Undying Chorus

The Undying Chorus is a  comprising much of the Synergetic Expanse, a region near the Touches, in the galactic northeast. An anomaly among the other polities in the Spardic arm, the Chorus is not a state or polity in the traditional sense; it is a single entity, a shared consciousness uniting billions upon billions of semi-autonomous beings. Human observers have compared the Chorus to an insect colony on an intergalactic scale. Each being in this hive-mind is a member of the Iqtori species and shares consciousness with the rest. The Chorus controls 21 inhabited planets, and conducts resource-gathering operations on a further 219, all spread across 198 systems. Central to these is the Ata-Oralk system, the location of the Iqtori homeworld Zaath; the residency of the Hivequeen Va-Ra, and the Chorus' most protected planet.

Due to a lack of documentation, the history of the Iqtori remains shrouded. The first Iqtori, Va-Ra herself, was believed to have come into existence some billions of years ago; the result of an interesting divergence in evolutionary history on Zaath. Her 'first hatch', according to intelligence gathered from the hive, is believed to have occurred close to 500,000 years ago, and is thought to be the point from which every resultant Iqtori has been spawned. It is also around this time that the first splits in Iqtori drones are recorded; with different drones being specialised for different tasks. With the advent of breeder drones - akin to Va-Ra herself - the population began to skyrocket. This population explosion and the resultant thinning of resources on Zaath led to the Great Leap Upwards; when, 2,500 years ago, the Iqtori took to the stars in their own primitive starships. Following this they began a slow expansion; colonising and mining the other worlds in their system before eventually developing faster-than-light travel and traveling to more distant worlds.

This new technology allowed for an incredible speedup in the expansion of the Undying Chorus. They spread their song and seed across any inhabitable world they came across, and commenced resource-gathering operations on those worlds which they could not breed on. Eventually, this unchecked expansion inevitably led to first contact; and with it, conflict. Close to 38 years ago to this day, members of the 5027th Imperial Forward Scout Division discovered what they believed to be unintelligent insectoid lifeforms on the virgin world of Elysium IIIV. A brief encounter led to Iqtori scouts discovering a nearby Imperial planet; it was here that the Greater Galactic Empire began it's military campaign against the Iqtori, and exterminated Elysium IIIV in a bid to defeat them. The Chorus, however, was not centred on the planet as the Imperials believed, but instead it was merely a colony. From this event on, the Empire and Chorus have been engaged in an intense military conflict known as the First Contact War.

Despite a long history, much of Iqtori culture is unknown outside the collective consciousness of the species. The ongoing war with the Empire has prevented the Chorus from dedicating as many resources to expansion and exploration as it previously had, and the interference of the Empire has made contacting new species and nations increasingly difficult. This aside, the collective consciousness which all Iqtori share continues to thrive, and the hive seems unlikely to be put to extinction any time soon, even with the war continuing to rage against the Greater Galactic Empire.

Astrology
As of the most recent study, the Chorus holds dominion over 198 star systems, within which it inhabits 21 planets, and conducts resource-gathering operations on a further 219. Iqtori-controlled space is invariably known as Chorus Space, Iqtori Space, and the Synergetic Expanse. Two of the inhabited planets are contested by the Greater Galactic Empire in the ongoing First Contact War; while they are inhabited by the Iqtori, they are reduced to a state of constant warfare. As a hive-mind and superorganism, the Chorus has little need for conventional administrative divisions, but regional distinctions exist within Iqtori-controlled space. Generally, the distance of the colony from Zaath precipitate the greatest changes and alterations.

Central Hives
Acting as the core of the Chorus, the Central Hives are home to the origin of the Iqtori species, and as such are heavily guarded. This region is home to the Hiveworlds, namely Zaath, the homeworld of the Iqtori and the residency of Hivequeen Va-Ra. Zaath itself is an intriguing world. Never particularly verdant, the surface is largely barren, with 'polar jungles' at the poles. Spanning across an entire continent is Va-Ra herself; visible from space, and in a constant state of breeding and command. The vast majority of Iqtori civilization is beneath the surface, in the vast tunnel networks which connect the entire planet, known as the First Hive. Other key planets in this region include Qortish, the first extra-solar colony of the species, Ihar, the second-largest world in Iqtori possession, and Rorol, the effective home of Iqtori broodship-production. Thanks to their relative isolation and the presence of the ever-watchful Hivequeen, the Central Hives are the most tranquil places in the Chorus.

Hive-colonies
Secondary to the Central Hives but not lacking in importance, the Hive-colonies are colony worlds approaching the status of a Hiveworld. They lack the complete hive-tunnel systems present in the Hiveworlds, but are home to countless billions Iqtori drones, and in most cases a great number of Broodmothers. They are generally, like the Central Hives, largely peaceable, but are more at risk than the Hiveworlds themselves. They are home to a large bulk of the Chorus' industrial capacity; close to 35% of the Chorus' worker drones are located in the Hive-colonies, producing much-needed materials, armaments and industrial parts for the rest of the Chorus. Important Hive-colonies include Phorat, Ki-Kikla and Ca-Irak, the 'Three Sisters' known for their vast industrial capacities.

Established colonies
The established colonies are important minor worlds controlled by the Chorus. They are much smaller than the Hive-colonies, and far further from ever developing into Hiveworlds. Their tunnel systems barely extend into the planet, and their populations are far smaller than the Hive-colonies. Regardless, they are essential worlds in the Chorus; they provide much of the food for the Chorus' military operations, essentially being agriworlds that serve much of the Chorus. Notable established colonies are few and far between, but Uta-Varkesh is by far the largest exporter of food in entirety of the Undying Chorus.

Outlying colonies
As their name implies, the outlying colonies are those worlds which, despite being subject to Iqtori colonisation efforts, are not yet fully established. Few have connected tunnels, and many are not yet fully explored. They are considered the frontier of Iqtori colonisation, and are home to a large amount of Chorus defensive craft. Population on these worlds are prone to spikes and sharp declines, due to the varying food supply in these worlds.

Resource-gathering operations
Outside of the Chorus' attempts to colonise worlds for future Iqtori, there also exists planets, planetoids and asteroids which, while not deemed fit for colonisation, are incredibly resource-rich. These planets are home to stations and minor colonies, established to exploit the local resources. There are countless number of these operations spread across Chorus space; due to the vast number of them, they are oft prone to surprise attacks by Imperial military elements, if they are close to the war zone. The more isolated operations are largely left alone due to ignorance of their existence.

Breeder
Broodmother Broodmate

Warrior
Rank-and-file Artillery Tank Avian Pilot Hulk Battle Engineer

Worker
Farmer Builder Researcher

Other
Diplomat Soother Explorer