Ta'Elans

The Ta'Elans, also known as Taelorians in English, were the first race to make formal contact with earth. They are also the most technologically advanced race in the entire Mission : Illumination universe. Ta'Elans speak two main languages, their own Ta'Elan, and English. Some Ta'Elans also speak various other earth languages.

Home world

Megachidna - “The Great Spiny One” - the main star of the Megachidnus System, home of the Ta’Elan Empire

The Taelorian civilization originally began in the Megachidnus System (a Hypergiant star system 120 light years from our Sun), and spread to the surrounding stellar neighbourhood. The Empire stretches across a 24 planet system, and has several dependencies, including minor Empires in the systems surrounding Megacena, Inticolor, Multicolor, others.

Government

The Taelorian Empire is headed by a council of elders. There is no specific limit to how many elders there can be, but there is a single leading elder for each planet, along with at least six other elders from each planet. These elders are responsible for making or advising the Empire's toughest decisions, such as if to engage in warfare with their enemies.

Each planet's government is made up of various levels of councils, consisting of respected officials chosen by the community. The basic level of the society is the family unity, and extended families share large areas of property, eventually forming cities as they grow. Each family is known by the name of the founding male, for example, the house of Zan'Ehl; the house of Ahb'rha'ha.

Interactions with other Civilizations

The Ta'Elans tend to be rather compassionate toward other civilzations, but do not try to integrate with or otherwise influence them without invitation or acceptance.

Economy

Ta'Elan Money, made of an element called Tallium 30.

The Taelorian Empire uses a globally regulated virtual currency. It is vastly different from the systems used on earth.

Ta'Elan money is represented physically by Tallium 30 jewels, which carry within them the ability to store the value given to them by the one who possesses or exchanges them.

Slavery is outlawed throughout the Empire, and carries a grave punishment of being banished from the Empire on a desert planet (unless pardoned see Law).

Law

The Ta'Elan Empire enforces two forms of Law. The written Law, which ranges from rigid to highly fluid depending on the jurisdiction, and an unspoken, Spiritual Law, which is recieved by impartation. The latter takes precedence over the former in many situations; especially in matters of crime.

Ta'Elan written law is surprisingly simple, for such an extensive and advanced Empire. There are few and very limited laws concerning various tiers of society, ranging from laws regarding interpersonal relationships, to those regarding the highest level of government. However, the majority of these laws are simple safe-guards and guidelines created to avoid extreme situations and for use in mitigation of minor incidents of offences.

Penalties

There are varying penalties in Ta'Elan law, which are dependent on the offence(s), the circumstances surrounding it/them, and the choices of the presiding council. Penalties are rarely handed out by a single person, and are always given with respect to the wishes of any one afflicted by the offence that incurred the penality. For example, if a victim of domestic violence (a rare crime in the Empire) were to ask that the offender be completely forgiven and cleared of all offences, the council may grant complete absolution.

Violence

Violence toward anyone except oneself is strictly forbidden in Ta'Elan society, with the exception of police and military action. Serious offences can incur penalties such as being removed from wider society for a season (there are no prisons in the Ta'Elan Empire) or being expelled from the Empire. As in all cases, Ta'Elans strive for reconcilliation over punishment and penalty, and often times the victim(s) will call for reconcilliation as opposed to a harsh sentence.

Violence on oneself is also a serious offence, but is normally handled by provision of counsel.

Military

Despite having few enemies beyond bands of narcotics dealers and pirates, the Ta'Elan Empire has a powerful military, with divisions for just about everything you can think of. From the Ta'Elan equivalent of a Navy (Oceanic Patrol), to the Ta'Elan Supreme Special Forces, the Ta'Elan military covers any crevices where an enemy or rebel may seek to harm the Empire. Each planet specializes in producing vehicles, technologies, and armies for particular roles and habitats. For example, the Friozhan Nation is responsible for cold weather research, and together with the Tallian and Recyclian Nations, they have produced many of the most powerful ships at the Empire’s disposal.

