Important: Infobase Users can now have their username changed! Contact the staff for details.

From Bravo Fleet InfoBase

A Lagashi carrier.

The Lagashi are a civilization of human colonists established in the Lagash system which have only recently joined the Federation. Characterized by an extremely individualistic and unregulated society that embraces personal improvement through technology, the Lagashi are viewed with a certain degree of suspicion by the general population of the Federation; pejoratively known as "Copperheads" because of their cerebral integration of Artificial Intelligence systems, they remind more than a few Starfleet officers uncomfortably of the Borg.

History

See also: History of Lagash

The bulk of the colonists who would become the Lagashi were highly educated elites fleeing the first rumblings of the Eugenics War on Earth. Hurled across the quadrant by a spatial anomaly, their vessel wrecked in an emergency landing and forced to face a viciously unfriendly planetary environment, they responded by banding together into a tightly managed collectivist settlement in order to survive. Survive they did, and eventually thrived, building the massive arcologies that housed hundreds of thousands and then millions. In the face of radical social and technological change, however, the original government in the city of Landing grew tyrannical and obsessively conservative. The resulting civil war between Landing and her daughter arcologies is called the Year of Desolation in Lagashi histories, and it was devastating. "Segregationist" forces killed millions before they were eventually defeated, and the site of Landing was burned down to the bedrock and left empty as a memorial to the conflict.

Scarcely fifty years of peace passed as the newly formed Lagashi Republic - established on libertarian, representative lines - rebuilt and again reached for the stars. Half a century in which the first extra-solar colonies were established and the first tests of a warp-capable ship were unsuccessfully pursued, in which the Lagashi people became accustomed to life without spending the blood of their mothers, wives, sisters and daughters.

Then the Breen arrived.

A mere raider, at first, crashed on a sand-blasted desert after its sensors were disrupted by the difficult spatial conditions around the three stars of the Lagash system. Its passengers - hostile in the extreme - were a warning of what waited out in the cold dark, but its technology and databases provided a crucial advantage in the desperate program to bootstrap what had been a purely scientific warp program into a full military starship program. Every Lagashi child knows the story of the four Astra-class frigates which went into battle in defense of their home system only a few years later, and can recite them by name: the Liberty. The Constitution. The Hayek. The Zhang Yi. Those of their crews who died were the first of hundreds of thousands lost in the century of intermittent war that followed, and the "peace" that followed was always more of an intermission than a true end of hostilities. The Dominion War, for all its searing impact on the Federation's psyche, is more commonly referred to on Lagash as the Sixth Breen War.

In spite of the Breen, the Lagashi have flourished. Where they once occupied a single star system, they now fill the six systems of the Pentad - their name for the heart of their territory - and numerous outposts, minor colonies and mining operations across over a dozen other systems. They have made common cause with the Federation, joining as a member by treaty in 2370, and their merchants roam the quadrant making fortunes in commodities both common and exotic. In the face of renewed tensions on the Breen border, the Republic has placed the Navy on a war footing and christened a new Liberty - the latest and most modern warship of their fleet.

"The people of the Republic are survivors. We stand on the ruins of Landing, of history, and as we dedicate this ship of war, we also dedicate ourselves anew to the promise that the light of freedom will not go out - that on all our worlds, it will burn as a beacon to the sentients of the universe to remind them of what is possible. Let storms and thunder come; we are the children of Lagash, and we are not afraid." - Executor Li Ling Zetian An Hark, dedication of the LSN Liberty, 2386.

Relationship with the Federation

See also: Lagashi Foreign Relations

Despite having been members of the Federation since 2370 and military allies for several years prior to that, the Lagashi are viewed with more than a little bit of suspicion by many races within the UFP, not least of which are the humans from Sol and her colonies. To begin with, the Lagashi's insistence on retaining private property and extensive intellectual properties rights strikes many Federation citizens as backward or primitive, and their practice of group marriage via contract can and does provoke discomfort or simple confusion. Their unwillingness to place limits on genetic and cybernetic avenues of self-improvement is likewise viewed with more than a little discomfort; in fact, the Ninth Treaty of Altair which admitted Lagash into the Federation includes specific prohibitions that block the Lagashi from performing “improvements” for anyone who doesn't hold and maintain Lagashi citizenship. While a few of their biomedical technologies have been adapted for medical use, especially in the treatment of the blind and the deaf, for the most part their technology remains heavily restricted. Their habit of implanting themselves with AI systems, in particular, is viewed by many who have had negative experiences with the Borg as intensely disturbing.

