HOMEWORLD: GRAEDIUS

To be a Graedian usually entails following an ideology rather than being a certain bloodline. Ethnic Graedians do exist, but could be seen as largely unremarkable. They resemble Terrellians in appearance – generally tall and with brown to blond hair. They are also said to have keener reflexes than some humanoids, and are capable in a variety of circumstances.

But these traits are largely overlooked in the grander scheme. The Graedian Confederacy is a melting pot of hundreds of wealthy trade centers and numerous species. Graedius is generally seen as the ideal world of the Confederacy – populous, extravagant, and corrupt. Wealth in Graedian society is a flagrant political tool to keep the people pleased and loyal, yet has worked for millennia and continues to do so. They have no particular religious or spiritual background, unless observed by outsiders that are citizens. Graedians are loyal to coin, and little else.

Perhaps the greatest weakness in Graedian society – and the proposed cause of their fall to the Nebulans – is complacency. Often historians speculated on why the Graedian Confederacy did not become an empire after Terran or Nebulan fashion. Certainly they had the wealth, resources, and political influence to be a greater power; but something consigned them to their more modest state. Complacency has since been labeled the culprit. Invasions prior to the Nebulans were met with bribes or mercenary armies; the Confederacy already controlled all that it deemed necessary to maintain its wealth and prestige. They never sought to expand, as they felt Aesgar came to them. Foreign technological advances were only slowly accepted and of tactics they knew little. Thus the Nebulan invasion brought fully to bear their arrogance and pitiful core strength.

Almost to rectify their past sloth, recent centuries have seen the Confederacy retain many aspects of the Nebulan political and military system installed during the occupation. Corruption remains, but has been blunted by more centralized loyalty (to the ruling Squire Clan) and better internal policing. Bureaucracy is also more closely monitored and streamlined than pre-Nebulan days. Yet the core of Graedian ideology – profit – remains firmly entrenched in the mindset of every true citizen. Not even Nebulan conquest and atrocities could root that out.

A card game developed on Graedius, Cold Call is simple, based on combinations of symbols, and very quick, making it a popular game not only in casinos but among travelers and military personnel. Some combinations include Aesylinar’s Legion (the strongest hand), Aerolin Brothers, Total Annihilation, and Solid Entrenchment. Some hands are obviously attributed to Graedian corporate society, but others are ambiguous. Aesylinar’s Legion and Aerolin Brothers are unknown references. Some believe they are pen names of the game’s founders, others believe this refers to ancient Graedian folk tales about off-worlders who had a profound influence on the planet’s development.