Species Template:
K'kinnin
By Jeffrey Kramer
Attributes
Fitness 2 [4]
Vitality +2
Coordination 1 [4]
Intellect 2 [6]
Perception +2
Presence 2 [6]
Psi 0 [5]
Skills
Any Science (choose Specializations) 2 (3) (3) or 2 (4)
Athletics (Swimming) 1 (3)
Culture (K'kinnin) 2 (3)
History (K'kinnin) 1 (2)
Language (K'kinnin) 2
World Knowledge (Idara II) 1 (2)
Typical Advantages/Disadvantages
Aquatic Breathing (+2)
Armor (2 points) (+4)
Curious (+1)
Doesnt Sleep (+1)
Pacifism (-3)
Physically Impaired: Cold Intolerance/Hibernation (-1)
Physically Impaired: Molting
Torpor (-1)
Homeworld
Idara II, the Kkinnin
homeworld, is a temperate world with one moon.
Land mass accounts for approximately 20% of the surface.
Inland areas are uninhabited by native sentient life, though a variety of
animal and plant species (no mammals) are present. Inland ruins are all that remains of the original, humanoid
inhabitants, the Idarans. Kkinnin
settlements are uniformly located along shorelines.
History
The Kkinnin descend from a
bio-engineered crustacean species created by the mammalian Idarans.
The Kkinnin were originally created as a semi-sentient, aquatic worker
race. The proto-Kkinnin were
designed and used to exploit ocean resources, but were left without masters when
the Idarans exterminated themselves and all mammal life native to the planet
through biological warfare. Over
the course of several hundred years, the Kkinnin eventually developed full
sentience, then very rapidly developed a culture, using available Idaran relics
and ruins as a source of inspiration. The
word Kkinnin (the species name for themselves) roughly translates to
those who think.
The Idara system is located far
from the Federation core worlds, near Gorn space.
Federation survey teams first encountered the Kkinnin nearly 70 years
ago, but left them alone because they had only attained Level 5 technology.
The situation changed markedly in 2352, when the crew of the U.S.S. Crazy
Horse discovered that a large band of Orion rogue merchants had set up base
on Idara II and developed a cooperative relationship with the Kkinnin,
trading advanced technology for the Kkinnins assistance in undersea
mineral mining operations. Although
the Orions were rounded up and dealt with, the damage had already been done; the
Kkinnin now knew there was other sentient life in the galaxy, and after
seeing the wonders of replicator technology and advanced energy systems, they
were very interested in being part of the galactic community.
Federation survey missions to
Idara II went well. The Kkinnin
already had a planetary government, and in fact the Kkinnin society had
always been fairly uniform, save for minor regional variations in architecture,
cuisine and similar cultural trappings. Kkinnin
only very rarely fight among themselves, and war was unknown to the species.
As the Kkinnin demonstrated remarkable adaptability (including
reverse-engineering of warp drive technology from Orion ships damaged during the
Crazy Horses interdiction) and were
very interested in joining the Federation, the Kkinnin were granted
membership in an unusually short period of time, receiving full member status in
2363. Some in the Federation have
pointed to the Kkinnin to argue that the Prime Directive need not always be
rigidly applied, but this is a minority view.
The Kkinnin are considered an exception, due to their placid and
curious nature, to the chaos that typically occurs when pre-warp societies are
contaminated by outside interference.
After receiving Federation
membership, the Kkinnin have done fairly little with it, other than bringing
in new technologies aimed at improving their lives, accessing new knowledge and
the means to generate further knowledge, and interacting with Federation science
teams and tourists who have started visiting Idara II with increasing frequency.
Their curiosity about the galactic community satisfied, and their access
to its benefits guaranteed, the Kkinnin have largely gone back to doing what
they have done since achieving sentience: taking
care of themselves and studying the natural world.
Culture
The Kkinnin live in seaside
communities of anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand individuals.
Kkinnin architecture displays the value the species puts on function
and order; it is plain and intended only to protect from the elements.
The Kkinnin have been the dominant life form on their planet since the
Idarans exterminated themselves; they have never had enemies other than disease,
the elements and a few species of large, aquatic predators.
Aesthetics is a minimal factor in Kkinnin society; they define value
by how well things work and how useful, informative and/or convenient they are,
not how they look, taste, sound or smell. The
Kkinnin do not produce anything other species would recognize as art, though
they do place high value on particularly clear and descriptive writing and
speeches. Even household
features that might look decorative to outsiders uniformly have a function or
educational purpose; Kkinnin may keep tanks of fish or insects, but only to
study and learn about them, not because the fish were brightly colored or the
insects made pleasing sounds.
Family is also not a factor in
Kkinnin society. Kkinnin take
turns throughout their lives raising and educating the young in their
communities, with no favoritism based on genetic lineage.
Work is also divided equally among Kkinnin, though individual
preferences and skill are taken into account in choice (or, as necessary,
assigning) of tasks. Most of the
time, each of the Kkinnin does whatever she wants with her time, and most of
the time this consists of solitary study, observation or experimentation. The Kkinnin travel freely between communities, and most
end up living in at least five different communities during their lifetimes.
