Common Core:Moths
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The Mothic people have made the most of life in the galaxy, despite losing their homeworld several centuries ago.
The Basics
The Moths come from a planet that has long since been lost, called "Lümla" in the Mothic tongue. The centuries since the exile have seen them coalesce aboard the Grand Nomad Fleet, a massive ragtag collective of ships of all makes and models. Life aboard the fleet has made the moths excellent engineers.
Of Fleet and Flotilla
The history of the moths on the galactic stage has been a rough one. After losing their planet (editor's note: we do mean they lost it- they have no idea where it is. The question of how the moths collectively lost their homeworld has puzzled historians for decades) they were forced into an exile aboard the Nomad Fleet, and the earliest years of these exiles were particularly tough for the species as a whole. The moths were driven to piracy to establish the fleet's strength, with mothic pirates becoming a scourge on the galaxy for the better part of a few centuries. These pirates were known for stealing parts from vessels they boarded, while attempting to minimise casualties amongst the boarded ship's crew.
As the fleet established strength, and the moths' position became more secure, the piracy gradually stopped, and the moths began to pursue closer relations with the other species of the galaxy. The fleet now makes a tidy and comfortable earning via selling mothic engineering prowess and salvage, which they in turn use to provide for the populace.
The Fleet
The Fleet is a patchwork entity, made up of thousands of smaller vessels. Some of the smallest have crews of 4 or 5, essentially being inhabited by a single family. The largest are ex-capital ships, or old colony vessels, with crews of thousands. Aboard the fleet everyone of a suitable age is expected to pitch in to assist with keeping it in tip-top condition. In practice, this means moths are assigned simple duties after turning 8. From age 13 they are sufficiently grown to assist with the harder labour, and at age 16 they graduate to their final position within the workplace, alongside being assigned to a new vessel.
Rationing is in full effect aboard the fleet, with each individual crewmember being issued with a book of ration tickets each week, alongside a box of essential supplies. These tickets are divided into two categories- meal tickets for purchasing food at the ship messes, and luxuries tickets for buying non-essential items like cigarettes or snacks. The supply of tickets is relatively generous when supplies are good, which they are most of the time. However, when rations become less abundant, the fleet must collectively tighten their belts to compensate.
Housing aboard the fleet is similarly austere. The lucky crew are the ones aboard ships with dedicated crew quarters, where they may get a personal room, or have to share with less people. The moderately lucky might get a personal rack, or their own segregated space in a converted area. The truly unlucky will find themselves in converted cargo bays with little to no privacy.
Lümla
The current state of Lümla is unknown. Some theorise that the planet is still inhabited by moths in a self-imposed isolation, and that those aboard the fleet are pathfinders, or exiles. Some theorise that the planet truly is lost to some disaster. Whatever the case, the moths aboard the fleet seem unwilling (or unable) to tell.