Categorizing Species in the Plastic Galaxy

Zone

The Plastic Galaxy is divided into six Zones, including the Core, defined so by their primary Nebula. They are as follows:

Hadal: The Hadal Nebula is a gradiant from purple to indigo to a deep blue. It was discovered by the System Collective in the early twenty-first century, before they were the galactic empire they grew to be. The Hadal Zone is divided into four quadrants, each of which is a property of the System Collective.

The Hadal Zone is home to over three hundred thousand solar systems.

Butterfly: The Butterfly Nebula is purple and white, with its shape vagulely resembling a butterfly. The System Collective got its start within this Zone during the twenty-second century and the nebula has since grown into a highly populated and well travelled area. The Butterfly Nebula is divided into five regions, three of which are currently within the System Collective's control. The other two are controlled by the Solanova Royal Family and the Akhmani-Ra Family respectively.

The Butterfly Zone is home to over one million, five hundred thousand solar systems.

Sarian: The Sarian Nebula is green with hints of yellow, and is the only Zone that was not discovered by the System Collective. The Sarian species, the primary and dominant lifeform within the Sarian Zone, invaded the rest of the Plastic Galaxy in the late thirty-fourth century, starting an intergalactic war that lasted for five hundred years. The Sarians were eventually beaten back and, through concentrated collective effort of the System Collective Survivors, exiled to another plane of reality. They have not been seen since. It has since been divided into six regions, each of which are property of the System Collective.

The Sarian Zone is home to over one hundred thousand solar systems.

Crabstar: The Crabstar Nebula is green with hints of orange, and can be identified by its distinctive crab-like shape. It was discovered by the System Collective in the twenty-ninth century and was the third Zone of the Plastic Galaxy to be claimed by the System Collective. The Crabstar Nebula is divided into four quadrants, three of which are owned by the System Collective. The fourth is owned by the Shin Royal Family.

The Crabstar Zone is home to over one million solar systems.

B70-10: The B70-10 Nebula is orange and pink, and was the second Zone of the Plastic Galaxy to be claimed by the System Collective. The B70-10 Nebula is divided into five regions, all of which are owned by the System Collective.

The B70-10 Zone is home to over one million, three hundred thousand solar systems.

Core: The Core is the center of the Plastic Galaxy, as well as the current home of the System Collective High Counsel. It was conquered by the System Collective after the Great Sarian War in order to mock the Sarians for their failed attempt to rule the galaxy. Unlike the other Zones, the Core is not divided into any regions.

The Core is home to one solar system.

Division

Organic: This Division is classified by the lifeform's ability to naturally grow, change, or evolve naturally over their lifetime. They are organic insofar as they can be killed by both natural and unnatural methods, such as old-age or serrated weaponry. The method by which the Organic organism grows depends largely on its species or Type. For example, an Artosian grows larger by consuming portions of the crust en-masse until their mass develops in accordance to their biology. Humans, on the other hand, convert lesser lifeforms and flora into biofuel that is used to promote their growth and development.

An Organic organism typically has flesh or a flesh-like equivalent of some kind, like Human skin, Junovian exoskeletons, or Artosian sedimentary layers. This exterior casing is ususally vulnerable to extreme weather conditions when the lifeform in question is not on a Paradise-Class world or their home planet.

Inorganic: This Division is classified by the lifeform's inability to grow, change, or evolve naturally. To be classified as an Inorganic organism, one must be made by an external party. Inorganic organisms do not have biological lineages. While an Inorganic organism may have flesh of some kind, they are often comprised of inorganic material, such as Pytherium, energy, or starlight. They do not have a biological need to consume food, although they may do so if they desire. An example of this behavior can be seen in the Pteradei, an Ariel Type organism with an Energy Type sub-class. They subsist on electricity as a delicacy, or as a reward for good behavior among their societies.

Planar: The Planar Division of organisms is classified as those that exist within the local plane of reality as multiple iterations of themselves, or as a singular, collective hive-mind. Planar organisms are nigh-immortal, often incapable of sustaining significant amounts of damage from conventional or unconventional weaponry. They are everywhere all at once, yet nowhere at the same time.

Planar Division organisms are automatically classified as a Class I threat to the System Collective, regardless of their individual alignments.

Extraplanar: Extraplanar Division organisms are those that exist outside of the local plane of reality. While they are largely unknowable, some significant information has been retrieved and documented by the System Collective. Unlike their Planar counterparts, Extraplanar Division organisms are truly immortal. Their place in reality cannot be reached through current technology, leaving the lifeforms of this reality at their mercy.

