Vedrans (Andromeda)

The Vedrans are a race from the TV series Andromeda.

History
The Vedrans were a centauroid species that were native to the planet Tarn-Vedra which was located in the core of the Androemda galaxy. (Website: All Systems University Vedrans) In the year 112 BIE (Before Imperial Era), a cadre of Vedran scientists that were led by master sage Rochinda became one of the first races to discover Slipstream technology which would bring about a new age in faster-than-light space travel. Rochinda believed that this would usger in a new age of peaceful exploration as well as the colonization of other worlds. (Website: All Systems University Timeline) In regards to Slipstream, it was believed by early Vedran physicists that living beings capability to navigate this realm was believed to be due to the interaction of an organic observer with the collapsing probability waves which was why such pilots often chose the right path through the numerous routes. (Episode: Angel Dark, Demon Bright) In the year 0 CY (Coronation Year), General Huascar nax Toweri led a campaign of conquest across the Six Galaxies which was an act that brought about the formation of the Vedran Empire. With the consolidation of this new empire, Huascar declared his mate Yoweri I as Empress. Over the course of the next few centuries, the Empire grew from 2,000 worlds to near a million which included colonies, outposts as well as drifts. Furthermore, Yoweri's personal retainers formed a core group which would become the military arm of the Vedran Empire and was known as the High Guard. (Website: All Systems University Timeline)

At some unknown point, a Vedran archeaologist conducted a study on Kabora-Van where she discovered the legendary Engine of Creation. Her studies of the device led her to determine that it was older than the universe itself and was believed to had created the universe. Whilst in possession of the artifact, it was stated the device had transformed the Vedran into a god where she was reported to had gone insane and nearly destroyed everything in existence until the last moments where she regained her senses whereupon she turned the machine against itself. This act was known to had severed the Engine into five pieces which the Vedrans scattered across the stars. (Episode: In Heaven Now Are Three) Later, in 859 CY, a High Guard vessel fell into the hands of the Kalderans who reverse engineered slipstream technology and by 870 CY the Kalderan Alliance was formed that resisted the Vedrans encroachment of the Lesser Magellanic Cloud with the Empire being pushed out of that region of space over the next decade. However, by 895 CY, the war against Kalderans end when the High Guard conquer and occupy their homeworld of Kalderash and dissolved their government. The next notable event was the absorption of the Jeath homeworld in 1550 CY. The Vedran Empire was later torn apart during the War of Succession when Empress Yoweri XXIII died in 2937 CY without leaving an heir which brought about a conflict that lasted for 60 years and devastated more than 1,000 worlds. (Website: All Systems University Timeline)

After the resolution of the war, the Vedran Empire continued its campaigns of conquest by assimilating Ugroth; the Perseid homeworld into their hegemony with the species becoming an important administrators in the Imperial bureacracy due to their industrious nature. Afterwards, Makrai VII was peacefully absorbed into the Empire in 3812 CY which culminated the end of the Imperial Era. (Website: All Systems University Timeline) Due to overexpansion and declining enlistment, the High Guard opened its ranks to non-Vedrans in 4150 CY. By 4205 CY, the Perseid Insurrection engufled the Empire which was brutally crushed but saw several High Guard squadrons mutiny against Vedran rule. This failed rebellion resulted in the creation of a popularly elected consultative body in the Empire which became known as the Conclave thus sparking the Age of Reform. Later, in 4279 CY, the Vedran spiritual guide known as Sucharitkul led the Conclave in disbanding the Empire and replacing it with a Systems Republic. This move proved unpopular to the Imperial government with civil war almost erupting until High Guard supreme commander Sani nax Rifati ended the stalemate by offering a compromise; the Vedran Empire would remain the figurative head of the new government whilst political power wrested in the elected body which saw the birth of the Systems Commonwealth. (Website: All Systems University Timeline) The death of the Empress was well documented even in the final days of the Commonwealth. (Episode: Angel Dark, Demon Bright)

During the Nietzschean Uprising, the Vedran homeworld seemingly disappeared from Slipstream and the status of the species was unknown. Furthermore, following the Fall of the Commonwealth, the few remaining Vedrans that lived offworld had long since died and thus the fate of the entire race was a mystery to the greater universe. It was even not known whether their planet of Tarn-Vedra was still inhabited though a number of legends and rumors of its existence came from the tales of the "Mad Perseid Navigator" called Hasturi who claimed to had seen the world though his reports were declared unreliable. (Website: All Systems University Vedrans) Hasturi's diary became an famous artifact that was sought after by many who intended to salvage the great riches of Tarn-Vedra. (Episode: Fear and Loathing in the Milky Way) It was known that there was at least a Vedran commune that survived the post-Fall period and was infiltrated by Raphael Valentine who stole all their farm equipment as part of a scam. (Episode: The Ties that Blind)


 * Rev Bem suggested in "It Makes a Lovely Night" that it was possible the Vedrans had intentionally isolated themselves from Slipstream for some unknown purpose. The episode "The Fair Unknown" has Hunt and Rommie speculate the Vedran development in Tesseract technology allowed them to send their homeworld into a shadow dimension.

