Never has there been a more intriguing race…
—Excerpt from Jordok Juschev's Shapeshifters: a Reality
Shapeshifters (or Shallar as they prefer to call themselves) are a race of polymorphic creatures thought to be merely legend. They originated in the Far Unknown Regions, and, due to civil wars and friction, separated into several groups: the non-pureblood Juur'lan'iin (who became the modern Gurlanins), the non-pureblood genetically modified and selectively bred Crokes, the non-pureblood Shi'Ido (ancestors of the modern race of the same name), the highly mutated Veras (who became the Felacatians), the Pureblood Shapeshifters, and the unmodified Lorsanan Shapeshifters. The Lorsanan Shapeshifters disappeared a little after the First Jedi Purge, holding their own deep in the Far Unknown Regions where they remain isolated to this day. The Pureblood Shapeshifters were the cause of this isolation, as they were nearly completely destroyed in the Mandalorian Wars. They were nearly wiped out, with only a few left in the Galaxy. The race fell into legend, as they rarely ever revealed their race; however, several Purebloods live in the Galaxy to this day.
They are an interesting race, both plagued and gifted with their rare physiology that inadvertently can make them an extremely powerful opponent. However, this is restrained by their biological and mental fears and their general willful social oppression. The only known one who attained this near god-like peak is Rokur Gepta due to his offshoot race's genetic tampering.
They were, and may still be, a very artistic race, with reportedly many achievements in music and art in both aesthetic and architectural capacities, credited to their creative minds. However, their segregationalist and specisist attitude kept them from general discovery, thus making the true quality of these achievements impossible to gauge.
History[]
Early history[]
Lorsanan'sondora (meaning Royal Kingdom) was the homeworld of the Shapeshifters; it was located deep in the Unknown Regions. A monarchy/oligarchy was set up on this planet around 45,000-55,000BrS. Records were not kept until that time so there is no knowledge of what Shapeshifti culture or life was like prior to that, or how far they date back. The ruler of this half-monarchy, half-oligarchy was known as the Shaviantarth, usually a male, who would live in Savilta, a city made full of exquisite palaces and buildings. Residents could live there only under allowance of the Shaviantarth himself. The Consulate, a group of Shapeshifters similar to a miniature Senate, was made up of seven members, two from each of the three political parties and one High Consular to keep the other six from doing anything rash to one another and keep them in line.
With the formation of this kingdom, they began to set up a military force - a very efficient one by the records - containing few vehicles since they could already easily maneuver manually on land and in the sea and air due to their shapeshifting abilities. It is unknown what the natural Shapeshifter looked like in his natural form at this point; many agree that it was similar to a modern-day 'pureblood' Shapeshifter's form, felinoid with saurian head and neck.
When a Chiss picket fleet[1] discovered them in about 39,000BrS and proceeded to make the little world a part of their Ascendancy, a new world was opened up to the Shapeshifters. Because of their discovery, they gained access to high technology. Because of this, space travel became readily accessible to them. The Chiss did not overly occupy the planet, and considered it not really worth noticing, not thinking the little planet had anything to offer. It was also seen as primitive. Because the Shapeshifters were allowed to see and examine Chiss technology, their photographic memories allowed them to exactly copy the parts of the ships and soon gained power and prestige as shipbuilders. Their vast creativity allowed them to make several upgrades, and soon the company 'Lorsonan Shipyards,' or 'Lorsanan Tetres' was set up. The planet saw itself as independent, though they were still under the Ascendancy banner.
After gaining prominence in the shipyard industry, they also built numerous other technological devices. Lorsanan'sondora prospered, but were very secretive about how their products and technology were made, and made sure that none copied them. The Chiss greatly profited by the Shipyards, but then again, so did Lorsanan'sondora. The Shaviantarth now had the finances to pay for a war for their sovereignty's freedom, should the need arise.
The War of the Lorsanan Dissent[]
After Lorsanan'sondora had been made part of the Ascendancy, and had been for a little over two centuries, the Shapeshifters grew restless. They wanted to separate from the Ascendancy to become a commonwealth of their own. The Chiss began to notice that none of the Shapeshifters applied to become anything in the Chiss Ascendancy outside Lorsanan'sondora. Inquiries were made, but no answers were given. All at once, the Shaviantarth, Shaviantarth Kirlakenthranay III, proposed to the Ascendancy that Lorsanan'sondora break off from the Ascendancy to become its own monarchy/oligarchy. The Chiss refused; Lorsanan'sondora was too great an asset to be set free, unless Lorsanan Tetres remained Chiss property. Kirlakanthranay refused to give up the shipyards.
Afterwards, things went on as usual, but with what had happened and how silent Lorsanan'sondora was, the Ascendancy knew something was stirring.
About a decade after their denial of freedom, the Phalanxes and the Ruling Families received a message roughly like this: "High Ascendancy Families, Phalanxes, etc., greetings. For your previous denial of freedom, to break away from your esteemed House, to the planet known as Lorsanan'sondora, we, as the members of said planet, declare war. Grant us freedom and we will discontinue this revolution. ~ Signed Kirlakenthranay the Third, Shaviantarth of Lorsanan'sondora, Commander and Chief of the Shapeshifti military, Master of Disguise, Master of Tactics, Owner of the Lorsonan Tetres, and now your enemy."
Though Lorsanan'sondora was incredibly tiny compared to the Ascendancy and the proposal seemed ludicrous, little did the Chiss know how much the tiny world had planned this war. All of the ships from Lorsonan Tetres were built with a self-destruct that the Shaviantarth and several other trusted Shapeshifters could activate at the touch of the corresponding button or switch, something he'd added to give him the advantage in the war he knew was coming. Kirlakenthranay took advantage of this power. Everywhere, thousands of Chiss-owned battlecraft, cruisers, and Chiss exploded in an array of fireworks. And this was only the beginning.
Being Shapeshifters, they could look like anybody, everybody, so that by no physical test could they be distinguished. This easily gave the tiny army the power to control the opposing army. The Chiss didn't know whom to trust. Anyone could be a Shapeshifter. Persecutions began of anyone they accused as being Shapeshifters, even if they were only slightly suspicious. With the proceeding murder of thousands of innocents, the Shapeshifters had manipulated the Chiss people into destroying their own army. It was a brilliant, if barbarous and cruel tactic of the Shaviantarth: the tactic of fear.
The atrocities of the Shapeshifters strengthened the resolve of the Chiss fleet to crush the reptilians into submission, and to keep them in line before another massacre of this magnitude occurred. The Chiss were forced to abandon all Lorsonan Tetres ships, shaving their military down by a substantial percentage. The Shapeshifters' own small navy fought the Chiss in space battles against huge battle cruisers that they knew outnumbered and outgunned them. They didn't mind as much as they would, since they knew they could count on at least one, maybe two or three, were sabotaged. The Shapeshifters had easily penetrated the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet.
Due to the heavy losses, the Ruling Families decided that the damage Lorsanan'sondora had caused far exceeded Lorsanan Tetres's worth, especially if something like this were to happen again. As a result, Lorsanan'sondora was set free.
Though the War of the Lorsanan Dissent had lasted only a few months, both sides suffered heavy losses, the Chiss still had more firepower, but the Shapeshifters had done a good share of damage. Because of this war, there was lasting tension between the Chiss and the Shapeshifters. To this day, backstabbers and traitors are sometimes called the Cheunh word for 'Shifter,' (Kharamfphad) and 'Chiss' is Shikkri derogatory slang for 'Barbarian.'
During the transition and the removal of all Chiss from Lorsanan'sondora and all Shapeshifters from the Ascendancy, as per the agreement made in the treaty, Kirlakenthranay III died suddenly of a heart malady. Though it was well known that the Chiss had nothing to do with it, he was forever remembered as Kirlakenthranay the Martyr. The Shapeshifters took the movement of the different races out of their respective enemy's borders very seriously. They allowed that any Shapeshifters hereafter found within the Ascendancy could be forcibly deported without complaint from the Shapeshifters. Once the rogue Shapeshifter arrived back at Lorsanan'sondora, they would be held trial in accordance with what they'd done in the Ascendancy. For doing nothing illegal, they were still charged with treason and made to be a bondservant for at least twenty years. With a high enough record, the Shapeshifter would be charged with high treason and executed. This was clearly written out in the treaty, and Shapeshifters took their promises very seriously, written promises even more so.
Restoration[]
The Lorsanan banner
With the death of Kirlakenthranay the Martyr, Shaviantarth Leshir, Kirlakenthranay's nephew, was next in line for the 'throne' (or, as the Shapeshifters called it, the Cloak of Royalty), since Kirlakenthranay's sons had died in the war. The title 'Cloak of Royalty' referred to the distinctive clothing that defined the Shapeshifter as the Shaviantarth. The Cloak was typically not elaborate, but it was striking; bearing the colors of the banner of Lorsanan'sondora.
The Lorsanan colors were best described by a portion of the patriotic lines of Kierir'te of the Golden Feather, a great philosopher and writer. His most famous poem, "Vereel, Thailve, ret-Sharlimor" (Glory, Honor, and Justice), from whence the following verse is taken, could very well have been the Lorsanan anthem:
From Glory, Honor, and Justice
Red for the blood of the fallen brave,
Black to remind us what the brave fought against,
Gold for their reward.
Derran Leshir, though well knowledged and well taught in how to rule Lorsanan, was not prepared to try and recover from the War of the Lorsanan Dissent. Derran was, unfortunately, a weak ruler. Taxes were high, millions were wounded, thousands killed, food shortages were everywhere; the list of the post-war issues were unending. Derran tried valiantly, though fruitlessly, to mend Lorsanan'sondora's wounds. Shapeshifters by the thousands would have called for once more becoming part of the Ascendancy, had not Shapeshifters been so fiercely patriotic to their homeworld - if not to their Shaviantarth. The future of the fragile, new little commonwealth was in a delicate balance, and Shaviantarth Leshir was not the right Shapeshifter to strengthen it.
