The Zwix: Children of the Stars, Parents to the Universe
The Zwix are something of a fascination of mine, representing my desire to turn part of my series into a sci-fi epic about sentience meeting with the boundless dimensions of space. I originally conceived of the Zwix as a more minor detail in the greater plot of the Lo'itian Conflict. Basically, they were the first of two planets that the Kylis Fers team was to visit during their voyage to the Lo'itian homeworld. The Zwix were supposed to supply the team with a better and faster ship that would get them to planet Nyleri more quickly.
There were not many details originally contrived for the Zwix. The only important details were that the Zwix had the best transportation technology known to most societies and that they were pacifists when they had the choice. These served merely as filler and as random points of interest in the book, allowing for possible future details to be created.
Luckily, more fully fleshed out ideas for the Zwix eventually came, and today my ideas concerning the Zwix are quite well developed. They went from having just great transportation technology to being one of the most advanced races in the universe. They came from a planet whose location is unknown, being born in a turbulent ocean. The Zwix are actually amphibious, though most of them no longer live near bodies of water. For various complex reasons, the Zwix were motivated to become spacebound, despite the fact that they spent almost their entire lives prior to that jump underwater.
Once the Zwix discovered outer space, their technology exploded. They developed methods for surviving in space, for generating artificial gravity, for manipulating the theories of space and time all so that they could travel vast distances. Eventually, the Zwix developed space stations that could travel at great speeds when compacted and then expand to fully functioning space stations. The Zwix began to send space station after space station out into the universe, eventually developing a presence among many cultures and societies across the universe.
The Zwix have some problems though. First of all, they spontaneously developed immortality at the genetic level. As newborn Zwix began to live indefinitely, they began to put off having children. Eventually, most of them became infertile from living too long, and as such their population growth declined, eventually reaching zero. The end of the reproductive cycle was a turning point in the Zwix culture. This was when they really decided to shoot off into the stars, because without children of their own their societies were stagnating. They became parents to new races in the universe, watching over them from their cities in the stars.
Because the Zwix can't reproduce though, they can't take risks with things like war. Though they have extremely developed technologies, they rarely make destructive technologies. Most of their inventions revolve around transportation and general functioning. When it comes to outer space, their technological skills are nonpareil. Though the Zwix can occasionally culture children through complicated processes, they generally opt not to because they don't want to create their own people. Their only descendants become those who work with them and benefit from them.
The Zwix are ancient though, and before most races were alive they were already swimming around the tumultuous oceans of Zwix. Though they eventually lost contact with their homeworld and mounted an expedition to go find it, the fact remained that they eventually forgot where their home was. The Zwix are more or less a planetless people now, living among the stars, watching over other planets, setting up trade routes and exchanges between planets across the universe. Though it's taking some time, the Zwix are becoming adept with their work, excelling in unpredictable ways with their slow dispersion through the universe.
The important thing to understand about the Zwix is that they are immortal, brilliant, peaceful, and lacking a central home. They have made their homes throughout the universe, becoming a staple of any planet with a great population. With their space stations scattered throughout the universe and their great presence, the Zwix have proven to be one of the most influential races in the universe. They manage to exist all over up until the universe's end. Their wisdom and intelligence prove important in many of the different stories of the Kylis fers universe.
There were not many details originally contrived for the Zwix. The only important details were that the Zwix had the best transportation technology known to most societies and that they were pacifists when they had the choice. These served merely as filler and as random points of interest in the book, allowing for possible future details to be created.
Luckily, more fully fleshed out ideas for the Zwix eventually came, and today my ideas concerning the Zwix are quite well developed. They went from having just great transportation technology to being one of the most advanced races in the universe. They came from a planet whose location is unknown, being born in a turbulent ocean. The Zwix are actually amphibious, though most of them no longer live near bodies of water. For various complex reasons, the Zwix were motivated to become spacebound, despite the fact that they spent almost their entire lives prior to that jump underwater.
Once the Zwix discovered outer space, their technology exploded. They developed methods for surviving in space, for generating artificial gravity, for manipulating the theories of space and time all so that they could travel vast distances. Eventually, the Zwix developed space stations that could travel at great speeds when compacted and then expand to fully functioning space stations. The Zwix began to send space station after space station out into the universe, eventually developing a presence among many cultures and societies across the universe.
The Zwix have some problems though. First of all, they spontaneously developed immortality at the genetic level. As newborn Zwix began to live indefinitely, they began to put off having children. Eventually, most of them became infertile from living too long, and as such their population growth declined, eventually reaching zero. The end of the reproductive cycle was a turning point in the Zwix culture. This was when they really decided to shoot off into the stars, because without children of their own their societies were stagnating. They became parents to new races in the universe, watching over them from their cities in the stars.
Because the Zwix can't reproduce though, they can't take risks with things like war. Though they have extremely developed technologies, they rarely make destructive technologies. Most of their inventions revolve around transportation and general functioning. When it comes to outer space, their technological skills are nonpareil. Though the Zwix can occasionally culture children through complicated processes, they generally opt not to because they don't want to create their own people. Their only descendants become those who work with them and benefit from them.
The Zwix are ancient though, and before most races were alive they were already swimming around the tumultuous oceans of Zwix. Though they eventually lost contact with their homeworld and mounted an expedition to go find it, the fact remained that they eventually forgot where their home was. The Zwix are more or less a planetless people now, living among the stars, watching over other planets, setting up trade routes and exchanges between planets across the universe. Though it's taking some time, the Zwix are becoming adept with their work, excelling in unpredictable ways with their slow dispersion through the universe.
The important thing to understand about the Zwix is that they are immortal, brilliant, peaceful, and lacking a central home. They have made their homes throughout the universe, becoming a staple of any planet with a great population. With their space stations scattered throughout the universe and their great presence, the Zwix have proven to be one of the most influential races in the universe. They manage to exist all over up until the universe's end. Their wisdom and intelligence prove important in many of the different stories of the Kylis fers universe.
posted by Andrew McKenna at 8:55 PM
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