Been painting some anthropomorphic feline sci-fi miniatures and vehicles that I like to consider as an extension of the felines I play in Stellaris, that I call the Sivathi. When I finally finish the Icasra universe (as a trilogy, maybe longer), I'd like to possibly tackle this as well. I at least wanted to put forth my ideas and see what everybody else thought, and just have it in my journals for future reference so that I don't forget them.

Siva itself is a massive planet--almost forty-five thousand miles in diameter, but is not very dense, and thus it's gravity is fairly normal despite its large size. It has two moons. The innermost is a small captured asteroid only a dozen miles in diameter that orbits close enough to be visible to the naked eye a speck of light that drifts across the sky at night. The outermost is a larger, silicate-rock and water based moon with an iron core that produces its own magnetic field, about four-thousand miles in diameter and is mined for its metal by the Crown of Siva. Mining fleets, escorted by naval ships, can be seen strafing across the sky at night as they travel to and from the moon.

The spectral types of the Zaket system would otherwise incinerate the planet were it orbiting closer, but it orbits very far away from the barycenter and its vast distance inhibits most damaging stellar wind from destroying Siva, along with the strong magnetic fields combined together by the planet and its main moon. The inner two planets are both gas giants, and contain dozens of small moons that are only just beginning to be explored by the Crown of Siva.

There are few fertile areas as much of the planet is covered in rocky crags and endless deserts, but small pockets of fertility are here and there. Half of the planet's food production comes from there, while the rest is synthetically grown and manufactured in larger cities.

The common citizenry are separate from the slave class and encompass a multitude of social classes, from rich to poor. Some own slaves, while others do not. They come from all walks of life, where they are artisans, metallurgists, merchants, entertainers, and more. What separates them mainly from the slaves is their free status.

Their military consists of vast Armies of technologically advanced, power armored feline warriors armed with gauss and ballistic weaponry, vehicles like assault guns, light, medium, and heavy tanks and armored cars, and fleets of starships that roam their home system, defending it from alien attacks. Slaves are not permitted to join the military, as it is made up of conscription of the common folk and a professional corps of officers. The navy and army themselves are used to keep many slaves in line. The Army's uniforms utilize a desert camouflage color palate in a digital pattern format, as well as on their vehicles. The starships are a purer white color, trimmed with the similar desert browns and tans of the ground forces.

The crown worn by the monarchs of Siva has two prongs, each representing one of the two stars in the binary system the Sivathi call home. The High Kings and Queens that have ruled the system for most of its history utilize their duke and duchess underlings to keep the common people and the slave population in line. A constant yearning for freedom has long lived in the hearts of the Sivathi slave class, and as this feline race prepares to embark into the cosmos, the subject of emancipation will bear heavily upon the head that now bears the Crown of Siva. Will centuries of tradition be uprooted by a cry for liberty, or will the iron fists of the monarchs continue to ensnare the downtrodden?

Using this setting, I envision a tale where the illegitimate child of High King Phaziah and was sold away shortly after birth to cover-up any illegitimate behavior on the part of the High King. The child has no knowledge of their father, and for all they know, they were born into slavery. There are tell tale signs about the child's noble blood, however, mainly their pure golden fur, which is a tell tale symbol of noble blood among the Sivathi. Only nobles and the very rare commoner possess it. It is unheard of for a slave to have this complexion. The child, a female, is not owned by the High King or any other noble; they were sold to a distant corner of the planet to a grain plantation, where they are one of many who labor tirelessly there under forced labor. It is one of several dozen fertile oases on the planet. Day after day, they see the mighty naval starships of the Crown of Siva streak across the night sky, and the exercises and maneuvers of the army in their assault guns, tanks, and troops in the valleys below. The child (a young teenager at the time of the story's beginning) dreams of being a part of it as a means to escape the misery they dwell in. Unknown to them, such a wish would also spark the path that has them seek out their royal origins.