Riken Race

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Riken Race (里肯族)
Alias(es)	Riken; Riken civilization
Species/Race	Sapient, humanoid interstellar race
Affiliation	Riken Federation; later a member civilization of the Star Sea Alliance 226 411
Status	Extant; retains territory in the Riken Star System following its surrender to the Swarm 366 368
Home System	Riken Star System, designated M37 by the Swarm; a ten-planet system whose fourth planet is the Riken Mother Planet 231
First Appearance	Chapter 204: “Investigation”

Society and Government

• The Riken Federation formally unified its formerly separate nations under a Federal Council approximately five centuries before the events surrounding the Proxima expedition. Longstanding factional contradictions nevertheless persisted after unification. 226
• The Federation's highest executive office was the Speaker. Elections were held every ten years, and Speakers were originally limited to three consecutive terms. 226
• Following the Swarm war, Antonio used wartime authority and political purges to replace the Federal Council system with a military-managed government, retaining power beyond his third term. 319
• Riken lifespans generally exceed 300 years, giving scientists and specialists extended time to accumulate expertise. Their historical increase in average lifespan was attributed to medical progress and the absence of large wars rather than a change in cellular limits. 269 351
• At the height of prewar mobilization, the Federation directed most civilian wealth toward military preparation, leaving the public on minimum living quotas and limiting entertainment and leisure. 288
• After the war, military expenses and censorship declined, living standards improved, and the Riken internal network became a major source of entertainment through films, television, variety programs, and public discussion. 411

Territory and Settlements

Location	Role / Notes
Riken Mother Planet	Fourth planet of the M37 system and political center of the Riken Race; has two moons that became the first and second colonies. 231 338
First and Second Colonies	Space-city colonies constructed on the Mother Planet's two moons. The Ancient Spaceship was unearthed during construction of the second colony. 231 338
Guiyun Planet	Third colony and the largest Riken colony, covering more than one million square kilometers; it housed over 200 million Riken before evacuation. 338
Liwen Planet	Fourth colony, later developed primarily as a supply-production base supporting distant defensive lines. 339
Liwu Planet	One of the four planets retained under Riken jurisdiction after the Swarm war. 423
Chuyun Planet	Gas giant with nineteen moons; its moons held major energy-storage production facilities. 323
Laze Planet	Major battlefield against the Swarm, heavily fortified with artillery, orbital defenses, and later devastated by repeated use of Riken's Radiance. 299 316

Appearance

Riken are humanoid. A middle-aged male Riken is described as having light-blue skin and visible wrinkles. 226

Technology and Military

Ancient Spaceship Research

The Riken's rapid technological advance began after they uncovered an ancient vessel—later codenamed “Treasure”—more than 500 meters long and made from unknown metal. Geological analysis indicated that it had been buried for tens of thousands of years. 231 338

• Riken analysis teams reverse-engineered finished components and fundamental theories rather than fully deciphering the ship. 287
• The materials division's findings enabled the construction of warships over a kilometer long. 287
• Their sub-light engine was reverse-engineered from the ancient ship's carrier-based craft rather than its main drive. 287
• The Riken believed the ancient ship's main engine was a gravity-based warp drive, but lacked the prerequisite technology to reproduce it. 287 341
• Research into the ship's gravity-related technology led to gravitational-wave radar capable of detecting cloaked units. 322

Space Fleet

• A major expeditionary force assembled with 315 warships, 164 transport ships, and more than three million personnel. After taking more than a year to gather, it accelerated to one-fifth the speed of light. 232
• Riken warships employ layered defenses: long-range main guns, secondary batteries, torpedoes, close-range attack arrays, fighter squadrons, and later laser defense arrays. 274 308
• Each warship can carry hundreds of fighters and wingmen, alongside smaller drone craft. 310
• Their fleet doctrine relies on concentrated energy fire, sensor networks, orbital fortresses, minefields, artillery positions, and hardened planetary defensive lines. 274 281 297

Energy Weapons

Riken firearms use concentrated energy beams and a higher-risk blast mode. 212

• Standard mode fires concentrated beams capable of piercing an Ox Demon's armor. 212
• Blast mode fires unstable energy that detonates on impact and produces a localized shockwave; it is effective against swarms but rapidly shortens weapon lifespan. 212
• Over a century of development, Riken energy firearms gained substantially improved firing rates and auxiliary aiming and locking systems, though raw power did not improve as greatly. 241
• Their spaceborne energy weapons have high rates of fire but comparatively limited range against electromagnetic artillery. 329

Riken's Radiance

Riken's Radiance is the Riken Race's most powerful strategic weapon: a modified nuclear bomb designed to “shine like light” in defense of the race. 316

