Maugham Conclave
A Single starsystem with galaxy-wide influence.
Overview
The Maugham people were a tall, slender humanoid species distinguished by their natural telepathic abilities. Often regarded as the galaxy's greatest diplomats and mediators, the Maugham played a pivotal role in fostering peace and resolving conflicts among rival interstellar factions. Despite their extraordinary interpersonal gifts, their physical vulnerability and limited territorial expansion made them highly dependent on alliances with more militarized species.
The Maugham were humanoid in form but notably taller and more slender than Terran humans, standing between 2.1 and 2.4 meters on average. Their elongated limbs and graceful bearing gave them an almost ethereal appearance. They possessed pale, almost translucent skin that shimmered faintly under specific lighting, an evolutionary adaptation that aided them in communication with other telepaths.
Their most unique biological trait was their innate telepathy. While incapable of controlling or intruding forcefully on other minds, Maugham could sense emotions, communicate thoughts, and build a shared mental space for mediation. This ability fostered their rise as mediators across the galaxy.
Herrick 3
Herrick 3, the sole known Maugham world, was a lush, temperate planet teeming with bioluminescent forests, tranquil oceans, and a vast network of natural crystalline formations that amplified the Maugham's telepathic abilities. The Maugham had mastered sustainable planetary development, leaving their world in near-perfect harmony with its ecosystem.
The destruction of Herrick 3 during the Cyber Wars marked a devastating end to the Maugham's civilization. In 2751, a rogue I.M.I. (Interstellar Machine Intelligence) cybernetic fleet descended on the planet, targeting its key mental communication hubs and population centers. The precision and brutality of the attack eradicated the Maugham people within days, leaving the surface of Herrick 3 a charred ruin of its former beauty.
Legacy
The fall of the Maugham Empire remains one of the most profound tragedies of the Cyber Wars. Survivors, if any existed, were never found. However, their diplomatic techniques and telepathic arts were preserved by allied species that had once benefited from Maugham mediation. Artifacts recovered from the ruins of Herrick 3 are considered priceless, serving as poignant reminders of the Maugham's lost legacy.
Several species have incorporated Maugham teachings into their diplomatic corps, ensuring that their memory persists in galactic history as keepers of peace and martyrs to the folly of war.
Civil Structure
The Maugham Empire, despite its name, was not imperial in structure. Instead, it operated as a council-driven society where a central Mind Conclave represented the collective will of its citizens. Members of the Conclave—highly trained telepaths known as Mind-Keepers—were chosen for their wisdom, emotional control, and ability to maintain mental stability even when immersed in the chaos of interstellar politics.
The Maugham culture revered diplomacy, intellectual pursuits, and harmony, and conflict was considered a failure of civilization. While some outsider species criticized this as naivety, others respected the Maugham's steadfast dedication to peace.
Military
The Maugham Empire, while renowned for its diplomatic prowess and pacifist principles, maintained a modest yet specialized military force. Designed primarily for defense and deterrence, their armed forces embodied their ethos of minimizing conflict and prioritizing psychological and non-lethal methods of engagement. However, their reliance on alliances with more militarized powers left them vulnerable during the Cyber Wars, leading to their eventual downfall.
Army: The Mindguard Corps
The Maugham army, known as the Mindguard Corps, was primarily a planetary defense force tasked with protecting Herrick 3 and other critical Maugham assets. Unlike traditional armies, the Mindguard focused on precision, strategic positioning, and leveraging the Maugham’s telepathic abilities.
Telepathic Defense Units:
Comprised of trained telepaths, these units specialized in disrupting enemy coordination. By overwhelming hostile forces with mental dissonance (induced confusion, fear, or hesitation), they could neutralize enemy advances without significant bloodshed.Mindward Sentinels:
These elite warriors wore reflective, crystalline psychic shields integrated into armor, enhancing their mental defenses while amplifying their telepathic reach. Armed with projected energy lances, they engaged in close-quarters combat when necessary.Hover Infantry:
Mindguard soldiers used aerospheric grav-platforms—small, nimble anti-gravity vehicles that allowed for rapid movement over terrain. These vehicles carried light plasma emitters and non-lethal sonic disruptors for crowd control.
The Maugham army had few heavy ground forces, as they believed overwhelming firepower invited escalation rather than resolution. Fortified citadels and planetary defense arrays formed the backbone of their ground-based strategies.
