PROLOGUE
The Tarkington System and the Solar System are in the same galaxy and are a few light-years away from one another. There are three planets in the Tarkington system. The first planet closest to the sun is Snakardekus. Snakardekus is a hot, desert planet with little vegetation scattered throughout. There are many rock formations and caves throughout Snakardekus, which is where the inhabitants – the Snargde – use as a way of transportation while staying out of the sun’s intensive heat. The temperature ranges from negative thirty degrees in the winter to four hundred and thirty degrees in the summer. A median day on Snakardekus is around one hundred to two hundred degrees. Snakardekus’ annual rainfall is around five inches throughout the planet. Along with those five inches of rain, Snakardekus also receives acid rain, which is the main reason why there is little to no vegetation throughout.
The species that has survived since the beginning of Snakardekus’ inception are the Snargde. The Snargde are a reptilian race that slightly resembles a lizard that walks upright and can run at speeds of forty miles per hour on all four legs. The scales of Snargde range from light brown to dark brown. The Snargde has black beady eyes. Their snout is long but proportionate to their bodies. Inside of their mouth is thirty-two sharp teeth. Sometimes their teeth grow and protrude over their mouths.
The Snargde’s abdomen was thin and well defined. The nails were long and black that protruded a few inches from their hands and feet. Their tail continued growing a few inches per year until the Snargde died. Their tail length was an easy measurement of how old or young a Snargde was. The Snargde can reach up to nine feet tall, and their weight can range to nearly one hundred fifty to two hundred and thirty pounds.
The Snargde population only lives up to eighty years of age, which makes their race the fastest to die in the Tarkington system. The Snargde are sexually mature at ten years of age and are asexual, which keeps their population thriving. The Snargde had always been short-tempered but easily persuaded. When the sun sets on Snakardekus, two moons in the sky encircle Snakardekus. It is believed that the two moons are the reason why the Snargde fight amongst themselves.
The second planet is Nuwurth, which has increased oxygen than on any other planet in the Tarkington system. Nuwurth consists of 68% nitrogen, 27% oxygen, 3% argon, and 2% carbon dioxide with other minor traces of other gases. The increased oxygen has helped the transhumans in many ways, such as living longer and healing faster. The transhumans live up to two hundred years old. The average height for the transhumans is roughly eight feet tall.
Nuwurth has six landmasses all over its planet with various oceans surrounding each landmass. The northern landmass, Weredu, is known for being the frigid region, with three peninsulas headed south. Along the eastern landmass is Quelfium, which is known for the vast grasslands.
Near the equator is the small landmass Jublose, which is the smallest and is surrounded completely by water. South of Jublose is a massive region that extends from the equator to the southern pole; Ayewend, which has climates that range from scorching deserts to tropical beaches to freezing temperatures at the southern end of the landmass.
The West is home to the Yuskalla Islands, seven small islands encompass a bigger island. The Yuskalla Islands is composed of tropical areas with a non-active volcano. Skeedor, the second smallest landmass, is east of the Yuskalla Islands, and west of Jublose is where the Syndicate Headquarters is located.
The Syndicate is a global program that is made up of six different divisions throughout Nuwurth. The Syndicate consists of one General, two Lieutenant Generals, and Four Major Generals. The General of Nuwurth, Koba Deschner, is the overseer of all the transhumans on Nuwurth. General Deschner has been the General for many decades.
Each Lieutenant General and Major General underneath General Deschner is the General of their assigned division. There are many different branches in the Syndicate, and each is drastically different from another. The divisions are Militaristic Offense and Defense (MOD), which covers all types of the military on land, sea, ground, air, and space. Ryker Armitage oversees MOD, which is located on Jublose, and he is the first Lieutenant General to General Deschner.
The Safety and Transportation of Autonomous and Motorized Vehicles (STAV) oversee the creation of the transportation vessels, that can house and/or transport transhumans to get from one place to another in Nuwurth’s atmosphere and in space to other planets and solar systems. STAV also helps MOD by allowing them the technology they need for transporting soldiers to across Nuwurth and other areas. Cade Solbrig is the General of STAV, which is located on Ayewend and the first Major General to Lieutenant General Armitage.
