Species Chan

Species name: Chan

Home Planet: Tora Nobuk

Colonies: 13 (2 in system, 11 out of system)

Status: Secondary member of the Insectoid Empire

Appearance: The Chan are a mammalian species (1 of only 3 with rights in the Empire). They have normally gray skin, but at the age of adulthood they will tattoo their entire body in one or two colours using painful needles in an archaic religious ritual that can last several painful days. The colours selected represent their chosen field for life. Red is generally the military, white for government, orange and blue for medical, etc. They are generally tall around 6 feet tall, with small sharp horns protruding up to 3 inches and curving upwards from their foreheads just above their eyes. The females have 4 horns, with the second set being smaller and above the first pair. They have 2 arms, and 2 legs with 5 fingers and toes on each, they have 1 opposable thumb on each hand. They have thick course hair on their heads, which can grow quite long. They often cut or stylize this hair but prefer it long. The males are able to grow thin facial hair, which most choose to remove, or stylize. They have sharp fangs for tearing the tough vegetation that grows on their homeworld; they also ingest large stones to help grind the plants in their powerful stomachs. They also eat small insects; a rare type of beetle that has been cooked with an extremely spicy sauce is a delicacy for them. They have a high metabolism meaning they must eat up to 5 meals a day. They sleep in short 3-hour bursts and are equally active during the surprisingly bright nights (due to 5 ice moons reflecting the suns rays at all times of the year), and the warm, generally sunny days on their arid world. They can see only in the visible light spectrum, and they have thin claws for grasping tall plants, they also have a small dewclaw on their shins that assist them in climbing. The Chan have poor night vision but very good day vision and can see far with good light. They wear a large variety of clothing, from the minimalist clothing of their monks, to the latest galactic fashions. They generally live to be 120.

Society: Chan society is one of duty first, family second, and self third. There is no room for anyone not in those categories. They make decent warriors in the armies of the empire, but they are better known as the workhorses of the support system of the empire. Because of their zealous commitment to duty they make excellent manufacturers, miners, and guards for sensitive areas. They generally mate for life in monogamous relationships, the female will carry the child for 1 year and give live birth to no more than 2 children on average. Twins are common, though never will 2 twins enter the same field of work. Once born the father cares for them while the mother works. The Chan do not generally drink liquids, instead they eat fruits and vegetables that contain water for all of their needs. Any excess water is stored in a special pouch, which can hold water and nutrients for several days’ use. A common and highly desired import is a tough, foul tasting melon that contains rich amounts of water. These melons only grow on one planet and are very expensive to farm and transport making them a fruit of the rich. The Chan can digest almost any plant and even the stones they eat will decay and need to be replaced eventually. Their government is a dictatorship, with power belonging to one person for life; the same family has been in power for nearly 15 generations. The law is absolute with execution or exile common punishments for surprisingly minor crimes such as theft or insulting a superior. Even repairing a speeder when one isn’t in the repair field is met with the harsh punishment of limb removal or public torture. If one is charged with dereliction of duty, their children are executed and their relatives stripped of all rank and sent back to the bottom of their career for life. The perpetrator is forced to remain suspended by chains in the public square until they die, but they are fed and kept hydrated. This execution is their worst, and can last many months. As said above, duty is first and family is second, there are no exceptions to this rule, ever, if one must abandon their family for the sake of duty then so be it.

Relations: The Chan have good relations to the Alliance of the Nine, but are fiercely loyal to the Empire as they see it as their duty to protect the aims of their betters. Still their normally calm natures makes them more diplomatically inclined than many others in the Empire.

Position: The Chan are the loyal spies of the military, often undergoing cosmetic surgery and genetic manipulation to appear Human. They are also the record keepers and loyal guards and bureaucrats of the Empire. They are secondary citizens which means they have control over their own world, and can rule and hold positions above slave or food populations, but they can never hold higher rank than a first class citizen of the empire. They can also never be involved in government above warlord (planetary ruler).