Fiction:The Institute

Description
The Institute is a small galactic empire that emphasizes science and advancing technology. Their entire civilization is built around their insatiable hunger for knowledge. The will do whatever it takes to gain new data and do not bother with morality. They view morality as an obstacle that hinders the advancement of science.

History
The Institute was founded approximately 1700 years ago when they first developed interstellar travel, but their beliefs have been around since the early Praetor tribes started using tools. Shortly after they developed their first warp drive opening up new frontiers for study. They immediately started found Observation Stations (their name for colonies) that were inhabited by top researchers. Their first contact with another space fairing civilization occured in the year 547 P.F. (Post Founding). The new civilization wished to open up trade and the Institute humored them. In 553 P.F. an alliance between the two was formed. In 556 P.F. The Institute tested their first Planet Buster on their "ally's" homeworld. The remaining colonies of the crippled empire were absorbed into The Institute. This pattern persisted until modern times.

Current
The Institute continues to absorb smaller civilizations into its ever expanding ranks. Psychic powers were also recently dicovered amongst the general population. Many of these psychics have become test subjects for study. A few of the top Praetor scientists have also developed this ability. They are spared the lab rat treatment and are instead being used to manipulate other primitive tribal and industrial societies for their most ambitious social experiments. Up until now they have remained out of sight of the large empires that inhabit the galaxy. They would rather observe than participate. Now they have decided to enter the galactic scene and begin their greatest scientific study to date.

Religion
Oddly enough, they do have a form of religion. Instead of a god they believe that some supreme entity created everything to conduct the ultimate scientific experiment. They believe the end of existence will come when the experiment ends.

Government
The government consists of an all powerful council made up of the greatest minds of the Praetor species. Not much more is known about the government.

Military
Their military is only of medium size but they make up for it with their advanced technology. Their primary weapons create short gamma ray bursts which are the most powerful explosions known in the universe. Of course the power had to be scaled down immensely in order to weaponize their power.