The Consulate and the High Consular all agreed that Leshir was not the ruler they needed during this dark time, and that he should resign. Leshir overturned their verdict—an act called verettin—and solidified his determination to make things right, both out of his indignation and pride. However, he, himself, might have stepped down had not the Consulate demanded it. This threw the sovereignty further into turmoil. His rule ended when Derran was assassinated by his Royal guard, who was later charged and executed for treason and assassination.
None of the Velden (Warrior) dynasty now survived; Derran Leshir had been the last of the line of the illustrious military Shaviantarths. Though he was not the last military ruler, it would be several hundred years before a warrior Shaviantarth would be greatly needed. Right now they needed someone who could restore the planet to its original glory, for it to shine brighter in the years ahead.
It was always Kirlakenthranay the Martyr's dream to explore the galaxy under the Lorsanan banner, but the Ascendancy only allowed that if they joined the Expansionary fleet, which the Shaviantarth had refused to do. Under the New Charter, the Lorsanan constitution, expansion could take place. For it to take place however, they needed to heal Lorsanan.
The rebuilding of Lorsonan, a twenty-seven year period known as the Restoration, was a long and grueling task that only a strong Shaviantarth could handle and accomplish. Because of the war, most of the Dynasty lines were killed off or lost; so, out of sheer desperation, the High Consular, known as Veliz Drailtan, proposed that he become Shaviantarth. The persuasion was tied, and because the High Consular could not have a vote since the query concerned him, a substitute Consular had the deciding vote. This substitute voted against the motion. This caused great tension between the two Shapeshifters. The substitute was among the people more, but knew less about politics, an argument Veliz used against the sub, named Therivin Revir. The tension grew hot, and while the common Shapeshifters waited for a Shaviantarth that would help the poverty-racked kingdom, Veliz challenged the confused Therivin to a duel to the death over the matter. Unable to back out because of risk of extreme poverty and death of illness to him and his family from being discharged in this terrible time, Therivin accepted. As was tradition, they were to fight at a place on which they both agreed, and under the conditions to which they agreed, with no outside interference whatsoever, and no weapons except their own bodies. It was a fight of honor. They met, and, after a long and grueling duel, Therivin won.
The Substitute Consular had no idea of the ramifications of his deed. Because of his victory, he automatically was given Veliz's place as High Consular. Being now eligible for the Cloak of Royalty, and his popularity with the Shapeshifters, who called him the 'Fighting Shaviantarth,' a motion was put in by one of the Consulars to make him the new ruler. The vote was unanimous.
Shaviantarth Revir, naïve though he was about politics and not well educated, knew what the common Shapeshifters needed. Slowly, the youth put back together the broken Lorsanan, but not without resistance. The higher class Shapeshifters complained about not getting enough attention, but Revir's common answer, which soon became a Shapeshifti proverb, was, "You did not break, so there's no need to fix you." Because he was a common Shapeshifter, he was extremely and disproportionally popular. He was often portrayed as a hero. Shaviantarth Revir, not knowing what to do with all of this fame, and not knowing how to convince the Shapeshifters otherwise—he just became more popular when he tried—started to let it get to his head. For twenty years he'd kept a clamp on his pride, but the arrogance that came with practically being worshiped had gotten to him. He was not the same Shapeshifter that was put into office. Though he completed the work of rebuilding Lorsanan, the final seven years he took to do so were much longer than he needed. To prolong his fame he dragged out the reconstruction; he'd become addicted to the adoration of the people.
Even when it was finished, Shaviantarth Revir still had his fame. But not as much as before, not because the Restoration was over and finished, but because the character that made him famous had disappeared. As it lessened, Therivin Revir, not having the strength of will he once had, and not knowing how to handle being Shaviantarth without a huge amount of support, tried continuously to better Lorsanan, with the added benefit of helping himself. His daughter, seeing what her father did wrong, and seeking to correct it in the eyes of the people without letting them know he'd changed, challenged her father to a duel for the Cloak. Unable to back out because of his reputation, Therivin Revir accepted. She easily won against the older Fighting Shaviantarth.
Rishari fights Therevin
Rishari Revir, the new Shaviantara (The feminine version of 'Shaviantarth') due to her success in the duel, didn't know what the reaction to her 'restoring the Cloak to those deserving it' would be to the Shapeshifters. Therivin was popular still, and though his popularity was waning, he still had captured the hearts of many Shapeshifters. The new Shaviantara was considered a murderer, and riots flared up everywhere. Rishari, wishing to appear just and righteous in the eyes of the Shapeshifters, did nothing about these rioters openly. She secretly had them killed off one by one by 'natural causes'. She feigned sorrow that her people were being killed off, despite the fact they were her enemies, starting to subtly claim that the rioters were dying off because they were in opposition to the 'true Shaviantara,' and because of this, a 'curse' had been put upon all those opposed to her. A fraction of the Shapeshifters, though not superstitious, began to believe that something was at work, if not a curse.
Shaviantara Revir's rule by deception seemed to have worked. She didn't have the hearts of the people, but she had no one really working against her. It was good enough for her. She began rearranging the military to the way she believed it to work better, and started reconstruction on Lorsanan Tetres, which had been harmed during the war. The hours on the work of rebuilding were grueling, she believed the purpose of the Shapeshifters was to serve her and do what she pleased, and she wanted to start conquering worlds. Grumbling started among the people, but none dared oppose her.
Without warning, the Shaviantara's sister, Risa, brought to light the deeds of her sister, Rishari. She had been waiting so long because Rishari was her own sister, and she didn't want to see her harmed. Because of this, instead of being killed, Rishari Revir was arrested and exiled. Risa took on the Cloak of Royalty, since she had no brother, son or mate to hand it off to. Risa, for what she had uncovered, was called the 'Lady of Truth.' She released the power over the different companies to allow them their freedom from her rule and allowing them to do as they wished within Shapeshifti law. She put the control of the Shapeshifti Royal Military under a Grand General, who knew more about war and tactics than she. She began rebuilding Lorsanan Tetres at a reasonable rate, and, eight years later, Lorsanan Tetres was running again, and at a better rate than before, as well as much larger. Instead of merely a large orbiting space station, it was now a half ring around Lorsanan. It was about this time that the Lady of Truth fell in love with the Grand General. She married the general, and, at his consent, passed the Cloak on to him. Zenith Aiyanor was now Shaviantarth of Lorsanan. He appointed another Grand General, but, since he had once claimed that title, it was as if he was promoted and became the first Commander-in-Chief, a title that was from then on passed on along with the title of Shaviantarth. He also established the tradition of instead using the last name in the Cloak's title; the first name would be used to prevent confusion.
Zenith ruled well. He was not a politician, but a general, thus his ways were more straightforward and honest. He gave the Shapeshifters a break by delaying mass construction of ships and kept it at a minimum, as a result, lowering the taxes levied on the people. He strengthened their military and let more of Lorsanan rule themselves, as long as they were within the confines of the law. Zenith and Risa, being young, ruled for sixty-two years until Shaviantarth Aiyanor grew ill and died, and, an hour later, his mate died by his side in sorrow. The reign of these two Bearers of the Cloak was called the Rule of Doves ('Doves' being the closest translation in Basic. The word literally means 'bird of love and peace,' 'dove' is the common translation).
The Beginning of Expansion[]
Their only son, Kasad, took on the Cloak when his parents died. Kasad Aiyanor, now Shaviantarth Kasad Aiyanor, learned much from his parents, but he knew that now was the time to advance, to remain in the status quo any longer would run the risk of steady decay. He gradually raised the taxes to accommodate building up the Shapeshifti Navy, and hired skilled architects to upgrade and refurbish the designs, thus improving the fleet. It was his dream to come up with a cruiser for the military since they did not have one before. They had no need of one when they were using the Chiss's own designs, but Kasad wanted the Shapeshifters to have their own unique shipbuilding design and functionality. The cruiser design was drawn up and built, the cruiser class being known as Martyr's Dream (or Dream for short) in honor of Shaviantarth Kirlakenthranay III. The first Dream-class Shapeshifti cruiser was named the Dove, in honor of the Rule of Doves, which had ended around ten years prior. It was a huge cruiser, bigger than anything they'd ever built before, next to Lorsanan Tetres. They equipped it with thousands of weapons systems and it was, at the time, very highly advanced. Shapeshifter technology was built to last, the Dove still serving in the Shapeshifti Navy five hundred years after her construction, and still functional after a little over six hundred years later.
Another one of the inventors of the time invented the Remmera style of fighter. This fighter had metal 'fins' which came down below the man chassis—the bottom of which was flat—and was lined with a metal that easily cut though most anything. A similar cutting substance was built onto the pointed front of the ship. The Remmera was built to slice through other ships by riding extremely close to them, so that the bottom, which was coated in a slippery substance, would slide over the hull and cut right through the ship's surface. The Shapeshifters kept secret what the two kinds of artificial metals were made of so that they would dominate the market of them, and probably keep them only for the Shapeshifti Navy. The Remmeras were a devastating vehicle and soon became famous for ripping right through ships. Because of their high cost and the fact that they had no guns, high shields, and sophisticated computer technology to keep it from crashing, Remmeras were slightly expensive and, as a result, not extensively used.
Through several more Shaviantarths the Navy and the new Expansionary fleet were built up. The technology was similar to that used by Chiss since their technology was what the Shapeshifters had to start from, so there were several similarities. At the end of about one hundred fifty years, during Kasad's grandson, Verosay's rule, The Shapeshifters were ready to explore outside their borders.