The main Ta'Elan military vessel class is the Hornet. Hornets come in many forms, each designed for either a specific task or a range of tasks. They range in size from the tiny Calian Mini HEAT Hornet to the massive Friorecytallian Black Hornet. All hornets are capable of flying in space and an atmosphere, and most of them can also operate under water or most other liquids (such as in the Liquiitallium oceans of Litiana).

Biology

The Ta'Elans are humans, but the differ from normal humans in a number of respects.

• Ta'Elans are immune to many toxic materials and any kind of animal venom. The exact mechanism that provides them immunity is unknown (see Super-natural Attributes).
• Ta'Elans do not respond to most infectious agents, and most deadly viruses and bacteria seem to have little or no effect, and are actually killed on exposure to the Ta'Elan Spirit Shield.
• Ta'Elans vary widely in height and build, depending on their planet of origin. They can range from the tall, muscular Dinostorians, to the short, and relatively weak, Stabilowobelians. They also exhibit adaptations to the conditions of their home world, including increased resistence to heat or cold (eg. Callians and Friozhans respectively), the ability to last for several minutes on a single breathe (eg. Amphibulosans), and more.
• Ta'Elans exhibit widely varied gestation periods, possibly related to the fact that they live on a variety of planets with differing conditions. Friozhans and Litianans sometimes have gestation periods that can last up to eleven months, whereas Dinostorians, Tallians, and Mediosans can have gestation periods as short as six or seven months, all with little or no adverse effects.
• Ta'Elans have super-human powers and abilities (see Super-human Abilities + Super-natural Attributes).

Super-human Abilities

All Ta'Elans seem to possess the ability to exhibit super-human “powers” and abilities, though not all Ta'Elans are active in this regard. Some are more adept in some “powers” than others, and some possess powers not seen in others. The biological basis for many of their powers is unknown, and so these are listed under “Super-natural Attributes”. The known Ta'Elan “powers” are listed below:

• All Ta'Elans are electro-kinetic; they can manipulate electromagnetic energy in its various forms, including electricity and light.
• Super-human strength.
• Super-human speed; most Ta'Elans can move their muscles at speeds unnatural to normal humans. Running at 45 miles an hour is normal for them.
• Flight. Though this ability is not fully understood, it is believed that it is related to their electro-kinetic abilities. The exact limits of this ability are not known, but Ta'Elans have been observed flying at hundreds of miles per hour, and Zayin specifically has been known to break the sound barrier on more than one occasion.
• Super-intelligence.
• Picture perfect memory, which seems to remain intact despite the passage of many years of time.
• "Super-forgetfulness", a voluntary ability to permanently forget any memory at will. Some remnant of the memory may remain, but it becomes faded and difficult to recover.
• Super-healing. An injured Ta'Elan can heal from most non-fatal injuries within minutes, and some Taelorians have been known to heal from even mortal wounds immediately (see Super-natural abilities).
• Super-hearing. Ta'Elans can hear outside of the normal human range at will, and can also hear at farther distances.
• Super-vision. Ta'Elans can see wavelengths of light outside of the normal human range at will, and can see at greater distances. They can also zoom in on distant targets, and their eyes are able to cope with high-speed movements that would normally be dizzying to regular humans.

Eye-Shine

When using their electrical ability, Ta'Elans often have a blue glow in their eyes. It is not fully known why this happens, but it is a good indicator of if a Ta'Elan is upset or excited, as their "eye-shine" is connected to their emotional response.

Super-natural Attributes

Ta'Elans are especially unusual in the fact that they seem to naturally exhibit supernatural attributes not found outside the realms of human fantasy. Ta'Elans lay claim to a mysterious past, which may hold some clue to their super-natural nature. Unlike most humans, are well aware of the spirit world. Ta'Elan society encourages the use of spiritual abilities to the benefit of others. Ziokhennah is the Ta'Elan word for the concept of spirituality.