This wanderlust seems to be driven mostly by curiosity and a desire to
experience and learn new things, but some biologists theorize it also serves to
maintain diversity in the gene pool. Theft
is unknown among the Kkinnin; if somebody has something another needs or
finds useful or interesting, it is shared or given away freely.
Each Kkinnin has two names, the first designating the individual, the
second the community he or she was raised in.
The Kkinnin find it somewhat annoying that other species are usually
unable to pronounce their names with the appropriate resonance; in order to
avoid or minimize this minor irritation, they typically use the shorter of their
two names, or a shortened version of the individual name, when dealing with off-worlders.
All mature Kkinnin are
considered equals in their society. The
Kkinnin government is a Council, consisting of one representative from each
Kkinnin community, chosen by vote of the community members, typically because
of demonstrated problem-solving skill or understanding of group process.
The Council members serve for as long as they are able, and all matters
are decided by binding majority vote, typically following extended discussion.
Fairly few issues actually require Council action, as the Kkinnin tend
to think very much alike and to be fairly unconcerned about differences;
sometimes the Council does nothing during a given year other than discuss issues
of personal interest and share information.
The Kkinnin Council chooses Federation representatives from among its
members.
Ever since achieving sentience, the Kkinnin have focused on understanding themselves and the world around them. Long before the Orion interference, the Kkinnin had developed fairly sophisticated science and technology on their own, sometimes using remnants of Idaran science as a model but avoiding the exploitative and lethal paths which typified the predecessor species technology. Life, physical, planetary and basic space sciences are all widely studied among the Kkinnin. Traditionally, relatively few Kkinnin have focused on study of social structures, but this has started to change as they have started interacting with other societies; similarly, with the arrival of the Orions and subsequent Federation involvement, some Kkinnin have gravitated toward advanced space sciences.
Physiology and Psychology
The Kkinnin are humanoids of
strongly crustacean appearance. Their
hairless bodies are covered by chitinous exoskeletons, ranging from bright red
to beige in color. They have large,
unblinking eyes and pronounced brow ridges; several small, wiggling antennae
(looking much like catfish whiskers) protrude from the brows, and they have a
prominent, fin-like crest running front to back atop their heads.
The Kkinnin lower face consists of a beak-like structure, and their
tongues end in sharp, bony ridges. Because
of these unusual mouth apparatus, Kkinnin speech sounds unusual even when
translated by UT technology; while quite understandable, it is interspersed with
clicks and heavy accents on sharp sounds. The
Kkinnin have nostrils, but lack visible ears; their antennae are very
sensitive auditory and olfactory sensory organs.
The Kkinnin have three fingers and an opposable thumb; these digits
are segmented and end in sharp claws.
The Kkinnin are minimally
warm-blooded, but their bodies do not function well in prolonged cold
temperatures. When exposed to prolonged temperatures lower than
approximately 15 degrees C., a Kkinnin falls into a state of hibernation.
Sustained, unprotected exposure to freezing temperatures is very quickly
fatal to Kkinnin. They are amphibious, able to breathe equally well underwater
and on land. Aspects of the
Kkinnin brain structure make them innately non-psionic, though their brains
are not so different that their thoughts and feelings cannot be detected
psionically. The Kkinnin have extremely efficient neural-muscular systems,
such that they also do not become fatigued and do not sleep, though they can be
rendered unconscious by systemic shock or concussion. Throughout their growth cycle, Kkinnin periodically shed
and replace their exoskeletons. This
process takes about 3 days, during which time the Kkinnin isolates himself
and is physically inactive but mentally aware; the Kkinnin report that they
use this time for deep, uninterrupted thought.
Mature adult Kkinnin shed approximately every other year.
Among the Kkinnin,
reproduction is an unusually unemotional affair.
Mature females produce eggs every 3-5 years, during which time they feel
a weak biological imperative to seek out males.
If mating occurs, the female lays a clutch of 6-10 eggs a day or two
later. That is typically as involved as the parents get in the
matter, unless by chance one of the parents is taking a turn caring for the
eggs/young in their community during that time.
Proto-Kkinnin buried the eggs in sand and left the hatchlings to fend
for themselves, but with the development of higher sentience and culture, the
Kkinnin recognized the logic of caring for their young.
Kkinnin achieve maturity at age 14.
Kkinnin have an average life-span of 60 years.
The Kkinnin mindset is
characterized by a desire to find things out, to know how things work and
understand the rule and order of things. Once
something is understood, however, it becomes less important, except as a step
toward further understanding. The
Kkinnin do not react well to situations in which the rules change, and their
focus on order and understanding makes them very conservative in some ways.
As a rule, the Kkinnin love puzzles, mysteries and exploration and are
natural problem-solvers.
Editor's Note
Wow.
Nice writeup...we should all be this thorough!
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