The Onoros worker caste - the Drones - are humanoid with roundish, noseless faces, a pair of enlarged eyes capable of accurate vision in near complete darkness, small pointy-tipped ears thought to be among the more sound-sensitive of Federation races, and a very small pair of antennae that it is speculated facilitate telepathy. They are small statured and can eat just about anything, needing only small quantities of sustenance due to their low metabolic rate and a lightweight musculature that requires little energy.
They can thrive in a broad temperature spectrum, from cold to hot, wet to dry, and breathe a variety of atmospheres - and these abilities are enhanced by the larger, specially designed exosuits that they use for many activities. Between their natural resilience and the protective encasement of their exosuits, Onoros can go to a wide range of worlds with minimal Trilium required for survival or bodily maintenance. This makes them an excellent workforce, a fact that the Khaureds have made prodigious use of since the formation of an alliance between the two races.
The “success” of the Onoros alliance with the Khaureds resulted in an increasingly large proliferation of Drone workforces throughout Khaured-owned or controlled operations. It reached the point where the Khaureds no longer had enough of their own people to commit to managing such large groups of Drones, so a new “Director” caste was conceived to assist with day-to-day operations. These Director Onoros were tasked with overseeing one hundred-strong units of drones on behalf of Khaured site or facility managers, allowing a small number of Khaureds to more effectively manage thousands of Drones with little, if any disruption to operations.
The pace at which the alliance was spreading led to intensifying demands for answers from other races - with some questioning why the Khaureds appeared to be receiving the lion’s share of profits, and always spoke for the Onoros in the Federation Congress. The Khaureds attempted to remain vague in answering such questions, and keep as many of the specific details of their alliance veiled as possible - but evasiveness had never been a strength among Khaureds, even their politicians, so they needed another means of quelling the rising tide of queries.
As a result the Diplomat caste of Onoros was eventually ushered into the Federation Congress to officially represent the race and its interests, though as it became clear that they followed the Khaured lead in all political matters they came to be viewed as little more than Khaured puppets, on display purely to mollify other Federation members, allowing the Khaureds to deflect further probing questions by telling enquiring politicians to raise their concerns with the Onoros directly.
Onoros Exosuits[]
Whilst Onoros drones were stronger and more robust than they looked they still could not match the strength of a Khaured, and those tasks a single Khaured could perform often took the labor of two or three Onoros. Whilst this was not a major issue per se owing to the large number of drones available for tasks, the Khaureds were intent on continuing to increase the efficiency of their operations to further dominate the mining and resource extraction industries.
As such they decided to share a limited, humanoid-scale version of their Mech technology, assisting in the construction of small mechanized exosuits that Onoros drones could pilot. These “miniature” Mechs are about the size of a typical Khaured, with the drone sitting in essentially a cockpit inside the head and chest cavity, the arms and legs being completely mechanical.
The exosuits are designed exclusively for the completion of a variety of labor-related tasks including mining, general gathering activities, simple reconnaissance and the construction of temporary or permanent structures as-needed by the Khaured operation in question. They were created to be versatile with some modularity allowing them to be rapidly refitted and re-kitted in the field for the particular job that a drone has been assigned.
The Khaureds ensured that they are universally equipped with terrain and atmospheric sensors allowing the drones inside to locate desired resources, and avoid potentially hazardous scenarios. The latter functionality was less to do with the safety of the drone pilot (given the seemingly endless supply of drones) and more about the value of the exosuit itself - and of course the potential for lost productivity should one or more exosuits be rendered inoperable for any length of time.
The Maxa[]
The Onoros share a distance-less telepathic connection - an interstellar hive mind - all ultimately connected to a single apex Onoros: a genderless Maxa who has come to be perceived by outsiders as a deity exerting benign control over them. This deep, race-wide connection is thought to be a major reason why Onoros have subdued personalities, are typically docile with little emotional range, and all look so physically similar. Little is known about how new Onoros come into being, but it is speculated that the Maxa plays a central role.
The Onoros Diplomats ushered in to participate in the Federation Congress are ostensibly the voice of the Maxa in all matters relating to their race, though questions remain concerning the fact that such a seemingly benign entity would so closely ally its race with the Khaureds.
Originally the fact that the Onoros were a race with a single hive mind had been kept a secret by the Khaureds. However at some point the knowledge was leaked, spreading across the Federation like wildfire, and in dismay the Khaured had little choice but to corroborate this revelation. Over time the concept of the Maxa-controlled hive mind inspired members of other races to pursue what they deemed to be a form of enlightenment, and they tried in vain to assume a state in which they too could hear the voice of the Maxa.
There is a lingering concern among some that the Maxa may have a hidden agenda. With Onoros drones scattered throughout the Federation, whispers abound about the true intentions of this seemingly peaceful race. Conspiracists see the spread of Onoros throughout the Megacorps and Syndicates as a series of deliberate placements and consequently stoke unease among their own communities and peers, leaving parts of the Federation a little on edge, wondering if the tranquility is merely a facade covering a more insidious motive - and also how the Khaureds fit into such a narrative.
DISCLAIMER: “The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this article are fictitious, do not represent actual events, and are meant to provide a fun and engaging experience for explorers only.”
