Species Profile: Lyrans

Foreword by the Editor

This in-depth piece is almost a direct sequel to Heath's 'TGP Forager', and the events of that story are indeed quoted as the source for this analysis. This is a brilliant piece of work, I think, but I do have to hold up my hands and admit that I've edited this one as well. Specifically, the Astrography section that places the L.S.E. has been changed from its Star Fleet Battles/Command location to the one given in my Stellar Cartography section. Also, every instance of "Mirak" that had been replaced by "Mira`Kzinti" has now been restored to the original "Mirak" once again. Both were done to fit this beautiful piece in with my universe.

That said, most (I'd say… 98%) of this remains untouched from the original. Muchos Kudos to Heath for this profile. So read on, and enjoy!

The Profile

Mission Log: Supplemental.
Lyran Analysis.

Commander Jack Virenko
StarFleet Intelligence Directorate
United Federation of Planets

Astrography:

The Lyran Star Empire is located to the galactic east (anti-spinward) of the United Federation of Planets beyond the Mirak Star League. Lyran space is bordered by the Mirak, Hydrans, and Klingons. Their territory, though presently slightly smaller than the U.F.P., is increasing thanks to aggressive pioneering efforts into unclaimed galactic southern (rimward) regions.

Biology:

Lyrans are an anthropomorphic race of felinoids. Males are slightly larger than females on average and both are comparable in size to humans. In many ways they resemble a humanoid lynx – including the black ear tufts, thick gray and brown fur, and short, fur-covered tails. Many carry distinctive patterns of dark stripes. Eye color ranges from an emerald green to a pale amber. They have opposable thumbs and four fingers, each with a four-centimeter long retractable claw.

Lyrans are physically powerful beings, ranked only behind Gorn and Mirak in terms of brute strength. Like all felines, they are agile and fast (they may perceive time slightly differently than humanoids). They have a higher metabolism and require more frequent sleep than humans do and will nap several times in a day. They also require more food. Lyrans are omnivores, though their diet is weighted approximately 80% carnivore and 20% herbivore.

Like most felines they see not only in our visible spectrum, but in the near UV spectrum as well; however their vision does not extend as far toward the red end of the spectrum as a human’s, (deep crimson looks black to them). They are, however, somewhat nearsighted. They hear higher pitches than Vulcans, though do not have near the range of Andorians.

Lyrans have a very highly developed olfactory sense. Though they are not able to track a being by its scent alone, they are very sensitive to mammalian pheromones on a subconscious level and experience a kind of neurochemical resonance. This helps to explain why Lyrans are such emotional people. This resonance manifests itself consciously as a ‘sixth-sense’ or urge in Lyrans. This is called ‘The Call of the Ancients,’ the name referring to the belief that the powerful emotional state brought on by these neurochemicals is a link to their first, sentient proto-ancestor. Lyrans revere wild predators and wish to see themselves as retaining many of their qualities.

Lyrans themselves produce strong pheromones and these play a central role in normal social interactions. It has been observed that humanoids are susceptible to Lyran pheromones in return and some have reported feeling ‘The Call.’

Neuro-olfactory interactions are, in fact, so essential to Lyran society that forms of entertainment that do not include them, (such as audio-visual only media) have achieved only very limited success in Lyran culture. Live music and theater are the overwhelming norm.

Note: It is possible that the Lyrans and Mirak have a common ancestor. StarFleet Xenobiology theorizes that a third race, the Carnivons, may also be descended from this proto-species. The details of their genetic diversion are unknown at this time, as are the details of their separation into two distinct cultures. However, given the current political climate extant in both the Lyran and Mirak empires, it is unlikely that either would cooperate in pursuing this line of inquiry.

Social Organization:

Lyran society is divided into two distinct portions: imperial and traditional. The imperial social structure is an immense bureaucracy based upon allegiance to, and protection by, the emperor. The Imperial Liberty (the twenty-first county) is home to imperial culture. The Liberty is populated by Lyrans who do not claim a clan affiliation. It is divided into several baronies (the number fluctuates with imperial favor/whim) which are further divided into earldoms. These are not hereditary nobles, but clients or courtiers of the imperial throne.

