Kafers: Rebooted, Part 1: Sources

[epicenter00]

Thanks for your comments - Kafers I think would indeed have intelligence tests to ensure that their weapons operators know what they're doing and aren't just doing things out of rote memorization.

But, without further ado I'd like to present my last two thoughts on Kafer small arms.

 

[epicenter00]

Kafer Advanced Weapons

As a further flavor point, I'm thinking Kafers never developed plasma weapons and to remove them from the Kafer arsenal. Instead, the Kafers have mastered laser technology and use it in a much wider area of applications than humans do.

Initially, equally puzzling were the "advanced" or "type 2" weapons found on some of the Kafer dead. Less common than the "basic" weapons, these "type 2" weapons accounted for about 20% of Kafer weapons captured in large battles, while in smaller battles, such weapons weapons consisted of 50% of the weapons found or even more. A number of different theories arose, mostly following Earth models (though one Sung observer noted that the more primitive weapons might be from more primitive Kafer groups, being used as cannon fodder in return for technological aid from more advanced Kafer groups). Some claimed they were newer weapons that were gradually phasing out older models. Others theorized they might be weapons used in other regions of Kafer space. Still others claimed they were weapons for Kafer elite troops. It is the latter that proved to be true, with the typical Kafer twist.

Kafer type 2 weapons impressed human observers with their refinement and advancement. Indeed, the stereotype of Kafer weapons being powerful, but inaccurate, heavy, and primitive arose during the first Kafer war, when human authorities called for a news blackout on the nature of type 2 Kafer weapons, some of which were more advanced than human counterparts. All Kafer type 2 weapons extensively use composite materials utilizing construction techniques roughly equivalent to modern human ones (in contrast to "basic" weapons that wouldn't have been out of place in the mid 20th century Earth). Similar to Kafer basic weapons, however, there appears to be extensive customization done. The addition of different types of electronic sighting aids, bipods, extended magazines, and grenade launchers. Despite the reputation for Kafer crudeness and brutality, many of these type 2 weapons are surprisingly delicate as well as show a disturbing ability for Kafers to examine and adapt to changing needs. For instance, it seems that Kafers show a marked preference for human bipods and a large number of Kafer type 2 weapons have been adapted to use captured human bipods during battles on Aurore. By Kimanjano, it was noticed that new Kafer weapons came pre-drilled to use human screws and mounts.

Like "basic" weapons, type 2 weapons feature no external safety mechanisms. Internal safety mechanisms exist to prevent misfire a pull of a trigger of a Kafer weapon is always sure to result in a shot fired if the weapon is loaded.

Flashlight - Similar to the weapon in the Kafer Sourcebook. It appears to be meant as a laser assault weapon. Kafer lasers are very advanced with a superior capacitor system to human ones. Kafers utilize a similar LMS battery system to humans though the discharge system seems to be more capable to human ones. The LMS battery packs were noted to be much heavier than human versions. Upon analysis, Kafers utilize an innovative liquid cooling system which is integrated into the battery pack. The battery pack's shape is designed to conform to a "hot-spot" on the barrel where the weapon can transfer heat to the battery pack, which has a matching area for the coolant sleeve integrated into the battery. Though this has the potential to create a thermal "flash" when the batteries are changed, but a skilled Kafer user can minimize it. The benefit is that the weapon has a much lower thermal footprint compared to human weapon, even under sustained fire situations.

Donderbus, type 2 - A 30-40mm munitions projector with a drum feed set forward of the trigger group mated to a laser weapon that is of a comparable power to a P-3 laser pistol but given a much more robust power system, larger battery, and better focal system allowing sustained fire. The munitions projector is the primary component when in use. It would fire a family of "grenades" - flare, smoke, fragmentation, shotgun-style flechette rounds, etc. It would also have the ability to fire two-stage rocket-propelled high-velocity rounds (like an Accelerator Rifle) able to be guided to a distant target via a special lower-power setting on the laser weapon. The Kafer operator is able to select which round is to be fired next by manually rotating the cylinder. The cylinder features a transparent strip along each chamber, and the grenades for the weapon are color-coded allowing the Kafer operator to choose the next round. The laser weapon appears to be designed for suppressive fire.

Elephant Gun - A personal anti-armor rifle of the 30-40mm range. The weapon is of immense length (around 1.7m) and fires a very high velocity armor-piercing slugs fired in an over-the-shoulder capacity. The weapon is typically fed from a 24 round magazine, though for its kind, the weapon has a high rate of fire, and can exhaust its magazine in about 10 seconds. Human testing of the weapon shows it is very accurate for its type, and Kafers have been known to use it in sniping attacks against individual humans at long ranges. Though the weapon itself is rugged and heavily made, it is typically used with a much more fragile laser sighting system where a pair of goggles the Kafer wears is connected to a small, low-powered laser on the weapon itself. The system tracks where the Kafer operator is looking as well as projecting where the bore of the weapon is pointing and can track fast-moving objects, allowing the Kafer to engage low-flying aircraft with surprisingly effectiveness.

Scorchlight - A personal laser anti-armor weapon used by Kafer troops. Disturbingly to human forces, its mechanism is superior to anything human technology could produce when it was first captured. While unheared-of during the Aurore invasion, during the later stages of the Invasion, the Scorchlight was an increasingly common weapon. Since then, human militaries have been working to make a weapon similar - by 2320 such weapons are probably in the hands of human forces. It's much lighter and smaller than Elephant Guns and seem to be used in preference to Elephant Guns by Kafers. Ironically, because the laser's engagement time is near-instant for the ranges it is used at, it's sights are very primitive compared to the Elephant Gun. Nevertheless, at ranges less than 150m, the weapon remains potent enough to score disabling hits on French CC-21s and can engage aircraft at ranges exceeding 3000m. Perhaps the most alarming feature of the Scorchlight is its ability to be "dialed" in power - a lower power mode exists with a much faster fire rate, allowing a Scorchlight gunner to engage infantry without overkill. These are not presets and apparently the Kafer simply memorizes the best power to be used against what target and at what range - a testament to superior Kafer memorization skills.

