The Aurelian Kh'uunate: Economy

Economy:

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The Aurelians are remarkedly unusual in that they are one of few space-faring races who employ a traditional economy, though for them it should be regarded that currency-based transactions are completely stupid; why should a weaponsmith be paid scrap metal when he or she can demand for food among other bartering goods? As a result, the economy has suffered from limited external development and is based mostly on the export of biologically-replicated organic technology. More dubious exports include the running of slaves & thralls between worlds, and the refining & transportation of psychoactive substances on non-Aurelian worlds.

As the Aurelians rely on organic technology to mend their consumer goods, it should be noted that the dependence on replicating biotechnology has resulted in an absence of metal-clad vessels in exchange for chitin-based, flexible biological hulls which not only heal in the presence of a cyanide-methane rich environment, but are also capable of sporting unique, biochemistry-related weapons such as contractile-muscle acid cannons and various anthropocidal biochemical weapons capable of depopulating cities of unprepared worlds. The main drawback of Aurelian bio ships, however, is easily summed up with one word: Frangibility. Due to a lack of effective explosive resistance (Chitin is flexible, after all...) of bioships, Aurelian chieftains are hard-pressed for raid time and- Oi! We are off-topic!

The Aurelian food supply of xenofungi, fruits and vegetables is relatively abundant and inexpensive in their three systems ( The supplies have to be abundant; otherwise, maturation periods of biological-organic components would extend into infinity at unacceptable time scales.), and has thus further solidified the biotechnology economy of organic mechanisms and artificially-replicated organisms.

The exact GDP figures of the decentralized Aurelian Kh'uunate are nigh impossible to identify, and it is difficult to calculate the fullest extent of the Aurelian slave trade. Due to the lack of integrated warp drives on Aurelian vessels, though, it is easy to deduce that the limitations of warp-gate alternatives render the Aurelian species incapable of traveling further from their galactic core, and thus the Aurelians are not necessarily extensive in their galaxy. GDP
can thus be no more than the typical Industrial-era world.

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I like that you mention the weakness of organic tech in ship use. Claiming organic technology is superior in all uses really annoys me. See this bit on organic technology.

I hear ya. It makes no sense that a flesh-layered organism is /somehow/ able to deflect tungsten-carbide bullets. -Nod.-

I'll have a look at it, mate! So far, I like how the author criticizes the apolitical content of newer releases of ST.