlarian society would be complete without a discussion of their advanced technology. First and most apparent to an outsider is their transportation technology. The Vorlarians have no "roads" or major arteries of vehicular movement in their colonies. They simply dematerialize and materialize wherever they wish, or go to the tops of their buildings and use their anti-gravity technology to leap from building to building. Their "transporter" technology means that Vorlarian colonies are efficient and well-built. All Vorlarian outPosts are designed with this teleportation technology in mind. As well, there are "transporter stations" for use by outsiders who do not have the advantage of a built-in teleporter in their environmental suits.

The most respected and revered members of Volarian society are the Engineers. They are the ones who design and maintain the environmental suits, and the monumental architecture. The center of every Vorlarian colony is dominated by a monumental building of some sort. Sometimes it is a cube. Sometimes it is a pyramid. Sometimes it is some strange shape that defies all sensibilities, but which recieves adolation by the inhabitants of the colony. It is not known what properties this Vorlarian monumental architecture provides -- they may simply be useless statements of superiority.

Not surprisingly, the Vorlar also carry their love of monumental architecture to their space-faring vessels. In addition to the standard ship sizes of the Vorlar, there is a unique class of vessels which are massive in size and artistic in design. So massive are these vessels, that only well-established Vorlarian colonies with a large population are seen to pursue this endeavour. Each one of these vessels takes many years to construct, but when finished the capabilities and awesome size guarantees the security and safety of their colony. Monumental architecture dominates their space station construction efforts as well. Vorlarian starbases are huge investments, with sometimes several planets contributing resources into their construction over a well-traversed warp point. When finished, these starbases become economic centers in their own right, protecting local merchants and fortifying vulnerable corridors of advance. It is common for there to be many starbases scattered through a Vorlarian solar system, as they prefer starbases over ship construction, and often contract out tasks like routine shipping assignments to freelancing merchants.

Historical Description

The Vorlar are a mostly peaceful society. However they are suspicious of strangers, due to the history they have had of species trying to acquire their unique anti-gravity and teleportation technology. When war is declared, it is only after a lengthy public debate and the approval of over eighty percent of Vorlarian citizens. Most conflicts with Vorlarian miltiary forces revolve over the control of planets, not ship-to-ship combat. Vorlarian military leaders prefer to use their substantial advantage in ground combat to seize enemy outPosts and force a truce. Sometimes, they capture enemy vessels with their well-equipped and feared Space Marine forces. If the war is going badly, the Vorlar fall back to their starbases, which are usually enough to hold back substantial enemy assaults.

The history of their monumental architecture is unknown. It has been suggested by researchers that the monuments stretch back to their past, and several of the Vorlarian monuments have been carbon-dated to be thousands of years old. However, no outsider has ever entered the Vorlarian monuments. Several wars have been started in the past by other races convinced that the monuments hold the answers to the galaxy, the source of the Vorlarian teleportation prowress, or even a cure to old age. However, a Vorlarian monument has never been captured intact by an enemy, partly because the monuments themselves are only built on well-established and consequently well-fortified worlds. OutPosts only have a small superficial Version of the larger monuments, sometimes even holographically projected, and these lesser monuments seem to be no more useful than a large source of shade.

The Vorlarian ships are true creations of elegance, and historically the Vorlar have been loathe to "descrate" them by adding visible gun ports or other defensive armadments. A species that has gained the trust of the Vorlar may find themselves the recipient of one of these breathtaking vessels, but only after signing a non-disclosure agreement about the contents and capabilities of the vessels, and allowing a small contingent of Vorlar to operate the sensitive areas of the vessel.