Skrell

Skrell

S. Sapiens

Home System: Jargon (Nralakk)

Homeworld: Jargon IV (Qerrbalak)

Language(s): Skrellian, Tau Ceti Basic

Political Entitie(s): Jargon Federation

Overview

An amphibious species whose passion lies in the field of the combined sciences, the Skrell are the oldest and most advanced species present on the galactic stage. The Skrell evolved on a planet covered in vast swamps and freshwater seas, hence their amphibious qualities. These include moist, pliant, and nearly translucent skin, as well as their vestigial gill slits.

Skrell are largely asexual, with most seeing reproduction as a process necessary to continue their lineage and nothing more.

While humanity has largely overtaken the Skrell in the area of system colonization, the Skrell maintain a strong federation of colonies roughly three-quarters the size of human space. They are also the most technologically advanced species in known space, and possess the strongest and most highly trained military of any spacefaring species.

Mechanics

• Skrell have their own language that can be used by typing :k before anything you say, and can also be used over the radio.
• Skrell lack teeth and instead have hardened gums; this leads to them being big advocates on soft foods such as bread, or liquid foods such as soup. Skrells are omnivorous, but tend to prefer insects over the more common red meat served on station.
• Skrell have large heads with protruding head tails and due to this they cannot wear normal hardsuit helmets but instead need to wear Skrell hardsuit helmets (found in EVA). Their head tails also make it uncomfortable to wear normal headwear such as hats so most Skrell opt out of that. However, Skrell can wear normal hardsuits due to their body being very similar to a human one.
• Skrell have the ability to breathe underwater due to them being amphibious.
• The Skrell have been allies with humanity longer than any other race aboard Aurora has, and as such Skrell workers are some of the most reliable and famed workers for Nanotrasen. They are suitable for any role on station, and older, more experienced Skrell scientists commonly hold experience in a variety of fields (though they are also free to specialize.)
• The Skrell take on Basic (the standard station language) is characterized by short, concise sentences, and an elimination of repetitive or non-essential words. You can refer to Mass Effect's Mordin Solus [1] as an example of this.

Biology

Skrell have an average height that ranges from 4’5”-5’1” for males, and 4’5”-5’5” for females. Skrellian skin looks gelatinous, but in fact has a second layer of a less translucent flesh under the surface. The species' skin secretes a slightly sticky mucus when frightened or in a dangerous situation, similar to the human adrenal boost, only this substance helps soothe the Skrell and prepare them for death, rather than to attempt to fight or flee. This does not mean however, that Skrell will not fight, but it does mean they can be at peace if they choose not to. This is likely a leftover function from the many years the Skrell were prey on their home planet. The mucus itself is dangerous to ingest, even in small quantities, meaning that if a group of ancient Skrell were caught by a predator, the first to be eaten would ensure the survival of the others, or at least give them a chance to flee; however, it is not deadly and only causes nausea and digestive issues that wear off a few hours after ingestion.

Skrell faces are quite plain and their eyes completely black, leaving it incredibly difficult to tell how a Skrell feels and what emotions they are displaying. The eyes, however, allow them to see much more clearly underwater, and while they do have lungs to breathe oxygen, they spend most of their childhood underwater, as they are amphibious. The hands and feet of the Skrell are very similar to that of humans except for a lack of nails and the presence of strong webbing in-between each finger and toe. Due to their amphibian nature the Skrell lack any real teeth and instead have hardened gum lines for the consumption of their food. Because of this, Skrell have a hard time consuming traditional meat. Instead of a developed nose, Skrell have two simple slits in the middle of a their face used for smell. Soup and soft/blended foodstuffs are a Skrell’s favorite, although they can content themselves with lesser food so long as they have the utensils to properly cut it before eating. It is notable that due to the semi-porous nature of Skrell skin, finely-blended nutrients can be absorbed through any part of the skin, entering into their internal fluids and being slowly broken down normally. However, most Skrell tend to use their ‘mouths’ simply to avoid offending other species.

Evolution

It is theorized that the Skrell evolved from something similar to the Earth-born salamander, but the Skrell bear tentacles. These tentacles have no real muscle tissue in them and cannot be controlled, instead they hang down over a Skrell’s shoulders. These tentacles to keep the skin close to the neck damp for the incubating of eggs. However, Nanotrasen discourages this practice aboard it’s vessels, and says that any Skrell eggs should be kept in a bucket of water. The tentacles' only other real use is for show: they are often adorned with jewels, cloths, chains, plates; anything that can be used to make a statement about the Skrell’s personal wealth. Due to a lack of external sexual organs, the Skrell do not procreate as many other species do, and instead the eggs are laid by the female and fertilized by the male. The females can lay anywhere between 5-50 eggs. This has caused the Skrell to seek out other planets with similar features to their homeworld, as warm and humid environments are the habitats Skrell eggs are best raised in.

