House Karnikati

Every civilization needs a group that does the heavy lifting, and the Karnikati are the heavy hitters in the Torlan Alliance. They are entrenched in every sector of Torlan trade life, in every store and every mining operation. They are so populous that they outnumber the other houses 9 to 1! And the rest of the Galaxy, while aware that the Torlan represent many backgrounds, are so exposed to Karnikati products that they think of them as the deliverers of H1 and Metals. On some Frontier Worlds the word “Karnikati” is used interchangeably with “wealth” as if they are the only suppliers in the galaxy.

The Karnikati are a profoundly diversified group of mining & fabrication managers whose sole purpose is to strip mine star systems of their valuable minerals and put them in orbit of strategic worlds. Atraxia, which once had a cloud of asteroids and comets 3 solar system circumferences wide, but after centuries that was melted down to a barren void where every scrap of material orbits Torlan in vast moon-sized warehouses. The warehouse moons are so massive that they have begun to influence the tides on the planet below, and Starship gantries orbit them so numerous they can be seen as a ring visible from the ground with the naked eye. The night sky glitters with Nano-lathe production lights.

There is a Karnikati trade station or outpost in virtually every habitable star system. They’re everywhere, often selling the standard issue Torlan gear to Peacekeepers and foreign traders.

It’s a Karnikati fleet responsible for the extraction of X-Matter from the Neutron star called “Basilisk” in the Torlan Alliance. The costs of maintaining that operation are obscene, subsidized by the Shikumi and Parlini, both of whom rely on the Karnikati for producing new Drive Rails.

The only thing the Karnikati can’t fabricate is political will or military protection, as they are practically barred from such matters by law. They are utterly dependant on The Parlini and Shikumi houses for their defence and diplomacy. Karnikati children are raised to know this, and respect the other houses deeply so as not to offend them. Costly incidents are not tolerated. Nor are marriages with the Parlini an option for their children. The heads of households take their independence deadly seriously.

By appearance the Karnikati range from mid-tone grey to solid black. Their hair is sometimes white, and their eyes range from blue, green, all the way to yellow and amber, glowing brightly against their comparatively dark skin. To the Torlan, solid white or black skin is considered the height of beauty. To better contrast their darker skin, the Karnikati use gold or silver body paint and jewellery for ornamentation.