Antarean
The modern Antarean people are single-minded and focused. The majority of their population has been decimated in the Eridani / Antares War, leaving the survivors young and focused on destroying the Eridanian Empire.
But that is not how this race began.
Which is not to say that the Antareans weren't always prone to be warlike. There's still some debate as to whether the Eridanians decided to attack them because they knew the Antarean propensity for battle. But originally, the culture was more balanced. They even held their older warriors as respected members of society.
No longer. To be Antarean in the modern sense is to be young and fierce. The old are expected to leave this life as soon as their usefulness to the war effort is over.
Culture
Shared customary codes and values
The Antareans value:
- Strength
- Determination
- Youth
- Kills in battle
- Contributing to the survival of the race
The Antareans loathe:
- Age
- Weakness
- Philosophers
- Injury not traced to battle
- Anything that drains the civilization
Common Dress code
Casual dress has been replaced by the uniforms of the warriors. Each person will wear their state provided uniforms.
The young wear school uniforms stylized after military uniforms.
Those not in the military generally wear muted tones and simple styles. Retired military individuals will continue to wear their uniforms.
Radical sects within the culture will wear clothing produced off-world or handmade garments that tend to be bright and flamboyant. This form of dress is a statement against the war effort and has gotten more than one individual killed.
Art & Architecture
It is in art and architecture where we see the history of the Antareans pre-war. While there are still artists on Antares most are dedicated to furthering the war effort.
As with clothing, there is a group that seeks to maintain the old ways and to imagine the future of the culture after the war.
History
What remains of the pre-war architecture lends credence to the belief that the Antareans have always been a race of warriors.
Foods & Cuisine
Cuisine is seen as a waste. Ration packs are the favored food, while many will discuss the joy that food will bring after the war is over. This mysterious future
Birth & Baptismal Rites
The continuation of the race has become a key factor in Antarean culture, and reproduction is considered to be one of the core civic duties. Expectant mothers continue to fight for the first half of the pregnancy, and then move to desk jobs in secured bunkers on the home world.
Once the child is born, the mother will place the baby in the care of the state run educational system and will return to her unit as quickly as possible.
At one point, artificial wombs were considered and rejected as being too easily corrupted. A few radical scientists continue to research this, but only as side projects as they are needed to design weaponry.
Babies are raised by retired warriors and robots. As such, the modern Antareans are much more comfortable with robotics than other species, having interacted with them for their entire life.
Coming of Age Rites
An Antarean is expected to enter one of the fighting branches at the age of 10. They will be trained and shifted into the front lines as soon as they show competence.
Those who have no competency in war skills are sent for remedial training. If they do not develop the needed skills, they will be put to work in other areas. No further education is offered past their coming of age unless they are found to have some form of scientific aptitude. Then they will be trained as an apprentice by a scientist.
Some non-combatants have been known to access the rebellious trades and find a mentor there.
Funerary and Memorial customs
The dead are cremated and their remains are fed into the machinary that develops ballistics so that even in death they can strike back at those who would destroy their home.
Common Taboos
Speaking out against the war is seen as the equivalent of saying that the culture has no right to survive. While there are underground factions that may oppose the war or imagine Antares after it, these individuals would never say that the war should be stopped.
Saying that peace should be attempted is seen as horrific, as all know that the ultimate goal of the Eridani network is the destruction of the Antarean culture entirely.
Common Myths and Legends
The origins of the conflict with the Eridanians have been lost to the chaos of the beginning of the war.
There are several origin stories that each have their proponents:
Some say the Eridani attacked without provocation, throwing the previously peaceful world into chaos.
Others say that the Antarean leaders learned of a planned Eridani attack and struck first, causing the resulting attack.
A common belief is that the heads of the two planets were involved in peace talks when one or the other broke the arrangement and killed their opponent. On Antares, it is well known that the Eridani can not be trusted, and this legend is often cited as the origin of this belief.
Lesser theories revolve around needed resources being only available on the Antarean homeworld, and other "reasons" for the conflict.
Regardless of the origin of the war, the Antareans believe that to stop fighting is to cease to exist.
This article is a stub.
I'll be adding more content to this article in the future.
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