Society and Politics:
These semi aquatic creatures live in great co-operative 'families' or 'schools' - huge mutable collections
of Boron who share a common interest in a specific area of the Arts, Philosophies or Sciences.
An individual Boron may belong to dozens of these schools in their lifetime, gaining a broad understanding
of the universe and the nature of existence.
The practical matters of the Boron are dealt with by an elected senate who govern in the name of the Queen
Atreus and her Royal Family (known also as the Old-School).
Great pains are taken to record the last words of all Boron. They are traditionally held to be the sum of that
Boron's experience and knowledge. All Boron spend much of their spare time contemplating the words of wisdom
that will be entered into the 'Eternal Book of the Boron' in their name.
There is a long running animosity between the Boron and the Split.
The fierce Split had almost overrun Boron territory until the
Argon, respectful of the Boron's quest for quiet wisdom and fearing
Split invasion in their own territory, allied with the Boron to press the
Split for peace. The destruction of
the Antigone system by the Split pulled the
Argon directly into the conflict. With grim determination
they pushed the Split back into their own territories and an
uneasy truce was forged.
Biology and Origins :
The Boron have documented their origins completely in their 'Eternal Book' - the strange
and secret entity that serves the Boron as a racial memory. Access to this being is highly restricted and
the Boron are not generous with information but as far as we can ascertain they are descended from a lifeform
similar to an earth squid which adapted to a semi-aquatic existance due to changes in their home planet's
environment.
They have developed a complex emotional language involving ultrasonic (to human ears) phonetics with inflections provided
by epedermal color changes and body language. Rough estimates indicate this language is some hundred times more
expressive and efficient as any known human language.
Boron reproduction is by 'communal spawning' - whereby an entire 'school' of adult Boron mix genetic material
in complex tactile rituals. They care for the resultant offspring in specialised 'nursery schools'.
We believe that this method of reproduction is thought by the Boron to increase the odds of an individual being
born with exceptional abilities in the school's intellectual field .
Technology and Industry :
The Boron expertise with hydrodynamics and their broad intellectual horizons make them innovative and
exiting designers of space installations and ship hulls. Their deep insight into quantum physics made
possible many vital advancements to the basic Argon technologies used in current
ship defence systems.
The Boron thirst for knowledge is apparent in thier production of powerful computer equipment while the
importance of plankton in their diet hints at their aquatic past.
Character :
Boron pilots are (now) exceptionally skilled and their ships the finest quality, however, the Boron
are peaceful and pacifist creatures, slow to anger and with no taste for combat. Their interests
are wisdom, truth, art and music - not conquest, battle or glory.
The efficiency of Boron pilots during the Split Conflict is best summed up
by a Teladi 'joke' -
"the safest place to be on a Boron fighter is inside the black-box recorder ".
This unflattering opinion is obsolete now as the new Boron 'combat schools' continue to turn out some
highly respected pilots.
Though peace-loving the Boron are no longer an easy target.