At the heart of the series lies The Race, an advanced species of lizard-like aliens who have conquered a star-spanning Empire. Understanding the universe of Worldwar begins with understanding them. Physically, the Race bears a strong resemblance to bipedal lizards: scaly skin, sharp pointed faces, forked tongues, and socketed eyes that can move independently of each other. They walk on their hind legs, using short tail stumps for balance. They stand slightly smaller than your average human - about four feet - and weigh approximately seventy-five pounds. Their appearance has led most humans to refer to them as "Lizards," and the Race has matched such slang by referring to Earth's natives as "Big Uglies." They wear no clothing, instead using-elaborate patterns of body paint to signify rank and position. Their language consists of a series of hisses, growls and chirps, although they are quite capable of learning human speech as well.
Lacking lips, they use other gestures to indicate particular emotions - for instances, they let their mouths hang open to signal amusement.
The Race's home planet (called simply "Home" by the Lizards) has supported their civilization for over fifty thousand years. By all accounts, it is hot and dry, with very little ground water and no polar ice caps. Two other planets -- Rabotev 2 and Haless 1 -- were conquered by the Race thousands of years earlier and contain conditions similar to Home. Earth's environment is considered harshly cold - even in summer - and holding far too much ambient water for any "respectable" planet. Nevertheless, "Tosev 3" (the Race's name for our planet) is still considered desirable enough to conquer and place under their thumb.
The government is an Imperial dictatorship under a genetically engineered lineage of Emperors. The current Ssumaz dynasty of Emperors has ruled for twentyfive thousand years, and each Emperor is considered tantamount to God. The ships in their fleet are named after past Emperors (along with their number since the beginning of the dynasty - for example, the 67th Emperor Sohrheb) and the existing leader is spoken of with hushed reverence.
The governments of Earth's "not- empires" (i.e. the principal warring powers) puzzle them, as none have what could be termed a proper emperor and some even show contempt for such a position. The Soviet Union's boast of murdering Czar Nicholas has filled them with maddening rage; there was no word for "regicide" in the Race's language before they met with the Soviet leaders. The Lizards believe almost to a man that they are the best possible rulers of Earth and took forward to putting all its little empires under their thumb.
Technologically speaking, the Race is hundreds of years ahead of us (at least by Terran standards). Their weapons are projectile based, as ours are, but have longer ranges, greater firepower, and are more efficient in every way than ours are. Ground troops are typically equipped with flak helmets and rifles capable of firing hundreds of round per second. Vehicles are hydroelectrically powered, and fuel shortage seems to be no problem. Aircraft (called "killercraft" by the Race) can fly several times the speed of sound and cross a continent within hours. Maneuverability is inhumanly high, and includes VTOL and hovering capacity. Armaments include up to six guided missiles and a long range assault cannon, and armor is thick enough to repel most Terran rounds.
Tanks (called landcruisers) are manned by three Lizards apiece, and the match of any ten Terran counterparts. Finally, the Lizards have a small stockpile of nuclear weapons at their disposal, but are loath to use them in combat, as doing so renders large tracts of land uninhabitable. The Race intends to colonize, not obliterate.
The army which landed on Earth in May of 1942 did so through the use of interplanetary travel (of course). A conquest fleet of numerous ships under the Lizard Fleetlord Avtar was launched from Home several decades before, its inhabitants hibernating within "coldsleep" coffins to await revival upon arrival. A second fleet containing colonists and settlers was launched some twenty years after them, assuming that a peaceful, pacified Earth will be waiting at the end journey (the colonization fleet is set to arrive sometime in the 1960s).
Some of the Race's ships have remained in orbit, but many have landed on occupied areas of the planet - impossibly huge towers visible for miles around. From them, the Lizards launch their forays against Earth's armies, expanding their territory further and further. Only a few have thus far been damaged by the efforts of Earth's forces.
Weaknesses
Despite their technological advancement and strength of purpose, the Race has several key weaknesses which humanity can exploit. Our planet's cold weather coupled with-the Race's reptilian physiology is an obvious advantage, as is our native knowledge of the terrain. The biggest shortcomings of the Lizards, however, are a bit larger than that.
The Race as a whole does not respond well to change; new technology moves forward only after extensive periods of study and experiments, their government has existed unchanged for thousands of years, and social ways have been set since the dawn of their civilization; all of which translates into an unwillingness to try new things and an inability to adapt when the unexpected pops up. Their tactics are rigid and predicable, their routines set and not easily broken. Clever human strategists can use that rigidity to overcome our technological inferiority. Humanity's immense adaptability and willingness to improvise has thrown them for a loop since the beginning, as has our "relatively" quick technological advancement: they arrived with information nearly eight hundred years old, and had not considered any species capable of progressing in that amount of time.
Imagine their shock when, instead of knights on horseback, they found themselves facing an industrial society armed to the teeth with tanks, planes, and the first beginnings of nuclear weaponry. The distance required to reach Earth and the effort involved in making a journey (to say nothing of Avtar's standing in history) make it all but impossible to simply withdraw, and the conquest went forward as planned. But our staggering level of advancement has caused a serious crimp in their schemes for the planet.
A second disadvantage comes in the form of supply. The invasion fleet traveled through the cosmos at incredibly high speeds, yet still had to spend years in hibernation before arriving on Earth. A message back to the homeworld would take twelve years to arrive, and a colonization fleet has already been sent to settle down on a presumably pacified Earth. The invaders had prepared to quell packs of Dark Ages savages, not mechanized armies in the grip of war. Their supplies of hovercraft, killercraft, and other weaponry are thus relatively limited. Despite slave tabor on Earth and a few factoryships brought from Home, they cannot hope to recoup any equipment losses they suffer. Humanity, on the other hand, has the whole damn planet at their disposal (minus Lizard- held areas, of course), and is perfectly willing to use every available resource to repel the invaders.
What we lack in quality, we make up for in quantity, and our adaptability ensures that each new plane or tank rolling off the assembly line is just a little better than the one before. Captured Lizard technology has allowed our scientists to improve our weaponry vastly as well. jet planes, airborne radar and atomic bombs are rapidly becoming technological realities while the Race's armaments remain static and unchanging...
Their most formidable weakness, however, lies not in military resources or rapid response capacity, but in something far simpler. The ginger spice, a household flavor- enhancer suitable for any family dinner, is horrifically addictive to the Race. A few grains on the tongue produces feelings of euphoria, invincibility and unassailable optimism while simultaneously reducing focus, reaction time and hand-eye coordination. As with most addictive chemicals, greater and greater amounts of the spice are required to reach these feelings, and coming down hits harder and harder every time. Addicts can often think of nothing save the spice they crave, which - coupled with their increasing physical impairment - makes it all but impossible to perform at peak effectiveness. Few are capable of resisting the addiction once felt, and as the war progresses, it spreads further and further into the Lizard ranks. Its final impact on the outcome of the conflict can only be speculated on, but it's clear that the Race has not profited by its introduction.
More Space Iguanas Uber Alles Role-playing in Harry Turtledove's WorldWar
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