Drac

parent nodes: Clerics World | Rebirth Eclipse | StarSpawn | The Waken Incident

Race: Drac

The Drac race is my "human" race in the star spawn universe. They have a background similar to that of humanity and represent a cross-section of humanity.

Unlike other universes created by various science fiction authors, my races tend to have a variety of cultures. The Dracs are no exception. They come in all sizes, shapes, colors, and social orders.

The significant physical difference is in the shape of the ear, which is elf-like, its top sweeping straight back from the head to a point and then downward, the rest being typical of the human ear with or without an earlobe.

The race is a mixture of caucasion, african, and asian, so the caucasion skin tone ranges from pale, almost transluscent (Kristi Yates) to a honey complexion (Nikki Olsen). The african skin tone ranges from very dark (Shauna Campbell) to somewhat lighter tones. Asian skin tone has a yellow tint (Rachel Ng) and almond-shaped eyes. It is not unusual to see variations as the various races will intermarry.

The significant cultural difference is that the Drac culture treasures personal accountability above all else. It has shaped their thinking, even to the point of using a coded phrase, Uque Nan Sevrante, which is essentially a gag order - to not persue the matter further or suffer death as a consequence. Thus, if a person does not want to or must not reveal information, they can invoke the phrase or its slightly less imposing Uque Non Sevrante. The pronunciation is oo-kay non (or nan) sev-ron-tay and the pronunciation is precise. It is drilled into Drac children at a very early age. Researching the origin of the phrase is forbidden. (This has significance in the Carrollton stories where additional information is revealed to the readers.)

Politically, the society tends to be moderate, the thinking forced upon them by their belief in personal accountability. They also recognize their inherent weaknesses and susceptibility to temptations of the universe around them. They are promiscuous to a point, which is governed by the Jeremiah Johaicom and Norris laws (see the short story, "Bradley", which can be accessed from The Short Stories page).

There is a significant religious movement that gives a lot of lip service to the laws but somehow belives that it lives above them where it comes to certain elements and accountability. The movement started with Jeremiah Johaicom but was driven by Emile Barzados. Over time, an element of the society on [Barzados] rebelled and became known as the Qarrel, a back-to-nature movement.

Historic Notes

The following dates are referenced to S.E., which marked the beginning of the Drac space era. The name of the home planet, Dracus, has obscure religious references to a name given by the gods, according to legends stemming from the classical era (CE). The name is supported by the Holy Book, Sribal, and Tranloc, the three significant religious writings connected with Drac history.

While I don't expose them, the Dracs have measured time against various eras with the Classical Era (CE) being equivalent (in terms of Earth history) to the golden age of Greece and Rome. The DA period corresponds roughly to the Dark Ages, and more specifically to the Midieval period (roughly 500 A.D. to 1500 A.D.). IE is the Industrial Era - also called Pre-space - and covers the period of the Reformation and Industrial Revolution. SE is the Space Era and would be considered from the launch of the first suborbital manned flight.

