Sentient being

A sentient being is one that is capable of feeling, perceiving, or experiencing subjectively. While the broadest definition of this term it would include nearly all lifeforms, the laws relating to slavery, Abducting and trading of sentient life are based on lifeforms that have a Intellect Level 6 or higher.

Within the Union, there are several other forms of consciousness beside that of the individual mind, and how such forms might perceive and function. These include Group Sentience, where a single mind is composed of multiple non-sentient members (sometimes capable of reintegration, where members can be gained or lost, resulting in gradually shifting mentalities); Hive Sentience, which is the extreme form of insect hives, with a single sentience extended over huge numbers of non-sentient bodies; and Transient Sentience, where a lifeform is sentient of that transience.