The Builders

The builders, or turuni in their language, which means ‘builders’, were the first and only alien species to contact Earth, on August 16, 2038.

The builders are much smaller than humans, most not more than one meter in height. They have six limbs, two legs and four arms. They have two much larger arms high on their shoulders which are awkward and used for heavy lifting, and two smaller arms which the builders use for more delicate work.

The builders vary in color in mottled grays and browns in order to blend into the stone of their home planet.

The final distinguishing feature of the builders is a thin vestigial shell which they carve and enamel with a record of the things which they personally have built along with other personal achievements. We don’t know all of the specifics, but in general the more that their shells are enameled, the higher their standing in the builder’s society. When shocked and frightened by events, they will sometimes partially retreat into their shells, though they cannot fit entirely inside and its protection would be minimal, this seems to be an instinctual reaction to stress.

Like most intelligent species, the builders are herbivores, occasionally even grazing, which, while the nutritional benefit is limited, they say that it is good for their digestion.

The builders are not only physically slow, but also mentally. You shouldn’t take that to mean that they’re unintelligent; far from it. However, they have trouble dealing with new situations without taking a lot of time, usually weeks or months, figuring out how to deal with it, preferring to rely upon slight variations of methods which have worked in the past. They actually spent decades observing humans before first contact. They often seem, at least to us humans, frozen in indecision. Many argue that this slowness is likely in part due to their lifespan of two to three Earth centuries, but that is unknown.

In most ways, the builders are the dominant force across the starlanes. While there are many secondary factors, mostly to do with their technological knowhow; the primary reason is their control of the warp beacons. The warp beacons are the only thing which allow the starlanes to be traversed with relative safety. While there are still dangers such as the volucris and the occasional warp storm, the warp beacons allow interstellar travel to be more than jumping in the dark, and the builders charge tribute for the warp beacons’ use.

In recent decades there has been greater opposition to the builders’ de facto control of the starlanes, with propaganda such as Teardown the Builders encouraging open conflict with them. This, as much as anything else, is why the builders recruited humanity to protect them and their facilities.