Humans

Many Humans did not see eye-to-eye with the ideals of the Collective, but a power move by Martian settlers compounded a Human-Collective deal in which the majority of the Sol system was ceded to the Collective as Mars became the new capital of the Sol system.

Appearance
Humans generally stand at six feet tall, and are straight-backed. As their homeworld of Earth was tilted on its axis and had an unstable climate, early humans were covered in hair, with the amount lessening over time as their evolution progressed. They stand on two legs and have two manipulators at the end of their long-versatile arms. Their heads are round, with only a few organs, such as the nose and ears, of major prominence. Human skin varies in colour, spanning several shades of brown and tan.

Biology
Human arms, coupled with a fairly flexible spine, are able to reach nearly anywhere on their body, and their manipulators are thin and excellent at making and holding complex tools. The human mouth is used for consumption of food and for communication, as well as respiration, as both the digestive and respiratory system are connected at the throat. Human legs are also built for support, with a significant amount of muscle able to hold up the Human body. Hair on Humans has lost its purpose as a method for providing warmth, and has instead become a significant part of Human style and for attracting mates.

History
Human history is rife with conflict. Early humans began to spread out across their planet a hundred thousand years ago, roaming the land as packs of hunter-gatherers. They formed nomadic tribes, bound together for communal benefit and for strength - the Human tribes often saw conflict with one another over resources and territory. Their continuing spread led the tribes to become more isolated over time, and conflict lulled.

Following this period, the tribes began to form early civilizations, written language and more complex tools. They began building larger, higher, and more elaborate. Over thousands of years, great Human civilizations were constructed from stone and metal, separated by language and culture.

Religion played a significant part in Human history, and many wars were fought over it. As Humanity developed further, conflict began to spread again in bouts - there was often war, separated by times of peace and trade. By then, the first Human empires began to form, constantly conquering each others' territory and assimilating land. However, this constant conflict drove one half of the planet to develop further than the other, and more conflict meant more development of newer, more complex technologies.

As the great empires grew, fractured, and fell, new religions began to surge throughout the land, assuming their own great empires. A period of darkness drew over Human civilization, as technology, science and knowledge receded in favour of radical religious thinking. Lasting around a thousand years, great Human progress was spurred once again, pulling them out of their dark period through revolutionary movements known as the Enlightenment and the Renaissance.

Instead of focusing inward on constant war, the Humans of the east began to invade the other side of the planet, conquering, assimilating and settling as they had done millenia prior. The new resources of the invaded lands spurred continual revolution and evolution in Human knowledge and understanding, as new great civilizations began to take shape.

The next seven-hundred years were spent continually building - new technology, new structures, new ways of life. Religion declined over time and science and knowledge began to take its place. Wars were still fought but grew fewer in number as decades passed. Soon, the Humans had achieved spaceflight. They began to take small steps throughout their solar system, eventually beginning to colonize other planets in the 2020s.

Two hundred years of development of Earth's neighboring planet of Mars began to build, as more and more Humans settled there. The Martians, while still under the support of Earth, became their own society, living under their own rules and developing their own space programs. When the Martian settlers numbered in the millions, the Collective arrived, as a probe had reported back intelligent life decades prior.

Earth's climate had been worsening, and new wars had struck, limiting their options in terms of spaceflight, as many spaceports became flooded by the rising tide. The Martians' relationship with Earth became strained. When the Collective arrived, they greeted the people of Earth and Mars as equals. Both societies were curious about the Collective's knowledge and technology, but those on Earth were perturbed by the ideals and politics of the Collective.

The Martians, however, were more keen. Having built a communal society of their own, they greatly valued the Collective's offer to join them. Through a problem presented itself - who was the dominant superpower in the system? Who owned what? Considering these questions, the Martians immediately began mobilizing. They stepped up their space programs and sent vessel upon vessel to every conceivable body in their system.

As the Earthlings had, by their own laws, rendered their space not owned by any civilization, they were at a loss. The Martians, with their craft strewn across the Sol system, declared independence from Earth, and claimed the bodies of the Sol system as their property. Earth did not officially recognize Mars' independence, but more importantly, the Collective did. Mars accepted their offer, and joined the Collective, under serious objections by a furious Earth.

Eventually relenting, and defeated, Earth declared themselves a private Exile world, which the Collective recognized. Later, Earth would join the Tyche Concord, and begin colonizing galactic space under their own terms.

Culture
Human culture is varied across their civilizations but the species as a whole has some universal traits. Religion was highly valued before the modern age, and snippets of it can still be seen here and there, in various forms. Today, Humans are known as wondrous builders, known for their aptitude for construction and development for new technologies, new starships, and new cities.

Many Humans prefer to take only one mate, though polygamy has seen an upward trend in recent years. They have many languages, and ever numerous dialects of each. It was a serious effort to categorize and translate them all effectively.

Humans highly value art; they incorporate it into every aspect of their lives - from food to buildings.