Approximately one fifth of all Lyrans are imperialists. These individuals see themselves as progressive and modern – patterning themselves after Federation and Klingon secular, central-authority governments. Imperial society is largely atheistic. ‘Standard Lyran’ is spoken here and any provincial accent or dialect is met with disdain and even ridicule.

Like Peter ‘the Great’ of Russia, recent emperors have bent their wills to establishing what they feel are ‘modern’ customs and habits in their people. However, unlike Peter, these efforts have not extended to the point of a sword (or claw) – due in large part to resistance by the dukes.

Traditional Lyran society is based upon clan ties. Clans are largely, (but not exclusively) a collections of familial units, united by common cause, intermarriage, astrography, etc. Ancestry follows matriarchal lines, though their society makes few distinctions based upon gender. Many clans trace their roots back hundreds and even thousands of years.

An individual may change clan affiliation at the assent of the new clan. This is rare, however as Lyrans invest a great deal of personal pride in their clan. It should be noted that pride in clan and pride in ancestry are distinct. A Lyran would feel closer to a human of his clan than to a sibling belonging to a different clan.

Suffrage within the clans is granted by consent of the enfranchised, who are referred to as ‘Clan Elders.’ This term may be something of a misnomer as advanced age is by no means a prerequisite for enfranchisement. Young Lyrans, who have distinguished themselves or have otherwise served the clan are elevated to Elder status.

Confederations of clans are organized into counties. Through political attrition, some counties are populated by a single clan while others may represent dozens. New clans may be declared, and established ones may be terminated or suppressed. Each clan within a county swears fealty to a ruling count (or countess). The title is hereditary, but the succession of power may be blocked by the clan elders if an heir is considered unsuitable by either the clan elders (resulting in a no-confidence vote) or the general populace (resulting in an uprising).

The twenty traditional Lyran counties are equally distributed within four duchies. An hereditary duke is advised by his counts and can be blocked or even deposed by them. The dukes have the power to tax and conduct foreign diplomatic missions. Separately, the four dukes are very powerful; each ruling over one fifth of the Lyran populace. Combined, their will is a match for the emperor.

Above the dukes is the emperor. His title is also hereditary and he also has the power to tax.

Deposing an emperor would undoubtedly involve a protracted civil war as his personal assets are beyond any comparison in Federation society (he is the personal beneficiary of the proceeds of not only the Imperial Liberty, but of a portion of the ducal tax as well). He is the final word on all Lyran foreign affairs, (including treaties, declarations of war, trade, etc.).

Imperialists are viewed with suspicion and even hostility by the titled nobles, who regard them as opportunists and courtesans, sycophants who have denied their clan for personal gain. The emperor is often portrayed as a toady to his Klingon masters. The titled nobles are viewed in turn as relics of an archaic age and irrelevant to modern times, fossils of an embarrassing past.

The idea of an emperor appears to originally be a Klingon concept. Complex economics, like banking and investments are concepts brought in from the Federation and Orions. Traditional Lyran society operates largely at the clan/local level. It is an intimate society largely composed of smaller communities.

After contact with the Klingons, the Trade Lords (large entrepreneurial cartels that form a virtual clan system of their own) convinced the dukes that they needed an emperor – a figure head only – to present a strong front and prevent the Klingons from coming after them one county at a time. The dukes acquiesced, but since then as the Trade Lords grew in their new-found power, so did their patron and now the ‘figure head’ has become a true emperor, much to the frustration of the dukes.

Note that among more studied Lyrans there exists a disdain for the Emperor-Trade Lord alliance as they perceive a parallel to the (in their eyes) nearly powerless Hydran King and his Trade Guild puppet masters.

Given interclan hostilities and the division between clan and non-clan culture, the Lyran empire is likely to remain only quasi-unified for some time.

Military Organization:

The Lyran Imperial Navy, or ‘Golden Fleet’ as they are known, is a large, technically advanced, and professional military organization. They are a deep space navy with warp technology equivalent to, but not identical to our own. See attached note for specifics on catamaran/trimaran details, refits, etc.

Their ship designs are excellent and most mount the flexible Expanding Sphere Generator, or ESG. Disruptors give their ships an adequate long-range offensive capability.