Since Lorsanan'sondora was near the edge of the Ascendancy, they did not need to fight the Chiss during expansion as they used the Chiss version of Square 5 (Meaning the fifth dimension, the Shapeshifter term for hyperspace. The actual term was Shannet Lay, sometimes shortened to just Shannet) to start exploring outside the Ascendancy. The Era of Expansion, an approximately thousand year era covering years of expansion and growth, caused the Lorsanan banner to expand to accommodate forty-two inhabitable planets, twenty-eight uninhabitable but of value, and seventy-eight barren and worthless planets. They typically took over worlds peacefully, only using force when only extremely needed. Battles, however, weren't frequent, since there were not many sapient beings with which to battle or bargain. Lorsanan's wealth and power increased dramatically.
Shaviantarth Zenith II in a Chiss-based (humanoid) form
The line of Shaviantarths after Shaviantarth Verosay, the length of their reign and the inhabitable planets found during their reign were Shaviantarth Rajaran, who reigned forty-five years; Shaviantarth Verosay II, ruling forty-nine years; Shaviantara Talmekarra, who ruled sixty-three years, the planets Verosay and Kowak I discovered during her rule; Shaviantarth Karandos, who discovered Serlis'sharessir'vorune and Virlak and reigned thirty-eight years; Thertanis V, who ruled sixty-nine years and was also known as Thertanis the Brave, also discovering the planet Tamishai; Shavaintarth Rantor, who ruled forty-seven years and discovered Dekrimonia, Sharessa, and Veriss; Shaviantara Sariousa, who ruled forty-three years and was known as the Gentle Shaviantara; Shaviantara Juliara VI, who ruled seventy-nine years and named the planet discovered after herself; Shaviantarth Sharrethan, who discovered Vesk, Lorsanan (the planet), and Raynes and ruled fifty-seven years. There ruled after Sharrethan Shaviantarth Varamir, the unfavored son of Sharrethan and an outlaw of sorts, was begrudgingly given the Cloak after his father went insane because of Varamir's brother's death. Walura'serlis was discovered during his rule. Shaviantarth Varamir was killed by his father a week into his reign. Sharrethan jumped out of one of the towers and died that same day. Because of this, Varamir was from then on known as Varamir the Innocent. The young Shaviantarth had only one son, whom he named Zenith II.
The Creation of The Shannet[]
Shaviantarth Zenith II, named after Zenith of the Doves, was a military genius in his day. He ruled about halfway through the Era of Expansion. Zenith II realized that Lorsanan wouldn't live in peace forever; with all of these planets owned by Lorsanan, there's bound to be a war, either among themselves or with someone outside their borders. In which case, Lorsanan'sondora might be attacked, and Lorsanan'sondora was in a vulnerable spot: it was on the very edge of Lorsanan (which they had began to call their empire). It was, in fact, and encircled by Chiss-owned planets. The most important assets of Lorsanan were Lorsanan'sondora and Lorsanan Tetres, both of which were terribly vulnerable. Zenith II decided to do something about it.
It was a bold move, but Zenith II made a motion to relocate the capitol to another planet. It caused a rift in the Consulate, which was now much larger to encompass the inhabitants of Lorsanan's then thirteen populated planets. Many merchants, business owners and companies were housed on Lorsanan'sondora due to the fact it was the capitol and thus the center of economic activity. It was prosperous to be on Lorsanan'sondora, and such a move would eventually require them to move, as well, to base in the new economic hub. This move would cost them much more than they could afford. The merchants held a protest to the movement, and since they held a lot of influence with the Lorsanan purse strings, the motion was turned down by the Consulate. It didn't matter; Zenith II had a backup plan.
Not long before, a planet had been found that closely resembled Lorsanan'sondora, and was near the center of Lorsanan. Because of this, it was named Lorsanan'sondora II, sometimes called Vikan, which means 'sister.' At the time Zenith II was thirty-one, buildings and communities were set up, similar to those on Lorsanan'sondora. Once that was well on its way to completion, Zenith II made an extreme proposal, even more extreme than his earlier proposition, so wild as to even have a good fraction of Shapeshifters wonder about his sanity. He proposed to build a Shannet (hyperdrive) unit big enough to move Lorsanan'sondora.
The idea was considered ludicrous, but, despite its fantastic nature, it was actually considered; a miracle in itself. The basic problem was where Zenith II planned to get his funding for such a massive undertaking; he certainly couldn't tax the people to death to do it, and he didn't plan to.
Zenith II began constructing facilities on the planets that were uninhabitable to harvest whatever was of value in or of the planet. It cost a lot to build the factories so they could stay intact with the planets' harsh environments and atmospheres, but it paid back in plenty. It took Zenith thirty years to gain the finances to build the Lorsanan Shannet (as it had been dubbed). Unfortunately, when at last all of the pre-construction work was done, Zenith II died of old age before the foundation could be laid. Zenith the Crazy, the Shapeshifter's opponent's title for the Shaviantarth, was seen as insane by most of the Shapeshifters. No one had really explained to them the reason behind making Lorsanan Shannet. It wouldn't be until around two hundred years later that the wisdom of his enterprise became widespread, when Zenith the Crazy's title was changed to Zenith the Visionary.
Zenith II's son, Shaviantarth Zenith III, agreed with his father on constructing the Lorsanan Shannet. In the instance there was a war, the planet could be moved to the most defended place. He went ahead on the construction, despite the grumbling of the people that all Zeniths must be crazy. In fact, Zenith III went a step further in starting construction on a hyperdrive for Lorsonan Tetres, which now was a full ring around Lorsanan'sondora. The Consulate saw no real harm in doing it, though it was seen as crazy, and only allowed Zenith III to build it under the rule that it must not cost over the budget from the treasury that the High Consular would set up. It was obvious the Consulate wanted to halt his venture in a fairly legal manner, as the budget was outrageously low for a task that gigantic. Despite the money put aside by his father for the project, it was not quite fully enough, and Zenith III was not allowed to tax the people to get the remaining amount. So, instead, Zenith III overturned the High Consular's decision. It was a bold act to do, and though not technically illegal, was an act looked down upon. He didn't care, he had obtained the finances he needed from the treasury and spent it in his father's and his dream, making a legacy for himself. He wanted this enterprise that he felt would one day be useful (which it was) to be commemorated as put into action by him, the self-proclaimed Zenith the Great. The inhabitable planet discovered under his rule was named after this moniker, Lorsanan'zenith, meaning Zenith the Great. He taxed the people for more money, since most of it was used in making Lorsanan Shannet and Tetres Shannet, in order to build himself a second summer vacation house. Ironically, the day before it was completed, 'Zenith the Great' died of heart failure. He was remembered only in infamy.
The Lorsanan Shannet
Zenith III's son, Shaviantarth Zenith IV, continued the fight for Lorsanan and Tetres Shannet. Much work was done during his short reign: a good portion of the framework was laid, and beginnings of the massive engine were underway. Lorsanan Shannet had to be extremely massive, but Zenith IV saw it as a challenge to Shapeshifti ingenuity, a challenge that he felt must be faced. If the Shapeshifters could complete this task, they knew that they could complete smaller ones, and, eventually, larger ones.
They were forced to build the massive Lorsanan Shannet in the desolate Tentek Tharres - meaning Dead Ocean. Nothing grew in that portion of Lorsanan'sondora, and barely anything lived because of the semi-toxic mineral deposits on the sea floor. Because of this location, the Shannet had to be waterproof and had to be concealed within the planet, as well as covered with a shield to protect it from harm. That meant they had to conceive a way to safely move the part of the ocean that covered the gigantic device out of the way to activate the machine. In the end, the way it worked was to have the Shannet raise itself out of the water. To make sure that the continents of Lorsanan Thel, Lorsanan Krase, and Lorsanan Shai and the islands of Lorsanan Vethain, Mey, Karas, and Jerrath did not flood, that portion of the water was surrounded with artificial mountains made to look like natural ones that would be able to contain the water within that one area. The power to drive the Shannet was gained from a huge power plant that harvested leftover energy from Lorsanan'sondora's core. The surrounding area of Tentek Tharres would be made to look natural and untouched for centuries so no one would suspect the technological wonder beneath it.
However, though that was the plan, Zenith IV would not live to oversee it. Only the framework was finished when the Shaviantarth died of poisoning only two years into his reign. It is unknown as to whether he died by an accident or by assassination. Despite his short reign, two planets were discovered during his rule: Tetres (which he planned to be a shipyard and construction world, hence the name) and Tah'ludene, a planet inhabited by marine reptilians that kept mostly to themselves. It was the first inhabited planet they had come across. A war was fought with the reptilians, who only wanted to kill the Shapeshifters that had found them, but the war was woefully short, due to their primitive weaponry and the fact that they could not 'shift' and thus had not the element of surprise.
That small war caused the young Shaviantarth to wonder if that was what the Shapeshifters were like when the Chiss had discovered them. Because of this, Zenith IV decided not to annihilate the Khavasskh, as the reptilians called themselves, and instead let them mostly run their own lives as they had, not interfering unless their affairs collided with Lorsanan's. Zenith IV's part in the short Battle of Tah'ludene was very important. He did not want to destroy the reptilians but instead just teach them Shapeshifter superiority was manifested as he led the charge against them. This was to erase from the Khavasskh's mind any hint that the Shapeshifters had won merely by technology, and had they not that technology, would have easily lost. That kind of rebellion was not needed in Lorsonan right then. Zenith IV showed great bravery during that marine battle. Because of that bravery and how he had diplomatically handled the dealings with the Khavasskh, he gained the title his father had so desperately sought after: Zenith the Great.
So it happened that Zenith IV's cousin Visarinthal Karinak took the Cloak upon Zenith's tragic death. Shaviantarth Visarinthal oversaw the completion of Lorsonan Shannet and Tetres Shannet, but only begrudgingly. He did not approve of the project; however, his father did, and Visarinthal obeyed his wishes because his father was well nigh in years, and the Shaviantarth's inheritance promised to be high. Before the construction was finished, Visarinthal had already obtained the inheritance. Fortunately, it seemed a shame to him to waste all of that work, so he let the two Shannets be completed. As a result, both Shannets were completed after almost fifty years' labor.