All encounters with an Extraplanar organism has resulted in catastrophic devestation in the Plastic Galaxy. At the time of this documentation, there are only twelve organisms in the Extraplanar Division.

Type

Terrestrial: This type of lifeform resides on the surface of their home world for the majority of their lives, regardless of what environment they are born in. Terrestrial organisms are often physically strong, bi-pedal, and have high endurance relative to some other Types.

Terrestrial organisms have relatively short lifespans, typically ranging from eighty to one thousand years. Despite this, many of the System Collective's current technological and medical advances have been credited to terrestrial organisms.

While the System Collective's High Council is exclusively Human or humanoid, the majority of the Galactic Counter Intelligence Police (GCP) are Terrestrial organisms.

Given their sturdiness, size, and high endurance, Terrestrial organisms are the prime candidate to receive genetic modifications or Sigils of the Damned. It is not unheard of for a Terrestrial to adopt cybernetic enhancements to amplify their natural, biological capabilities. Cybernetic Junovians, for example, might create webs made from starmetal rather than silk.

Terrestrial organisms, by and large, are diverse eaters. While some species may be entirely herbivorous or carnivorous, the vast majority of Terrestrial organisms are omnivorous. They are known to eat both flora and fauna, as well as species they believe to be lesser than them or even one another.

Terrestrial organisms are not considered a threat to the System Collective.

While they are fragile on their own, Terrestrial organisms are capable of surviving injuries that would incapacitate or kill another Type of similar size. They themselves can be killed through a variety of conventional methods; laser fire, ballistic round, asphyxiation, et cetera.

When Terrestrials die, they are often buried and allowed to serve as sustenance for detitovires or as hosts for other Types of organisms.

Not all Terrestrial Types are sapient, although they are all sentient. The degree of sapience varies from species to species, however. Despite this, Terrestrials are welcome citizens of the System Collective.

Notable Examples: Junovians, Humans, Artosians

Planetary: This type of organism resides in space, orbiting another celestial body but is otherwise stationary relative to the rest of the universe. This Type of lifeform tend to be long-lived, nigh-immortal by lesser Type's life expectancy. Each Planetary Type organism hosts a variety of minor sentient organisms, such as flora or fauna, and do not typically support sapient or highly intelligent, complex life.

A Planetary organism subsists in the decayed, rotting organic material of its deceased native species. As such, the larger the Planetary Type and more diverse it's biodome, the older it is. They are known to consume foreign material that enters their orbit or lands on their surface, and are capable of self defense on an apocalyptic scale by other Type's standards.

Despite their pacifistic nature, this Type of organism is considered a Class III Threat by the System Collective. Due to this status, there are no officially recognized Planetary Type citizens within the Plastic Galaxy.

Planetary Types can die when their biosphere has sustained considerable damage over a short period of time before they are able to recover on their own. Additionally, should the Planetary body be destroyed by an outside force, such as the Hyperion Javelin or a star going supernova, Planetary Types will be destroyed. Overcooling and overheating will subsequently destroy the current biosphere if it occurs fast enough, thusly killing the Planetary Type organism. While these events happen naturally over millions of years, it is important to note that natural cool or hot periods are a part of the Planetary Type lifecycle.

Planetary Type organisms are sapient, despite their appearance. They possess a high degree of intelligence, and are able to use that in conjunction with their massive size to avoid obstacles and enemies when necessary. They are known to form complex social bonds centered around their orbits, moons they may have, and the current status of their biodome. These relationships are not fully understood by the System Collective, but it is speculated that:

* An elder Planetary Type that has moons to spare will "donate" them to a younger Planetary Type

* They are typically found in groups no larger than right

* If Planetary Types exist within a solar system, they will typically orbit within the star's habitable zone. How they are able to determine this with precision is unknown.

* Younger Planetary Types are able to use their gravity to throw asteroids at one another. The reason for this is unknown.

* While it is not known how Planetary Types procreate, it is speculated that they are born the same way other planets and moons are created.

Notable Examples: 40xOb

Astral: Astral Type organisms are born in, and primarily reside within, the Expanse. While they are able to enter the atmosphere of planets and reside there for periods of time, in order to be classified as an Astral, their natural habitat must be space.

Astral organisms often choose to orbit a particular celestial body for any number of reasons, from curious study to consumption. Unlike Planetary Type organisms, they are not restricted to their selected orbit and can achieve escape velocity whenever they desire.

