Scholar

[Ecalsneerg]

Index

Kaironian Physiology

The Chrononauts

Last Account Of The Final Days of Kairos

Part One

Part Two

[Ecalsneerg]

Kaironian Physiology

The Kaironian race, superficially, resemble homo sapiens, with the real differences stemming from the planet Kairos itself. The slightly heightened gravity means that physically each and every member of the race is slightly stronger and faster than a human of equivalent size and mass. Supplementing this is a bone and muscle structure slightly different from that of a human, where every protein chain is in fact five or six thinner chains, coiled around one another for maximum resilience, with the separate structures still allowing them some 'give' to avoid taking overt stress. They also seem to be born with much, much longer telogene structures, allowing for lifespans ranging up to three times the human maximum.

Their internal organ and skeleton structure has some marked changes from the human norm. Their ribcage is not shaped entirely like a human's, taking the form of an interlocked cage-like structure inside which three small lungs are protected, with the heart being located in a hard-to-reach location in the centre of the three. This more spread-out skeletal reinforcement is also present to a degree in the pelvis, making it much more resilient to shattering, and also extending upwards a little to protect and support the lower intestines and bowels.

The Kaironian brain structure is also slightly odd in that, rather than two halves, their brains are split into three thirds, each of which is capable to an extent of performing the other two thirds' functions. This means, that by resting part of the brain at a time and using the other two parts for cognitive tasks, a Kaironian can go for longer than humans without sleep, able to remain awake for about 21 hours before needing 4 hours of sleep (as they still possess the lower sections of the brain singularly, and are incapable of keeping them going at full function for too long). This heightened brain capacity also means that the race as a whole tends to higher intelligence and awareness simply due to higher levels of processing power.

Superficially, Kaironians differ slightly from humans in terms of hair and eye colours. While skin tone is just as varied as the human race (if not more so, as their constantly lit planet has led to many having much, much darker skin than the darkest of Earth natives), eye colour tends to come in ambers, reds and blues, as well as various colours along the spectrums in between. Hair colour varies a little less, but odd hair colours like navy or scarlet are far from unknown.

An odd part of Kaironian biology is an unusually high level of iron in the bloodstream. This reliance on haemoglobin is caused by a need to transport oxygen to and from three lungs, a biological quirk caused by an oxygen-rich atmosphere rendering this enough of a non-issue to get by fine. It has the side effect, however, of meaning Kaironians require a much richer in iron diet than many species.

The Nitrogen Rejuvenation

In an Earth-like atmosphere, such as Earth's, where the air is 75% nitrogen, a Kaironian who is grievously injured but not yet clinically dead can undergo an odd process where their body absorbs and uses this huge quantity of nitrogen to repair and replace damaged cells, often accidentally activating and deactivating genes in the process. The changes this wreaks physically, and in the brain lead to large appearance changes and personality shifts, causing the Kaironian to appear as a fundamentally different person.

This process is easily identifiable by the sheer quantity of excess cellular energy brought to bear causing a green glow all over the Kaironian's skin. Additionally, when in an environment able to sustain this feat, a Kaironian's eyes will turn green due to the chemical build up.

To date, only Jeni Frey has been recorded as undergoing this process. Why a spacefaring race able to experience a wide range of different planets with similar conditions have no records of this occurring is unknown. However, on Kairos itself, the very, very low nitrogen concentrations present in the atmosphere render this defence mechanism inert, rendering the question of why Kaironians are capable of doing it.

Kaironian Racial Template (total 19PP)

Abilities: (8PP) Constitution +4, Intelligence +4. Note that for peak level Kaironians, abilities are 30, not 25

Skills: Language 0 (native: Kaironian) The Lor are near-extinct in Kairos' timeline, ergo most Kaironians won't speak this "common space language"

Powers: (11PP) Immunity 2 (aging, need for sleep, Flaws: Limited to half effect [-1]) [1PP]

Protection 3 (durable skeleton and muscle tissue) [3PP]

Regeneration 6 (Resurrection/5 minutes, Power Feats: Reincarnation) [7PP]

Biological Complications: Apart from the issue of their destroyed home, their physiology gives the following Complications.

Bizarre Alien Biology: Kaironian biology is very different from the human norm despite their external appearance. Their three lungs and hailing from a high-oxygen atmosphere mean they are vulnerable (x1.5 DC) to inhaled gas attacks, and the sheer level of iron in their blood makes them set off metal detectors.

Not Human: While Kaironians looks human, it's sometimes very apparent in their eyes and body language how inhuman they can be, causing uneasiness or even fear.

[Ecalsneerg]

The Chrononauts

The Chrononauts were, in essence, a combination of a government agency and the Freedom League. Every man and woman was directly employed, funded and trained by the Kaironian High Council, and tasked with defending Kairos from threats alien, internal and natural.

Only, due to a quirk in Kaironian technology, they didn't just stop these threats. They stopped them from ever happening in the first place, using their powerful Chronopod technology. Each ship was able to fly through time and space with astounding speed, as well as possessing a high speed when in orbit due to low mass. Each ship's interior was massive... but stored inside a pocket dimension to avoid having a city-sized spaceship. Normally, time travel would merely create an alternate timeline, one with the problem fixed, one with the disaster still occurring. However, each ship was linked through quantum entanglement to the Amber Spire, which had the unique effect of suppressing this timeline split. In effect, the whole tower acted as a capacitor for spatio-temporal disturbances.

The team themselves were treated as an ad hoc special forces unit. While nominally they had their uniform of a silver jumpsuit, eventually each member developed a custom uniform suiting their personality and superpowers. In general, each member was an altruistic, heroic Kaironian, in spite of the oft political nature of their government connection. This eventually led to the team attempting a last ditch effort in the Fall of Kairos to bring down the High Council against all orders to cooperate with Omega's forces.