Lyran ship designs can be divided into two distinct eras. Earlier era ships (Tiger, Panther, and variants) were designed during an era of weak emperors and powerful dukes. The influence of the dukes (as these were their personal ships) is seen in sturdy hulls and the use of phaser-1s. The Tiger-class Heavy Cruiser exemplifies early Lyran design philosophy: build the best ship possible.

Later Lyran designs come from a time when the center of power had shifted to the imperial throne. As the emperor and his advisors would not be participating directly in shipboard combat (according to the dukes), they felt that certain cost-saving measures were acceptable. It should also be noted that Klingon culture increasingly permeated imperial society during this era and that the newer ship designs reflected the Klingon philosophy of fielding numerous light and fast (and cheaply built) ships. These ‘war’ designs feature trimaran hulls, dual ESGs on smaller ships, reduced disruptors, and a forrest of phaser-2s. Almost all of these trimaran designs feature a ‘Power Pack’ consisting of four APRs and two batteries. When mounted with these, a Lyran ship is referred to as ‘packed’ and carries considerable power generating capabilities.

A further innovation by the Lyrans is the fast patrol ship, or PF. Cheap to build, small, and carrying a frigate’s firepower, PFs operated in flotillas of six form a virtual dreadnought.

Each county and/or duchy pays the cost of maintaining their portion of the fleet. But while these ships are owned by the individual counties, they are under imperial fleet command unless specifically superceded by the owning count or duke.

Counts use Command Cruisers or War Cruiser Leaders as their command ships. Dukes use Dreadnoughts. Barons command Battlecruisers and Dreadnoughts owned by the imperial throne. Marshals (effectively a landless earl) command Battlecruisers, War Cruiser Leaders, and PF flotillas. Though, any ship can be found in either imperial or traditional navies.

Recently, it has become the fashion among petty nobles (often children/siblings of titled nobles) to own a PF.

These patrol boats are lavishly painted and competition for talented crews is often fierce. Many disenfranchised nobles see this as an avenue for advancement in the Golden Fleet. Many eventually gain command of PF tenders and flotillas. Given the immense firepower of these flotillas, such a command carries considerable prestige.

Clan ships are only placed under imperial command in time of need and only at the order of the owning duke.

Military ranks are as follows:

Culture:

Federation encounters with Lyrans in the past have taken place at the point of a phaser. The traditional view of the Lyrans as a ‘warrior race’ in the Klingon sense may have to be revised.

Lyrans are a most passionate race and, when driven to violence, they are savage combatants. Duels with both natural and artificial weapons (including prosthetic claws) still occur in mainstream society and their encounters with the Mirak are well known.

However, Lyrans passion also extends to joy, sorrow, despair, lust, nobility, and any other emotion conceivable. In this way, they are somewhat the antithesis of Vulcans: rather than seeking to deny emotions, they pursue them with a hunger. It is therefore vital to understand the emotional state of specific situation and the individual involved when dealing with Lyrans.

It is only through a full understanding for the Lyran concept of ranhrowl or ‘act of necessity’, that one may fully appreciate the depths of the Lyran/Mirak conflict as anything other than insanity and attempted genocide.

Perhaps as a natural outgrowth of their lust for life is a hedonistic pursuit of pleasure. Lyran cuisine is very mature and complex. Meat dishes are their forte boasting subtle and complex offerings. Their beverages are also refined – with the notable exception of their beer: something about the Lyran digestive chemistry is sufficiently different from our own so as to make this popular Lyran drink almost unpalatable to humanoids.

Juxtaposed to their hedonistic nature is the Lyran sense of virtue. This is a distinct concept from honor. They hunt for food and kill for hate; anything else is barbaric. This would be an example of a virtue: things that ennoble their kind and make them (what they perceive to be) civilized. The disdain for an ‘honorable death’ is another good example as dying precludes further pleasure.

Aesthetics are a vital part of Lyran architecture and design. Form and function must marry equally for a design to be considered successful.

Music, both choral and instrumental, has been observed in Lyran society with an emphasis on plain chant, woodwinds and drums of various kinds.