 

[epicenter00]

Ylii-Developed Devices

When human forces first captured Kafer "Snapfire" and "Quickfire" missile systems, they were baffled. The missiles were smaller and lighter but they carried laughably weak warheads. Countless stories told of thin-skinned aircraft taking multiple hits from the missiles and surviving to fly home. Human hovertank pilots found themselves unafraid of Kafer missile lock warnings - instead dreading the "silent" engagement of Kafer "Elephant Guns" and "Scorchlight" attacks. These missiles were the only case where it seemed that human weapons were more powerful than Kafer ones. Study of Kafers led only to further questions: If Kafers were like humans and engaged in wars amongst their own species (which seemed likely, given the violent nature of Kafer society), what purpose did the missiles serve? They were not powerful enough to hurt lighter human vehicles let alone much more heavily built Kafer armor. Later Kafer missile systems were much larger and much more capable, but seemed inspired by human designs. The mystery of the "weak dick" missiles persisted.

The answer turned out that Kafers didn't make the weapons. The Ylii did.

Under the direction of their Kafer masters, beta Ylii manufactured a number of weapons for the Kafers. Betas, notoriously tractable to Kafer dominion, after a point began to suggest new devices and ideas to the Kafers. The Snapfire was presented first by the Ylii betas who thought that preserving the safety and lives of Kafers could only be a good thing for group. The negative reaction was unimagined by the beta. One of the things the Ylii had failed to notice was that the Kafers had a difficult time grasping why killing a foe one couldn't see. Without the up-close danger of the foe, a Kafer could not be properly stimulated, which would mean the Kafer would lack oppurtunities for awareness and intelligence which can only come from combat and danger. Though the Kafers made use of remote-controlled killing devices, these were all mated to cameras which allowed the operator to see the target's doom close-up. What would be the point of a weapon that tracked and killed without sharing any of its awareness and euphoria with the gunner? It also raised the specter of Aaa*Ur*Ah, a concept that is difficult to translate into English but could be thought of as "Safety-Fear" - that some agency is enforcing peace upon a Kafer to keep it dumb and unthreatening. Nevertheless, the Kafers were not ones to pass up a weapon.

In service, the Snapfire proved to be quite popular amongst Kafers, but not for the reasons the Ylii imagined. Kafers found scattering Snapfires around a camp would result in a good early-warning system of incoming attack. The launch of the missiles quickly became equated with the approach of danger, and subsequently Kafers senses would be hightened and approaching battle could be properly appreciated. Upon the victims of the missile attacks, the missiles proved to be harassing - not a great threat, but enough to slow the attackers down and make them more wary, giving the defenders more time to react and plan and provide the attackers with a better battle. To the Kafers the Ylii weapon was a great success and they ordered more like it.

The Quickfire was the Ylii's next offering. Some of the most experienced Kafer veterans (those of the Planner or near-Planner rank) grasped the idea of over-the-horizon and out-of-sight killing, even on the tactical level. While distasteful, such weapons might be useful for the "good of the race", especially if the Kafers eventually encountered a more Kafer-like race than the docile Ylii. In addition, the intelligent Planners saw in the Ylii offering a danger - if the Ylii saw nothing wrong with the idea of killing from afar and out of sight, what if other beings in the universe shared a similar view? The awareness of this possible point of view shook the Planners. This was not some advantage to be hoarded by some Suzerian or another. It would have to be known by all of the Race! When the idea was broached before the Associative, reactions were mixed. Some discounted the idea, unable to grasp it. The more conservative Suzerians simply dismissed it outright as un-Kafer. Others were alarmed by the idea and implented a program to make the newer generations of Kafer veterans aware of this concept. Thus, the Quickfire was born. Utilizing similar missiles to the Snapfire, it was hoped that training and use of the Quickfire would result in Kafers more comfortable with the idea of at least using some weapons that killed out of sight.

The human war, first at Arcturus, then Aurore, and finally the Invasion showed the Planner's worst fears. The humans were indeed willing and capable of killing from afar and out of sight. In fact, they seemed to prefer it. Kafer vehicles were being devastated by weapons fired by gunners that no Kafer could see, or who fled immediately after firing their weapons and didn't seem to care if they knew if their weapon had done anything or not. Despite the use of such weapons, humans were not invincible. Human missiles were captured and turned over to the Ylii for study. The Ylii worked with Kafer technicians, introducing the idea of more powerful missiles as well anti-missile defenses to be fit onto Kafer vehicles, defenses that would need to operate without a Kafer's direct intervention, as well as raising the general awareness of Kafer troops in general to guard against the human ambush.

"Smartgoggles" - Though "Pain Toys" were used extensively by Kafers to keep awareness up, the Ylii realized that another device might be necessary and introduced the Smartgoggle as an improvement over previous Kafer night-vision devices. Smartgoggles were widely manufactured and captured during the initial Invasion, as the Kafers found that trying to come to grips with humans meant attacking worlds that tended to have dimmer, cooler suns than Kafers were used to. The Smartgoggle was not identified easily. It was noted by technicians studying Kafer goggles that besides operating in much higher wavelengths than equivalent human devices, the Kafer goggles produced a "flicker" at the edges of the viewing field at irregular intervals. While some technicians found the "flicker" to be unsettling, most human analyists, complacement by their own view that Kafers were technologically primitive, assumed the extra feature of the goggles was simply a result of poor Kafer technology creating a "flicker" from unrealiable or unsound engineering. It was only with greater understanding of Kafer technology that it was realized the "flicker" was intentional. The flicker itself was not studied closely for five years. However, when studied, turned out to be a very quickly generated image, lasting for only about .001 of a second. The image of the flicker is random but seems to usually be that of a Kafer armed with a knife, charging with weapon raised. Though the flicker seems to be too fast for Kafers (or humans) to process consciously, the image appears to induce a startle-reaction at some level in a Kafer. While it is insufficient rouse a totally "base state" Kafer, it is sufficient to keep an already roused Kafer in a state of high awareness and intelligence without the use of more distracting physical stimulation, such as the "Pain Pack."

