Banu

The Banu are a sentient, bipedal species. They are a mercantile society, maintaining peaceful trade relations with all currently known spacefaring civilizations. The Banu Protectorate, a republic of planet-states, has cultivated a strong relationship with the UEE, built primarily on economic trade and cultural exchange.

History
The Banu were the first sentient species Humanity encountered. Discovered by a NavJumper named Vernon Tar who was out exploring when he accidentally stumbled upon an unknown ship. Mistaking the Banu vessel for a competing explorer, Tar opened fire. This action almost started an interspecies war, however all of his shots missed the target. Upon realizing that the Banu vessel was an alien vessel, Tar relayed his coordinates to the United Nations of Earth (UNE). A delegation party led by General Neal Socolovich was immediately dispatched to the system to undo any diplomatic fallout and open communication. It was later discovered the Banu pilot was on the run from local officials for embezzling funds. Once the two civilizations came together and signed the first Interstellar Peace & Trade Accord, they began to trade information and technology to help each other expand into the universe. Once the Banu spread out, they formed the Banu Protectorate to oversee all of their systems.

The Banu are traders and culture-hounds of the universe. Their planets are varied and colorful. Many tales of intrigue start in the murky back alleys of Banu cities. The Banu openly trade with all known spacefaring civilizations, including the Vanduul, though this relationship tends to vary planet to planet.

Life of the Banu
The Banu are a spacefaring species. They are technologically advanced and capable of both terraforming and traversing via jump points and quantum travel. Banu lifespans are significantly shorter than that of humans, though they are more resilient, and can survive and prosper even under very harsh conditions, including extreme temperatures

Banu do not have beds; they sleep wherever they happen to be sitting or standing and are refreshed and ready to go in approximately ten minutes. Those who are exhausted may sleep for up to 90 minutes at a time, but more than that is considered unhealthy.

Social life
Individual Banu are members of one of many Souli, which can be considered a parallel to human guilds. These groups of non-blood related individuals form the surroundings in which Banu work, live, and educate young members in mastering a single skill since their childhood.

Trade is a major driving force in Banu society, and every Protectorate system reflects this. While each of the planets boasts its specific flavor of culture and tradition, a love of money and trade bind them all. Banu worlds are vibrant, dangerous places with criminals and nobles brushing shoulders in the various marketplaces. The Banu bear a well-proven reputation for being able to procure anything, if one only has the credits.

It should be noted that while craving for profit describes the majority of Banu, there are some who value other pursuits, or are uncomfortable with the thought of monetizing their life to the degree their broader species tends to. These individuals are few and far between, and they have difficulty fitting into Banu society.

Role of history in Banu culture
Very little is known of Banu history; their culture is one that prioritizes the present, and as such they see very little point in preserving history or keeping records. An exception to this view is practical knowledge, such as technology, trade routes and documentation. Information with no monetary or practical value, such as dates of star system discoveries, is simply forgotten. Criminals will be traced as long they are on a 'wanted list' or searched for by a hired contractor.

Origin world and others
The origins of the Banu are unknown to the UEE, and most likely even to the Banu themselves. They inhabit several systems and the planets within them, however none of them have a known date of discovery or colonization, as they deem such information not valuable. Many in the UEE theorize that the Banu homeworld may be Bacchus II, however the Banu are unable to confirm nor refute this theory, as they do not tend to keep records. In fact, when presented this question, many Banu will simply respond that their homeworld is the world on which they were born, or, if they were born on a spacecraft, the name of the vessel.

Banu-inhabited systems
Many of these systems were 'discovered' in 2439, shortly after the Interstellar Peace & Trade Accord was signed. The Banu revealed the location of several Banu controlled systems to the UNE, presumably to facilitate trade.

Political system
The Banu Protectorate is a republic of Planet-States, each run under its own political system. The leaders (or selected representatives) of each planet will gather for a quorum to discuss/debate legal and trade issues that affect the entire species. Otherwise, each is left to their own devices to succeed or fail.

Diplomatic status
Humans: friendly.

Xi'an: friendly.

Vanduul: precarious but friendly. This breaks down on a planet-by-planet basis, but generally, the desire for money and trade outweighs loyalties and grudges.

Religion
There are multiple deities, out of which Cassa (the Patron of Luck) and Taernin (the Great Traveler) are the most common.

The Protectorate's spiritual center is located in the Trise System. While the Gatherings on Bacchus II handle the legal and political matters, "The Council" is responsible for the social and moral dictums that define and direct Banu society.

Their calling requires pure objectivity when dealing with their race, so they are separated from the rest of their people as much as possible.

There are no great Banu pilgrimages, so worshipers flocking to a system is not to be expected. Separation of the Council from the rest of society is mandated by the law.

As stated above, Banu don't produce works of art unless it has a practical reason for it. However, there is one exception, their monk equivalents produce elaborate copper-based artwork which has a certain kitsch value. Another product of their religion is a variety of medicines, concocted by their healers, which have been shown to have a positive effect on Human diseases.

Military
The Banu don't have a dedicated standing army of any sort. At peaceful times the Banu Militia keeps the (relative) tranquility on a day-to-day basis within their systems. This militia operates on a rotational basis, drawing volunteers (even some criminals) from the various Banu-inhabited planets to keep an eye on things in space. To call their approach to law enforcement 'fast and loose' is an understatement. However, when in conflict or near it, the Banu can quickly pull together a formidable military force not to be reckoned with.

Crime
Suffice it to say, there is a lot of crime in the Banu Protectorate. The woeful lack of communication between the various planet-states means that criminals can simply hop from world to world when their current one becomes too dangerous. Since the UEE (even the Advocacy) is forbidden to pursue criminals over the borders, the Banu Protectorate is a haven for UEE criminals. And if an attempt is made to reclaim fugitives through official channels, it will be rarely met with agreement followed by the extradition of the wanted fugitives.

That hasn't stopped some of the more creative thinkers within the Advocacy from deploying Agents undercover, tracking and abducting fugitives, then smuggling them back into UEE space.

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