Skrell brains and neural devices

The Skrell brain was not compatible with Nanotrasen neural devices when Skrell started to work aboard Nanotrasen installations. To rectify this, Nanotrasen undertook a five-year project to modernize their neural tech to be compatible with all brain types. This project was considered a major setback, as it cost NanoTrasen over five billion credits for research and production.

Gender

The most confusing thing other species tend to find with Skrell is gender: it is extremely difficult to tell the difference between male and female Skrell. In fact, the only way for someone who does not speak the Skrell language to identify a Skrell's gender is by the length of their tentacles: female tentacles are longer than male ones. It is noted, however, that the Skrell do not care for gender other than for the purpose of reproduction, and that gender thus constitutes a nearly nonexistent concern for the Skrell, who can often confuse the gender of other species and have struggled to adapt to the gendered pronouns of Tau Ceti Basic.

Lifespan

A healthy Skrell can naturally live up to two hundred years, but current medical technology has allowed them to increase their lifespan to an impressive 300 to 450 years.

Social

The Skrell language, Skrellian, can be best described as a series of hums, warbles, or croaks. While Skrellian would not make sense to other species, it can display a wide variety of emotion and meaning that Tau Ceti Basic cannot. When learning other languages, Skrell tend to forego grammatical structure, which they mostly simplify for the sake of efficiency. Additionally, most inflections and nuances that carry tone and emotion in foreign languages are lost to them, due to the wide differences between the nature of Skrellian and other tongues. It is notable that two Skrell conversing in their own language can communicate perfectly underwater.

Though a mainly scientific species, Skrells have interest in other forms of culture. Skrell artists are fairly prevalent, and martial arts also form a fairly widespread Skrell interest. Skrellian arts often (but not always) focus on the mind. For example, a recent movement focuses on how the mind interacts with the world around them.

Emotional

While many people believe that Skrells are heartless and have no emotions, the truth is actually quite the contrary. Skrell convey emotions the same way humans do, through movement, tone of voice and language used. Due to Humans' limited audial receptors, however, the many tones a Skrell can project are lost to all non-Skrell, and thus Skrell have a very difficult time expressing emotion to other species. In contrast, when matched with another of their kind, communication is so seamless that two parties involved in a discussion would almost be able to guess each others' thoughts at times, simply through the variety of vocal tones used in conversation. The most common Racial slurs that are used against Skrell are, “Frog”, ‘Squid”, “Waterboy” and various other creatures that have aquatic relation. Skrell tend not to react to these insults however, not out of indifference, but because they are often prideful and would prefer not to lose face through confrontation. This kind of emotional reaction is quite common in Skrell; Skrell are reputed for choosing not engage in a fight or a challenge unless they were certain of their own victory. Among other things, this has led to the Skrell military having the best victory-defeat ratio in the Galaxy.

Skrell come from the same planet of the average slime. Comically, this has led to the emergence of the term "Slimekin" as a common Skrellian insult.

Culture

Early Colonization & Discovery of Dionae

By the time Skrell had discovered interstellar travel (2016), the population of Jargon IV was peaking at around 30,000,000,000, and as such, the species was looking to find other planets to sustain their growth rate. Their first expedition was to the solar system of Epsilon Ursae Minoris. To the explorers luck, they found a planet that was highly vegetated and fit the habitat margin, Epsilon Ursae Minoris III. Ecstatic, the explorers boarded their ship to take the 3 year journey back to Jargon IV. But much to their surprise, they noticed that a giant plant life had attached itself to their ship's drive in just the few hours they had been gone. As they tried to remove the plant, it started showing signs of sentience, and was confirmed of being a sentient being within just a few days. The leader of the expedition, Skrell Captain Weriu Tup, made the tough decision of staying on the planet to study the newfound lifeform in more detail, despite knowing this meant he would not be able to return to his home for an additional nine years at the quickest. Although Captain Tup succumbed to the poisonous vegetation of Epsilon Ursae Minoris III before the return of the Skrell expedition, his heroism is remembered even four hundred years later, with the discovery of the Diona race being mostly attributed to his efforts. Diona and Skrell alike revere him, with both Skrell and Diona children often being given the name Tup as a way to ensure of the child's strength.

First Contact with Humans & Modern Politics

The Skrell were the first sentient race to come into contact with the humans, just under fifty years ago. The Jargon Federation, however, does not trade with all humans, but only with groups they consider trustworthy. These groups include the Union of Sol and corporations such as Nanotrasen. Their mistrust of humanity is attributed to the rise of xenophobia in the Union, which has led to many incidents in the past, such as the bombing of the Skrell embassy in Alpha Centauri-b by the ‘Humanitarian sector’, an anti-alien human group.