In the aftermath, Tarn Vedra had made significant advances in technology with the most notable one being in the field of Tesseracts. At some unknown point by CY 10088, a Vedran Admiral by the name of Uxulta along with four of her herd were dispatched to the resort world of Ral Parthia that was under siege by the Kalderans who intended to despoil it as a final act of spite against the Vedrans. Uxulta's mission was of a plan to isolate the world from the slipstream but during her mission her herd were killed leading to the Admiral linking up with the local planetary Warders where he aided them in resisting the Kalderans attacks as well as provided them with Force Lancers along with training on using them. At some point, she was captured and taken onboard a Kalderan ship but managed to eliminate her captors before returning to Ral Parthia. Her continued assistance of the Warders eventually took their toil with her being wounded as a result and she would have perished had Captain Dylan Hunt of the Andromeda Ascendant not arrived on the planet. Rather than help Captain Hunt rebuild the Systems Commonwealth, Uxulta simply asked for a Nova bomb which she used to remove Ral Parthia from the slipstream as part of some unknown goal. (Episode: The Fair Unknown)

Overview
In terms of appearance, the Vedrans were physically similar to the centaurs seen in Earth mythology. As such, they had four powerful legs with a humanoid upper body. The lower bodies and heads were covered with a feathery down though the males tended to sport long brightly colored crests of feathers that coverered their heads as well as spines. A definitive sexual dimorphism was present within the species with the females having breasts that helped distinguished the genders. (Website: All Systems University Vedrans) Their species were known to possess a blue colored blood. (Episode: The Fair Unknown)

Within Vedran society, males tended to be less intelligent but more aggressive compared to females. In addition, the males outnumbered the females with a ratio of approximately six to one. Each female tended to keep several males in her family unit though only the Prime male was allowed mating priveleges whilst the other males performed helper functions. (Website: All Systems University Vedrans) Vedrans tended to consider family or unit groupings as "herds". (Episode: The Fair Unknown) As a result of this makeup, the Vedrans were a matriarchal society with all owing loyalty to the female head of a particular herd. The males themselves first owed loyalty to their mother's herd and then to their mate. The herds themselves were organized into tribes with the tribes forming nations with all the nations owing loyalty to the Empress who was the head of her race. (Website: All Systems University Vedrans)

This race were one of the most powerful and influential in the history of interstellar travel. Vedrans were the first known species to had discovered slipstream travel and were a highly advanced starfaring civilization when mankind were laying the foundations of Stonehenge or when the Than were building hives from their own mucuous secretions. At one time, they were an aggressive and war-like people but gradually evolved their society into a benevolent state. (Website: All Systems University Vedrans) One notable game of the species was Vedran Whist which included a winning hand of drawing three straight Imperial Courts. (Episode: The Widening Gyre) One celebration made by the Vedrans and the Commonwealth was Vedran Empress Day parades. (Episode: A Heart for Falsehood Frame) Funeral arrangements led to four male grave markings surrounding a single female one. (Episode: The Fair Unknown) They were noted for being an ancient and powerful race that tamed most of known space. (Episode: It Makes a Lovely Light)

A known Vedran fable stated:
 * "In the middle of the fight we knew:
 * They had come at us like legends.
 * One hundred up and one hundred down." (Episode: Pride Before the Fall)

The Lancers of Tarn-Vedra were a famous military memoir similar to those of General Isk and Sun Tzu. (Episode: Star Crossed) In ancient times, the Vedrans were known to had made use of cavalry charges in their battles. (Episode: Immaculate Perception) Elements of Vedran ship construction and architecture remained in use in Commonwealth vessels for many years. (Episode: Pitiless as the Sun) The archives of the Commonwealth would later note that the Vedrans made gifted High Guard officers whilst those Humans that grew up amongst them felt awe as well as considered them superior beings. (Episode: The Fair Unknown) At some point, they established the Training Center for the Protection of Avatars (TCPA) that was made as a training site for the protection of the Avatars of the Lambent Kith Nebula. These installations involved grueling training exercises whereby trainees were required to overcome fears as they sought to become protectors. (Episode: Moonlight Becomes You)