• Each device is approximately 35 meters long and nearly 8 meters in diameter. 316
• Its detonation can erase Creep-covered regions and creates enormous thermal pits, but also produces EMP effects that can disable inadequately shielded Riken facilities. 316
• Every use effectively broadcasts the Riken system's coordinates and technological level to nearby civilizations, risking opportunistic intervention. 316
• The weapon is difficult to manufacture and maintain. Around 1,200 units were available for the Laze Planet defense system after earlier stockpiles had been exhausted. 316

History

Early Proxima Expedition

The Riken deployed more than a dozen small satellites around Big Origin Star, establishing a rudimentary geostationary communication network while investigating Planet T853. Their researchers judged T853's atmosphere lethally toxic to Riken biology, though potentially terraformable over several centuries. 204

The expedition used energy weapons to capture and kill local creatures, including Magic Wolves and Ox Demons, for scientific and economic research. 205 206 The Cat Ear Spaceship's personnel eventually encountered the Swarm, were captured, and were held aboard their own vessel. Riken prisoners resisted revealing technical details of the ship's systems under Captain Regi's instructions. 224 255

Conversion and Infiltration

The Swarm later used captive Riken as material for the creation of Intellects. Their ancient civilization provided high-quality “nutrients” for the process, but their bodies initially lacked the Swarm connection needed for conversion. 258

• The first Riken Intellect was produced after approximately one year. 258
• Early production proceeded at two Intellects every half-month. 258
• Rowan eventually reduced conversion time to seven days, though the accelerated process caused irreversible bodily damage. 258
• Unlike Rat-folk Intellects, converted Riken awoke without identity confusion and immediately understood their new nature. 258
• The Swarm created body doubles identical to the converted individuals, enabling Riken Intellects to infiltrate military, political, and commercial institutions. 258 259

War with the Swarm

Believing the Proxima system's inhabitants to be technologically primitive, the Riken launched a large expedition. Their technological leap and unexpectedly powerful fleet made the Swarm cautious, particularly because the source of Riken advancement was initially unknown. 232 259

The conflict escalated into a prolonged war across the Riken Star System. The Riken deployed dense defensive infrastructure and attempted to win through attrition, but the Swarm's biological production capacity, infiltration, and adaptability repeatedly undermined their defenses. 281 288 304

The Riken claimed the first defense of Laze Planet as their sole major victory, though later analysis suggested the Swarm had allowed that result to serve its own strategic objectives. 334 As Swarm forces expanded across Laze Planet and their resource disparity became undeniable, Speaker Antonio began considering negotiation rather than continued direct war. 332

Surrender and Star Sea Alliance Era

The Riken ultimately surrendered to the Swarm. The terms allowed them to retain their current territories, while the Swarm stationed a research team aboard the Riken advanced spaceship and shared research findings. 366

Afterward, the Riken entered the Star Sea Alliance and prospered through trade in Life-Extending Serum. The serum became affordable to much of the population and was a major source of Riken economic growth. 411 602

The Swarm's influence remained deeply embedded beneath this apparent partnership. By the time of the Koya Alliance dispute, at least 200 million Riken were Intellect disguises occupying roughly 80% of the military, political, and commercial sectors; at least half the population had also undergone physical modification. 424

Koya Alliance Alignment

Despite earlier gratitude toward the Swarm, resource restrictions and Koya Alliance influence drove the Riken toward renewed hostility. The Koya Alliance supplied raw materials, technological assistance, and support for Riken media organizations, enabling the Riken fleet to expand beyond 10,000 ships. 423

The Riken and Koya Alliance attempted to use public opinion and Star Sea Alliance rules to challenge the Swarm's control over most of the Riken Star System. Their stated goal was to reclaim the entire system, although the Riken fleet remained vastly outmatched by the Swarm. 423 424

Relationships

• Swarm — Initial captors and wartime adversaries; later imposed surrender terms, retained major portions of the Riken system, and covertly infiltrated Riken society through Intellect conversion and Life-Extending Serum programs. 258 366 424
• Riken Federation — The race's unified political body, governed first by the Federal Council and Speaker before Antonio's military-managed government. 226 319
• Epoch Clan — Star Sea Alliance power that purchased Riken Life-Extending Serum research data and connected to Riken networks for cultural and scientific exchange. 411 413
• Koya Alliance — External partner that pressured the Riken over Duoqi losses, then supplied resources and political support for anti-Swarm ambitions. 414 423
• Duoqi Civilization — Hostile neighboring civilization whose defeat by the Swarm led to demands for Riken compensation and later contributed to tensions around the Riken system. 414 423
• Ancient Spaceship / “Treasure” — Unearthed relic whose reverse-engineered technology transformed Riken shipbuilding, engines, materials science, and detection systems. 231 287 322

Trivia

• The Riken's ancient ship was discovered while constructing their second lunar colony. 231 338
• Before discovering the Swarm's true industrial capacity, Riken forces mistook its biological space units for an “indigenous” low-level civilization. 259
• Riken researchers are notably capable reverse engineers; their long lifespans, organizational efficiency, and large number of senior researchers were judged highly favorable by the Ji. 373