The Skrell also trade in minor proportions with the Tajara. The Unathi, however, have had a trade embargo since their first interactions with the Skrell. The Skrell seemed to skip the feudalistic political state that many of the sentient species have experienced and instead formed small councils even in early Skrell history. While some claim otherwise, the Skrell have never had a true monarchy. The Current Skrell government is the Jargon Federation, a wide reaching republic that encompasses both Skrell and Dionae space with Dionae being official citizens. Over the years, the Jargon Federarion has moved past individual representatives for both races, and instead the races have become as important as eye-color in the world of politics. The Current Grand Councillor of the Jargon Federation is Stars Of The Tup, a Dionae diplomat who was the previous minor Councillor of the City Weiru.

The Jargon Federation hierarchy is as such:

• Minor-Councillors States
• Councillors Govern Countries
• High Councillors Govern Planets
• Great Councillors Govern Solar Systems
• The Grand Councillor Governs The Federation

All Councillors from High to Grand must attend the annual Council of Jargon to discuss the Federation's important affairs. The Grand Councillor has the authority to call an Emergency Council of Jargon if it's needed. The Jargon Federation's slow but careful methods explain why the government so rarely runs into conflict, but is also the reason why it took so long for humanity to earn the Federation's trust.

Religion

Most modern Skrell do not follow a particular religion, but rather choose to adhere to various ethical philosophies developed by Skrell thinkers as a way to find meaning and guidance in their lives. Nevertheless, some Skrell still adhere to ancient religions, a list of which can be found here.

History

TBA

Notable Information

Economics

While the Skrell seem less mercantile than the other races of the Milky Way, they in fact consider themselves some of the best tradesmen in the galaxy - an allegation which other species would sometimes like to dispute. Following the first contact with Humans, credits are accepted as a legitimate currency in the Skrell Confederation. The Skrell are most well known for their confectionery, medicines and implants. The most famous Skrell confectionery is Yewerie, a sweet cake coated in a sugary icing that is laced with minute amounts of Riehsi, a highly hallucinogenic mushroom the Skrell carry a natural partial-immunity to, and consider a mere flavoring rather than a recreational drug. This cake has been banned from numerous worlds in the Union and Sol, and is more openly accepted on the frontier worlds due to the lack of true law. Skrell medicines and implants are some of the most expensive and sought after pieces of medical technology in the civilized galaxy. Commonly traded goods include expensive regeneration and adrenal implants, some of which have been known to produce undesired and gruesome side-effects on humans. The Skrell have been highly sexualized in human culture due to strange sexual fetishes, this has led to many Skrell, male and female, turning to small roles in Human erotic movies and posters. The most Skrell erotic website is ‘Wetskrell.nt’ Wetskrell.nt is neither as perverse or indecent as one would seem, and simply depicts Skrell of various ages and colors in sexually suggestive positions. The Skrells' lax attitude towards sexuality and reproduction has led to most of them viewing the humans' fetishization of the Skrell species in complete indifference.

Geography

The Majority of the planets in Skrell space have been terraformed to suit their nature. A typical Skrell planet is covered in swamps, jungles, and the occasional large body of water. On planets where this kind of extreme terraforming is not possible, the Skrell construct large biodomes and habitat structures.

Architecture

Skrell cities are often considered less ornate than human ones, usually consisting of tall white skyscrapers that stand from the swamps, although it should be said that these buildings are usually covered in moss and other vegetation due to the environment they reside in. The Skrell have never enjoyed living underground, and as such, there is a distinct lack of underground buildings when Skrell outposts are concerned. The Skrell are famous for their underwater cities, which can span huge areas under water and are majorly constructed from glass. The secret to these cities, however, is not pressure-resistant glass, but instead immensely powerful shields that are powered by multiple supermatter engines inside the city. The largest underwater city constructed by the Skrell, Eriuyish, is located on Laush V (Laush is the second closest star system to the Skrellian home system Jargon). Eriuyish has an area of 17822 miles, and relies on seven different supermatter engines to power the 420 shield emitters located around it.

Military

The most common misconception about the Jargon Federation is that their military is almost non-existent. The truth, however, is closer to the opposite. While The Jargon Federation Navy is only two thirds the size of the Union of Sol's, the Skrells' incredible technological advances have made their military the most effective in the known galaxy. Most of the Skrells' strength is derived not from numbers, but from the advanced technology and firepower of their ships, and from their mastery of battle tactics and logistics. Their vat-grown Tup commandos are especially feared for their infiltration capabilities and combat prowess.