"Pain Pack" - An earlier attempt by Kafers for extended awareness, it was later refined into an actual device that could be issued instead of an ad hoc device. The pain pack is quite simple at its core, simply a battery pack, a timer, and some wires secured to some limb of a Kafer, usually using a strap of cloth. At intervals, the Pain Pack delivers a painful but brief jolt of electricity to the wearer, inducing a pain and awareness reaction from the Kafer.

 

[veltyen]

More wonderfulness Epicenter.

Could I suggest that the Elephant Gun perhaps has a slightly smaller callibre? A medium/high velocity 40mm shell (Bofors gun - Muzzle velocity 1000+ m/s) weighs in at about a kilogram each, meaning a clip of 24 would be in the thirty kilo range. I was assuming that updated tech would mean the shell was a similar mass with a higher muzzle velocity. Something like a 20mm at 1500-2000m/s for about 500g per shell.

I love the loud, back blasting, warning missile concept. That would be confusing to face at least initially.

 

[epicenter00]

Yeah, perhaps the Kafer Elephant gun would be more in the 20-30mm range. Kafers are supposed to be stronger than humans but with a weaker grip - the weapon would probably rest on the Kafer's shoulder and be very heavy, but with a surprisingly low recoil (I don't see how Kafers with a weak grip could keep a high recoil weapon stable - so Kafer recoil compensation technology is probably superior to human stuff but weight is less of a concern to Kafers who design their weapons so that the weight doesn't rest on their hands - though I'm not sure how evolutionarily sound weak grips are in a tool-using species).

I was imagining the weapon to be a large bore weapon where the round was surprisingly long by human standards, with extremely high velocity and a shell casing that breaks away once it left the barrel to reveal several high-velocity self-sharpening penetrators (perhaps nine or so). The pattern of dispersal makes the round more effective against aircraft, while the cannon fires so fast in bursts that two or three shells could be expected to hit any ground vehicle, which means that the entire side of a vehicle would be saturated by long penetrator slugs.

Originally, I was thinking that it might be a Gauss weapon or a Binary propellant weapon, but decided against it. I really want to give Kafers an emphasis on lasers (which is pretty much the optimal weapon for them - no need to lead the target, instant engagement at planetary distances, and you can still see your opponent). The Elephant Gun is the kind of weapon that is slowly being phased out by all Kafer Suzerians, but they haven't been totally eliminated yet and the weapon has certain advantages over lasers.

 

[Anders]

I like this writeup, because it also suggests interesting *cultural* aspects. The sensualist, smart illuminati Kafers are going to live a very different life from the grunts in the barracks. Humans might encounter the latter most of the time and get the impression that Kafer civilization is simple, crude and utilitarian. Almost a parody of a communist dystopia. Imagine their surprise when they storm the upper levels of a Ch*!! and find rich draperies, piles of what must be books, mini-gardens and cabinets filled with wonders (and trophies!) from many worlds.

There might also be different Kafer cultures. Some might go all out for maximizing a large, stupid population base and ruthless selection. Others might have gone for a more selective strategy, instituting very different styles. Imagine the surprise of encountering a small, hightech "elite" nation where deliberate intelligence training occurs, with a very distinct culture.

Another angle might be surveillance. How would these Kafers use surveillance? It might be a way for the smart ones to control the "masses" and coordinate (rather than control) society.

 

[epicenter00]

I like this writeup, because it also suggests interesting *cultural* aspects. The sensualist, smart illuminati Kafers are going to live a very different life from the grunts in the barracks. Humans might encounter the latter most of the time and get the impression that Kafer civilization is simple, crude and utilitarian. Almost a parody of a communist dystopia. Imagine their surprise when they storm the upper levels of a Ch*!! and find rich draperies, piles of what must be books, mini-gardens and cabinets filled with wonders (and trophies!) from many worlds.

That's really one of the things I was trying for - that the human perception of Kafers isn't wrong it's just incomplete. Most human encounters with Kafers are with the dumber/lower levels of Kafer society.

There might also be different Kafer cultures. Some might go all out for maximizing a large, stupid population base and ruthless selection. Others might have gone for a more selective strategy, instituting very different styles. Imagine the surprise of encountering a small, hightech "elite" nation where deliberate intelligence training occurs, with a very distinct culture.

I was going to hold off on detailing my thoughts about "real" Kafer society for later (or never depending on interest - this thread seems to be a pretty "low interest" thread). But it's certainly something I was thinking about - Kafers, for an intelligent race, have a little too much cultural uniformity for my tastes. I have some theories on cultural evolution - that people deliberately develop different attitudes and methods as an evolutionary thing to ensure survival - loners and "small town" humans exist because they'd survive if something were to wipe out all of our cities. "Quislings" exist in humans because they'd be the ones who'd survive if all the "resisters" were wiped out, etc.

By my quasi-theory on social development, it'd say that Kafers would have different societies as well, just to eliminate the weakness of a single viewpoint making the race vulnerable to exploitation of that one society and wiping it out.

Another angle might be surveillance. How would these Kafers use surveillance? It might be a way for the smart ones to control the "masses" and coordinate (rather than control) society.

I imagine that the cities that are the most orthodox to Striker-Of-Stars original society would resemble many Third World cities today. There would be the city center (the true Ch*!!) where the elites live, which would probably be around less than 5% of the population. This is where the most intelligent Kafers live and the most critical services are located. Most of Kafer society's planning for the future occurs here, be it governmental or "corporate" (the term defined very loosely here). The majority of this city center's population are of the "Planner" rank.

