An image of the Rixian homeworld of Lapi. This first vision of alien life has raised the interest of scientists from all factions. Those critical of the aliens, however, have already begun questioning the Rixians' intentions. Pointing to the English slogan, they warn that the Rixians must have been studying the various human cultures for some time now. If they have already dissected our language, these critics say, they may have learned our every military secret, as well.
First contact with life outside the solar system -- with the Rixian Unity. So far, the Rixians have proven themselves superior scientists, explorers, and, as has now been made clear to mankind, crusaders. Led by Issa Rix, a being so revered among his people that his very name stands for all Rixians, little is truly known about this species. Certainly not their true goals or intentions.
IDEOLOGY STATEMENT
To convert alien cultures to the Rixian religion and to cleanse the galaxy of those who would oppose Rixian plans to “enlighten” heathen races.
BACKGROUND
From the planet Lapi (literally “Jewel of the Heavens” in the Rixian tongue), the Rixians - bipedal, hairless, gray-skinned, and slender -- are highly proficient scientists and engineers. They are diminutive when compared to humans, standing roughly three feet tall. They have four long, thin fingers on each hand, offset with opposable thumbs; each finger has five to eight joints, and in fact, each finger is also mutually opposable. As such, Rixians have incredible fine motor skills, which makes for excellent pilots. Beings without gender, the Rixians reproduce asexually. The Rixian race is considerably older than humanity; their written history implies that the race is roughly 50,000 Earth years old. It is possible that it could be even older.
Rixian science allowed them to achieve incredible feats of technological and scientific virtuosity. Roughly 40,000 years ago, the Rixians left their homeworld and explored their home solar system, colonizing several worlds and moons and even established permanent settlements in orbit. From there, the Rixians perfected “planetary engineering” technology, converting inhospitable planets into fertile, pleasant worlds. There seemed to be no limit to what the Rixians' scientific abilities would enable them to achieve.
Because of their general prosperity, the Rixian population steadily grew; chronic overcrowding and limited resources began to take their toll. Rixian science slowly shifted towards methods of food production, anti-pollution measures, and the generation of synthetic replacements for depleted natural resources. Despite the Rixian colonization efforts, resources steadily grew scarce. Then, roughly 10,000 years ago, the Rixians discovered an Aleph in their star system.
The first Rixian vessel to pass through the Aleph arrived in a system with a planet habitable to the aliens. When word reached Lapi of the discovery, the Rixians again turned their considerable intelligence to the prospect of colonizing another star system far from their home.
While those plans were under way, something incredible occurred. The Rixian explorers who had passed through the Aleph began to change. Their genetic structure - already nearly perfect -- showed signs of further improvement, far beyond the improvements wrought by Rixian science. Their cells could regenerate; they no longer required food or air. In addition, their brains developed further, manifesting telepathic and empathic abilities. Over the course of only a few days, these Rixian explorers began to evolve beyond what even their race's best scientists had thought possible.
More importantly, these same scientists all came to the same conclusion: it was the passage through the Aleph that had somehow initiated these changes within the explorers. Further examination revealed that the Aleph did indeed radiate an unusual form of radiation. Whether this radiation was the cause of the rapid evolution of the explorers could not be determined with certainty. Whatever the direct cause, there could be no question that passage through the Aleph had served as the trigger for the Rixian astronauts' metamorphosis.
Several more Rixians volunteered to repeat the passage through the Aleph. They did so and almost all of them exhibited the same effects. A few did not, however. For these explorers, the passage had no effect at all. The initial research failed to determine why the Aleph affected some of the Rixians and not others. In time, the scientists determined that, despite centuries of improvement, not all Rixians were as highly evolved as their fellows. That is, some Rixians demonstrated longer lifespans and greater intelligence, among other things. These Rixians were thus the most strongly affected by the Aleph's energy signature.
The rapidly evolving Rixians turned their increased intelligence to the matter and sought to find a way to reproduce the Aleph's effects technologically. Over the course of a few years, more and more Rixians passed through the Aleph and were affected by it. These, in turn, discovered additional Alephs and had journeyed further out into the galaxy. The Rixians suspected (wrongly) that - because each Aleph leads to a different solar system - different Alephs would have different effects on individual Rixians. Finding a way to jumpstart the evolution of every member of their species was simply a matter of finding the appropriate Aleph through which to pass. In the course of doing so, the Rixians developed even more impressive technologies and explored much of the galaxy; this period became known as the Age of Advancement.
As more and more of the Rixians evolved (or “ascended,” as it became known), a schism developed in their society between those who were on their way toward a wholly non-corporeal existence and those who were not. The non-evolved Rixians (who were still impressive -- if corporeal -- beings) could not even use, let alone understand, many of the amazing artifacts created by their evolved brethren. Some, in fact, began to revere the ascended Rixians as divine beings.
This latter tendency only became worse as the evolved Rixians slowly removed themselves completely from the affairs of the material world. As they did so, the Rixians left behind found themselves increasingly unable to cope with the technological civilization they had inherited. Thus was born the Code, an effort by the remaining Rixians to record how to order their lives and society so as to maintain what the advanced aliens had left behind.
Over time, the Code grew beyond a mere technological manual and became a religious text. The Rixians came to see the Code as a blueprint for their conduct so that they might one day ascend like the other members of their race. This religion became known simply as “Unity,” and priest-explorers of the Rixian Unity have risen to the highest levels of Rixian society.
The remaining Rixians continue to travel throughout the galaxy in an effort to convert other races to the teachings of the Code. (The Code states that knowledge - and belief - must be taught to have value. Unity Priests have taken this statement to mean that the path to Ascension is to instruct “lesser” or “unblessed” species . . . against their will if necessary.) By doing this, they hope not only assist the other species of the galaxy, but also to help themselves. They believe that their actions might one day enable them to achieve what has thus far been denied them.
Unity priests -- eager to atone for their past failures to convert the other species to the Code -- have begun examining plans to convert humanity.
INTER-CIV RELATIONS
In general, the Rixians have nothing but contempt for humans and their various factions. In their eyes, all of them are patently inferior and in need of their “benevolent guidance.”
While the Rixians consider the Belters unworthy of the effort to convert, they still consider them a threat; The Iron Coalition, however, presents a difficult challenge for the Rixians. On the one hand, the Coalition is disciplined and well-organized, with a clear chain of command and obvious goals. At the same time, the Coalition is warlike and inclined to resort to force to solve its problems, even when other solutions are available. Thus, the Coalition puzzles the Rixians, who have yet to decide how to deal with this faction.
GigaCorp likewise baffles the aliens. While GigaCorp clearly shows a talent for technological innovation and organization, its goals and objectives are mere material acquisition. This does not impress the Rixians. On the other hand, the BIOS have succeeded in intriguing the Rixians. The BIOS' attempts to achieve greater genetic adaptability through the application of technology are, although grossly misguided, similar to their alien tenets of Ascension. The Rixians hope the BIOS will be among their first converts to the cause of Ascension. As such, the cleansing fleet is preparing to demonstrate to the BIOS the error of their ways, in order to place them on the proper path.
NOTABLE PERSONALITIES