Post by ifriedrich on Aug 14, 2015 7:07:54 GMT
Species Name: Kalidex, singular Kalidexi (typically refers to one family, not one individual)
Homeworld: a nebula and asteroid field in the Gamma quadrant, colloquially known as the Siren's Reef. Comparable to the Bermuda Triangle on earth, the nebula is universally avoided by local spacefaring cultures. Depending on who you ask, it has a reputation for hazardous subspace anomalies, or simply for being haunted. The latter is reinforced by the intermittent distress signals that can occasionally be detected through the nebula's interference. Some say that every time a captain is foolish enough to investigate, another ship's emergency beacon joins the ghostly EMF chorus.
Classification: Mammalian (tentative)
Genders: Only females encountered so far.
Appearance: Tall and slender humanoids with split (dual-lobed) cranium, chitinous horns which function as ears, large reflective eyes, and delicate features. Skin is pale green, with purple spots on the head.
Physiology: Kalidexian pheremones are extremely developed, allowing members of the same family to communicate fairly complex thoughts and feelings by scent alone. Also, chlorophyll in their skin allows them to photosynthesize, so they can stay active indefinitely without becoming hungry or tired as long as they are exposed to sufficient light. Females can reproduce asexually through parthenogenesis; presumably sexual reproduction is also possible. In most other ways, their biology appears consistent with other mammalian species throughout the galaxy.
Culture: Among the kalidex, family is everything. Because of their pheromonal bonds, a family group will generally think and function as a single unit; and in their larger society, all members of a family act and are treated like the same person. They have two words for an individual, depending on the context: "orphan" if sympathetic, "outcast" if not.
Kalidexian economy revolves around scavenging alien technology from shipwrecks among the asteroids of the Siren's Reef. A wreck site becomes the exclusive property of the family that discovers it, who then try to make profitable use of anything they can salvage or recreate, advancing their social status if they succeed. Unscrupulous or desperate families will often prioritize repairing (and amplifying) the distress beacon in the hope of luring more ships to their ruin.