Sime/Gen Homeworld
One of the most fascinating worlds ever discovered, the Sime/Gen Homeworld is one of the most unique in Known Space, with two different races inhabiting the same planet. Actually the Simes and Gens are a mutation, and a symbiotic one. When first discovered by the Federation of Allied Races (FAR), the vampiric Simes and the selyn-producing Gens had been at war for centuries, crushing the planets’ industrial development to subsistence levels. Divided into Sime and Gen Territories, of which Nivet Sime Territory was the largest, these areas were continually at war, the Gen Territories fighting Sime Territories. At the time of First Contact with the FAR, the Maple Sime Territory had just been overrun and destroyed by hordes of unstoppable Freeband Raiders, a vicious group of Simes intent only on getting their next kill. The Gens, who produced the biologic energy known as selyn, fought desperately to keep their borders secure from Sime raiders, who came only to kill. And they also fought an internal war, as a teenager Gen in Gen Territory could changeover, at puberty, turning into a killer Sime. Within Sime Territories the same was true, except at puberty if the teenager didn’t turn into a Sime, he/she became a selyn-producing Gen, which was quickly sold into the Pens or as a Choice Kill. Only the Channels, a Sime capable of taking selyn from a Gen without killing him/her had any hope of avoiding Zerlerod’s Doom. These Channels, if discovered early enough after changeover, were trained to transfer selyn to the majority renSimes. These Channels founded the first Householdings, a group of people banding together to stop killing Gens and centered on a high-level First Channel. Householding Zeor, a major economic House was one of the leading Houses in Nivet Sime Territory and is headed by one of the most famous Simes, Sectuib Klyd Farris. Householding Keon, Headed by Sectuib Risa Tigue, is Gulf Sime Territory’s President as well as the head of her House. Householders, and especially all Channels, are seen as perverts by most renSimes because they channel selyn to other Simes instead of killing the Gens like most other Simes. Sime Territories have a vast system of Pen Gens to have a on-hand supply of victims. Simes must kill one Gen a month to survive, except the Channels and Householding Simes, who have pledged not to kill Gens.
The murderous Freeband Raiders had created a desperate situation on the Sime/Gen Homeworld immediately before the arrival of the FAR. The Maple Sime Territory had collapsed when a rampant flu and serious drought destroyed most of it’s pen Gens, forcing the entire Territory to become Freeband Raiders. This news shocked the nearby Nivet Sime Territory, which was also suffering from the same severe drought and serious illness among the mindless pen Gens. At this time, Householdings were barely legal in Nivet, although Gulf Sime Territory had converted to a stable Territory-wide Householding by this time. Desperately trying to avoid the collapse of nearby Nivet Sime Territory, Gulf sent advisors and food supplies, only to have the situation completely fall apart when the huge band of Freeband Raiders attacked Nivet’s northern region, undermining the Nivet government, demoralizing the Nivet Army, and causing the collapse of the Nivet economy. A run on the pen Gens by wealthy and middle income Simes nearly destroyed Nivet’s pen system, causing widespread panic among Nivet’s populace. Although the Nivet government tried to reassure it’s citizens and tried confiscating House Gens, the situation deteriorated out of control as a large Gen Army also attacked Nivet. Sectuib Klyd Farris, and the Household organization the Tecton overthrew the corrupt Nivet Sime government in a desperate attempt to save the situation.
The Tecton went on to forge a shaky cease fire with the Gen Army, which was in serious danger by the massive Freeband Raider flood that was coming it’s way. Now head of Nivet Territory, Klyd Farris forced the Nivet Sime Army and the Gen Army to cooperate and destroy the much larger Freeband Raiders. And it worked. The minor intervention of off-world forces in the form of the FAR Exploratory Service turned the tide. Householding Channels traveled with the Nivet Sime Army, supplying selyn after serious augmentation by the Simes and preventing kills among the allied Gen Army. This shaky alliance was forged permanently when the Channels were able to ask the Gen Army for selyn donations, and the Gens fearfully allowed it. The FAR allied with the newly formed Tecton government, helping the Householdings take over the planet with relative ease. Centuries of warfare was at an end and the Sime/Gen New Union was formed.