They are typically large in mass, their size rivalling that of Planetary Types. However there is a significant range to which the Astrals can be. Small as a Terrestrial, or larger than some Planetaries. The exact cause for this diversification is unknown, although a unique relationship between the smaller Astral organisms and larger ones has been observed.

Astrals, along with Anomalous and Energy Type organisms are the only lifeforms capable of causing significant harm to a Planetary Type without assistance from machines or biotechnology.

Astral Type organisms are all sentient, but not all of them possess Sapience. They are not affected negatively by cosmic weather, solar radiation, or even the Sarian Scourge virus and, in fact, thrive under the afroementioned conditions. An Astral Type landing on a populated planet usually spells doom for the inhabitants of that planet.

While they are poorly understood as their societies go, Astral Types all share a particular aversion to binaural resonances. Each planet owned and controlled by the System Collective is equipped with Spatial Resonators in their orbits that generate a frequency inaudible to most Types, but vehemently deters most Astral Types. A dedicated Astral Type can and will fight through the deterrents to land on a surface. Conventional weaponry does not affect them in the slightest.

The Astral Type organisms are one of two Types (the other being Anomalous organisms) who are not native to any of the six Zones within the Plastic Galaxy. Their homeworld, home system, home zone, and home galaxy are all unknown.

When an Astral Type dies, an egg cluster of Stellarians is left behind. The egg cluster will proceed to autonomously relocate toward the nearest, unpopulated world where it will gestate for one hundred years before hatching. The body of the Astral Type will reform into a miniature star, an Anomalous Type organisms, and tend to the newly hatched Stellarians until their maturity. After that point, the Astral Type will implode, turning into various nutrients the Stellarians need in order to complete their second metamorphosis.

Notable Examples: Gormetians

Aquatic: This Type of organism is born, lives primarily in, and typically dies within liquid. It should be noted that this liquid does not have to be water, as there are Aquatic Types whose natural habitat is liquid pytherium or even mercury. They typically possess gills or booklungs of some kind. While not all Aquatic Types possess fins, they all have some kind of biological process to aid in their mobility through liquids.

Aquatic Type organisms both lay eggs and give live birth, depending on the species. They are usually short lived, with the average Aquatic Type having a lifespan of 80-400 years. Despite this, Aquatic Type organisms are known to possess some of the most sophisticated biotechnology within the Plastic Galaxy. No longer limited to living in liquids, some Aquatic Types have adopted cybernetic enhancements to live in other environments temporarily.

When an Aquatic Type organism dies their cybernetic enhancements are often repurposed, while their bodies are given a burial within the preferred liquid of the species.

Aerial: Ariel Type organisms are defined by their capacity for natural flight. While other Types are capable of achieving flight through cybernetic enhancements or genetic modification, Aerial Type's flight is a natural process of their bodies. Avian Types spend the majority of their life in flight, landing only for certain events or rituals depending on the species.

As Aerial organisms are mostly airborne, they exclusively produce live young. This often occurs mid-flight, although grounded birthings have been documented. An average newborn Aerial Type is capable of achieving flight within their first minutes of life.

The Aerial Types differ from Astral Types in that they do not, and typically cannot, fly in space. Air resistance and gravity must exist in order for Aerial Types to fly.

When an Aerial Type dies, their bodies are subjected to any number of rituals that the affiliated species practices.

Sub-terranean: Sub-terranean Type organisms are classified by their dwelling primarily in underground areas. They are born, spend the majority of their life in, and eventually die underground. While Sub-terranean Types do occasionally surface from time to time to engage in commerce and trade with surface dwellers, they often cannot survive on the surface indefinitely.

While not true if all Sub-terranean Type organisms, many of them do not give live birth and instead lay eggs deep beneath the surface, sometimes close to the mantle of a world. These eggs gestate within the crust, cradles by the warmth of the world, until they are ready to hatch. Most Sub-terranean Type organisms lay one to three eggs at a time, although some may lay more and others may lay less. It is exceedingly rare for a Sub-terranean Type organism to give live birth.

Sub-terranean Type organisms are either visually impaired or blind naturally. While this can be remedied with modern optical cybernetic enhancements, the additional sense can overload a Sub-terranean Type organism's brain, causing them to suffer greatly. To compensate for this, many Sub-terranean Type organisms have enhanced senses of touch, smell, and hearing. These abilities naturally develop in adolescense. An intolerance for surface dwellers noise has made integration into the System Collective challenging for Sub-terranean Type organisms, but not impossible.