They were grand accomplishments for the Shapeshifti race, though the Shapeshifters as a whole didn't see the point in it and were, frankly, tired of it. Visarinthal, seeing the discontent of the Shapeshifters, lowered the taxes back to their previous amount and expressed more leniency, lightening the load of those under his rule.
Visarinthal, once it seemed everyone was at least slightly contented once more, started the second phase of Zenith II's grand plan for the Shannet. The first phase was building the Shannet and starting to move the people who did not trust the Shannet would work. If the Shapeshifters did not want to stay on the planet during the first test run of the Shannet, just in case Lorsanan'sondora blew up or was otherwise was damaged or harmed, they could be transported to Lorsanan'sondora II, the planet discovered during Zenith II's reign. They would be housed there, and any assets lost if the Shannet did cause harm to the world would be compensated in full by written Shapeshifti law. In fact, the Shaviantarths had put aside enough finances to pay the way for people to move to Lorsanan'sondora II.
Once the first phase was finished, Visarinthal started up the Shannet, after all of the preparations were in order. Visarinthal decided he would not leave Lorsanan'sondora to make sure of his safety, but, instead, ride out whatever happened. The first run of the Lorsanan Shannet was a success. It wasn't the fastest Shannet, but it worked, and only took four hours to activate, which was very good time for the machine's size. The planet made it to its planned destination, exactly according to the coordinates. As a celebration, when Lorsanan'sondora was moved back to its original position, and a holiday was set up in commemoration of the event, The Day of the Shannet.
Shaviantarth Visarinthal died of old age fifty-eight years into his reign. The Cloak then went to his son-in-law, Shaviantarth Jellor. During his reign, the military was again upgraded, and improved weapons were developed. Among the accomplishments of this Shaviantarth's rule were the Bullett-class fighters: fighters shaped like bullets but with a tapering tail. Similar to Remmeras, Bulletts were built to cut through enemy flagships. Unlike Remmeras, Bulletts were only armored and lined with a kind of extremely hard diamond on the 'nose' of the vehicle. There were no viewports; the only way the pilot could see was through monotone screens that portrayed what was going on as if there was a viewport. The fighter was meant to plunge head on straight into and through enemy cruisers and flagships, coming out the other side. Only because of the screens were they more expensive to make than Remmeras, and even then, not by much. Because of this and how much better their performance was, Bulletts virtually replaced the Remmera as an anti-cruiser fighter.
Fighters of the Lorsanan military
Improvements for other vehicles came about, as well. Mantas, a three-person fighter, replaced the outdated Tanis. It had the qualities of much better shields and more powerful sarrith, the Shapeshifti adaptation of the Chiss charric, as well as the newer firestem launchers. These launchers shot superheated chunks of mental, some sharpened, some rounded to a sphere shape, at enemy fighters. It could throw ships out of their intended path as well as cause damage. The spear-like ones superheated the metals and gases within the fighter, and, most likely, cause part or all of it to explode. The sharper ones were more mass-produced than the spheres because it was easier to make and more deadly. Numerous other improvements to already existing ships appeared, as well, causing merely upgrades, and not total ship replacements. Freighters, flagships and cruisers were upgraded during this time. The fighters, however, were not equipped with shannets of their own. It was a pet peeve of Jellor that they could build a shannet big enough to move a planet but could not build one small enough to move a fighter, but nothing could be done about it during his lifetime.
The Three Year's War[]
His daughter, Risa II, named after Risa of the Doves, took the Cloak after her father and mother died 31 years into Shaviantarth Jellor's reign. She started construction on the planet Tetres for another shipyard to be built around it. A large shipyard station was already in orbit around it, but she wanted to expand. Construction began in earnest. She also strengthened the military. Little did she know how useful that army and navy they were so proud of would be in the years ahead of her and her people.
Twenty years into Shaviantara Risa II's rule, about 35,000BrS, they began to notice a navy being built up around the outskirts of their borders. It was a large navy, consisting of strange—and, in their opinion, ugly—vehicles and cruisers. Any and all picket forces sent to investigate disappeared. Finally, Risa herself and the Grand Admiral, Veykar, decided to look into this strange alien force. Though they arrived in a warship (In fact it was the Dove), they made it clear to whoever it was that their intentions were, at least for the moment, peaceful. The strange ships allowed them to stray closer the most massive of the ships, and then, when the Shapeshifti patrol was seemingly surrounded, the opposition started firing. Veykar, who had prepared for this sort of ambush, managed to get the patrol out safely, though with heavy losses. During their escape, they made sure to try to put a dent in the opposing army's ships as well. The battle was known as the Ambush of Tharvias, since Tharvias was the closest planet, albeit uninhabitable and worthless.
Occupation of the creatures started not long after, when they made an enemy landing at Tamishai. The aliens, who looked like tall, bulky, grey Chiss to the Shapeshifters, proved to be formidable. After a bloody battle, the intruders took over Tamishai. Lorsanan was in a crisis. The invaders fought with strange weapons, weapons that the Shapeshifters could feel had life in them; they weren't of metal. Biological weapons, such as poison and certain gases, were used, and melee weapons were frequent. The warriors would not surrender and fought to the death, against all odds, and were hard to kill. This wasn't going to be another battle with the Chiss, this was completely different. But the Shaviantara didn't give a centimeter. Her famous quote sums up her resolve: "If it's a war they want, they'll get it. When you attack unprovoked, that's what Shapeshifters do. Fight to the death? We can, too. Bred for war? We are, too. Surrender? Unthinkable. What they did to the jervat they will do to you. You want then to use mutants of our race against us? I didn't think so. We'll fight this war. We'll win. That is the only choice. We'll penetrate their defenses and tear them up from the inside out, as we have always done. We'll cut through their monstrosities of machines and slice them to shreds. We were born with claws, and now they are meant to rip the hearts out of these 'Oozzinvon.' Strategy? Yes I have a strategy: we win, they lose."
The 'Oozzinvon'—a mispronunciation of the aliens' name, since Shapeshifters could not readily pronounce it any better; the real name of the invaders is never mentioned in the databanks—may have had just as much resolve as they, and more potent weapons, but the Shapeshifters had two things going for them: creativity and the ability to shift. Shapeshifti Intelligence (Shallar'ir'say Innaruth in Shikkri, or ShaIn, more commonly known as just 'Shain') discovered and deduced that somehow the 'Oozzinvon' would make whatever prisoners they took into animals that would fight for them. This was so feared that Grand General Veykar proposed that any who feared or were faced with the possibility of being captured could have an explosive device on them that would, at a signal from the wearer, cause the wearer to explode, thus leaving nothing for the 'Oozzinvon' to glean from the Shapeshifters. It was only a precaution, but every 'shifter spy disguised as an 'Oozzinvon' was equipped with one; it was mandatory.
As part of the Shapeshifter's normal way to win a war, plenty of spies were sent out to impersonate Oozzinvons and even some of the higher ranking among them. Because they could easily copy their biometrics, they could use their weapons, and copy them without inflicting pain to themselves. Through this, they could sabotage missions, and easily brought back sensitive information about the invaders. In this way, the tiny army was able to hold their own against the larger 'Oozzinvon' navy.
However, the war ahead looked bleak. Despite their espionage tactics and impersonations, it was obvious the 'Oozzinvon' had the upper hand. In space battles, strange worm-like weapons would latch onto their vehicles and leech their personnel and equipment into space, and blackish spheres would 'swallow' their fighters and insect-like creatures would eat away at their ship's hulls. The enemy fought with seemingly primitive but highly effective weapons and starships, which the Shapeshifters were not prepared for. However, these advantages in space were nothing compared to the 'Oozzinvon' advantage on the ground. Their advancement in melee combat and their resistance to sarrith bolts overwhelmed the Shapehsifters. Even when Shapeshifti melee weapons were constructed to answer this threat, they still seemed to be of no good against the 'Oozzinvon.' However, just as the intruders, the Shapeshifters fought to the death, with surrender being the farthest thought from their minds. Because of this, a mass slaughter of Shapeshifters was not without a price.
The leader of the intruders, called the 'Equivalent Shaviantarth' by the Shapeshifters, was an 'Oozzinvon' named Jimmiael, their 'Grand General' was Vithareth Lah, and the leader of a strange cult of the 'Oozzinvon' was Lakor. Another well-known 'Oozzinvon' was Shaekreth, who seemed to the Shapeshifters to be a biologist of some sort, who, along with other 'biologists' made 'mutants' of creatures and sapients. He was the most feared of the 'Oozzinvon' because of this ability, though the warriors were far more deadly. They also discovered that the name of the naval force was 'Fleet of the Shamed/Banished'—its real name peculiarly difficult for the Shapeshifters to pronounce. Though the Shapeshifters became fluent in understanding the language, some even able to speak it, the 'Oozzinvon' had also unraveled Shikkri. During the duration of the war, it was found that these 'Oozzinvon' were somehow connected to the innate telepathic ability of Shapeshifters. Somehow, they could harness this power to do things unexplainable; things that only a few in the Shapeshifter population could achieve, and precious few in their history learned. They could also communicate telepathically, move things around without touching them, and influence the minds of nonsentients. This, besides confusing the Shapeshifters, also helped the 'Oozzinvons' in their campaign. However, because of the Shapeshifter's natural connection to this power via telepathy, they could be warned about the impending use of these powers.
The war had dragged on for a little more than two years. Both sides were doing damage to each other, and as they both grew to understand their enemy, the war became all the more fierce. Shapeshifters managed to control fleets of the enemy warships by killing and disposing of the real commander, then change to look like him. However, the 'biologists' were able to create weapons that were more effective for killing the Shapeshifters, and late in the war, they were able to make an insectoid parasite—called a jzark; an approximately seven centimeter long locust-like insect—that attached itself to the back of a Shapeshifter's neck and prevented the Shapeshifters from 'shifting, as well as causing excruciating pain to the victims, and was nearly impossible to remove without killing the injured Shapeshifter. In some later ground battles, the difficult-to-produce symbiots were released in swarms upon the Shapeshifters, rendering them much easier to kill, since only the very strong-willed ones could stand being 'jzarked' without soon falling, writhing to the ground.