Technology
Vedrans had the technical skill to actually impart knowledge within the molecules of carbon blocks thus allowing them to store information on a micrscopic level that was capable of being accessed by those that understood the science. Such contents was capable of holding diagrams, schematics and other vital pieces of information. (Episode: Saving Light from a Black Sun)

Among the height of engineering skills available to the species was seen in the construction of the Seefra system. An example of this included creating a second artificial star in the form of Methus-2. These skeletal spherical constructs were massive and consisted of a core that had a fusion reactor with deuterium weaved into the construction material. The construction of the star followed the design schematics of Vedran star ship design which meant its internal structure was similar to Commonwealth vessel corridors. However, this was equally a threat for trespassers as these countless corridors made a labyrinth that could lead to invaders being lost within the stars chambers. In addition, even gathered schematics were potentially useless as the internal structure was capable of changing its configuration which made any map out of date. When active, the star incinerated anyone near it or inside the skeletal structure. However, a maintenance code was able to be transmitted that shut the star down and left it in a dormant state. These maintenance cycles could only be extended to three hour windows as anything longer could lead to catastrophic damage to the star system it was present in. (Episode: Saving Light from a Black Sun)

During the Long Night, the Vedrans of Tarn-Vedra had made significant advancements in technology with them seemingly being able to develop Tesseracts. This allowed their officers to be equipped with such devices that gave them the capacity to instantly teleport across the battlefield in rapid movements thus providing them a great deal of advantage in combat operations. It also allowed users to teleport from dropships to a planetary surface. Usage of the device left a distinct zero point energy signature in the environment. In addition, they seemingly possessed the capacity to sever entire star systems from the slipstream through the use of special equipment that used voltarium as a power source. (Episode: The Fair Unknown)

A refinement of the Tesseract technology was later created to form a series of identical inter-solar transportation devices that allowed instantenous travels on a personnel level between worlds. These Portal Chambers were located underground on the Seefran worlds that consisted of eight doorways that linked the room to another countepart in the Seefra system. Activation of these portals required crystalline keys that were linked to the structure of the planet it was assigned to which meant the destruction of the device would destroy its linked world. (Episode: What Will Be Was Not)

Members

 * Huascar nax Yoweri : General who founded the Vedran Empire after a campaign of military conquest in the Six Galaxies. (Website: All Systems University Timeline)
 * Yoweri I : first Empress of the Vedran Empire after her mate Huascar nax Yoweri completed his campaign of conquest, her personal retainers eventually became the High Guard. (Website: All Systems University Timeline)
 * Yoweri XXIII Vedran Empress who lived in 2937 CY where she died without leaving an heir thus sparking the Wars of Succession that lasted sixty years and devastated a thousand worlds. (Website: All Systems University Timeline) In CY 2932 prior to her death, she was known to had said "Any fool can be honest, for it is only what he knows. A wise man is aware of when to share the truth." (Episode: The Right Horse)
 * Rochinda : a Vedran master sage who along with a team of scientists discovered slipstream technology on Tarn-Vedra and catapulted her species into an age of interstellar travel. (Website: All Systems University Timeline)
 * Sani nax Rifati : a legendary Vedran Supreme Commander who had a bronze statue of himself at Astoshi Tarn on Tarn-Vedra which was the site where he lived, wrote, fought and died. He was considered the lifelong hero of Dylan Hunt. (Episode: The Mathematics of Tears)
 * Sucharitkul : a spiritual guide during the Age of Reform, this Vedran in 4279 CY aided in getting the Conclave to dissolve the Vedran Empire and bring about the creation of the Systems Commonwealth. (Website: All Systems University Timeline)
 * Sucharitkil XII : Vedran Empress in CY 9784 who was assassinated in the Nietzschean Uprising when her royal barge was attacked. (Website: All Systems University Timeline)
 * Uxulta : female High Guard Vice Admiral who served as head of Argosy Special Operations in CY 10088 and was dispatched to remove Ral Parthia from the slipstream. (Episode: The Fair Unknown)
 * Maisus nax Sinque : Lieutenant Commander and first commanding officer of the Andromeda Ascendants Centaur tactical fighters and later married fellow Vedran Sinque.

Appearances

 * Andromeda:

External Link

 * Andromeda Wiki Entry
 * All Systems University Vedran