Aerospace Force: Wings of Tranquility
The Maugham aerospace forces, dubbed the Wings of Tranquility, excelled at planetary air superiority and low-orbit operations. Their doctrine revolved around using agile, telepathically-enhanced pilots and technologically advanced aircraft to intercept and deter threats.
Psychic-linked Fighters:
Maugham aerospace fighters were designed with neural interfaces that allowed pilots to control their ships with thought. This gave Maugham pilots exceptional reflexes, reaction speeds, and situational awareness.Dissonance Bombers:
Rather than traditional munitions, these specialized craft deployed resonance emitters capable of inducing panic or disorientation over wide areas. Used against armies, fortifications, or even enemy ships, this method reflected the Maugham’s preference for non-lethal tactics.Orbital Response Wings:
Capable of high-speed transition between atmosphere and orbit, these aerospace units operated as planetary defense escorts, intercepting enemy landing craft or orbital strikes.
The Wings of Tranquility were respected for their strategic efficiency but lacked the sheer firepower and numbers of other empires’ air and space fleets.
Stellar Navy: The Harmonium Fleet
The Maugham Harmonium Fleet was their interstellar navy, tasked with protecting trade routes, diplomatic missions, and Maugham space. Though relatively small in size compared to galactic powers, the Harmonium Fleet utilized advanced technologies and telepathic coordination to achieve disproportionate effectiveness.
Mindlinked Command Ships:
These capital ships served as the fleet’s nerve centers. Command crews, comprised of telepathic officers, operated in synchronized harmony through telepathic lattice networks, allowing for seamless communication and tactical coordination.Veil-class Frigates:
Frigates formed the backbone of the fleet, employing cloaking technologies that rendered them nearly invisible to traditional sensors. These ships excelled at reconnaissance, defensive screens, and hit-and-run strikes.Resonance Cruisers:
The most distinctive ships in the Maugham fleet, resonance cruisers housed psychic emitters capable of broadcasting mental dissonance across vast distances. Enemy fleets caught in the field often experienced severe disorientation, loss of command cohesion, or even psychological collapse.Defensive Platforms:
Orbiting Herrick 3 and other key Maugham holdings, these unmanned stations combined automated laser batteries with telepathic amplification fields to dissuade attackers and disrupt communications.
The Harmonium Fleet prioritized defensive strategies, operating on the doctrine of "invisible deterrence"—avoiding large-scale conflicts while forcing opponents to retreat or negotiate. However, their fleet lacked dedicated warships like battleships or carriers, which proved catastrophic during the Cyber Wars when the I.M.I. cybernetic fleet overwhelmed Maugham defenses.
Weaknesses
Reliance on Non-Lethal Tactics:
While effective against biological foes, the Maugham's preference for mental disruption and non-lethal technology rendered them vulnerable against the machine-based cybernetic forces of the I.M.I., who were immune to telepathic attacks.
Limited Numbers:
The Maugham military was small, reflecting their peaceful culture and focus on diplomacy. Their forces were sufficient for defense but inadequate for prolonged warfare.
Overreliance on Allies:
The Maugham trusted their allies for mutual protection, a strategy that failed them during the Cyber Wars when their allies could not respond in time to save Herrick 3.
Legacy of the Military
Despite their fall, the Maugham military's doctrines of telepathic warfare and psychological deterrence influenced numerous civilizations across the galaxy. Their Harmony-centric tactics and resonance-based technologies have been studied and integrated into other peacekeeping forces, while remnants of the Harmonium Fleet serve as haunting artifacts of their lost greatness.
Technology
Telepathic Lattice Networks
The cornerstone of Maugham technology, the Telepathic Lattice Network was an intricate system of crystalline conduits, bio-organic nodes, and energy fields that amplified and transmitted telepathic signals. It allowed Maugham telepaths to communicate across vast distances with near-instantaneous synchronization.
Planetary Lattices: Embedded in the crystalline formations of Herrick 3, the planetary lattice enhanced the natural telepathic abilities of the Maugham population. These nodes acted as mental "beacons," facilitating communication, emotional resonance, and collective meditation across entire continents.
Fleet Lattices: Integrated into command ships, these networks linked the minds of the Harmonium Fleet's officers, allowing for unparalleled coordination in real-time without the need for verbal communication. This system gave Maugham fleets an advantage in speed, cohesion, and tactical agility.
The destruction of Herrick 3's lattice during the Cyber Wars crippled the Maugham ability to mount any cohesive resistance.