The Scientific Investigation and Research (SIR) is the division that delves into the field of science by conducting and exploring various types of experiments to help the transhumans of Nuwurth by expanding their knowledge. Matzen Reingle oversees SIR as General, which is located on Weredu, and he is the second Major General that reports to Lieutenant General Armitage.
The Technological Advancements of Transhumanism (TAT) studies how technology has been used by transhumans in the past and how they can learn to better their lives from it. Ayesha dee Veyra is General to the TAT, which is located on the Yuskalla Islands, and she is the second Lieutenant General to General Deschner.
The Improvement and Discipline of Scholarly Education (IDSE) provide transhumans by teaching them ways of various forms of education throughout Nuwurth. This division focuses on creating new rules, regulations, laws, and interplanetary peace treaties. Kasra Brentari is the General of the IDSE, which is located on Quelfium, and she is the first Major General that reports to Lieutenant General dee Veyra.
The Unification of Relationships and Communication (URC) is the division in charge of many departments on Nuwurth, such as The Sanatoriums for the Incipience, The Nurphan’s Erudition, and the Caricilities, and many other buildings that deal with the growth and communication between transhumans domestic and galactic. Zaiyah Lokhorst is the General of the URC, which is located on Skeedor, and she is the second Major General that reports to Lieutenant General dee Veyra.
Varenok is the third and last planet in the Tarkington system and the coldest too. Varenok’s median temperatures are around negative one-hundred- and forty-degrees Fahrenheit. Varenok’s surface is mostly covered in water, and what little land that is above the water on Varenok isn’t suitable for vegetation or to sustain life other than a few species.
The surface of Varenok, which consists of icebergs drift in the current and is mostly used for migratory patterns of creatures that dwell near it. The atmosphere of Varenok consists of hydrogen, helium, and methane.
Varenok is an aquatic planet to which the dominant species, the Frochen, thrive. The Frochen makes up most of the population of Varenok, with minor other species as well.
When the Frochen is young, their body appears to be slimy, and their color ranges from anywhere between light blue to purple, as they age they start to produce scales that cover their entire body. When the Frochen mature, they lose their scales and produce bigger and thicker scales. The color of their scales darkens as well. The scales that the older Frochen produce are a type of material known as Awatamite, which is arguably the toughest material throughout Varenok.
The Frochen have a short stature, and their arms extend beyond their knees. The Frochen has six digits on their hands with webbing in between their fingers, making it easy to swim. Their nails are roughly four inches long.
The lower half of their body is smaller and thinner than the upper part of their body. The Frochen’s legs are muscular and defined, which helps them swim. Their feet are flat, which resembles fins, but strong enough to support their weight. Their arms have fins protruding outwards as they become older with age.
The Frochen’s heads look big for their bodies, as they tend to walk as if their neck is made that way to be curved over. The Frochen’s eyes are the most significant thing on their faces; their eyes are translucent, almost as if they have a clear film-like substance over them. Their eyes allow the Frochen to see under the water. As the Frochen age, their eyes change color from clear to black.
Their lips are as wide as their faces. Their nose is almost nonexistent, which the Frochen does not need for it. Years of evolutionary adaptation have changed the Frochen’s appearance throughout their species. The Frochen breathe out of their external gills, which hang above their mouths and dangle.
The Frochen can live to be well over three hundred years, and they pass down information from generation to generation through oral language and stories that can help future generations continue to prosper. When the Frochen hunt, they tend to keep every part of the creature and use the carcass’ body parts for weaponry. The Frochen tends to find a use for each body part, no matter how small it may be. Frochen typically is a passive race, but they will fight when the situation arises. Although Frochen is highly intelligent and would rather solve conflicts without the need for fighting, the Frochen knows that fighting can solve certain problems.