In a ring around this center would be where the Kafer "middle class" dwells. These are Kafers who are intelligent enough to be trained for rote tasks and who have enough of a hold on their tempers to save fighting for societally accepted moments and won't fly into a destructive rage on a computer just because it didn't do what the Kafer wanted it to do (as a humorous side-note, I'd imagine Kafer break rooms to basically be a room that resembles are boxing gym where Kafers can engage in grooming fights, but also outdated computers and baseball bats there where Kafers can let off steam against the computers they work on - something perhaps human office workers might cite as an inherent superiority in Kafer worker-happiness thinking). This is where the vast majority of Kafer productivity occurs - factories, offices, and everything else would be concentrated here. Despite it's very high productivity, only about 30-40% of the Kafer population would live here. Kafers also have their own "urban angst" like humans do. Because of rote nature of their tasks, Kafers dwelling here have the fewest opportunities for consciousness-expanding violence compared to the Kafers of the "outside" and the Planners, whose wealth, leisure time, and need for creativity and intelligence on their jobs mean they are often getting into "grooming combat." Compared to this, a Kafer who operates a milling machine turning out parts has to be at its machine as many hours as possible to be productive as possible. Kafer middle-city dwellers cite the fear they are becoming dumb and that the Aach*Ah is coming to eat them as their primary fear and figures enormously in Kafer thought. Nevertheless, this population is kept mollified by the belief that those who truly excel here will be promoted to the innermost city (in reality this doesn't happen too often - planners require a level of intelligence, talent, and drive that most Kafers don't have).

Beyond a wall and often a large moat and so on, is the "outside." Over half of the Kafer population lives here. While biologically Kafers, they are considered to be "proto-Kafers" or "subkafers" by the Kafers themselves. It is here that Kafers are taken after being weaned by their parent. Though to a human outsider, it seems like chaos and anarchy, the "outside" is actually controlled and monitored. The outside is divided up into zones, each controlled by a "camp" where young Kafers are assigned (in theory, including young from the middle and inner city). It is in these camps that Kafers make their first social links, where they first engage in fights, and where many die. Each "camp" is associated some sort of resource, though like a favelas the resources are pretty wretched - one camp might be associated with a sewage drain from the city. Another, where garbage (biodegradable stuff) is dumped. While still another is where broken down machinery and scrap metal is dumped. These camps are carefully arranged so that none of the camps actually have all the necessities for living. In addition, resources coming into the city itself is carefully diverted by the "outside" city - for instance, inaccessible overpasses and aqueducts or underground tunnels and pipes. With the inequality of vital resources, intelligence-expanding conflict in created. The camps organize and raid each other. The Kafers at the machine site have the best clubs and can fashion filters to get water from the sewage, but lack food and water. The garbage dump is the only place for food (either by eating the garbage directly or by eating the Kafer equivalent of rats). The sewage pipe is the only place to get water. In addition, each area has multiple camps that compete for the same resource.

While normally, this might result in great leaders organizing things for mutual beneficial trade or in conquered empires, the populations of the outsides are monitored. Kafers with organizing skills, or who show mechanical aptitude, or even are crafty killers are plucked from the outside. Depending on their level of talent, the majority are dumped into the middle city, while the brilliant and talented are taken directly to the core. Thus, the society of the outside is in constant, violent motion, with the cream that rises to the top constantly being skimmed off and new raw material constantly being added.

Despite this, Striker-of-Stars realized that no system like this would be perfect. Despite surveillance (before the advent of technology, this was done by infiltrators from the elite castes), there would be those who fell through the cracks of Kafer society. For such Kafers, there is also the possibility of self-promotion. The border between the outside and the middle city is heavily fortified as well as the guards of the middle city can make it. Despite this, it is expected that Kafers try and cross the border into the middle city where life is better. There are deliberately fashioned ways in, like maze-like sewers complete with deadly traps, periodic flushings guaranteed to drown those caught inside, and ladders, ramps, and not a single light in sight to create a vast deadly maze. All middle city dwellers participate for some weeks of a year in this border patrol - this is not considered a duty but a reward or a vacation. Patrols encounter infiltrators and these always result in good mortal fights (but very lopsided - the patrols have technological weapons like guns while their opponents usually don't), resulting in opportunities for consciousness-expanding fighting with the hopefuls being chased out or killed. Sometimes, however, Kafers find truly innovative ways in (which are celebrated) - like using a hot-air balloon to cross inside.

Kafers plucked from the outside, despite their potential are often still quite violent and not very well socialized. This is where they're again put into camps, where they are informed of the true reason for the system, and that it was designed to weed out the weak and stupid - that the Kafer is inside of this socialization camp means it was smart enough to start trekking down the road of destiny and awareness.

Of course, no society is perfect. And there are various social problems. For instance, the Kafer elites who still have children (like in many technological nations, the Kafer elites often don't mate as raising children takes a Kafer away from work and its own entertainment - this might be quite easy if a Kafer doesn't get pleasure from sex like most animals - they would have no temptation to "do it" for fun) often don't want to chance their own "superior" children to the outside like they're supposed to, weaning their children on smart drugs and educating them. Kafers in the middle city do the same. This is frowned upon and is illegal as it's thought that life on the outside is a much better way to winnow out the worthy from the unworthy.

But this isn't the only model of Kafer society, only the "normal" one. There's variants, especially those close to the Ylii.

 

[veltyen]

so Kafer recoil compensation technology is probably superior to human stuff but weight is less of a concern to Kafers who design their weapons so that the weight doesn't rest on their hands - though I'm not sure how evolutionarily sound weak grips are in a tool-using species).

Of the tool users that have hands we have perhaps the weakest grip. Many terran tool users don't have hands (crows, vultrues, dolphins) of the others (otters, other primates) they have significantly stronger grips moderated by size - otters and small primates have a weaker grip by absolute difference obviously.

The only reason that we have the grip that we have is from brachiating ancestors. As a burrowing scavenging bug thing there just isn't that pressure - though I would expect an enormously better ability at digging.

Is there any detail about pre-cursor Kafer predators? Humans were strongly shaped by the cats/dogs/bears at one end and the pythons/crocs at the other - these being the major predators of pre-humans (except for the polynesians and their shark thing).

With burrowing and a reinforced/armoured back that would indicate a wombat like response to threats that were unable to be overcome. Dive into a predug burrow and seal the entrance with yourself. Obviously this has some ramafications for Kafer architecture - bunkers would be very popular.

 

[epicenter00]

With burrowing and a reinforced/armoured back that would indicate a wombat like response to threats that were unable to be overcome. Dive into a predug burrow and seal the entrance with yourself. Obviously this has some ramafications for Kafer architecture - bunkers would be very popular.