Roster At Time of Terminus Invasion

The Tempest: Soong Ry'Vyer.. The heroic leader of the Chrononauts, Tempest was a veritable force of nature. Able to fly at super sonic speeds, withstand orbital bombardment thanks to her invulnerable skin, and with the unique ability to manipulate the weather, for as long as anyone could remember, she had been Kairos' greatest hero and protector. She gave her life fighting Omega at the peak of the Amber Spire.

Nightfall: Chyrop Tera. The sole non-powered Chrononaut, Nightfall was a powerful man, trained in the martial arts of a hundred worlds, with the razor sharp intellect of the finest academics, and a raw streak of pure bloody-mindedness which let him fight on the same level as his nominally more powerful compatriots. Notorious for being a moody loner and not one to converse, he nonetheless showed over time to genuinely care for his team mates like they were his family. His last breath was spent in a last ditch suicide run on a legion of Omegadrones, falling atop a mound of a hundred broken bodies.

Automaton: Jhon Henstarc. The most intelligent woman on Kairos, a veritable mechanical genius and the wearer of a potent suit of powered armour so powerful that she eschewed a Chronopod in favour of her time travelling suit. The only member of the team to be individually wealthy, she managed a vast research company producing the most cutting edge designs and hiring the brightest minds. Her last act was to take to the field with an army of her old armours piloted remotely, hoping to stall the invasion forces long enough to evacuate the population.

Particle: Wa'Lee Barrick. The fastest Kaironian on the planet, Particle could leap between different points in space via the use of quantum entanglement. The heart of the team, he kept laughing and joking even in the face of the tallest odds and most dangerous foes. He was killed while evacuating a huge population centre to the Chronopods.

Lor-Kal: The last surviving member of the Lor Republic, taken refuge on Kairos and showing his thanks by acting as a Chrononaut. He had the vast psychic powers evolved by the Lor over the centuries, able to bring to bear vast telekinetic and telepathic abilities. He was shot dead by the High Council, as they had no interest in bringing non-Kaironians into their deal with Omega.

Scholar: Jeni Frey. The new recruit, an intelligent yet naive xenobiologist. She had not yet completed her training when Omega struck, and was the only survivor of the last battle.

[Ecalsneerg]

Last Account Of The Final Days of Kairos: Part One

"C'mon, Jeni!" laughed Wa'Lee, appearing beside her with a psow. "Get your head out of the datapad! We've got some leave, and I need to show you the Diamond Seas on Schlerin!" He grabbed her by the arm and with another psow brought her into one of the Chronopods.

"I can't," she said to him, trying not to smile. "I need to learn these theses, or I'm never going to perfect my shapeshifting matrix." She tried to pull away from the grinning man in the bright green jumpsuit.

"We're time travellers? You've got all the time you'll ever need!" he declared merrily, psowing to the other side of the command console, and rapidly typing in a few co-ordinates. "Whaddya say? C'mon, I ever talked Chyrop into it. C'mooooooooooon!" He looked at her pleadingly. "Don't believe me? He's in this pod's kitchen, eating a sandwich... at least I think it was a sandwich."

He flicked a few more buttons... whereupon the entire bank of control panels began flashing mauve, a siren wailing loud and clear. "What... did you do?" asked Jeni incredulously.

"Um..." Particle pulled up the holographic projection for visuals. "Particle to Council, what is the emergency?" His joking tone had vanished to allow in a serious, grim tone. From behind them, a tall figure in a dull grey-silver suit of body armour with a full head mask appeared. No eyeholes showed in his mask, but apparently he could still see.

"What did you do, Wa'Lee?" asked Nightfall in a hoarse, low voice.

"I don't know!" exclaimed Particle as a face appeared in the holographic projector, of an ancient woman, completely bald and wearing high-collared amber robes.

"This is High Councilwoman Ga'Yl. Chrononauts, Kairos is under attack by the Terminus." Scholar gasped, Particle visibly took a step back, and Nightfall's hands clenched into fists. "We need you to find a way to repel this invasion. Please, this is the highest of-" Ga'Yl's face snapped to the right with an expression of shock. "The Omegadrones are breaching the Spire. I repeat, the Omegadrones are-" The signal shorted out.

The three Chrononauts dashed out of their craft and out towards the wider city.

[Ecalsneerg]

Last Account Of The Final Days of Kairos: Part Two

"How are we doing for the piloting systems?!" shouted Jeni, closing yet another blast door on the Spire's docks. From beyond, there came a resounding crash, and the shriek of a thousand Omegadrones coming closer. "Blast door three down, four still standing, five just up," she rattled off.

The temporal copy of her from ten minutes in the past nodded as she punched controls into yet another Chronopod dock, setting the co-ordinates and destination for its autopilot. "Just a couple more pods left."

"Hurry, Jeni!" came a woman's voice from a commlink. "We can't hold them. We need to evacuate now!" The prime Jeni pressed a button on her belt, and the holo-projector to her right brought up an image of the planet's primary spaceport. Hundreds of civilians cowered in various outbuildings and on helipads, as an army of sleek gold robots of various designs and weapons load-outs circled them, blasting away at the swarm of Omegadrones blackening the sky.

The most advanced suit of armour spun and twirled in the air, vaporising one Drone with a disruptor beam, turning another into paste with a projection of pure sonic vibration, retconning some from reality with a chronomissile. Automaton commanded her old armours from this most advanced one, forming an army of one without the risk of paradox the rest of her team incurred in doing such a thing.

And she was losing. To her left, a clunky, old looking suit was blasted into scrap metal. A woman screamed below her as one lucky Drone screeched in and impaled her at top speed. Seeing this, the prime Jeni turned and screamed at her temporal copy. "Move! Move! There's no time!"