Haquare Species

Species Name: Haquare

Other Names: None

Federation Status: Allied

Atmosphere Type: Type I: Normal

Range: Planetwide- terrestrial islands

Primary Class:  Natural humanoid

Population Class: Group 5: Population in the millions

Intelligence Class: Class 6: Self-aware; building species

Technology Tier: Tier 5: Atomic Age

Lifespan: 50 SFP

Diet: Herbivorous

Average Height of Adult: 6 feet

Coloration: The Haquare have olive to brown colored skin, with their ventral surfaces tending to be a lighter color. They do not typically have markings.

Anatomical Specialties: This species has two pairs of eyes, each with specialized photoreception cells. The upper set of eyes is color blind, but are well adapted for seeing in the dark. The lower set of eyes can see in color, but they are weak in dim light. Due to the general lack of light on their homeworld, it is thought that this second set of eyes is residual from the species' evolution on their original planet.

            Males and females have three to four sets of horns that grown from the crowns of their heads. It is unknown what their evolutionary purpose was, as the species is currently non-aggressive among their own. They may have been used for interspecies intimidation.

Sexual Dimorphism: Males are typically much larger than females among the Haquare, and they also tend to have more squared features than females as well. Both genders have plating on their faces, and several sets of horns, however.

Age of Sexual Maturity: 7 SFP

Gestation Period: 10 months

Development/Breeding: Haquare give birth to live young, and both parents play an active role in the raising of their children. Typically offspring will remain with their parents until several years after their sexual maturity, at which point they will set off on their own with their mates. There are no strict traditions about where young move to at this time, and some will remain on their home islands, while others will move to other communities. Haquare find their mates very early on in their lives, and will typically be emotionally bonded to eachother by the age of 3-4 SFP. They will remain together for life, and should one of the pair die, the other will most often kill themselves.

Senses: Nightvision, standard

Emotions: Standard

Communication: Vocal

Species Abilities: None

Social Organization: Peaceful island-based groupings, fluid

Religion: None; the Haquare appear to have lost their ancestral religion when they fled their homeworld. The closest thing that they currently have to a religion is their veneration for their homeworld, and their nearly inherent sense of duty to protect it.

Culture: Haquare families are extremely close, even when young move away from their parents and their childhood homes. Similar to the bonds formed between mates, families are bonded for life. In old age or sickness, individuals will often return to their families, either moving home or moving to wherever their children are. Elders are highly respected in Haquare society, and they are usually cared for by both their children and the island community that their children belong to. They are considered a resource for the community due to their experience, and all will mourn their eventual passing.

            Death among the Haquare is a big affair, and it is most common for bodies to be ceremoniously lowered below the clouds, and then dropped towards the surface of the gas planet below. The dead are ceremonially dressed for this occasion, and chants are song around them before their final departure.

            Generally speaking, life among the Haquare is fairly relaxed. They subsist on naturally growing plants, water is not scares on their stormy homeworld, and they are very peaceful among their own. For this reason, they have spent much of their time refining their arts. Their architecture is very intricate for this reason, and they are known for the love songs that they compose for their mates. These are most often accompanied by intricate dances through which the Haquare use the harmonies of the crystals found on the stone islands to make melodies.

            This species has retained stories concerning the invasion of their original homeplanet by Homo sapiens, and the Tri-Alliance. Due to this, they are extremely wary of non-Haquare, and outright violent towards anyone that comes to their planet without invitation. They are not only willing to give their own lives in the protection of their world, through serving as warriors, but they have also been known to destroy their own cities in order to kill off large groups of uninvited visitors.

Technology/Architecture: Haquare technology is powered by the static electricity produced by the near constant storms of their world. This energy is naturally collected by the white crystals that are native to their world, and this energy is then manipulated by the Haquare. Their technology also makes use of the magnetically charged crystals that float in their planet's atmosphere, although these are carefully mined only from islands that are otherwise unusable by the species. This caution is due to the fact that overzealous mining can lead to the sinking of islands down to the deadly inner surface of their planet. Despite this, this second type of crystal is widely used, and is integral to the Haquare's planetwide transportation system.

            Their architecture is carved out of the marble-like rock that makes up the islands that they live on. Haquare buildings are very intricate and nearly every surface is carved and shaped- reflecting both the aesthetic of their home island, as well as the personal preferences of community members.

Relations: The Haquare does not welcome other species to their world, but otherwise they are neutral towards others.