According to the Kafer Sourcebook, the carapace isn't there for protection from predators. It's there for protection from the nasty bright sunlight of Gamma Serpenti. Otherwise, you're correct - during flare activity, apparently the ancestors of Kafers would simply dig a bit then hide under their carapace until the sun flare had passed. It mentions in passing that many animals on Gamma Serpenti share the trait. Apparently the carapace itself can change to a subdued silvery color during bright light to reflect heat and sunlight away from the Kafer.

I remember reading somewhere that the Kafer carapace isn't actually rigid bone but is somewhat flexible, having more in common with human fingernails than bone and apparently Kafers are descended from scavengers - though the only mention of burrowing I see is that they may have burrowed into the carcasses of their ancient food (large elephant or larger beasts).

 

[Colin]

My original write-up for the Kafers posited a couple of different groups who provided continuity and balance to Kafer society. One, the Monks, lived in isolated communities, and used a rigorous program of martial arts, training, and single combat to keep their intelligence up. They would often mentor promising Kafers, and keep the "religion" of Striker-of-Stars alive.

This idea got kiboshed.

The other element, obliquely alluded to in 2320AD, and endorsed, is the "Medicis.'

A space-based culture, they keep trade and science alive between the Kafer worlds. They use a combination of breeding programs, martial arts, and biological know-how unknown to other Kafers to stay smart. They are the true plotters, and will even deal with human and other alien elements to get what they want. They are the ones supplying human privateers with black market weapons, and in turn deal with rogue Pentapod elements for the "drug-bug" and the intelligence-enhancing drug.

 

[veltyen]

According to the Kafer Sourcebook, the carapace isn't there for protection from predators. It's there for protection from the nasty bright sunlight of Gamma Serpenti. Otherwise, you're correct - during flare activity, apparently the ancestors of Kafers would simply dig a bit then hide under their carapace until the sun flare had passed. It mentions in passing that many animals on Gamma Serpenti share the trait. Apparently the carapace itself can change to a subdued silvery color during bright light to reflect heat and sunlight away from the Kafer.

The digging also solves another problem I have with the societal design. A very high breeding rate and relatively intensive care for multiple years in combination with a tendency towards violence and a lack (as far as I can tell) of societal care of children.

If for example, they burrowed out a twin chamber dwelling with younglings in one chamber and food left to rot in the other (the bedroom and the kitchen) then it would allow adult Kafers to roam with relative impunity as their young would only need to be tended too on a longer timeframe. The larger predator in this case being other adult Kafers.

 

[epicenter00]

The digging also solves another problem I have with the societal design. A very high breeding rate and relatively intensive care for multiple years in combination with a tendency towards violence and a lack (as far as I can tell) of societal care of children.

It would appear that Kafers are "weaned" around three years of age. Before this the Sourcebook states that they're able to fend for themselves almost at birth but are still fed regurgitated food from its parent. After this, the Kafer would have joined the pack or is now recruited into camps where it learns its adult vocation (I would say it's sent to the "outside").

The description of this biology is more than a little disatisifying for me as well. If something is able to "fend for itself" why does it need to be fed or cared for? I think I'd rather fall into the neoteny model and say that Kafer young aren't really able to fend for themselves at first and require extensive care. Here's my ideas: Early Kafers perhaps reared their young communally. The adults would range far and wide looking for food and bring it back for the young. Since the disgestion process requires some time before the food is disgested to a point where the young can eat it, the Kafers who returned from hunting would then stay and guard the young while the former caretakers would then go out and look for food. As food became more and more scarce, perhaps all of the pack's adults would have to leave. Because their young were not as mobile, perhaps the Kafers would dig burrows or create "bunkers" of thick mud with an enterance only large enough for a young Kafer but not an adult. The young Kafers within would be protected from the elements and other Kafers seeking to eat them simply because the adults would return before any "attacking" pack could widen the enterances enough to get at the young within. Eventually, of course, Kafers figured out the idea of cutting up the food at the site and bringing it back to the camp for later, allowing for guards once more but a more flexible division of labor as well.

 

[epicenter00]

Ylii!

The other element, obliquely alluded to in 2320AD, and endorsed, is the "Medicis.'

That's an interesting idea - as well as one that nicely dovetails into a concept I had, stemming from the encounter of the Kafers and Ylii. In short, I don't quite buy the way the Ylii behave and the Kafer reaction to them - the Ylii have always seemed like a cheap plot device by GDW to make the otherwise inviable Kafer technology into a more potent threat (seriously, Ylii are like the Nazi mad scientists of the Kafers - "the Ylii have developed a new rocket for Mrr'ing the Merciless, one capable of hitting Earth, you have to stop it, Flash!"). The Kafers have had 300 years of contact with the Ylii and really little has changed with the Kafers. The more dynamic Ylii which have human style intelligence (which is of course superior) haven't done a single blessed thing about the Kafers until recently either. I don't think this works - and if it does work, it's not complicated enough for me.

The existence of the Ylii was already suspected by the Planners because of ruins found on nearby worlds. The actual encounter of the Ylii by the Kafers was a profound shock, just like any first encounter situation seems to be. Of course, the Kafers first idea was to see if the Ylii would make good enemies. They didn't. The Ylii were profoundly pacifistic and wanted to engage in brotherhood and trade in a state of "not-struggle." It obviously didn't last, and the Kafers have slowly conquered Ylii worlds, some warlords wiping out the Ylii, while others have enslaved them. Kafers are inquisitive creatures, however, and it wasn't long before Kafers figured out that the Ylii could be useful to Kafers, exceeding Kafer technology in some areas and this led to further study by the Planner caste.