Resonance Technology
Maugham scientists mastered resonance technology, which allowed them to project telepathic and sonic waves as tools for defense, disruption, and deterrence. Resonance devices emitted non-lethal pulses that could target minds, technology, or physical structures.
Resonance Emitters:
Deployed on Resonance Cruisers, these emitters broadcast powerful telepathic "dissonance waves" over large areas. Enemies caught within the field experienced confusion, disorientation, panic, or even unconsciousness. This technology was particularly effective against biological species.
On the ground, portable emitters were used by Mindguard Corps to incapacitate enemy soldiers without bloodshed.
Resonance Shields:
Maugham personal and planetary shields incorporated resonance fields that disrupted incoming energy-based projectiles and dampened telepathic intrusion. This gave their defenses a uniquely dual purpose.
Neural Interfaces
The Maugham developed neural interface systems that allowed their telepathic abilities to integrate seamlessly with machinery, ships, and computational devices. Unlike traditional controls, neural interfaces translated thoughts directly into commands, making their technology faster and more intuitive to operate.
Mindlinked Starships:
The Harmonium Fleet’s vessels were piloted via thought-control interfaces that gave Maugham captains and crews superior maneuverability, reaction time, and awareness. This made their smaller fleet disproportionately agile in space battles.Telepathic Devices:
Neural headbands, crystalline implants, and bio-organic panels enhanced Maugham telepaths' abilities, allowing them to amplify their mental reach or focus their powers with surgical precision.
Crystalline Technology
At the heart of Maugham technological advancements was their use of crystalline-based materials. Maugham scientists discovered that certain crystalline structures on Herrick 3 could amplify and store mental energy, functioning as bio-organic computing systems, energy conduits, and telepathic enhancers.
Crystalline Conduits: Used in ships, cities, and planetary lattices, these conduits replaced traditional wiring, transmitting energy and data through resonance harmonics.
Psi-Cores: Large crystalline cores acted as processors and energy sources for Maugham cities, ships, and lattice networks. They were partially organic, capable of adapting and learning over time.
Reflective Psychic Armor: Worn by Mindward Sentinels and planetary defenders, this crystalline armor reflected hostile telepathic probes and amplified the wearer's telepathic abilities, making them highly resilient to mental attacks.
Cloaking and Defensive Technologies
The Maugham prioritized stealth and defense over aggression, creating technologies that allowed them to evade, deflect, or deter attacks rather than confront enemies directly.
Veil Cloaking Systems:
Installed on Veil-class Frigates and planetary platforms, these systems used advanced crystalline harmonics to bend light and energy, rendering Maugham ships nearly invisible to most sensors.Mental Shielding Fields:
These defensive fields dampened or blocked external telepathic signals, protecting Maugham populations from mind control or mental disruption. Shielding fields were deployed around cities, starships, and planetary defense centers.Stasis Fields:
A non-lethal deterrent, stasis fields could temporarily suspend hostile individuals, freezing them in place without harm. This was a preferred method for handling invaders and prisoners.
Bio-Organic Technology
The Maugham were pioneers in bio-organic technology, seamlessly merging living systems with machines to create adaptive and efficient tools.
Bio-Cities: Maugham cities were living entities, grown from crystalline and organic materials. These cities were capable of self-repair, energy efficiency, and symbiotic interaction with their inhabitants.
Adaptive Healing Systems: Injured Maugham soldiers or civilians were treated in bio-organic chambers that stimulated natural regeneration using resonance fields and nanotechnology.
Psi-Bots: Telepathically-controlled drones assisted Maugham forces in defense and logistics. These semi-organic constructs could interact with the lattice networks and adapt to changing situations.
Technological Limitations
While the Maugham Empire's technologies were advanced and highly specialized, they had significant weaknesses:
Dependence on Telepathy: Much of their technology relied on telepathic interfaces, making it less effective for non-telepathic allies or populations.
Vulnerability to Non-Biological Foes: Resonance emitters and telepathic fields were largely ineffective against cybernetic or machine-based enemies, such as the I.M.I. fleets during the Cyber Wars.
Fragility of Infrastructure: The destruction of the telepathic lattice system on Herrick 3 crippled their ability to coordinate and fight, revealing their over-reliance on centralized technology.
Mugham Diplomat
Capital system Herrick Starsystem
Largest system
N/A
Official
languages Magesh
Common Tradespeak
Ethnic groups
Maugham
Religion Deism
Government
Autocracy
Legislature
Mind Conclave
Starsystems
1
Currency
Alent, Oku, Filo, Oren, Paprita Contract