Similarly, the Lagashi's collective refusal to adopt, culturally and intellectually, Federation ideas about infinite variation and respect for life is a source of significant social tension. A famous example is the Lagashi Navy's policy on pirates found within its rather extensive patrol area: on capturing a pirate vessel, every crew member is first logged into the Lagashi's databases before being turned over to whatever local authorities have jurisdiction over that section of space. If any individual already in those databases is ever captured while engaging in piracy by a Lagashi vessel, they are immediately and summarily executed by being beamed into space without an environmental suit. As the Lagashi Navy retains the right to conduct itself according to Lagashi law under the Altair Treaty, it has calmly accepted several Federation protests regarding the practice and continued to carry it out without comment.

Body Structure and Biology

Baseline Lagashi biology is essentially human, with some minor genetic modifications, adaptations and damage accumulated over their three centuries of divergence from Sol's stock variety. Lagash Prime's gravity is 10% above Earth normal, and its enviornmental conditions more extreme than most of Earth's surface - its inhabitants, as a result, enjoy a wider temperature tolerance and slightly increased muscle mass density over human standard. Live births also suffer a noticeable gender bias - three female births to every male birth. While Lagashi scientists have been able to determine roughly where the genetic damage that produced this imbalance occurred, they have so far been unable to find a safe and satisfactory method for reversing it in the general population.

The major difference in anatomy between a Lagashi and a Federation human, however, is not genetic but technological. Beginning in their early childhood, Lagashi children are implanted with micro-processor systems that host the seed of a full Artificial Intelligence; as they age and grow, the computer hardware installed is progressively upgraded to accommodate the increasingly sophisticated AI which, in molding itself around the personality of the user through their neural uplink, becomes as much a part of their cognitive function as either side of their organic brain. By the time they reach young adulthood, a Lagashi will have much of her lower brain-pan (a space normally empty in human physiology) and the area between the two lobes of the brain occupied by hyper-miniaturized computer hardware that supports advanced computational functions and cognitive aids chosen by a combination of the individual and her family. These can include anything from research databases or wireless neural uplinks to external systems to advanced tactical programs and predictive response software based on the AI work done to anticipate Lagash's chaotic weather conditions. Additionally, a pair of micro-fusion generators roughly the size of a human thumb will be installed against the upper bones of the youth's hip to provide an additional onboard power source for both the computer and any additional enhancements.

In addition to the AI integration, which all Lagashi undergo, each individual may choose to modify his or her own body according to a wide variety of cybernetic and bio-synthetic enhancements. Ocular implants are among the most common additions, as are synthetic-fiber muscle bundles to enhance strength, endurance and reaction time. Reinforcement or outright replacement of bones with light, strong metals is less usual, but not uncommon, and more unusual modifications run the gamut from internally concealed weaponry to advanced visual and sonic projection systems.

It has been noted by external observers, though rarely by the Lagashi themselves, that while their mental upgrades enable them to perform a variety of cognitive tasks more quickly and precisely than their unaugmented counterparts, the actual increase in quality of thought or creativity is marginal at best. A Lagashi may reach a conclusion more quickly than a similarly trained human with computer support, but the actual outcome is unlikely to be objectively superior. Indeed, the combination of an eidetic memory and automated sorting routines for data input gives the Lagashi a deserved reputation for intellectual hubris that occasionally neglects the kind of intuitive leaps that enabled Einstein to posit Relativity or Zefram Cochrane to develop a fully functional manned warp ship over a century before the Lagashi ever proposed the theory.