Ylii: The Ultimate Outsourcing

Careful study of the Ylii found their benefits and has led to an unrest in Kafer society that still hasn't fully shaken out, even at the time of the human contact. The essential difference between Kafer intelligence and Ylii intelligence was that it appeared that Ylii were intelligent all the time. The Planners of various Kafer realms have considered the implications while at the same exploiting the Ylii, who are, by definition, easily exploited. The most disquieting part of the Ylii is that in specialization and constant intelligence, Ylii are simply better at everything the Kafers do, except fighting. Gammas were content to labor hard in reptitive tasks without boredom. Iotas enjoyed urban planning and building and were constantly suggesting changes and improvements to Kafer cities. Zetas could be set to herding animals and farming and enjoyed it. And Betas ... Betas could be set on designing and programming computers and technical devices. While Betas were docile and not very inspired, it proved to be a good combination - Kafers Planners, stimulated after a "brainstorming session" of combat could quickly sketch out some new idea or approach and then the Betas would set about refining the idea and building it. Indeed, the Planners realized that Ylii made far more productive dwellers of the "middle city" than Kafers did. The only problem the Kafers found was that Ylii did not breed at all in captivity - Ylii populations were quickly exploited and exhausted in most Kafer worlds until only two realms controlled further Ylii populations and those realms controlled carefully where and how many Ylii slaves were sold to other Suzerians.

More disturbingly for Kafers, for such smart creatures, Ylii seemed to lack any sense of ambition - Ylii could be expected never to rise up against the Kafers and seemed content as cogs in wherever the Kafers chose to install them. This has created a complacency dangerous in Kafer society, as well as a deep dependence on Ylii in many realms. Simply put - realms that trusted and utilized the Ylii more effectively prospered and grew more powerful, while more conservative realms didn't. With the nature of Kafers, these more conservative realms were left marginalized, conquered, or suffered revolt by their more pro-Ylii factions.

About 200 years ago, Kafers society was rocked by a kind of "heresy." A Kafer society, simply referring to itself as "the Destiny" claimed that the time had come for Kafers to evolve or die once more. Striker-of-Stars society obviously was unable to cope with actual star travel; constant intelligence was obviously superior to "snapshot" intelligence and it was up to the Kafers to develop similar intelligence to make them more capable beings. Uncontrolled Kafer reproduction simply wasn't producing enough intelligent Kafers and that mere biology and Codes-of-Violence wasn't enough. However, these Kafers said, the tools existed - biology and science could be used to favor intelligence and planning instead of mindless aggression and stupidity. Though they enjoyed a certain support amongst the Planner class, more conservative Kafer elements saw the ideas as heresy against the ancient society that had sustained the Kafers for so long. Eventually, it was "suspected" that the authors of these theories were Ylii scientists. Disgusted that Kafers could fall so low, powerful Suzerians called for "the Destiny" to be wiped out. In battles running over 20 years, the Kafers did exactly that. But the Destiny was not wiped out - some supporters fled to Kafer space stations and similar places. A common equivalent of a Kafer conspiracy theory is that some members live the last "free" Ylii worlds (though none have been found, and many Planners consider it a ploy by the Suzerians near the remaining Ylii worlds to gain support for further offfensives). Since their exile from the Kafer mainstream, the Destiny have utilized science and biology to ever greater degrees to improve Kafers from utilizing basic eugenics techniques to developing genetics as a science - the Destiny sees no source of knowledge to be taboo in "evolving" Kafers. Such Kafer outcasts have undeniable knowledge and things they can trade to Kafer socities, and support for the Destiny's aims is wider than most hard-line Suzerians imagine. Human contact and the subsequent war has only gained the Destiny even more supporters. It is twice now that the Kafers have run into other species with "constant" intelligence, and rumors say that the humans have encountered others, all with "constant" intelligence. The Destiny works feverishly to make more intelligent Kafers and fear that time is running out.

Kafer history, since the contact and the increasing exploitation of the Ylii can be thought of the struggles between Kafer "have-Ylii" and Kafer "have-not Ylii." In this revised version, Triumphant Destiny's initial light touch with humans (in Kafer terms) at Arcturus was because Triumphant Destiny was seeking another race like the Ylii that Triumphant Destiny could use against the "Ylii Suzerians" who feared Triumphant Destiny's intelligence and embargoed Ylii slaves to it. Of course, humans proved to be much more interesting than Ylii.

I also considered that the realm of the Suzerian Rrrah was considering splitting off from the Associative because some decades ago, they figured out the secret for breeding Ylii in capivity. After discussions with the Destiny, the Suzerian theorized it was not enough to just get male-female pairings (as Kafers had been trying for so long, after realizing that the Ylii were not hermaphrodites), but that genus Episilon had a role in it. As caretakers of Ylii society, Episilons were required in large numbers if they were not to sicken and die, but provided no economic benefit to the Kafers who had routinely wiped them out. In what was considered a typical move of a Kafer "agreeing to the price before being hit" the Suzerian had agreed to purchase hundreds of the useless Epilsons. Instead, the Suzerian set up a large "Ylii enclave" for the Epilsons and other Ylii to live in. Sure enough, Epilsons seemed to understand population pressures at a gestalt level and could induce fertility and sexual interest in Ylii and reared Ylii young regardless of genera. By eliminating genus Delta, the Kafers replaced the planning genera and served a surrogate role of Ylii leaders and their warrior caste. Rrrah has figured out that with a stable (and growing!) Ylii population it could totally sever ties with the Associative...

 

[kmsoice]

A Kafer Provolution group?! Mawh-hah-hah! I bet you the Ylii captured in that Coyfederacy hidout is their emissary!

About 200 years ago, Kafers society was rocked by a kind of "heresy." A Kafer society, simply referring to itself as "the Destiny" claimed that the time had come for Kafers to evolve or die once more. <snip> Since their exile from the Kafer mainstream, the Destiny have utilized science and biology to ever greater degrees to improve Kafers from utilizing basic eugenics techniques to developing genetics as a science - the Destiny sees no source of knowledge to be taboo in "evolving" Kafers.

Seriously, this thread has been waaay more useful to me in giving practical advise on Kafers than the official sourcebook ever did. Epicenter, I hope you are planning on collating this all together and putting it on the 2320 wiki page .... and that you keep on writing!

 

[epicenter00]

Seriously, this thread has been waaay more useful to me in giving practical advise on Kafers than the official sourcebook ever did. Epicenter, I hope you are planning on collating this all together and putting it on the 2320 wiki page .... and that you keep on writing!

I'm not sure if it's really legal to put up derivative work like this on a wiki associated with a "real" product. This is just stuff I use in games or stuff I'd like to use but haven't found a way to integrate into the game yet.