When a Sub-terranean Type organism dies, there can be monumental changes to the world it inhabits, depending on its size. When the great Tunnelers of Fendri's Planet persish, for example, the shear mass of the Tunneler is enough to cause earthquakes when they stop moving. Their constant shifting of the sands facilitates stability in an unstable world.

Notable Examples: Tunnelers, Astronixians

Sub-Types

Energy: Energy Type organisms are comprised primarily of inorganic energy and are able to change form freely at will. While their body composition can include solid material, to be classified as an Energy Type, ninety percent or more of an individual's body must be comprised of energy.

Additionally, Energy Type organisms are able to phase through most solid obstacles inhabit powered machines and biotechnology, and switch between a corporeal state and an incoproral one. While this has proven to be beneficial in certain combat situations, such as a physical dispute with a Planetary Type organism, Energy Type organisms are able to utilize this ability to communicate with one another and form complex social bonds.

Energy Type organisms are able to subsist on any solid matter, they have no true need for sustenance or even rest, similar to Mechanical Types.

Like Biomechanical and Mechanical Type organisms, Energy Types are made by a previous iteration rather than born naturally. While the process of Energy Type creation has never been directly observed, they are all born at highly concentrated points of naturally existing energy such as stars or reactors. The completion of an Energy Type organism is exceedingly taxing on the power source, causing complete meltdowns of any power source not comparable to a star.

When an Energy Type organisms dies, the organism's body is dispersed into the atmosphere, leaving any physical or solid elements behind for the next of kin to bury or use to create another Energy Type. While they are functionally immortal, they are not invulnerable, and can be harmed or even killed by plasma rounds or powerful enough lasers like the Hyperion Javelin.

Mechanical: Mechanical Type organisms can be defined by their inorganic bodies, natural shedding of mechanical layers, and monotone speech patterns. Similar to Energy Type organisms, they are made by a previous iteration. Unlike them, however, the previous iteration does not have to be a Mechanical Type organism themselves to create one.

Mechanical Type organisms do not subsist on organic material, instead opting to consume other inorganic material such as machine parts, raw ores, or other non-organic lifeforms.

While Mechanical Types are functionally immortal, they are not invulnerable and can be permanently disabled through extensive trauma to their primary processing unit (or PPU). The average Mechanical Type organism's PPU is typically located in their head or heart, although it can be located elsewhere depending on what function they were made to fulfill.

Not all Mechanical Type organisms possess a high degree of sapience. Depending on the task they were made for, Mechanical Type organisms could be sapient with a fully developed personality and artificial intelligence, or they not be sapient at all. A non-sapient Mechanical Type organism does posses a small degree of sentience, however.

When Mechanical Types die, their bodies are often recycled for further use by other Mechanical Types or different species altogether. The PPU is a significant source of power that can be utilized by Energy Types, or it can be repurposed to remotely pilot a Planetary-destroying level bomb remotely.

Biomechanical: This Type of organism can be defined through their similarity to Mechanical Type organisms, as well as their stark difference. While Mechanical are functionally immortal, Biomechanical Types are not. They are born, age, and die within their long, albeit naturally so, lives.

Biomechanical Types are often created by an exterior iteration during their initial lineage, however after that they are entirely autonomous in their reproductive activities. Biomechanical Types typically are not sapient, only sentient, although exceptions to this have been observed.

The biological component of this Type depends entirely on the environment it's lineage originated in. A lineage started in a dry, arid climate would be starkly different than one started in a humid, wet area. Despite these differences, Biomechanical Types technological components are universally the same; Stellarian Steal is the only proven method to work when attempting to create a Biomechanical Type organism.

When a Biomechanical Type dies, it's organic parts decompose, leaving the mechanical shell exposed and ready to be repurposed by worthy successors or other Type organisms.

Anomalous: This Type of organism is defined as such because they do not fit into any of the previous categories, or they are able to do something that defies the laws of reality. It should be noted that organisms can have more than one Type, and all Anomalous organisms have at least one other Type. They cannot be generalized, however, as each Anomalous Type organism behaves in radically different ways.

Anomalous Type organisms can be born naturally or created artificially. Those that are created artificially are often the property of the System Collective, such as Bonechill and Weaver. Natural born Anomalous Type organisms are uncommon, as a lack of training with their anomalous ability can, and often does, lead to demise at their own hands.

While it is not a requirement to have a Sigil of the Damned, all Sigil bearers gain the Anomalous Typing the moment they are inscribed.
Anomalous Type organisms are considered a Class I threat to the System Collective, regardless of their capabilities.
Notable Examples: Bonechill, Weaver, Precognatives