Cautoacron

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Object Name: CAUTOACRON (COW-toh-ah-KRONN)

Celestial Classification: Class E Planet, Metallic*

Planetary Size: ~76451.88672 kmd or 6 times the size of LE

Number of Moons: 0

Rotational Period: 42 ESH (42 hours per day)

Orbital Period: 455 PRY (planetary rotations per year)

Atmospheric Conditions: Category II

Population Size and Diversity: +10,000,000,000 Inhabitants (Bi-Lexo, Caugha’an)

Technology Level: Level IV-V (Bi-Lexo) Level V-VI (Caugha’an)

Cautoacron is a gigantic, metallic world held in great esteem by technicians across the Galaxy. An origin point for many technological innovations, its platinum, silicon, and titanium-plated mountains are excellent sources of rare metals and resources. Alongside its mountains of metals, Cautoacron’s liquid iron, silver, and plasmadian (plas-MAY-dee-en) oceans are fonts of powerful and versatile alloys*. In particular, Cautoacron’s Klïtënno’op (KLEE-TEH-ehn-noh-OPP) Sea, otherwise known as the “Wellspring of all Vessels,” is the Galaxy’s first known source of Tesasteel. One of the most robust yet malleable alloys in the Galaxy, Tesasteel is widely used for all sorts of interstellar travel technology. The alloy’s prevalence on Cautoacron has made the planet a widely sought location for all intergalactic metal workers and manufacturers. 

A massive metallic world, Cautoacron is one of the few metalloid giants in the Galaxy. Located near the Inner Core of the Galaxy, Cautoacron’s ecosystems are very similar to that of its distant cousin, Basillica. The planet’s large, frothing, and liquid metal oceans, seas and rivers mix all of Cautoacron’s various metals and metalloids into rare alloys which bring so many prospectors and industrialists to its surface. Moreover, the only species of flora on the planet are as metallic as the terrain they inhabit, making them another excellent source of unrefined metals. As such, the local sentient species on Cautoacron, and those of its neighboring planetary systems, have prospered greatly from their consistent access to valuable resources. Specifically, the ship-building yards and warp-drive research facilities of the nearby Pagus-II have benefitted immensely from their habitual trade deals with the local Cautoacron governments.

The Bi-lexo (BEYE LEKS-oh)

Cautoacron is inhabited by two principal species: the biomechanical Bi-lexo, and the hyper-intelligent Caugha’an. Regarded as the home planet of the Bi-lexo, Cautoacron’s thin atmosphere and generally inhospitable conditions make it a poor location for organic life to persist. This makes the planet oddly suited for the cyborg-like Bi-lexo, as they have virtually transcended the need for any form of organic nourishment. However, the Bi-lexo believe that they were not “born” on Cautoacron’s surface but rather built there. The local Bi-lexo legionnaires consider the more advanced Caugha’an as their Creators, capable of incredible wonders of manufacturing and technological synthesis. To the Bi-lexo, the Caugha’an species are essentially Gods given corporal (and mechanical) form. 

The Caugha'an (COW-gah-AH-an)

The Caugha’an are a species that ritually shed their organic forms in an attempt to delay death. Caugha’ans spend the first half of their lives growing and learning about the Galaxy around them. They train in valuable skills such as advanced metallurgy, technological manipulation, organic synthesis, and carbon-based fusion. Then, after Caugha’ans reach their prime physical states (usually around half-way through their natural lifetimes) they participate in a coveted ritual where they have their brains and central nervous systems removed from their bodies. Shortly afterward, the “harvested” Caugha’ans are installed into armored mechanical bodies where they spend the rest of their existences. This not only significantly extends the Caugha’an natural lifespan but allows them to become essentially immune to all other restrictions of an organic existence. Unless the neural chassis within the Caugha’an mechanical bodies is destroyed or disrupted, they are virtually immune to all damage inflicted from the outside world. It is believed that the Caugha’an's indifference to the organic world, except for breeding purposes, is what inspired their “creation” of the Bi-lexo and their intense practices of cybernetic augmentation, replacement, and eventual artificial creation. 

Caugha’an society appears to be organized under a strict hierarchy where cyberized Caugha’ans are ranked on the top and organic Caugha’ans on the bottom of the societal ladder. Though it is required for Caugha’ans to retain their organic bodies prior to their metallic transformations (mostly for procreative purposes), unless a Caugha’an couple is either raising children or is pregnant, they are viewed as inherently inferior to their already-transformed counterparts. Moreover, since Caugha’ans widely consider the Bi-lexo as their “children”—as they share similar values about the obsolescence of organic life—Caugha’an adults hold few personal attachments towards their biological offspring.