And for today's installment:

Epicurean Kafers (or what do Kafers do for fun?)

This section's mostly for Anders. Unlike humans, it appears that Kafers it doesn't seem to me that Kafers would enjoy sex. Kafers enjoy fighting a lot. Humans enjoy fighting quite a bit, too, but we also like to do other stuff as well. I've been considering what else Kafers might enjoy doing to give them more depth - I think one of the hallmarks of intelligence is a desire to master the "survival" thing so you can do other things with your time instead of just spending all your time doing "animal survival things."

Eating: Kafers enjoy eating, even more than humans do. Kafers have a mouth that's so complex that GDW's description of it gets muddled and after about the second paragraph you have no idea what's going where. Kafer mouth parts are also described as being very agile and sensitive. What if Kafers basically get the same kind of mental satisfaction from eating that humans do from sex? It seems plausible to me. Of course, being Kafers, their idea of what "great food" is going to seem alien (and disgusting) to humans. It also opens up the humorous image of overweight Kafers, but I desist. Warning: If you're eating RL while reading this, I suggest you stop or read this later.

Kafers would probably savor the feel and texture of food much more than humans do - Kafer "garnishes" might be things included in their food that have no nutritional value but have some interesting texture in the mouth. In addition, with such complex mouths, eating might have an "order" to it, like choosing which fork to use in French cuisine with the order of which mouth-part the Kafer uses and in what order being considered important for the proper appreciation of food. Indeed, to the shock of many humans, perhaps Kafers joke "Rotten Sausages" much like human soldiers consider their own field rations ("Aagh, this sausage is so bad not even a human would eat it!").

Being former scavengers, Kafers are described as liking their food partially rotten or in an "advanced state of ripeness." While that's unflattering way of describing it, humans like foods like this too: Anything fermented is essentially rotten - alcohol or cheese being two familiar to most readers. Kafer food might be fermented by definition, but just like different beers or cheeses taste different, "cultured" (heh) Kafers would be very particular about which bacteria was used to ferment what ingredients and for how long and so on. Just like how certain wines and so on are prized in the human sphere, Kafers might have an entire industry on transporting "rotten meat" around for Kafers of privilege and discretion.

This has game effects as well. Kafer food processing technology is much more advanced than humans but in a different way. For instance, biologists who figured out that Kafers are based on dextro amino acids long wondered how Kafers were surviving on Aurore, whose biology is based on levo amino acids. Again, Claire Laval's award-winning documentary "Band 47" solved the mystery. While Kafers themselves could not process Auroran life proteins, they had things that could. Kafers were observed to hunt Auroran animal lifeforms, treat them, seal them into containers (usually scavenged from human settlements) and bury them. The Kafers would return, anywhere from a few weeks to a few months later retrieve the fermented food and eat it. Kafers appear to have parasites, fungi, or bacteria (or their equivalent thereof) which can process levo amino acids but are dextro amino acid based themselves and when eaten, provide nutrition for the Kafer.

One item of equipment Kafers might be occasionally found to be carrying would be called a "Kafer Chanel" by humans. It would consist of a small carrying case with a strap worn like a purse or satchel, containing a number of small bottles or containers containing various foul-smelling substances. It'd be a mystery to humans, variously thought to be a scientific assaying kit, a signaling method, or something used in torture. Human soldiers, noting how the contents smell like Kafers, would humorously refer to it as Kafer perfume (and all the female connotations that brings for mostly male humans bored and lonely around a campfire to joke about). It's actually the sign of a Kafer "cook" - the vials contain various cultures of yeasts, bacteria, and similar things used for fermenting Kafer foods. By using these cultures, a Kafer with skill can make inedible foods edible as well as making existing foods taste a lot better.

Kafers would have a pre-stomach - a rumen. This is where Kafers eat "raw" food and it's stored where it can be partially digested and where a variety of symbiotic bacteria live. It can be sealed off from the rest of the Kafer digestive track and is non-absorbent - it lets Kafers try eating something, then quickly spit it up if it is poisonous. A lot of basic fermentation occurs here as well - like cows, Kafers being "eat and run" scavengers held food in their first stomach then later would regurgitate into their mouths at a more leisurely time. It also serves a purpose like the crop in ants - it's where Kafers store food to feed to their young (which also helps to infuse the newborn Kafer with it's own community of symbiotic bacteria - this gives the terms like "home cooking" or "Ah, just like how mom used to make it!" whole new meanings). Kafers are often seen "spitting" onto the carcasses of hunted animals and such - an action used to begin the breaking down process (a Kafer bonding activity might be "spitting" into a single stewpot, letting the contents ferment, then eating it communally later). The enzymes and acids contained within the first stomach wouldn't be any more dangerous than human stomach acid (or perhaps less) but would still be startling - using their proboscis-like inner mouth, Kafers have been known to spit into the faces of their enemies to throw them off during fighting.

 

[epicenter00]

Memory

Kafers are stated several times as having vastly superior memories to humans. I would assume the GDW writers are falling into the arrogant trap that all humans have the piss-poor memories of those of us in our literate socities where we've never trained our memories so we have to write everything down, and we still forget. Humans in non-literate societies or societies where having a good memory is an important social trait can remember huge amounts - even casually.

Regardless, if Kafers are supposed to have such good memories, it might be that Kafers also have very vivid memories, as they can remember small details later on. An important source of Kafer entertainment and pleasure would probably be the recalling of memories. While the Sourcebook says that Kafers tell stories simply by cuffing or beating young Kafers and to ensure they remember, I disagree. Kafers would probably tell their stories in the form of vivid stage plays which are much more visceral and engaging than human stage plays. A Kafer tale on stage might involve the use of distinctive costumes/colors, the use of music (and similar distinctive noises), smells (like the burning of certain plants or the introduction of certain scents), as well as injury or death to animals, some of the actors, or even the audience. Despite what would appear to be mass chaos to humans, the plays would actually be standardized - with strict regulations on the patterns used in costumes, the instruments used to make the music, and so on. The point would be to create a kind of universal language of symbols to bond Kafer society together. With their excellent memories, just producing a certain sound or pattern might trigger a near fugue-like state of savoring memories in Kafers. Alternatively, Kafers onboard a dropship just about to deploy to the surface of Kimanjano might have the fighting compartment flooded with a scent they associate with the appearance of the Smart Barbarians in all their early adolescent stories - one that would instantly make them alert and remind them of why they're fighting.