Social, Economic and Government Structure

See also: Lagashi Republic

Organized in conscious rejection of the highly conformist and deeply inflexible communal culture of the Landing colony, modern Lagashi culture rests on three core principles that can be stated in a rough logical sequence as follows: economic and personal freedom is the right of all sentients, the chief purpose of government is to act as an impartial arbitrator in situations where those freedoms conflict, and the greatest threat to freedom is an excess expansion of either government or community power. As a result, almost every element of Lagashi public life is regulated by individually negotiated agreements with a wide variety of standardized contract language available through the Office of Arbitration to keep things clear and free of confusion.

The first thing about Lagashi daily life which confuses many Federation citizens is the extensive – indeed, almost universal – privatization of virtually every aspect of their economic life. Nearly everything of value on Lagash or her daughter worlds, from artwork to the quality of the air within their towering arcologies, is private property that can be freely bought and sold without restriction or regulation – the two notable exceptions are those buildings and vehicles set aside directly for government or military usage and the persons (or hardware) of any sentient being, biological or mechanical. Given the predominant usage of replicators, the actual currency cost of most necessities and common goods approaches zero and thus a comfortable living can be had for a relatively minimal price, and a very modest level of taxation allows the government to provide those basic necessities to every citizen, though those whose consumption of this Basic Living Credit exceeds their taxed contribution to the government treasury in a given financial period are deprived of the franchise until that ceases to be the case. Most Lagashi, however, find profitable work in a wide variety of fields and make use of that income to purchase “real” or unreplicated goods as both a mark of status and a point of cultural pride.

The Lagashi Republic is governed by an elected Parliament which appoints a single Executor to manage those aspects of policy delegated to the inter-planetary government, chiefly foreign policy and interstellar defense. Domestic law, to the extent that it exists beyond the Lagashi Civil Service Code and the Declaration of the Rights of Sentients, is handled by the independent Office of Arbitration and its staff of Arbiters who are chosen by a combination of rigorous examinations and psychological evaluation. Finally, any disputes regarding intellectual property and such collective research as the government sees fit to endow are handled by the Academy of Sciences, a deliberative body whose members are appointed for life by the Parliament from lists provided by consensus nomination through the private university system.

Secondly, the venue of Lagashi daily life is the arcology, a structure without analog on most human Federation worlds. Vast structures hundreds or even a thousand stories tall, arcologies are almost entirely self-contained environments whose modular interiors provide homes, shops, academies, recreation and every other conceivable amenity to their residents. Supplied by aquatic farming as well as orbital farms and power relays, each arcology can support a population measured in the tens of millions. A Lagashi family can and often does live out their entire lives within the tritanium and durasteel walls of one of these behemoths, though with the ready availability of both home and mass transporters it is unusual but not unheard of for individual Lagashi to commute between arcologies as part of their careers.

Local government within the arcologies is handled almost exclusively through living contracts that specify the rights and responsibilities of residents, as well as terms for entering and leaving the contract; the variation between levels or arcologies can be profound, and it is fully expected that upon reaching the age of consent a young Lagashi will move out of their parents' home and choose a location whose contract suits their personal needs and preferences.

Family Structure

The Lagashi concept of family is, while not unique in Federation space, certainly unusual. Shaped by the disproportionately female birth-rate and the need for a strong, cohesive family structure to provide safety for the children desperately needed both after Landing and after the Year of Desolation, early Lagashi families in Landing adapted by using the obsolete Chinese tradition of polygamy, in which a sufficiently wealthy husband could take on more than one wife and thus more children. The more independent and libertarian arcologies of the Second Founding took the idea a step further by allowing any number of partners of either gender to establish themselves as a household, providing they were willing to sign the appropriate marriage contracts.