However, the Shapeshifters made use of the technology used by the 'Oozzinvons', carefully observing how it was made and done when they had penetrated the invader's military. They were able to replicate the 'Oozzinvon's' 'amvistav' by transplanting a strange 'construction pool' (As the Shapeshifters called it) into Lake Vilizarre. The Shapeshifters were also intrigued by the way the 'Oozzinvons' seemed to 'become' their vehicles, allowing them to better pilot them. It took a long time in replicating, but the Shapeshifters managed to create that technology. However, it usually caused extreme confusion afterwards, except to Shapeshifters that frequently flew, thus becoming used to the feeling. Also during this time, Shapeshifters were forced to create their own versions of swords, with a special metal weave[2] that was able to cut through almost anything, except for the invaders' strange armor. Each side gained information about the other, getting better weapons, finding better ways to destroy the other species. In short, they were practically in deadlock, with the 'Oozzinvon' slowly pounding and chipping away at the Shapeshifters' waning defenses.
The impending doom of the Shapeshifter's defeat was looming closer, but the Shapeshifters would not go down without a fight. At last, the new Grand General—Grand General Veykar had fallen in battle about a year into the war—who was named Akarian, came up with a daring idea. Two of the abandoned Martyr-class cruisers, the Honor and the Fist of the Fallen, which were abandoned because of extreme damage, would have their shannet repaired, and then were to be filled with explosives. Using a precision-based microjump, a tactic they'd learned from the Chiss, they were to ram into the sides of the most gargantuan of the ships, getting as far into it as they could before blowing up. In order for the plan to successfully work, however, the two cruisers needed a skeleton crew of Shapeshifters who were willing do die for the attack. Akarian was the first to sign up for the skeleton crew of Honor, and it wasn't long before two crews of brave Shapeshifters had signed up.
As a distraction, a good portion of the Shapeshifti fleet would start a dogfight in the heart of the enemy navy, thus drawing fire away from the two cruisers. Unfortunately, the plan had a few setbacks once it was begun. However, a slightly ruined plan is better than none at all. Sections of the two ramships ships were being turned to slag, blowing up parts of the vehicles, but the Honor and the Fist kept on calculating their microjump, and after a painful delay, they came at the 'Oozzinvon' flagship from opposite sides and drove into the ship, then exploding. The Martyr-class cruisers were about a fifth the size of the command ship, and because of the organic nature of the vessel, they caused severe damage to the massive vessel, as well as destroying nearby fighters.
Akarian's last words, telepathically said to the Shaviantara, were 'Though the price may be high;' a line from Vereel, Thailve, ret-Sharlimor. In context, the lines are:
We may've been meant
For war and blood;
But it's for those who cannot fight
Whose cause you're fighting for.
Though the price may be high,
It is worth the battle and the blood
So long as we never surrender
What is good.
Unfortunately, the plan backfired somewhat when some of the explosives and the unforeseen size of the blast caused damage to some of the Shapeshifti ships. It harmed mostly fighters, but one cruiser in particular, the Rodiron's Claw—led by Shaviantara Risa's son, Rodiron'enith (meaning Braveheart)—was critically damaged. Risa's only son died in the explosion.
The costly move greatly hurt the 'Oozzinvon', pushing them towards surrender. Although they would not surrender until almost a year later, the war had practically been won at the Battle of Kowak II, as it was named. Only a few minor skirmishes followed it until the 'Oozzinvon' agreed to come to terms. They were pushed to inhabit an outlying planet, which the aliens named Shuno'tar. In return for keeping out of Lorsanan affairs, they would be undisturbed and left to their own. Because of the length of time it took to fight off the invaders, the war with the 'Oozzinvon' was christened the Three Years' War.
The End of an Age[]
With the end of the Three Years’ War came once more rebuilding what had been torn down. This war, being much longer lasting and devastating than the War of the Lorsanan Dissent, would take much longer to recover from. Consequently, Risa spent the rest of her life dedicated to rebuilding the Lorsanan. She died sixty-one years into her reign, three planets discovered during it: Rella, Risa, and Kowak III.
Despite the fact that the war was over and peace had been made with the ‘Oozzinvon,’ many Shapeshifters weren’t satisfied with the solution and wanted the invaders thoroughly destroyed. Unrest began and was stilled, though continuous riots about it came here and there, mostly that the Ten’turl’say (meaning Deadheads) were planning to destroy Lorsanan for vengeance. Though the movement was somewhat popular, Kek-theleric-jurr’von (Association for the Elimination of the ‘Oozzinvon’) was kept under control.
Risa had made plans for her death and, after the death of her only beloved son, Rodiron’enith, she adopted the child of her younger sister, her brother-in-law having died in the war and her sister dying before she could even name him. Risa named the cub Kariyas, and changed her own last name and in doing so, her legacy’s reign, to Rodiron. Since Kariyas meant ‘remember,’ she had in essence named her son ‘remember Rodiron’ in memorial of her cub.
Because of this, when Kariyas came of age and took on the Cloak after his adopted mother died, he was hard pressed to live up to Rodiron’enith’s legacy. There was a lot of pressure to be like the now-legend Rodiron’enith had become. He was almost seen as the hero’s replacement, and as such, he tried to be as good a Shaviantarth as everyone had predicted Rodiron’enith would be. He lived a double life, forever trying to be the boy he wasn’t. In trying to build up his own fragmented self-esteem, Kariyas named the planets found during his rule after himself, in different ways. It was a kind of irony, since he’d named the planets the names he wished he could be called: Lorsanan’kariyas (Kariyas the Great), Zei’kariyas (Kariyas the Strong), and Retha’kariyas (Kariyas the Wise). When he was dying fifty-seven years into his reign, his last words were an admittance that he should have been called himself Vekad’jeres’kariyas: Kariyas the two-faced fool.
Kariyas’s son was named Jorsiruus, an elaborate form of the word Jorsir, meaning misery. He had, in essence, done to his son what his adopted mother had done to him. Jorsiruus worked to ignore it and went on to be his own Shapeshifter. When he took the Cloak, he was determined not to be shoved into a mold, like his father had been. He did his best to finish up any rebuilding there needed to be done as he continued the Lorsanan search through the stars for more inhabitable planets. The populations were growing, it wasn’t anything serious now, and the war had slowed it down quite a bit. However, Jorsiruus didn’t want to have to worry about overpopulation, and so he continued looking for inhabitable or profitable planets. He also made sure not to overlook the planets already owned by Lorsanan, but being Shaviantarth was now a much bigger job than it had been millennia before. He needed the help of the now much larger Consulate to handle all of the matters that were on every single world. Being very hands-on, he tried to learn as much as he could about an expenditure or project before he let it pass. However, there were so many things to look over that it was too much for one Shapeshifter. Therefore, he banded together a group of Shapeshifters he knew he could trust and who knew where he stood. They mostly just kept an eye on things and tightened the leashes on the Consulate. It was met with protest, but it went mostly unnoticed. He also looked into the records of the members of the Consulate, as thoroughly as he could in lieu of his tight schedule. In doing so, he made sure he had enough skeletons to rattle should he ever need to ‘persuade’ any of the Consulate to see his point of view.
As Jorsiruus got along in years, he made plans for the next Shaviantarth to rule after him. He had three sons, but he didn’t think them experienced or knowledgeable enough, so he appointed his Advisor, Zerekad, to rule once he was dead. His sons, Serin, Siruus, and Slondar, were not aware of this exchange in power, and needless to say, when Jorsiruus died, they were enraged to see the Cloak passed to someone else. This pushed the two elder brothers to concoct a scheme to get Zerekad out of office the easiest way: by assassination. Slondar, the youngest, was privy to their scheme but did not contribute nor did he give away their plan, since they would most likely reel him in if they were caught. Three months into his reign, Zerekad was killed, mysteriously, with no proof whatsoever that it had been murder.
Pleased with themselves, Serin and Siruus started to plan how they would co-rule Lorsanan—they were not going to let Slondar have any part of it, as he hadn’t had any part of the coup. Slondar took no offense and waited patiently for the perfect time to come. It didn’t take long, for it wasn’t very long before Serin and Siruus began fighting over who would rule what part of the Lorsanan, and then, just who would rule the entirety of it. The argument grew heated and rose to death threats. Slondar, sensing the time was ripe, planted the idea into his brothers’ mind to have a death duel over the matter. They were all too eager to accept the idea from their scorned little brother, and the time and place was set.
However, Slondar, knowing the details of the scheduled fight, cleverly rigged the fight so that both of the contestants would die. When the duel occurred, everything went smoothly, and, with no elders standing in the way, Slondar took the Cloak.
The First Great Division[]
As Shaviantarth, Slondar continued this thread of deals and manipulations to get his way, arranging and working with events until it worked to his satisfaction. Using this method, he managed to get rid himself of any adversaries in the Consulate: one by manipulating him into doing something woefully dishonorable, two by tricking them into resigning, and one by ‘an unfortunate hunting accident.’ By paying his allies well enough, he dodged being impeached by his unlawful acts, and by controlling the judges, any Shapeshifter objecting to an immoral deed would be found guilty of ‘disturbing the peace,’ and, in some cases, treason.