Spirit shield

All Ta'Elans appear to be protected by some kind of force-field, which they refer to as The Spirit Shield, or Zikiyanah, as it is called in their tongue. It is normally invisible to the naked eye, and unnoticeable to the touch. Its power can be activated either by force of will, or by any threat to the individual which it protects, even if they are not aware of the present danger. It protects them from most simple injuries, but can also be engaged to protect from bullets, lasers and other conventional weaponry. The Spirit Shield can contain or conduct both spiritual and physical energy. This is separate, however, from the Ta'Elan ability to control the elements and electromagnetic energy.

Extended Spirit Shield

An extension of the Spirit shield, the Extended Spirit Shield is used by Ta'Elans for the protection of others. It seems almost to have a “mind” of its own once used, as it can follow a person indefinitely or choose to leave them at will, without any instructions from the originator. Ta'Elans can also combine their individual Shields to increase their effectiveness.

Conductive Spirit Shield

As mentioned before, the spirit shield can contain and conduct energy. The amount and kind of energy stored seems to be limited only by the will and emotions of the originator.

Teleportation

All spiritually active Ta'Elans are able to teleport. Any object, or living thing, touching, or within the immediate range of the individual teleporting can be transported in this way, if the individual teleporting wills it.

Precognition and Active Guidance

Spiritually active Ta'Elans are at times warned of events before they occur, or given wisdom concerning their course of action. They credit this to their connection to the Holy Spirit within them, who guides them constantly so long as they are listening.

Healing

All Ta'Elans have the ability to heal others. The also heal more swiftly than a normal human, and by will, can heal from even serious injuries. Ta'Elans are immune to being poisoned by others, though if a Ta'Elan willingly takes a harmful substance, it can hamr or kill them unless someone else intervenes.

Spirit Vision

Ta'Elans can see into the spiritual realm, though this ability is typically activated automatically and not by mental will. Highly trained Ta'Elans can actively engage this ability, however.

Spirit Vision also grants Ta'Elans the ability to see things that are not occurring in their vicinity, things that are hidden, and things that occurred in the past.

Empathy

Ta'Elans cannot read minds (though they can use a limited form of telepathy with fellow Ta'Elans), but they can detect emotions, especially joy, peace, fear, and anger. They have a limited ability to share the emotions of fellow Ta'Elans, and to an extent, confer mild, positive feelings to non-Ta'Elan humans within their immediate vicinity. As a result of their ability to detect emotions, Ta'Elans can often tell when others are lying or attempting to lead them on. Tallians, a specific tribe of Ta'Elans, are especially strong in this area. It is said to be impossible to lie to a Tallian.

Other

Ta'Elans can control or affect any material (except another human being) with their words, and move and affect anything in the material world with their minds and will. This ability is limited, however, and not always fully under their control, so that they may not abuse their power.

Friokanah

Friokanah (Frozen Form, or Supercooled Form) is a mysterious, legendary state, in which an individual's body and spirit are so energized, that the body glows blue with power. It is the ultimate level of power that a Ta'Elan can attain in this life.

A Ta'Elan in Friokanah is considered to be almost invincible by another mortal. All physical and spiritual abilities in this state are immensely increased in their power and effectiveness. In this state, the body can be translated from its normal material form into a form more akin to energy, at the will of the individual. It is known to the Ta'Elans only in legend, and it is alleged that some of their now dead spiritual leaders were able to walk in this level of power.

Some of the abilities enabled in this state are listed below:

• The Spirit Shield is powerful enough to withstand the atmosphere of Malotemprus, or the surface of Friozha.
• The electro-kinetic abilities of an individual in this state are unpredictably powerful.
• In Friokanah, it is possible to pass through solid objects at will, or to have solid objects pass through the body.
• Using unknown means, an individual in Friokanah can "escape" or "outrun" time, allowing them to perform such feats as turning a bullet around in mid air.
• Spirit Vision under Friokanah is extremely acute. The spirit world appears as part of the natural world.
• A person in Friokanah can run for hundreds of miles at immense speeds, without breaking a sweat.