The I'ee species is composed of family units each numbering anywhere from thousands to millions of individuals. While in the past, the I'ee tended to have smaller, but more numerous families, as their species has matured and their grasp of medicine and technology has grown, this has slowly become the inverse. Now, the species is dominated by a pantheon of powerful families composed of millions of individuals.

Most smaller, younger families focus upon non-sustainable foci such as art and philosophy, and die fairly young, before they have a chance to leave the protection and guidance of their parent family. Those that succeed form smaller, but still powerful families which hold as much importance as their larger relatives, and generally have more specialised talents due to their smaller populations.

The oldest and most powerful of the I'ee families, that have existed for thousands of years. Most have long since lost their original mothers to age, which have been replaced by genetically modified daughters in order to prevent the family from collapsing into chaos and grief.

Population: Roughly two and a half billion, as recorded by last census. The oldest and largest of the primary families, and the one with the largest stake in Ee'ee, the I'ee homeworld. While they have military, medical and scientific interests, their current technological pursuits focus upon space travel; namely, designing space craft and equipment of a non-combat nature.

Population: Roughly two billion, as recorded by last census. A 'daughter' family of Ithee, the Ithit focus upon weapon's development, often cooperating with the Ithee and Thi-thi in developing weaponised starships and vehicles. Due to the volatile nature of their work, they tend to inhabit remote colonies and testing facilities away from other families.

Population: Roughly four billion, as recorded by last census. The most aggressively reproductive family amongst the I'ee, and with good reason: the Thi-Thi are the self-professed protectors of I'ee space. As poorly versed as the I'ee are in warfare, the Thi-Thi breed the finest warriors and commanders that the diminutive insects can train.

Population: Roughly three billion, as recorded by last census. Curious in that they are both benevolent yet reclusive in nature, the Eethie have appointed themselves the task of managing interstellar logistics for the I'ee. Maintaining a formidable fleet of cargo transports and skilled accountants, the Eethie are what would pass as traders to other species, if the I'ee used any form of currency, at least.

Population: Roughly two billion, as recorded by last census. Pariahs and outcasts to even their 'daughters' families, the Oo'tut nevertheless have had a crucial role in the development of the I'ee as an interstellar power. Their obsession with exploring the stars was abruptly shifted towards exploring alien species when the I'ee made first contact with another civilisation, albeit exploration in a childishly cold, invasive manner. When their abrasive experimentation and exploration brought war to the I'ee home systems, a war that the I'ee only survived by the grace of their attackers, the Oo'tut were given the blame. Now, they remain secluded in their distant observatories and research bases, providing information on alien star systems and unusual phenomena.

The children of the primary families, specifically those who have not been lost to time, the secondary families possess smaller numbers, but greater focus and proficiency upon a specific topic.

Population: Four thousand, five hundred and sixty two, as recorded by last census. A daughter family of the Oo'tut, Ee'ith, rather than being frightened by the violent history of alien contact, were possessed by a childish and sweet-natured desire to fix the wrongs of their parent family. Using the vast, untapped stores of research on alien cultures gathered over the years by the Oo'tut, the Ee'ith have trained a small army of dedicated, if naive ambassadors. Their ultimate goal is to make friends with the alien civilisations of the universe, with cultural, artistic and infrastructural benefits in mind.

Population: Six thousand, two hundred and one, as recorded by last census. Descended from the Ithee family, the Thoot are a family which clawed their way to prominence, pursuing glory in the unremarkable business of asteroid mining. Despite their modest beginnings, the fiery determination of Thoot herself was instrumental in making her family not only sustainable, but also useful to the primary families; who maintain their own asteroid mining operations. The Thoot specialise in deep space mining in particular, operating far beyond the bounds of I'ee territory.

Population: Two thousand, eight hundred and six, as recorded by last census. The youngest of the secondary families currently operating independently, the Ioth are a modest descendant of the Oo'tut. Their speciality is in medicine and surgery, performing vital work for the larger I'ee families, and providing useful training as well. Ioth doctors are a highly sought-after commodity amongst the I'ee.

Population: Unknown; Four thousand at last recorded contact. A family whose queen grew to have an obsession with the secrets of deep space. With the assistance of Ith'ee, they constructed a special colony ship designed to sustain their family for a voyage of indefinite range. Once Oo'oo'oo had her ship, she and her family disappeared into the depths of space, and have not been seen by the I'ee since.

An exceedingly rare, but still possible occurrence, Renegade families are generally derived from I'ee mothers who are born with, or develop degenerative or disruptive mental disabilities and diseases. It is an instinctive practice amongst the I'ee to euthanise defective off-spring, no matter their gender, and unhinged mothers who survive to rear a family of their own are generally hunted down and killed.

Those who do survive often live out in the wilderness of their planet of birth, reverting to a primitive state. Fewer still are the ones with the remaining mental capacity to not only survive on their own, but retain their technological prowess as well. These families generally live a life that one might call criminal, stealing starships, weapons and food; living the life of brigands and pirates.

Littlewasp created this article on 2016/05/30 04:37.