Modern Lagashi families take a myriad of forms, as varied as the contractual arrangements that the adults involved are willing to undertake, but a certain level of tradition and social pressure ensures that most of them follow several conditions. First, virtually every Lagashi family includes at least one woman so that it is possible for the family to pass its property and knowledge on to a legitimate heir (or, preferably, heirs). Secondly, it is generally considered poor form for a family to include more than one man unless it includes at least a matching or greater number of women – Lagashi men are not a plentiful resource, and the marriage “market” recognizes that fact – for similar reasons, Lagashi men do not generally join the military or undertake other high-risk occupations despite being legally allowed to do so. Third, larger family sizes - by Lagashi standards, more than four or five spouses - tend to be the province of either the very wealthy or those of considerable status.

As a result of these pressures, the most common Lagashi family structure is one including two to three women and a single man, with one of the spouses acting as a part or full-time homemaker to look after the often significant number of children. An old Lagashi proverb about wives runs “one for the battle-front, one for the treasury, one for the home,” and the general cultural understanding is that after providing a spouse to raise the children and two to work for the family's advancement, an obligation exists for at least one spouse to enter government or military service.

Lagashi attitudes about family are often confusing to outsiders, if not almost offensive in their deep practicality. While love is considered a desirable and useful outcome between spouses and a sufficient reason to enter a marriage, economic or social advancement is considered equally valuable. Indeed, it is not uncommon for an existing couple or triad to take on an additional, younger spouse specifically to have more children or provide more income to the family. The lack of romance should not, however, be mistaken for a lack of warmth – respect for one's husband(s) and wives is a bedrock social expectation in Lagashi culture, and showing a lack of it is a quick way to find an Arbiter evaluating whether you should be held liable for breach of marital contract.

In addition to the large number of adults in a family group, Lagashi children tend to be plentiful. It isn't unusual for a 'typical' Lagashi family to produce as many as a dozen children over the course of their child-bearing years, with the result that their population has continued to grow explosively throughout their history despite a low starting number and two decades-long wars. Lagash Prime alone has a population of twenty-seven billion souls when the orbital arcologies are included in the tabulation, and most of her daughter worlds continue to break ground on new arcologies annually.

Traditions

Names - The Lagashi follow traditional Chinese naming practices, with family name preceding the given name. A small minority of Lagashi have last names of Japanese or other south Asian origin, and an even smaller number have first names of European origin.

Clothing - Daily Lagashi working dress is functional, usually body-hugging jumpsuits or loose robes. More formal or decorative garments generally follow Chinese or Japanese conventions, as well as several South Asian cultures. However, given the degree of personal eccentricity allowed - or even expected - of Lagashi citizens and their tradition of extensive body art which individual Lagashi may or may not wish to display, variation is more the norm than the exception.

Body Art - Adopted as a gesture of defiance toward the communalist views of the Segregationists, combinations of henna and more permanent tattoos mark each individual. Families, educational institutions, military academies and societal honors all have their own distinctive permanent markings, as do events of personal significance such as one's first lover or the births of children, while aesthetic temporary decorations are done in less long-term mediums.

Education - As an unusual exception to the wide range of variation found in most areas of Lagashi life, their education system has retained one traditional feature by consensus: below the age of sixteen, at which most Lagashi begin the equivalent of a university education, academies have entirely single-gender student bodies. While many schools offer specialized fields of instruction in which they are particularly adept and development of an area of expertise is expected of most students, a young Lagashi is expected to build a foundation of knowledge in many areas so they can remain flexible in the face of economic or social change.

Cuisine and Food Culture - The Lagashi diet is, from an Earth-born human's perspective, vaguely reminiscent of certain forms of Chinese cuisine which are prepared almost entirely with seafood - the bulk of their protein comes from fish, and the bulk of their diet is protein and varying forms of seaweed. A modest amount of rice or grain-bread may be served as a side-dish, but is more a regular condiment than a staple - up until the re-development of orbital farming habitats, grains and rice had to be grown during the years-long growing season and then stored in bulk against the equally long winter years. As a result, traditional Lagashi cuisine tends to avoid depending on the availability of grains. Other meats are considered a delicacy, and while their price has dropped steadily over the past century it remains a notable surprise to find beef, pork or foul on the table without a special occasion. Similarly, fresh fruits and vegetables remain the object of considerable cultural reverence despite their relatively plentiful quantities in the modern market. Most foods are prepared strongly spiced, and it is more common to see mixed dishes like stir-fry than individualized courses like steak and potatoes.

