Taosians

An alien race flees their home planet of Taos and arrives on Earth before the dawn of human civilization. Respecting all life and refusing to become what they escaped from, the people of Taos (Et Lan Toas) hid within the ocean, avoiding man and avoiding interfering with their development. They are a logical and science focus society of peace, equality, and intellectual advancement.

History

Refugees

Thousands of years ago, the people of Taos were a prosperous society, at least until their solar system was invaded by a interstellar battalion. The invaders never revealed themselves and pushed the Taosian people from their outposts throughout their system back to their planet. The siege last decades as one of the main strengths of the Taosians is their shield technology. Sealing their planet away in an enormous planetary barrier, the invaders lay in waiting to resume their bombardment.

One other technological advancement of the Taosian people is their genetic sciences. Their main weapons being genetically engineered creatures with various abilities from massive strength to pyro-kinesis to mind control. One of these creatures, a raging hulk of physical destruction was accidentally released. Its violent path of chaos resulted in the damaging of one of the planet's shielding pylons. This opened a hole in the barrier protecting the planet and the invaders passed through.

A small convoy of Taosian ships were able to escape and eventually made their way to planet that would later be named Earth. Upon arriving on this planet, the Taosians discovered a tribal species spreading across the world. This species had yet to advance to a point of civilization, not yet even creating a city-state, let alone cities.

Pre-History

Debates within the Taosian society went on for many solar revolutions of this planet, later to be called Earth years or simply years. Do the Taosians compassionately enslave the local inhabitants, using them as labor until they can be taught civilization or do they hide away until these primitives advance to a certain scientific level. Latter was eventually chosen as it best maintained the ethics and morals of their species, while the former would make them invaders.

As the human species advanced over the next several thousand years, from tribes to cities, from cities to city-states and eventually nations, the Taosian people moved farther and farther away, always staying on the fringe of human society. Although they still continued their scientific pursuits, as Taosian curiosity was known throughout their sector of their galactic arm, for being the strongest any would find.

They would study the humans similarly to a sociologist living with tribal people within a rain forest, researching their culture while not tampering with it. The Taosians would, in their language, call themselves "Et Lan Taos", which translates to "the People of Taos".

It would only be a matter of time until the Taosians realized that the primitive species were worshiping them as gods. Their city, on the fringe of human explored territory, became the destination for a holy trek. The Taosians had no choice at this point, but to live where the human population can't follow; deep below the ocean's surface.

And so, after generations and the ever evolving nature of linguistics, the humans still talk of this great city. From Et-Lan-Taos would come At-Lan-Tis, the great city that sank into the ocean.

Modern Era

With the fable of Atlantis being nothing more than a fable to the Earthlings, the Taosians lived in peace and seclusion all through human history. Rarely venturing out and always making sure they are never detected.

The people of Taos live in ocean floor, in large holes or cylinders that go straight down into the rock below. Along the outer edges are homes, storefronts and research labs. Since they exist within a material that allows them to move in all three dimensions, their people technically stay below the rocky surface under the ocean. This has allowed them to remain undetected by modern human scans of the ocean with technological satellites circling the planet's orbit.

Societal Structure

The Taosian society is structured around equality, liberty and scientific advancement.

Governmental

The highest law of the Taosian people is their Constitution of Rights. This lays out the fundamental liberties of not just all Taosians, but of all sentient lifeforms, a notion still not reached by the surface world, whom only enforce rights based on association and membership.

After the Constitution of Rights, their highest governmental body is the Council of Nine. These nine represent the main branches of society. Three council members are from the Ministry of Energy & Defense, three are from the Ministry of Biological Study, and three are from Ministry of Culture. Each council member is elected by popular vote and each electoral candidate originates from the department to which their position covers.

While the Ministry of Energy & Defense and Biological Study are solely academic bodies, the Ministry of Culture houses all lower levels of government within the Taosian societal structure.

Ministry of Energy & Defense

The Ministry of Energy & Defense is one of the Taosian's largest bodies. Energy and Defense refers to all scientific pursuits regarding the Taosians energy production and their shielding technology. Just as on Taos any scientific fields of study and development are placed under this branch of society. This can include quantum physics, astronomy, cosmology, non-organic chemistry, theoretical physics.

Ministry of Biological Study

The Ministry of Biological Study is one of the Taosian's largest bodies. Biological Study covers the physical study of lifeforms, as well as their technological application. This department is in charge of agriculture, medicine and sociological studies and applications.

Ministry of Culture

The Ministry of Culture is the largest of the three Taosian largest bodies. It encompasses local governmental positions (the equivalent of governors and district politicians) and the study of law itself. It also includes economics study and application.

Attributes & Abilities

The main difference between Earthlings and Taosians genetic structure is the amount of helix strands their DNA contain. Earthlings have a double Helix DNA structure while the Taosians have a Quadruple Helix structure. This allows for more physical diversity and change from one Taosian to the next, compared to the differences between one Human to the next.

Taosian Transcription Factor: A Marvel of Biology

The Taosians have the ability to acrivate and shut down portions of their DNA. This ability is known as biokinesis, and it is responsible for the Taosian's adaptive nature.

The biokinetic ability functions by unique protein activators being generated within the brain, that almost instantly moves through the body and alters the gene activity of the cell's DNA in the regions of change. These alterations include:

• Breathing Medium - One of the main protein activators changes the inner lining of the lungs, allowing the processing of oxygen in water or in air/vapor.

• Bone Density - Taosians can shift their bone density, hollowing their bones and becoming lighter and more agile. However this mutation requires a secondary change to occur and is always found with another protein. This is because the mass within the bones must go somewhere.

• Flight - One of the mutations that can occur with bone density is flight. The excess mass removed from the Taosian's bones is processed and used to alter their upper limbs, changing their arms to wings. With wings and hollowed bones, the Taosians can fly through the air with ease.

• Size Shift - Another use of bone density's extra mass is to metabolize it to lengthen bones, muscles and the rest of their body to increase their overall size.

• Armor Shell - Material from within the body can be transfered outside to form an armored shell, similiar to crustaceans.

• Claws - Taosian's normally don't have nails, but when needed they can shift material from webbing between feet and hands, or bones to nails, and even large talons.

• Skin Structure - The Taosian skin structure changes depending on the situation. From scales to shark, from fur to bare oiled flesh. Taosians can adapt to the skin for cold, skin for land travel, skin for water and for deep sea.

• Bioluminesence -