Katouku Overpod

The Katoku Overpod is the Imperial name for the unified civilisation of the Katoku, an aquatic species native to the planet Aokessho. The Overpod occupied a medium-sized area between the Empire and the Hierarchy, including the planets known by the Empire as Aoiumi and Hirobayashi, which are also claimed by the Empire. The Overpod claims to legally control the entire galaxy due to their racial supremacist ideas.

A relatively primitive species as little as 500 years ago, the Katoku evolved in the depths of Aoiumi's planet-spanning oceans and began early attempts at industry roughly 450 years ago. This was when they were discovered by the expanding Hierarchy, which began uplifting and developing the Katoku as a child race. In order to exert better control over the Katoku, which are culturally prone to extended infighting and violence, the Overpod was forcibly created by the Hierarchy to bring some semblance of unity to the Katoku Race by empowering a single Dai'Gor to unite all of the pods. Over the next century, the Katoku were uplifted to the level of a spacefaring race as part of the Hierarchy. During the later Hierarchy-HRU War, the Katoku were on the front line of the war and suffered large amounts of losses when the Hierarchy tactically retreated from the frontier regions.

Katoku territory came under the control of the Human Reform Union, though the sudden end of the war with the beginning of the HRU Civil War resulted in peace between the Hierarchy and the new Neo Yashiman Empire that inherited the Katoku planets. At the same time, a coup was launched in the Overpod higher leadership by the current Dai'Gor. Viewing the Hierarchy's withdrawal as a betrayal, the Overpod leadership declared secession from the Hierarchy and also began fighting back against the Empire. With the Overpod providing too much resistance and the new Dai'Gor refusing to open to diplomacy, the Hierarchy decided to allow the Katoku to be independent, and accepted the Empire's territorial claim to Overpod space in hope that the Empire would be able to wipe out the Katoku. However, the Empire continuously failed to defeat the Katoku in various campaigns, and eventually the Empire began a policy of containment against the Overpod, designating the region the Katoku Exclusion Zone.

Openly hostile to both of its neighbours, an ongoing low-intensity conflict continues between the Overpod and the two neighbouring states that surround it, mainly efforts by the Empire to prevent the Katoku from expanding further, and to maintain their land-based foothold on Hirobayashi. The Katoku are not well-known outside of the Empire and Hierarchy. However, it is known that the Overpod has completed certain clandestine arms deals with foreign states in the past.

Etymology
The name Katoku Overpod was given to the civilisation by the Imperials and Hierarchy. Katoku is a contraction of the Imperial term Kangae Tōsokurui (考え頭足類), the scientific name for the Katoku species. Overpod is a rough translation of the Evolved Yashiman term for the Katoku state, itself a rough translation of the Hierarchy term for the Katoku civilisation.

In the Katoku language, the Overpod is known as the Dai'Gor Zuk, which can roughly be translated to "Pod of the Dai'Gor". The Katoku hold a godlike reverence for their leader, the Dai'Gor, and the entire civilisation is considered to be a pod led and belonging to it. The Katoku name for their own race is Jau.

Government and society
The Katoku Overpod is essentially an authoritarian dictatorship led by the Dai'Gor, a single ancient and massive Katoku who is viewed as almost a godlike figure. Beneath the Dai'Gor, a system similar to feudalism can be observed as the Katoku are divided into large pods, known as Dai. The Dai'Gor itself and its home pod are considered the apex pod within the society and are thus able to govern the lesser pods, of which there are 7 major pods and several hundred subordinate pods beneath these. The Dai'Gor is reportedly advised by the leaders of the largest pods.

In the Katoku caste system, members of lower castes are subservient to any members of higher castes, ensuring that no form of democracy exists to the Katoku. In order to rise through the castes, lesser Katoku must challenge and kill their superiors in a ritual known as Rak'Shir. If multiple subordinates cooperate to kill a single superior, they may then battle amongst themselves to decide who advances. It is possible to yield such challenges before death, but this is viewed as highly dishonourable. This system extends to relations between different pods, with pods competing with each other to eventually usurp the pod currently ruling over them. Pods are typically familial at the lower stages but become more akin to regional groupings higher up the chain.

In the aftermath of major battles between pods, it is not unknown of low-ranking individuals to suddenly rise to a higher rank due to war casualties. Pod conflicts are less prevalent higher up on the chain, and there have been no large wars between the 7 major pods for centuries. Naturally, the Dai'Gor is able to stop conflicts and also promote individuals up the caste without Rak'Shir. It is also possible to challenge the Dai'Gor and attempt to usurp the position, but this is rarely attempted both due to his godlike status and due to the strength of his own pod.

Military
The Overpod maintains a large standing military force that has been continuously engaging the Empire for the last century. The Empire's continued occupation of parts of Hirobayashi's landmasses and islands has been met with constant counterattacks on land and in space. This war has had the unfortunate side effect of increasing the state of Katoku warfighting technology rapidly.

Due to their aquatic physiology, modern Katoku forces pilot amphibious mechanical walkers to fight on land. They also command swarms of amphibious robots to counter Imperial forces, which tend to be numerically superior on land.