For millennia, humans gazed up at the stars and wondered if they would ever encounter life beyond the confines of their homeworld, or if they were, in fact, alone in the cosmos, an isolated fluke of naturally occurring chemistry or the singular product of divine engineering. Perhaps the remainder of space was simply uninhabited real estate waiting to be explored. In time, they ventured out beyond the boundaries of their solar system, and ultimately their galaxy, and discovered the galvanizing answer to this profound question. They were far from alone.
The Novus Æterno universe is populated by an incredibly kaleidoscopic array of intelligent life. Countless worlds provide a wide variety of wildly diverse organisms suited to a near infinite number of purposes. Always ready to profit from this biological heterogeneity is the Beast Master, a Pirate specializing in the unlawful trade of exotic lifeforms, from edible delicacies to highly trained security animals. The cages of private zoos in every known system are brimming with bizarre menageries ensnared by these Beast Masters, and in illegal gambling dens throughout the cosmos, gamblers wager on mortal combat among the plethora of deadly creatures they supply.
While most Beast Masters provide animals used for study, consumption, or sport, the most elite and experienced often deal in Feral Acaeans for the purpose of warfare. Top of the line tactical drones and other automated defense technology is extremely expensive, and by comparison, animals, even incredibly exotic ones, are very cheap. The incomparable physiological plasticity of Feral Acaeans, coupled with the fact that they can be found inhabiting worlds in several galaxies, makes them the perfect war animal when properly conditioned, capable of fighting across a broad spectrum of combat theaters, including the vacuum of deep space.
It has often been said among humans that those who keep pets long enough begin to take on some of the characteristics of their animal companions. In the case of the Beast Master, the Pirate who trades in the strangest, and often deadliest, creatures that litter the Novus Æterno universe, this ancient adage continues to prove true.