Naturally, the availability of replicated food makes a wide variety of dining patterns possible. Still, the Lagashi prize fresh and unreplicated foodstuffs and will go out of their way to obtain them where they are available. One meal of the day is almost always eaten with a group (usually family), and considerable trouble is often taken in both its preparation and consumption to provide a sense of communal enjoyment. A Lagashi who takes all of his or her meals alone is either an extreme eccentric or not thought well of in their community.

A few foods are noticeable for their absence: milk and dairy products are almost completely absent from the Lagashi diet, as are chocolate and most forms of candy. Pastries are likewise quite rare, and bread tends to displace them as a luxury good. Corn failed to make a successful genetic transition to the nutrients in Lagash's soil, and has only recently been reintroduced.

Auras - As a matter of both convenience and tradition, Lagashi maintain a continuous datafeed “around” themselves which other Lagashi can read which, for want a more applicable term, is usually referred to colloquially as an aura. At the lowest access levels, the effect is much like being able to glance at someone's ID from across the room, but individual Lagashi can and do post more dynamic information. For instance, it is not uncommon for a Lagashi seeking a lover to place a traditional icon in this datafeed with a list of her sought qualities associated “behind” it or for a Lagashi in a particularly foul mood to place a simple “unavailable” symbol prominently. On military or strictly organized civilian installations, things like rank, security clearance and even current orders are often uploaded for those with the proper clearance to scan with a glance.

It bears mentioning that these “auras” are not mind-reading and are strictly voluntary modes of self-expression, but most Lagashi find it useful to air a good deal of information quickly by using them. Imagining it as a “floating” shared folder of tags and files around the Lagashi for others to wirelessly access digitally is perhaps the most accurate way of thinking about it.

OOC Notes to Captains

Biology

The reason that the unusual modifications mentioned in the section are unusual is that they almost always represent a compromise to the basic functions of the body in one way or another. Mounting a phaser or a bladed weapon in a hand or arm is an immense engineering problem that almost always compromises the performance of the limb, the performance of the weapon or both. Problems of power supply are particularly common - micro fusion generators provide a steady level of power suitable for computer operations or the like, but drawing enough energy for complex, short-term, energy intensive tasks requires either very careful power management and a bulky capacitor or a variety of power storage systems that are safe, effective or compact: pick two. In other words, a Lagashi crewmember has the modifications you allow them to justify - no more, no less.

On the subject of human/AI integration and character knowledge - the ability to instantly download data and programs from a computer into your brain or set up a program in your head that will sort data for you in certain ways does not make your a physicist, a security expert or a doctor any more than my ability to access a law research database from my computer makes me a lawyer. Keep this in mind if a Lagashi character suddenly develops expertise in every subject area under the sun. You do not plug in and wake up knowing Kung Fu.

Traditions - if it isn't listed here or in the Social Structure section, start from traditional Chinese culture and filter it through some Transhumanist Objectivism. That should put you in more or less the right place.

Notes on Use of the Lagashi in Stories

1. A Starfleet ship could find itself interacting with Lagashi merchants who have what Starfleet needs to solve a problem. They have to find a way to trade with the Lagashi to get what's needed while the Starfleet crew works to overcome its prejudices. More interestingly, it could be skills that the Lagashi on the merchant ship have that are needed, requiring the Starfleet crew to work directly with the Lagashi.

2. A group of Ferengi are accused of piracy against a Lagashi trading company. Starfleet must intervene to prevent Lagashi justice from ruining a plan, while keeping in mind that the Lagashi are a Federation member and the Ferengi aren't.

3. A Federation citizen - perhaps a relative of an NPC or PC on the Starfleet ship - wants to transfer his citizenship to Lagash in order to undergo cybernetic upgrades. How do those close to the would-be enhanced react to this desire? Do they encourage it under the Federation's idea of infinite diversity in infinite combinations, or do their Borg-born prejudices lead them to try to stop the citizenship change at every turn?