SE Year	Event
SE -5798	Historic beginning of civilization on Dracus. Both the date and nature of the first “historic” Drac are subject of much debate. Some claim the event was heralded by the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden as recorded in the Holy Book. Other cultures claimed similar events, all relating to some type of religious relationship between Drac and the god(s).
SE -1742	Compilation of Holy Book completed.
SE -346	Common translation of Holy Book completed and approved.
SE -330 – SE -286	Artourio Shaveski, the “Bard.”
SE -3	Launch of first satellite.
SE 0	Launch of first successful suborbital manned flight, marking the beginning of the Space Era.
SE 4	First successful flight to and from Eris, the second moon of Dracus.
SE 6	Planetary probes indicate no intelligent life other than on Dracus.
SE 38	Dissolution of independent political divisions due to economic pressures. World economy established, ending individualistic sociological geographic and economic political subdivisions.
SE 43	Eris moon colony established.
SE 47	First successful manned flight to and from Serendis, 4th planet in the Drac solar system.
SE 48	The death penalty established as a result of the so-called “sex sins” and sexually-transmitted diseases sweeping Dracus and its colonies. Adultery (extra-martial sex) and fornication (pre-marital sex) outlawed.
SE 51	The adultery and fornication laws are repealed as impossible to enforce. All persons convicted under the repealed laws are released back into society.
SE 53	The first “official” contact is made with alien (extra-terrestrial) cultures. Traditions, legends, and obscure accounts in the Holy Book that point to previous contacts are all but ignored. Peaceful co-existence established with Zurth.
SE 55	The Jeremiah Johaicom religious movement starts in response to continued devastation caused by the so-called sex-sins and sexually-transmitted diseases.
SE 64	ThMarch 30, 2008e Jeremiah Johaicom religious movement gains sufficient political clout to introduce and pass rigid mating laws. The sacred nature of the mating contract is established.
SE 72	The Johaicom (Jeremiah Johaicom) mating laws are modified to include term (limited-length and renewable) relationships.
SE 78	First Drac faster-than-light Star Drive perfected.
SE 79	Second first contact with non-Drac life forms is made, this time with the Currillians. The passive relationship with Currill is never exploited by Dracus and so nothing results from the relationship.
SE 83	High incidents of criminal rape (over 50% of all criminal acts) create severe prison overpopulation. Studies show that longer prison sentences do not deter potential rapists from committing the crime.
SE 85	Increasing incidence of rape, increased political clout of women, rising numbers of reported sexually-transmitted diseases, and a general disgust with the legal system force the planetary legal bodies to write severe new penalties for all rapists. Upon first conviction, non-reversible sterilization by operation is mandated.
SE 86	The cases of rape decline less dramatically than predicted. Studies show that sterilization only prevents unwanted pregnancies by repeat offenders. Penalties increased to include removal of sexual organs for both male and female offenders. While demonstrations come close to reaching riot proportions over the severity of the penalties, proponents point to an immediate and dramatic decrease in rape incidents. The laws and mandated penalties are upheld.
SE 88	Rape incidents drop below 1% of all criminal acts.
SE 90	Rape incidents drop below 10 per year on Dracus. Colonies report two cases, one involving a so-called “date.”
SE 92	The infamous date rape case is brought before highest court. New laws are written stipulating when a rape is not a criminal rape.
SE 95	[Jacques Clarisse] develops the concepts behind the power source named after him.
SE 97	Religious intolerance toward rape in any form force changes in the laws. A uniform, pre-relationship consent form is adopted for intercourse.
SE 101	The Clarisse Power Plant is developed for Star Drive on large ships.
SE 107	For the first time in Drac history, there are no cases of rape reported for the entire year.
SE 126	The Alliance is formed for economic and joint cultural reasons. Major trading routes are established between planets and star systems. Dracus is not one of the members of the Alliance.
SE 138	The size of the Clarisse Power Plant is reduced to a practical size for smaller ships.
SE 152	Third “first contact” is made, the first involving non-peaceful relations. The resulting skirmishes cause Dracus to realize that they are virtually defenseless against superior forces. Currill and Zurth intervene to halt hostilities.
SE 155	Rapes, as the result of non-mating relationships, starts increasing.
SE 157	William Norris establishes laws similar to those of Jeremiah Johaicom for dating.
SE 159	The Norris laws are challenged when an eleven-year-old boy is convicted of raping a thirteen-year-old girl. Psychiatric tests prove that the boy, Chato Demtris, knew what he was doing. He undergoes the mandatory surgery.
SE 164	Chato Demtris launches his major drive to “educate” the male of the species on the nature of rape. He is brought to trial for sedition.
SE 165	Demtris riots force changes in the laws, prohibiting sexual innuendo in the media, arts and literature, and advertising.
SE 168	Plasma Cannon developed.
SE 203	The true nature of gravity is discovered and harnessed.
SE 210	William Franklin Stollack born.
SE 250	First Contact with the Coceedn made and peaceful relations established by Captain William Franklin Stollack.
SE 254	Dracus joins the Alliance.
SE 362	First Intruder ship discovered raiding a freighter. Destroyed.
SE 368	Ragnoruk dedicated as a penal colony. Zurth volunteers to administer the colony.
SE 375	Second Intruder ship destroyed. Intruder numbering system established. First funding of the Alliance Defense Force.
SE 401	Jules Ann Stollack born.
SE 408	Completion of Intruder attack analysis. INTEDEC Sentry posts established by ADF.
SE 413	ADF Merimac lost. Cause unknown (classified). Admiral Bazel Stollack and his wife, Agnes Stollack, are declared dead, lost in space.
SE 414	ADF Waken built and commissioned
SE 424	Razor’s Edge is commissioned with James Matthews assigned to the project.
SE 425 D143	Jules Ann Stollack reports on board the ADF Waken
SE 425	The Waken Incident Includes first contact with the Star Spawn and a major battle with the Intruders.
SE 425	The Alliance Razor’s Edge mapping project indefinitely delayed.
SE 426	ADF Stormy Island and [ADF Bird] complete their first tests.
SE 426	ADF Monitor lost. Cause unknown.
SE 427	ADF Stormy Island commissioned and sent to investigate the loss of the ADF Monitor. The Stormy Island Incident
SE 430	ADF Eclipse commissioned. Rebirth Matthews
SE 431	War with Ceed Rebirth Eclipse
SE 433	Clerics World
SE 433	Visit to a Small Planet
SE 436	Purity Quest Second Encounter
SE 436	Jules Ann Stollack resigns
SE 437	Drac jump test disaster. Mutant Return of the Sky People Carrollton The Order of the Knife
SE 439	The Final Battle The End of the Matter
Date Unknown	Eve

The time line is crucial to understanding the stories. In the first novel, it helps to keep track of the time, as well, since the shifts are fixed - that is, days, evenings, and nights where each shift is crewed by the same people on that shift (they don’t rotate shifts).

Date page created: March 30, 2008