A side-effect of this is that I would think Kafers would be very big on taking prizes from defeated foes - memento that the Kafer could handle, smell, and look at to remember things past (which might seem as vivid as the present to a Kafer). Kafers, unlike humans, might not wear human ears to boast to other Kafers about its combat prowess, or to keep track of how many humans it had killed. Instead it might carry the ears around so it could remember and savor how it had killed each human. For humans, used to their to own "scalp-taking" practices, this would result in puzzling behavior. Kafers might not take ears from humans that were too easily killed or killed in boring ways to the Kafer. For instance, the Kafer might take the ear of a child because it remembers the way the child ran and did a number of clever things (to the Kafer) to avoid death. However, the Kafer might not take the ear of the mother, who came at the Kafer with a kitchen knife (and was casually shot dead by the Kafer). A Kafer might not take any prizes of a hovertank it destroys with a rocket because the tank was just sitting there, unsuspecting and there were no guards around it - it was a trivial kill. It might take the prize from an unarmed truck whose driver tried to run down the Kafer so it could remember the comical event later.

Memory might be a private thing, but even more than humans, Kafers might also enjoy sharing memories with their peers. However, Kafer memory being what it is, perhaps Kafers don't just take photographs, but might take audio recordings of a battle, or some physical keepsake as well, as well as just storytelling to pass the time. However, thinking that the Kafers are sentimental would be wrong - Kafers would be aware that memories are individual to the Kafer. So Kafers would be free of that problem of showing vacation slides at parties to people who were never there - why try and trigger memories in someone who wasn't there and wouldn't have the memories? (This would be an obviously admirable trait in Kafers, one that humans wouldn't be remiss in imitating.)

 

[kmsoice]

..., and support for the Destiny's aims is wider than most hard-line Suzerians imagine. Human contact and the subsequent war has only gained the Destiny even more supporters.

Winning and Losing: Just to add to the struggle I think that the war with the humans would also have been a boon to the conservative elements as well. Think about it, in picking a fight with humans the Kafers have met a most stimulating enemy. Sure the Kafer race has suffered horrific losses but you would not be a Kafer if you could not look at such losses and say "Meh, at least now there is more food for me and my surviving kin." And now (2320AD) what could be more stimulating than the stark terror at the attempt of the utter extermination of your race? On Kafer worlds, both human occupied and not, Kafers have probably never been more aware, more unified and more productive [Adventure idea: Scouting of the remaining free Kafer worlds reveals weapons build-up of chilling proportions. Maybe Lutke was right in attempting to exterminate the Kafers--or completely wrong because in doing so he provoked them into being even more dangerous?] To get the stimulation they seem to crave Kafers have to be the ultimate gamblers, always ready to bet their life to win big ...but what are they winning?? If the intelligence boost is the adrenaline rush/orgasm/consiousness expanding thing I think it is portrayed as being then even what humans would term 'losing' is bound to be counted as a 'win' to the (surviving) Kafers. This is because the only thing more dangerous/stimulating than a fight with an enemy is surviving a fight with an enemy that is otherwise beating you. Maybe the war with the humans has not gone as they expected but I do think Kafers are really all that unhappy with the current situation either. .... So Striker-of-Stars is still right! Kill the heretics!

Would Kafers deliberately underperform in a fight in order to make it more stimulating? Do something to even the odds and make the fight tougher? Play with their prey, play Russian roulette, or give an enemy a chance at a first shot? Provided they thought they could get away with it [suicide, still bad] I think so. Also the smarter the Kafer the more appreciation of escapes and backups, those who always charge in blindly would have died young, the one who gets away lives to be stimulated another day. Maybe elaborate escape tunnels and survival systems for the Planner caste are routine? Maybe the Kafers are engaging in an Ark type expedition to preserve there race? I can imagine Kafers really enjoying a movie like 'Die Hard'. The lazy defense overwhelmed by clever attackers, the lone defender who is beaten, battered, bleeding but is obviously having fun every second of the way while he survives to outsmart the enemy one by one.

 

[veltyen]

Would Kafers deliberately underperform in a fight in order to make it more stimulating? Do something to even the odds and make the fight tougher? Play with their prey, play Russian roulette, or give an enemy a chance at a first shot? Provided they thought they could get away with it [suicide, still bad] I think so.

Reminds me of the Clan (Battletech). Auctioning who can invade a planet based on minimum bid. While insane from an external perspective - and from a "winnning the war" perspective has advantages internal to the society and the individual (greater prestige - and hence breeding advantage) that outweighed those considerations.

For the Kafers that would imply that the first down to invade a planet may need to overpower and outsmart other groups to gain that role.

 

[epicenter00]

Deliberate underperforming or holding part of your force back in a fight and similar things would all be part of "ritualizing" warfare. Both Kafers and humans do it - after all, once, the Kafer fleets were defeated, if humans really were doing "survival warfare" they would have simply wandered throughout the Kafer sphere saturation bombing every world with thermonuclear weapons until they were smooth cue-balls of radioactive glass, then dropping off deadly biological agents on the world to mop-up whatever survivors remained. Kafers might not become extinct, but they'd certainly stop being a problem for a long, long time. Wars for species survival don't care about the cost of nuclear weapons or anything else.

Kafers would be big into ritualized fighting - most of the "grooming social combats" and similar stuff mandated under Striker-Of-Stars society are all ritualized to some degree - Kafers don't run around their own cities shooting at each other with rocket launchers and chainguns. They use knives or unarmed attacks and so forth. Any surface invasion of a world could be thought of as ritualized warfare.

kmsoice - And yes, it's a boon to the conservative side as well. I just prefer to think that the Kafers, like humans, would have individuals and groups of different viewpoints, which would ultimately translate into differing philosophies of survival. The survivors, of course, are the ones whose ideas are ultimately right...at least for this round.