Editing No Sharper Spur (section)

===The Norlight Impact Event===
First, the impacts were from starships that apparently fell out of the sky roughly 8 centuries ago. These vessels are alien. Next, the area is badly overgrown and topsoil generation is high, so the wrecks are beneath the surface. The rebels excavated several failed finds that generated only scraps, but one of the largest craters had the back half of a cruiser in it. They spent a long time exploring and studying it, and collecting bio samples. Some of these samples came from the dead crew, but most of them were from the ship. The ship samples were still alive.

The ships themselves are not living beings, it appears, but they have significant organic components. Nick confirms that most of the core technology of the cruiser is essentially postech in capabilities, though some of it varies substantially in design from current Phoenician models. There's no sign of life support, however. He concludes that in addition to their other functions, the biotech must be processing air and water.

There were several sections that the rebels did not explore, and they began excavation of another site before abandoning the area. Several crew members died from native beasts, and the ship itself killed a couple of them before they disabled the security.

The impact site has a large crater remnant that contains the aft cruiser section, a scattering of small craters that aren't large enough to contain more than scrap (three have been excavated) and a significant crater east of the cruiser impact that was partially excavated but not explored. It may be a second ship, or perhaps the rest of the cruiser.

====The Norlight Aliens====
Several alien bodies were left behind and examined by the rebel expedition. They were humanoid, with solid black eyes and keeled, gray scales covering their bodies. They had longer than average canines and a series of barbs jutting out of their forearms that may have been venomous.

These aliens (informally deemed Norlighters) had small muzzles and were slightly shorter than human average.  They preferred an environment that was very hot and that had dim, red light.  Based on the wrecks so far excavated, the Norlighters had a very communal society with little regard for privacy or personal space.  They may well have found constant, close physical contact psychologically stabilizing or desirable.

Their tech base was essentially postech, but they used a great deal of biotech as well.  They grew neural networks to act as transmission lines and aid computing, modified alien scorpions to act as security features and maintained jaw-like structures that grew the ammo for their unique 'fang guns' and also grew venom for use in those guns and in melee weapons.  These living systems also took the place of traditional life support, doing the work of atmospheric, water and waste recycling.

The Mandate classified the Norlighters as members of the Peleset, a grouping of several alien species that lived beyond Mandate borders and occasionally raided into both it and allied alien sectors.