However, Shapeshifters never did well when forced, especially those who were the relatives of the few who were executed for ‘treason.’ Riots broke out, and the terrorizing of unlawful judges began, with some ending up dead. To meet this new enemy, Slondar passed the Riot Act, which declared that any riots against the present Shaviantarth consisting of over twenty-one participants could be arrested and molested and any participants stripped of legal protection. It was outlandish, but Slondar’s tight control over the Consulate—a privilege gained by his father—caused the bill to be passed. Everywhere, Shapeshifters were persecuted for their discontent. As a result, Slondar tightened the noose around the commoner’s necks without realizing he was tightening his own. Murmurings and grumblings about their lost freedom were rampant, but there were no public displays of this, lest they be sentenced to servitude. However, it was well known that a revolution was fast mounting the horizon, and, fifty-three years into Slondar’s reign, it began. Two things ignited the declaration of rebellion: his opening up small trade with the ‘Oozzinvon,’ and his passing the Interrogation Act, in which an individual suspected of harboring malcontent with the Shaviantarth could be brought into a court of law and brutally interrogated to find if it were true. Though opening up small trade with the ‘Oozzinvon’ was not a bad thing, it actually helped the economy, Shapeshifters had a tendency to hold grudges, and so, the Jiinine Rebellion began. The Jiinine Rebellion, named after the fiery and eloquent Shapeshifter that started it, sought to overturn all of Slondar’s followers, starting an outright war. On faction of this Rebellion, called the Juur’lan’iin (meaning ‘purebloods only’), were extreme in their hatred and intent to drive out and annihilate the ‘Oozzinvon.’
Even then, Shaviantarth Slondar manipulated the events to his benefit, subtly planting evidence that enemies of his were actually his allies, and visa-versa, thus ridding him of even more enemies. The war went on for five years, losing speed as it went on, costing the Jiinine millions that it could not afford. Slondar knew that the revolution would eventually burn out and choke itself to death, so he’d just waited, letting the Rebellion continue as he depleted it of its funds, letting them do their work as they continued to fight. However, in the fifty-ninth year of his reign, something happened then that he did not count on: a small squad of Juur’lan’iin managed to get past security and into the palace. How they had managed to do so was by cheating the metal scanners by carrying concealed bows and arrows. In a swift strike, the squad made it to Slondar and shot him, killing him with just one arrow. The squad was soon after executed for treason and murder.
When Slondar the Tyrant was thus removed from office, the Shapeshifters faced the problem of whom to replace him with. It was decided that it should be a peaceful Shapeshifter and yet someone who could put Lorsanan back together once more. After a yearlong debate on the subject, an unknown Shapeshifter named Therevir was chosen, becoming Shaviantarth Therevir II. He was a gentle ruler, but with a streak of curiosity. Patiently he worked to restore Lorsanan once more, and though not the most popular Shaviantarth, he was one of the best remembered. After working on restoring the economy for thirty-one years, he boldly decided to continue with expansion, but in a whole new direction. Instead of working their way away from the Chiss Ascendancy as they had been doing for a thousand years, Shaviantarth Therevir planned to go around the Ascendancy to the other side, thus gaining them more power and opening up opportunities to trade with them. The latter was much opposed, and so Therevir changed the reason instead to ‘hem the Chiss in,’ a popular idea.
Therevir worked his way around the Chiss, finding and discovering new worlds, carefully making sure that none they came across was Ascendancy-owned. They didn’t need another war. There were many profitable worlds – if not inhabitable – that were found during his reign. When looking ‘down’ at a map of the galaxy and placing the Unknown Regions to the left, Therevir’s route of exploration took him ‘up’ and ‘over’ the Chiss Ascendancy, and, unintentionally, into the Known Galaxy. Though he did not encounter any inhabitants, he traveled a good distance into the edge of Wild Space. In Wild Space, he discovered Kowak V and Therevir, named after himself. When Shaviantarth Therevir II died sixty-three years into his reign, he was known thereafter as Therevir the Navigator.
During his rule, Lorsanan expanded to where she not only took up a good portion of the Far Unknown Regions, but also extended about halfway to the Tingel Arm, and at the edge of this territory was Kowak V.
Therevir’s eldest son, Ventrissal, took the Cloak when his father died, and was met with uncounted issues that his father, who had been living in a dream world, had left undone. The loudest of these issues was the organization of the Juur’lan’iin, which still had not died down. The government still hadn’t addressed the issue of trade with the ‘Oozzinvon,’ and the Juur’lan’iin were tired of waiting.
Shaviantarth Ventrissal, seeing the folly of ridding Lorsanan of the profitable and peaceful trade with the ‘intruders,’ declared it perfectly legal for trade to continue and grow, and even for several ‘Oozzinvon’ to settle on Lorsanan-owned worlds. Enraged, the Juur’lan’iin cried for impeachment and to overrule the new law. The growing faction, led by the charismatic Shapeshifter Kwiilura, began to become fanatical in their hatred and prejudice of the ‘Oozzinvon,’ and started to wage their own private war against them. To get even more to follow her lead, Kwiilura staged an ‘incident’ in which a peaceful merchant ship Levia was attacked by ‘Oozzinvon’ warships. In reality, it was Kwiilura who had hijacked several of the ‘Oozzinvon’ fighters and coldbloodedly destroyed the peaceful ship with the help of several of her close followers.
The growing Juur’lan’iin became a handful for Shaviantarth Ventrissal, who was finally pushed to action in the wake of the Levia Incident. ShaIn operatives discovered the staged act, and though publicized, the Juur’lan’iin denied it. At last, Shaviantarth Ventrissal declared that if the Juur’lan’iin did not halt their violent acts, they would be exiled. Believing that Ventrissal was no longer a patriotic Shapeshifter, he was ignored. The Juur’lan’iin now believed that Lorsanan was too far gone, and could not be saved, and thus, without being ordered to do so, in their pride the Juur’lan’iin left Lorsanan. Packing several large cruisers with her followers, Kwiilura and the Juur’lan’iin hurriedly left on a long journey far from the reaches of the Lorsanan Empire, far into what is now known as the Tingel Arm.
There, they finally found an inhabitable world and settled it, naming it Kwiilura, after their leader who had, by now, died of old age. The previous inhabitants of the planet, a sentient marsupial canine species called the Gernayyr, let them settle peacefully, even interbreeding with them. In isolation, the Juur’lan’iin realized their folly in leaving Lorsanan. Cut off from trade, they degraded technologically, and were reduced to farming. However, in their hard lives, they found happiness and contentment. By then, they had so interbred with the Gernayyr that their natural form began to resemble canines and their Shapeshifting abilities had begun to wane. To keep them from losing their morphing power, they began to hone it and a little voluntary selective breeding brought back their powers in full, though their canine appearance in their natural form never left them.
Due to the widening of vocabulary due to being exposed to the Gernayyr, their language changed slightly to accommodate the newer sounds. This change was impacted with they changed their planet’s name to Qiilura, to no more honor the fanatical Shapeshifter who was then known only in infamy. As well, their name became shortened and changed and contracted slightly, as they were from then on known as Gurlanins. Their simple, contented life despite their past was echoed in their old saying, Lyrin myri vresh ayir Adrin’say narir dey (meaning ‘Do not judge one by their fathers’).
When humans began to settle Qiilura, the Gurlanins mostly kept to their own affairs as long as the humans did not mess with them, and, slowly, over time, became slightly bitter about their invaded territory.
Back in Lorsanan, the division of so many Shapeshifters over the issue and the ‘succession’ of so many was something the Shapeshifters never thought they’d face. It was known in shame as the Great Division, and would later be known as the First Great Division.
The extent of Lorsanan and the Chiss Ascendancy circa 33,000 BBY. Modern systems added to show context
After Ventrissal, who discovered Challis, Tetres II, and Shakarias and reigned fifty-five years, his son Sarioussan II took the Cloak. The line after him and the inhabitable planets found during them was Risa III, who reigned for forty-seven years and discovered Rek; Kathrarad who ruled sixty-three years and discovered Janis, Vanis, and Kowak VI; and finally, Shaviantarth Vuur, who discovered Theria and reigned for thirty-seven years.
With Vuur’s death, the Era of Expansion, as it was named, unofficially came to a close. Lorsanan had grown tremendously, starting with one planet and ending with 148 planets total under her banner. The long era had lasted approximately 1,261 years. Lorsanan was now a prosperous empire, able to hold its own against most any foe they would come across. It had developed a rich culture, with philosophy and the arts being one of the high priorities, with patriotism first. However, dark times were approaching the empire.
Ironically, as a side note, because of the tensions caused by the Juur’lan’iin, the ‘Oozzinvon’ cut off all connections to Lorsanan and continued their hermitage on Shuno’tar.
The Age of Schisms[]
Under Construction
Physiology[]
In a normal state, Shapeshifters, the closest to the original kind that can be found, look like felinoid saurians with black fur, retractable claws, and yellowish spines protruding from their backs. What they originally looked like is unknown, but with what can be found in the remaining Shapeshifti databases, this is close.
Shapeshifter cubs are born live and can walk by six months; and by two years of age, a cub can speak and articulate, though roughly. Shapeshifters usually had multiple births, though not usually enough to be classified as a litter. However, strangely, some of the cubs have a tendency to die soon after birth. This early death is presumably from a hereditary genetic disorder common to all Shapeshifters.
Shapeshifters are not long-lived. Despite the fact that their age limit has decreased somewhat since the Lorsanan Shapeshifters[3], even then they died young, except for a few exceptions. The average pureblood Shapeshifti male lives until about sixty-two, the female to around seventy-five. Paradoxically, though, the growth of Shapeshifters is slower than that of a Human's. They grow about the same rate as humans until around eleven, when the Shapeshifter starts to slow down. By the time they reach twenty-five, they are biologically twenty by Human standards. They then proceed to speed up dramatically: aging the human equivalent of five years in the span of only one, painful year, called the Venarrel in Shikkri.
