THE RISHII MAZE

This extraordinary network of 80+ worlds is connected to each other via a vast highway system called the "Skyway", in which vehicles like cars and trucks can travel from world to world by passing through high-speed Kerr-Tipler objects: these objects warp space and enable the entire "maze" of planets to remain connected to one another. Initially created by a race known as "the Builders", this race has passed on but has left automated machinery to repair and patrol the Skyway. A significant minority of known worlds within the Maze are colonized by the Rishii, an aggressive bird-like race that has poor relations with most alien races. Other species in the Maze include the "Elves", the "Friendlies", Markabb, and the Rao. Over a dozen worlds in the Maze have not been claimed or colonized. When the Pan-Sentient Union(PSU) began helping the Rao after the slaughter of their race by the "Unknown Attacker", humans learned of the Maze and have been exploring it ever since. 


IMPORTANT WORLDS
Some of the more important worlds within the Maze are Kharid, which connects the Rao Empire to the rest of the Maze worlds. Kharid is located in a corner of the Empire and was wiped out during the great attack, but the portals proved indestructible and the Rao recolonized it almost immediately, desperate to retain contact to its untouched colony worlds within the Maze.
 
Prometheus is the human nickname for the homeworld of the galaxies finest empaths, the Mehirans. Most Mehirans look similar to humans but have a large snake-like tail and pointed ears; humans find them incredibly attractive and their empathic sense goes a long way in helping them get along with other races, except the Rao who they cannot "sense". The sale of Mehiran high-tech tools and weapons to humanity has helped jump-start several criticial military programs that may help fight the Hre'Daak aliens. 

Pol has the largest population of the Rishii and it is considered their homeworld, with a population well over 100 billion citizens. Its also the administrative center of their mini-empire within the Maze; the Rishii have never discovered warp-point travel. 

The planet Naram XXVI is a outpost of the humanoid Naram Confederacy, a vast interstellar empire that is fighting a genocidal war on the other side of the galaxy where their homeworld is located. Details about the war are scanty, although lately human ambassadors have been pressing for more details. Apparently Naram technology is similar to humanity's current tech-levels, except in the field of antimatter in which they are far ahead (especially in power plants and warhead payloads). Naram are very militant warriors and are also known for their extremely long head hair, which is almost universally dark brown or black (a blonde is unheard of).

Oh'a'a'o'o'o is an "Elf" colony world within the Maze and is a high gravity planet. The silver-skinned aliens were given the fantasy name by humans when first discovered because of the way they look; humanoids with pointy ears. They move incredibly fast on normal worlds since their homeworld is an astounding 25 gravities. Apparently the Elves have genetically altered their form to be humaniod and they get along well with most other races, but it is with humanity that they have formed a special bond. Elves are very spiritual but are also quite technologically advanced.

The Markabb homeworld is also located in the Maze, and they are high-tech humanoid race who facilitiate trade across the Skyway. They have a few outposts on other planets within the Maze but they seem to dislike the Rishii, who are the dominant species within the Maze. With a population of 10 billion people, their home planet is heavily overpopulated and is running out of resources. Luckily contact with the dozens of worlds within the Maze allow them a bright future indeed.

Finally, hundreds of "Friendly" encampments can be found across most of the Maze worlds and they are a peaceful race, with almost no technology to be seen. However, human scientists who have worked closely with the Friendlies are almost sure they are hiding their true technological capabilities, and it is apparently very advanced. This race continutally visits nearly every world in the Maze and are always on the move, and oddly mostly on foot. Its a wise move to give a Friendly a "lift" when travelling down the Skyway since they often leave a "gift" that is helpful to their benefactor, most of the time this item is highly technological in nature. The premier xenologist Doctor Harry Harrison believes that while the Friendlys live in a primitive manner, they most likely travel from world to world within the Maze by using "personal" warp points. If true, it would represent a stunning achievement in warp travel.


BUILDER TECHNOLOGY
Movement between one planet and another within the Rishii Maze occurs when a ground vehicle transits the "Tollbooths", usually two dozen rapidly rotating pillars located alongside the Skyway. They are then instantly transported up to 100 light years away onto another planet that has a Skyway. These Tollbooths are immense, dangerous, and are possibly made out of strange matter or are encased black holes. They are indestrctible and rotate thousands of times per second, and physically hitting them results in instant destruction; with the resulting particle blast hitting nearby objects with "gammashine". Tollbooths are known in the scientific community as Kerr-Tipler objects are thousands (if not millions) or years ahead of humanity in technology. Each planet connected to the Skyway has two sets of Tollbooths, usually between 500 and 1500 miles of each other (but no closer). Travel to a new planet causes no harm to living beings and most worlds in the Maze have atmospheres that humans can breathe.


THE BUILDERS
The creators of the Skyway are obviously millions of years ahead of any known race, but little is know about the Builders. No alien race has had knowing contact with them. No Builder writings have ever been discovered, all Skyway signs are built a distance off the road and only by locals. The Builders technology is so advanced that nothing can stop their robotic minions if they choose to be hostile. These minions, the "Roadbugs", maintain the Skyway and enforce the road laws: no vehicle on the Skyway may be stopped by another, on pain of annihilation on the spot.The super-science of the Builders has made all portions of the Skyway indestructible, even nuclear weapons cannot penetrate the roadway; luckily, no one has ever tried using antimatter as a test. The patrolling Roadbugs seem to be automated and rarely appear, when they do its almost always a single Roadbug, come to overlook a situation on the Skyway. Also, Roadbugs do not concern themselves with anything that is more than 50 feet off the roadway. Each world in the Maze has a dozen Roadbugs, which repair the roadway, keep the traffic moving, and conduct constant partols of the Skyway. 


THE SKYWAY
A system of over 80 worlds is connected to the Skyway and forms "the Maze" and the dominant lifeform within it is the Rishii, an aliene race whose technology is on par with the Pan-Sentient Union. There are two types of portals that are formed by Tollbooths, a Known Portal and a "Potluck Portal". Throughout the Maze, most worlds are connected to each other eventually and thrus form the Known Maze but some Portals do not reconnect to the Maze, and these are known as "Potluck Portals". No one has ever come back from a Portluck Portal but dimensional theorists among several races within the Maze theorize that the Rishii section is a "local Maze" and other mazes are connected to the Rishii one via Potluck Portals. The skyway, they believe, extends to at least one other world once you pass through an unknown portal, and most likely into another local maze of worlds. However, there is no proof of this and no additional maze has ever been discovered by any known race in the galaxy. Known portals form a network of trading worlds, colonization routes, and other normal road traffic seen on any typical world. The Skyway is maintained by the Roadbugs and various other specialized Builder bots. Overall the Skyway creates a fascinating way to travel among the cosmos and is welcoming to outsiders.