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Beteje Species

Physical Description:

The Beteje are a mammalian race descended from forest-dwelling predators. The ancient Solarians that first surveyed Beteje during the Betejian Stone Age described them as "six-limbed oversized housecats" for their similarity in appearance to the terrestrial animals. The Betejian hands on their front legs are dextrous, with the paws on their middle limbs being able to grasp. Betejian coats generally run to browns and greys, sometimes with highlights of white showing up. A recessive gene can result in blacks, pure whites, and orange showing up, traits that have resulted in veneration or persecution at different times and societies.


Society:
The Beteje were discovered by the Solarians during their Stone Age, but there was no other interstellar contact until the Beteje achieved spaceflight.

The Beteje followed a general pattern as it developed, with extended families forming prides, and alliances of prides forming into clans, then clans joining together to form nations. Generally speaking, Betejian societies have been by custom matriarchal, but a few clans developed as patriarchal. In the modern era, there is no legal distinction between genders, with many historical male and female leaders both great and terrible. Socially may be another matter, as Betejens still generally show defference to gender based on their clan's history.

The modern Assembly formed after the Sundering, a pre-spaceflight worldwide conflict started a cascade of disasters starting with a large volcano eruption, the resulting short ice-age disrupting the climate worldwide. Many nations and even prides fell apart, and some clans disintegrated. After many years, the remaining stable nations and prides formed an alliance to restore order, working across old territorial boundaries to make certain that even if people went hungry, nobody starved. After decades of progress, the Assembly had control over the entire world as a unified state.

Recent History:

The Betejian Assembly, once it achieved space travel and joined the Council of Civilized Worlds and Fleets, did not see a need for much of a space military, instead preferring to build infrastructure. A few frigates and destroyers were commissioned, primarily as part of the CCWF requirement and anti-piracy roles, but the Beteje generally avoided conflict in the stars until the Dris'tarr came. Early reports of the Fringe were brushed off, as that was far from the Betejan space, but as more reports flooded in the Assembly began commissioning more warships. Having little experience with larger ships, the Assembly spaceyards concentrated on building more Destroyers and Frigates.

The leadership who authorized the spending were ridiculed at the time, but vindicated after the Battle of Aceldama saw the destruction of the CCWF Peacekeeping Fleet, along with all of the Assembly Navy aside a single heavily damaged frigate. By the time of the Battle of Drakhisia, the Assembly just had a six frigates and a single destroyer, all sent to support the Solarians at Drakhisia.

Destroyer, Assembly Naval Ship (ANS) Kujtim

The ANS Kujtim is a Sulmues-class Destroyer, originally designed for long term patrol and anti-piracy duties. Like most Betejian craft, it is fairly fast and agile, although perhaps slightly underarmored compared to other navy's destroyers, with a decent energy screen. The Kujtim's main weaponry are high intensity laser and energy beams, used primarily to disable hijacked or pirate vessels and allow boarding actions, although it is also equipped with two medium-sized railguns. The Sulmues also have a small boat bay, normally containing three marine assault boats to allow after-battle boarding actions.

The feature where the Sulmues shine - or specifically don't - is their Electronic Warfare package. Combined with carefully designing and shielding for stray energy signatures to assist in running dark, the Sulmues also are equipped with a suite of ECM/ECCM electronics meant to confuse and befuddle enemy sensors. While not quite able to achieve a 'true' cloak, a Sulmues can stay unnnoticed by enemy sensors longer than other vessels, as well as manipulate it's sensor profile to appear (electronically at least) as something else -  both larger vessels such as megaton freighters and Battlecruisers, and smaller vessels like frigates or tramp freighters. The Sulmues EW Suite is also integrated into it's anti-missile defenses, confusing incoming missiles and assisting the laser PD with taking down incoming missiles.

The Kujtim is a prototype Command version of the base Sulmues; it has a smaller boatbay with only two marine assault boats, with the freed-up space being used for a prototype technology called a "Command Datalink", allowing realtime transmission of sensor data between linked vessels. Specifically meant for targeting sensors, the Datalink can also used to integrate multiple ships' anti-missile defenses, theorhetrically increasing their effectiveness.

Captain Iye Sheptuar fish'Heshtar kre'Jeshter ko'Akullta:

Captain Iye Sheptuar's clan is atypical within it's Pride; a batch of fighters amongst merchants and artisans. A legacy from the Sundering when prides and even clans became fluid, clan Heshtar found its sibling clans gone or dead, and forced by circumstances to join with Pride Jeshter, which later joined the Akullta Nation as part of the Assembly. Heshtar has seen it's role wax and wane within Jeshter, seen as protectors during the Sundering, then nuisances afterwards, with respect rising up slightly as Heshtar provided the Assembly Navy with manpower out of proportion to their numbers.

Iye Sheptuar had a standard childhood; a mixture of the crafting education of his Pride and the martial education of his Clan lead him to the Naval Academy, where he showed decent skill at Astronavigation and small ship tactics. He graduated at the top end of his class and was commissioned as a Midshipman 20 years ago, being promoted over time to the rank of Commander by the time he was assigned as XO to the ANS Denuar, a frigate part of the CCWF Peacekeeping fleet. During the debacle of Aceldama, the Denuar was heavily damaged and a good portion of the crew killed, including it's Captain. Working through with poor medical supplies and his own personal, if superficial, injuries, Commander Sheptuar managed to get the Denuar clear of the slaughter and managed to bring his ship and remaining crew home.

While his physical recovery meant he could not join the Assembly Navy at Drakhisia, Sheptuar was giving command of the Kujtim and promoted to Captain. While some might have whispered calling him a coward for running at Aceldama instead of trying to fight his broken ship, the Assembly could not ignore the fact that Captain Iye Sheptuar was one of their few surviving command officers.

Iye refuses to talk about Aceldama, even to clan and pride Matriarch, or his family. His eyes and fur don't look so dull anymore, though.