Growth rate of humans compared to that of Shapeshifters (material somewhat out of date, thus slightly inaccurate)
Interestingly, after that their growth moves very slowly, almost 'freezing' at the biological age of twenty-five, though they do start star to show visual signs of aging, such as their hair turning white, at around forty-five. Their growth process moves so slowly that at the age of sixty they are at the Human equivalent of thirty. By that time, however, they had acquired aches and pains in their bones and muscles and had sporadic internal pains; they also experienced mild heart attacks every so often. These attacks would begin to severe only slightly until they died suddenly of heart failure. Their death is usually extremely sudden and without warning. Sometimes they just went to sleep and never woke up, other times they just dropped dead. The more healthy Shapeshifters suffered a massive heart attack instead of complete failure, and then died from the strangely incurable heart malady[4].
The best reason given for their short life span and sudden death is the fact that Shapeshifting is hard on their bodies, especially their heart, though the Shapeshifter will not extensively notice it. This would explain why a good fraction of the illnesses they suffer from are cardiac related.
Shapeshifters are reptilian. As a result they are coldblooded, though still partially endothermic. This allows them to regulate their temperature slightly. Their normal temperature is slightly less than 37C, making it only slightly above Human standards. Heat, as per usual with reptilians, makes them extremely comfortable. However, when that heat is mixed with adrenaline, Shapeshifters go into an extremely hyper state known in Shikkri as a karuth, better known as a 'rush.' This rush intensifies and hones their senses as well as enhances their reflexes to the point that they move at lightning speed. Because of this, when they return to normal they suffer from a hangover that is directly related to the strength and duration of the rush. However, if they attain an internal temperature of higher than 49C, they die of a painful combination of hypothermia and hypertension. Cold has the opposite effect on Shapeshifters; it is uncomfortable and causes them to become extremely drowsy. They cannot maintain consciousness when their core temperature lowers to 28C or below, and at 4C they die of ventricular fibrillation resulting from the freezing of the hypothalamus.
Because of this dependence on temperature, it is no wonder that Shapeshifters manufactured thermal regulators; both the individual, wrist-mounted kind and huge regulators that worked for groups of Shapeshifters at a time, similar to an incubator. In this manner they could 'hype up' soldiers for a battle or 'cool down' groups to artificially force them to sleep.
Also because of their reptilian nature, Shapeshifters can regenerate nonvital limbs over time. Their tail is the fastest regrowing limb, taking only about two weeks to regenerate, whereas legs and arms take a month or more. Strangely, despite this, Shapeshifters do not heal quickly, though they do heal well. Meaning, basically, that they could heal a slash slower than a Human would, but they would naturally heal the scar tissue as well. The slowest healing parts of a Shapeshifter's body are their head and neck[5].
A Shapeshifter's neck is extremely sensitive; this plus the fact that it is already their weakest point makes them very protective of it. Their necks have even more touch and pain receptors than any other place on their bodies; to the point that when anything just brushes it they automatically flinch. The only exception to this was the Shapeshifter's mate, who was the only one allowed to touch their throat. However, when their neck was injured, nothing could touch it without the creature wincing. This weakness explains why all Shapeshifti uniforms and clothing do not have high collars. To have anything wrapped or even partially wrapped around their throat gives them the mental illusion that they are being choked. The reason for this psychological delusion is unknown. Just feeling it on all sides makes them breathe harder and try to loosen whatever is causing the discomfort. When just a little tight, they begin to cough frequently and more desperate attempts to relieve the pressure are evident. Tighter and they gasp for breath, the coughing racking their bodies as they begin clawing desperately at whatever is around their throat. It gets worse the longer the duration and the greater the pressure. Most Shapeshifters can die of asphyxiation from a grip that lasts only for a small duration at a pressure that could not kill a normal human because of this illusion. This makes Shapeshifters very easy to choke to death.
These creatures also have keen eyesight and extremely good hearing. They also possess a 'sixth sense' that allows them to sense the heat around them, similar to serpentine creatures. This sensation is so sensitive that they can 'hear' a normal human heartbeat (an act that spreads warmth through a body) from about ten meters away. Because of how intense it is, this sense can be switched 'on' and 'off' at will.
Interestingly, Shapeshifters can produce pheromones so powerful that they are all but irresistible to the opposite gender of the same species. It is extremely unlikely that they could affect any other species besides their own. Because using them was considered a dishonorable act and was severely punished by civil and parental authorities (they believed that if you couldn't earn a mate, you didn't deserve one) to the point that most Shapeshifters, except for the lowlifes, had forgotten how to produce them or that they even existed.
An interesting facet of Shapeshifter physiology is that they become symbionts with their mate. It is unknown how this happens, but it has been theorized that Shapeshifters can sense the love being transferred from their mate (and in some cases, future mate) to themselves and become reliant on it. When the stream of love is cut off, via the mate dying or no longer loving it, the Shapeshifter dies an agonizing death that can take up to two hours. This symbiosis is so strong, in fact, that even if just separated for more than around half a year, a loving couple can die. If such is the case, both die at almost the exact same time. Also, if even separated for just a couple hours, loving partners will lose their appetite and will have a difficult time sleeping until reunited. In times of quiet they will also have sharp, reoccurring pains in their chest where their heart is and will find it difficult to breathe to the point of nearly choking. For this reason, the members of the Shapeshifti military that were separated from their mates were allowed a few days leave every couple of months to keep them alive and healthy[6]. Members were also either forced to eat or given food extraneously because of their loss of appetite, as well as have thermal regulators distributed among them to freeze them to sleep. This rathiyas shertha, or 'cord of love' is firmly solidified by the mates' first act of consummation, which, by strict law, came only after their marriage. Exactly how Shapeshifters mate is unknown. All that is known are that love nips are common and it was considered an act of love for the female to rest its head on the male's neck and for the male to allow it. All else is a mystery.
Low-quality holo of a Shapeshifter in human form resonating with the 'haze of red death' (claws extended for defensive purposes)
Shapeshifters react to pain with anger. This is not always the case, but it is the usual. Physical pain is directly related to the anger; with mental pain it can vary, and emotional pain is exponentially related to it. It has been found that anger in a Shapeshifter can easily turn into uncontrollable rage. When in such fury, they become like a raging, rabid animal, almost impossible to calm until their temper cools. Whenever a Shapeshifter is in a fit of such fury, whatever the form or shape the creature is in; it is a tendency to become more like their natural form. It will tend to grow fangs and long, retractable claws and its eyes change to slit pupils. The creature will also tend to growl and roar like an animal. When in a state of extreme rage or when in the heat of battle, the Shapeshifter will fall into a state where they literally 'see red,' called salil larthe jen (Haze of Red Death), better known as 'blood haze.' In this state, the Shapeshifter succumbs to the heat of battle and/or anger and has an unquenchable lust to kill. This condition is signified by demonic, glowing red eyes[7].
Shapeshifters have a high metabolism and typically eat slightly more in relativity to humans. Like most animals, they can eat most anything raw, and are immune to dietary diseases like salmonella. In fact, raw meat is a favorite.
There aren't many things known that a Shapeshifter cannot eat except for several poisons and charbote root, a common vegetable. There was little or no C2H5 (dicarbon pentahydroxide, also known as ethyl radical) on Lorsanan outside of Lorsanan's Shapeshifters and animals. This was perhaps the reason that Shapeshifters (and all other Lorsanan natives) were highly allergic to concentrated forms of the substance, especially C2H5OH, better known as alcohol. C2H5 interrupted with the C2H5NO2 (glycine) neurotransmitter in the creatures' central nervous system, effectively causing spasms similar to strychnine poisoning in humans. However, unlike strychnine, alcohol effected the Sondoran (a term for a native of Lorsanan'sondora) within seconds, and death occurred via cardiac arrest—preceded by uncontrollable coughing followed by symptoms similar to a myocardial infarction (heart attack)—instead of asphyxiation.
It seems Shapeshifters have a natural connection to the Force. Lorsanan Shapeshifters were telepathic, but modern purebloods' affinity has degraded and changed somewhat to where they have a natural connection to memories and can partially feel what someone is thinking. They can 'remember' their parent's memories, sometimes remembering an ancestor's memories. They can better sense the memories of people they know, but in order to better sense them they have to be physically touching the person and be in deep concentration. In a way, during this their mind becomes 'connected' to the other person's mind, and if the person cuts off the connection suddenly, it can cause the Shapeshifter to contract cerebral injuries such as a stroke. If even more violent and abrupt, it can cause insanity; and if their minds are closely connected at the time, the Shapeshifter can die instantly of brain hemorrhage.
A common psychological fear among Shapeshifters is the fear of medical and experimental equipment, doctors, and medical and torture droids. The fear is so intense and irrational that a confrontation with one or more of these can drive the weaker to the point of insanity. This fear of being tested and having experiments preformed on them is an innate terror passed on from uncounted ancestors who have suffered through such an ordeal.
Shapeshifters possess a nearly unbreakable spirit, and are well nigh untamable. It is relatively impossible to make a Shapeshifter give up its freedom for their families and from oppression and, more subtly yet strongly, the freedom to be wild[8]. Possessing a strong will and a resilient spirit, Shapeshifters prove a challenge to control. Shapeshifters can endure torture, starvation, dehydration, sleep deprivation, and almost everything else. However, as long as you get at their heart, they can be broken; but even that proves a challenge.
Shapeshifting[]
The Shapeshifter’s ability to ‘shift’ is undoubtedly why it is so coveted, scientifically. How a creature can morph to become a creature of different size, mass and functionality without destroying itself is a scientific wonder. It is also something about which nearly nothing is known. The implications of shapeshifting are severe, and to survive the process is a miracle in itself. For instance, to ‘switch’ from a Lorsanan Shapeshifter’s normal form, a felinoid saurian, to a small hawk-like avian would require much physical strain. The skeletal system would have to practically collapse to form the new shape, stretching and crushing itself to form the relatively oddly shaped humerus, radii, ulna, and metacarpals. A similar process would have to be done to ‘remake’ the pelvic girdle, and the skull would have to go through such radical changes as to predict that it would cause the Shapeshifter’s brain irreparable damage. The distinctive spines would also have to be crushed to the normal size of a bird’s spinous process. As well, the Shapeshifter’s organs would have to move and shrink in size, something that would normally be fatal, as well as adding the avian’s air sacks. It would also have to force its brain to conform to the smaller shape, while still retaining the same amount of intelligence, inferring that the information within is more efficiently stored when ‘switching’ to a smaller form. This, of course, is just scratching the surface of the myriad problems associated with Shapeshifting, as with becoming more bizarre creatures, such as a gastropod, which has no skeleton; an insectoid, whose compound eyes would cause the Shapeshifter’s eyes to undergo a drastic change, as well as possessing an exoskeleton; an aquatic creature, which would require a whole reworking of the lungs and other organs, plus usually adding gills; and thousands of others. However, despite how grotesque and painful sounding as this description is, it is actually utterly painless to the Shapeshifter. Shifting is triggered in the same way as movement, something done completely automatically, and yet either activated consciously or by reflexive action.
The implications drawn from these momentous obstacles to shapeshifting are that Shapeshifters are extraordinarily uniquely and specially equipped to shift. A good portion of their brain is dedicated to the task, insuring that the Shapeshifter does not kill or maim himself while undergoing the process. The brain must process all of the problems associated with the shifting project at hand and coordinated the transforming of all of the Shapeshifter’s members so precisely that if just one part expanded or contracted at the wrong pace, the results would be disastrous, perhaps fatal. For instance, a bone extended too quickly might puncture the Shapeshifter’s organs or skin, and a lung contracted too slowly might cause it to be crushed under the intensified pressure. All of this coordination is done automatically for the Shapeshifter, freeing his mind for other tasks. In fact, ‘shifting’ is so ingrained in their genetic makeup that refusing to shift causes mental deterioration. However, shapeshifting is also the reason behind the race’s relatively short lifespan—roughly half as long as a Human’s—for shapeshifting takes a toll on the creature’s body, as such wear and tear cannot allow it to live for very long.
Shapeshifters can only ‘shift’ into something they have seen or something they have imagined compiled from what they have seen. For this reason they have naturally photographic memories to aid in shifting. Though probably not stored in a Shapeshifter’s cognitive memory, the Shapeshifter’s subconscious can automatically deduce mathematically the details regarding shifting into a different creature, down to where a retinal scan or fingerprint check couldn’t tell two of them apart if they so desired. Despite this, this ‘calculator’ feature cannot be accessed or used consciously, as it would most likely result in a mental ‘overload.’
A Shapeshifti soldier in a Chiss-based form
Young Shapeshifters, up to around the age of five standard years, can only become creatures their own age, and up to fourteen standard years a Shapeshifter can only become a creature that looks to be between the age of fourteen and five. After this, they can ‘switch’ to become a creature that appears to be any age, as the mental ‘calculator’ as finished developing around this time of the Shapeshifter’s life. Besides becoming what they’ve seen, Shapeshifters can ‘create’ a kind of creature or person. For instance, a Shapeshifter can look like any kind of Human he has seen, but also look like a completely original Human, down to unique fingerprints. A Shapeshifter can also cause himself in any form to have certain characteristics in another form. For example, a common form among the Lorsanan Shapeshifters was Chiss-based, i.e., a humanoid form, but so that it was more ‘comfortable’ for them, they covered themselves in black hair and they made their eyes their normal color with a slit pupil, sometimes adorning themselves with their yellow spines and their long, curved claws. They can also decorate themselves by having stripes or spots or other designs of different colors or with different characteristics, though their regular, felinoid-saurian form is the most comfortable. Also, a Shapeshifter cannot become anything too large or too small, though the extent of this limit is unknown. It is known, however, that they cannot transform into most insects smaller than fifteen centimeters in length, but their maximum limit is more mysterious. However, it is known that a Shapeshifter can become an acklay, but not a fambaa or rancor. It is unknown if they can become and function as a vacuum breather.
When a Shapeshifter becomes a being that normally wears clothes, their fur adapts to become the clothes typical of whatever race he has become. This ability even allows their fur to take on the characteristics of armor, making themselves naturally armored when they so desire. This is so perfectly done that the clothes or armor can be removed and put on again just like normal garments. In essence, their clothes is their fur. However, they cannot ‘generate’ weapons or items. However, because of their unique abilities, they can ‘absorb’ nearly any item they come across, to a point. This is a natural precaution, for if a Shapeshifter were carrying a weapon and they wanted to become an avian to move faster, he or she would not drop the weapon, as it would be absorbed into the creature’s body, ready for use whenever the Shapeshifter needed it. However, something too heavy or too large for it to carry in its normal form or larger than that form cannot be absorbed.
Theories[]
However, despite all of this knowledge accumulated, just exactly how a Shapeshifter ‘shifts’ is a mystery many have tried to unravel. Below is a discussion on several of these theories.
In the theory known as the Absorption Method, it is stated that a Shapeshifter takes and uses the chemicals, and elements from the air around them and assembles them into the materials required to shift, and that to become smaller the Shapeshifter releases the gathered atoms, which once more become part of the air. This somewhat old and outdated theory has several holes, mostly in the realm of the fact that, in this case, a Shapeshifter would be limited to what the air around them can create and be assembled into. This does not seem to be the case, as they frequently become anything they please. Also, a Shapeshifter has not been noted or seen to release a ‘cloud’ of unused atoms when becoming something smaller. Also in order for this to work, a Shapeshifter’s skin would have to be semi-permeable, so that the atoms could reach the interior of the Shapeshifter when that changes. As that would leave the Shapeshifter open and severely susceptible to disease and yet a Shapeshifter rarely is ill, this, along with the other evidence to the contrary, proves the Absorption Method false.
Another theory, called the Rendili Model after the planet on which it was theorized, proposes that a Shapeshifter becomes smaller by having its cells ‘devour’ a neighboring cell, increasing mass yet remaining the same size; and that, to become smaller, the cells distribute their mass into new cells, retaining the same size, yet becoming lighter and less dense. This can be compared to a several circles whose outlines are composed of a certain number of dots. To become smaller, the dots of several circles start to ‘fill up’ the inside of one of the circles, taking up the same amount of space but in a more efficient way. To become larger, the dots within a circle spread out and away to form new circles. This is a radical theory, and yet it could hold some merit. In order for this to work, the cells of a Shapeshifter must be able to ‘collapse’ into its molecules and ‘fill up’ a neighboring cell. This would mean that a Shapeshifter’s cells work very different from most beings, and, from what is gathered, this is not the case. However, the theory, when slightly reworked, has some shred of creditability. This would require the cells to break itself down like before, but instead of filling up another cell, it would simply ‘coat’ it in a layer of the depleted molecules. To use the circle analogy again, the dots of another circle would become a second outline of the first circle. However, this would severely limit the size that a Shapeshifter can attain, and to become an acklay, a form that has been credibly reported to a Shapeshifter, the Shapeshifter’s cells would be spread so thin as to not be able to support the weight of the creature.
The theory that states that a Shapeshifter’s cells are itself the things that ‘morph’ was dubbed the Revision Theory. In simple terms, it states that the cells ‘morph’ and change into the different number and size of cells, even able to change function. To do this, the cytoskeleton must be extremely flexible and able to change at a moment’s notice. This would require an extremely unique cellular structure, which, as mentioned above, is not the case. As well, this raises the question, 'how does the cell shift?', thus solving nothing as well as remaining unprovable.
In the Formation Theory, it is theorized that, in order to shift, the Shapeshifter creates or destroys molecules and cells. In short, it means that, in order to grow bigger or add something unto itself, the Shapeshifter creates whole new cells out of nothing in order to shift. Conversely, the Shapeshifter utterly destroys the molecules or cells when he wishes to become smaller, turning it back into the nothing from whence it came. This theory is also radical and defies the first law of thermodynamics, but there is a way this may be credible, and that is through a branch of this theory, called the Force theory. This is essentially the same as the Formation Theory, except that, in order for the theory to work, the Shapeshifters subconsciously harness the Force to make and create these atoms, molecules, and cells and also to destroy them. This would be a credible theory, as the Force seems to allow beings to do things unexplainable and logic-defying, and also enforced by the Shapeshifter’s natural connection to the Force through either telepathy or psychometry through memories, and might, perhaps, explain that as well.
In conclusion, the best and most probable theory seems to be the Formation/Force Theory, which fits in light of the evidence, however, there may be, as of yet, evidence which may prove one of the others, or facts that may introduce another theory to the list of possibilities.
Notes and references[]
- ↑ While hyperdrive capabilities were not available to most until 25,000 BBY, the Chiss, when they separated from baseline humans, learned the way the Columi had accessed hyperspace. This is one of the explanations why Chiss hyperdrives are so different from Republic-sanctioned hyperdrives.
- ↑ This metal is believed to be the forerunner of monofilament wire.
- ↑ There are other differences between the original Lorsanan Shapeshifters and purebloods, such as the fact that, because of genetic mutations, purebloods cannot become inanimate objects nor can they change gender, two factors that Gurlanins and Shi'idos, non-pureblood Shapeshifters, have kept.
- ↑ There are, however, an exceptions to this age rule. Due to selective breeding, Crokes (Originally called the Kroka, meaning 'pure' or 'untainted' in Shikkri), non-pureblood Shapeshifters, can live unknown hundreds of years.
- ↑ Strangely, on the live Shapeshifter subject, an incurable scar was found on the neck of the creature. The meaning and origin of this anomaly is unknown.
- ↑ Fascinatingly, it has been found that mates are significantly healthier than single Shapeshifters, as well as perform at a higher rate and speed. This is triggered by regularly having physical contact with their mate.
- ↑ This is probably another reason Shapeshifters did not get on well with the Chiss; they must have seemed to have been in a perpetual rage.
- ↑ Shapeshifters naturally feel uncomfortable in cities and, conversely, they feel at home among wide, open plains; even the big cities of the Lorsanan were practically little towns compared to most metropolises. As a result, Shapeshifters are naturally claustrophobic.