Tercrotans

The Tercrotans are a race of serpentine reptilians native to the planet of Tercrota, located in the Terios system. They are a patriotic, inquisitive, and psionically powerful race, concerned with the liberty of themselves as well as other species. They are the first allies of mankind, though many have turned to the service of the Ethereal Powers.

As patriotic and religious as they are, Tercrotans are highly inquisitive, but are also highly intelligent creatures. As such, their religion is highly focused on logic and reason, but individual rights and freedoms are part of the Tercrotans' nature. They possess a deep-rooted hatred for tyranny, superstition and intolerance, something that the Milky Way galaxy has been plagued with for far too long. Their greatest concern is the well-being of other species, whether allies or not, in regards to individual rights, living conditions and economic standards.

Should they find evidence of inequality, they will unleash the Holy Fire of the Republic of Tercrota. The Tercrotans by far possess the most advanced technology in the Milky Way galaxy, and their military is the strongest. However, in recent years, their technology has stagnated to the point where technological development would take decades or perhaps centuries. Because of this, many technological marvels of the Tercrotans are long-forgotten.

Physiology & Biology
Tercrotans commonly take the appearance of sapient serpentine reptilians. Their heads are shaped like the snakes on Earth, particularly from a cobra. All Tercrotans, except in other subspecies, possess ribs which extend their looser skin outwards forming a hood. This doesn't work when a Tercrotan wears a helmet, however.

Tercrotans each have vertical slit pupils, indicating they are predatory creatures during day and night hours. As with most reptiles, Tercrotans are carnivorous. Animals such as rats or mice are considered a delicacy to all Tercrotans, as these are their favorite meals. However, Tercrotans are capable of ingesting foods that regular carnivores wouldn't normally consume (Such as bread).

As with all reptiles, Tercrotans possess colorful scales of a variety of colors. In addition, several subspecies of Tercrotans have patterns. These patterns on their skin can vary in different colors and shapes depending on the subspecies. Some will possess yellow scales with diamond patterns, while others would have amber-orange scales with a yellow line running down their backs. These patterns do not appear on the limbs, however.

All Tercrotans possess a jaw that can extend wider than the average human, possibly even fitting a human inside. Inside their mouths is a long, frog-like tongue that Tercrotans use to swiftly catch their prey. These tongues can reach a distance of over twenty feet, indicating that their tongues are larger than their bodies themselves.

Tercrotans possess a pair of limbs, namely arms. They do not have legs like other species do, and instead they navigate with a large tail. This tail is also used as a weapon to crush nearby threats. The strength of the tail has been documented to even crush an android with several blows. Tercrotans will wrap their frames around their target and constrict them in the process. Within minutes, the victim will suffocate and eventually die from a lack of oxygen. For robotic targets, such as androids, the main systems are crushed under the pressure and eventually deactivate from the resulting crush. This technique isn't restricted to humanoid species, but can occur in a multitude of other species. This includes, but not limited to, Theaxians, Cektre, Ghanossi, T'darsi and a number of Grutan forms. However, if the species is too large, for instance the colossal Phaetians, Tercrotans are incapable of constricting them.

Tercrotans possess natural night vision, making them powerful ambushers during the night. Their eyes adjust very quickly during changes in the environment in regards to light and darkness. They are largely active both during the day and during the night, but will often sleep during night hours as a result of fatigue.

All other biological aspects of the Tercrotans are frighteningly similar to humans, with one exception; they are cold-blooded and die when exposed to cold temperatures. It is for this reason that Tercrotans avoid travelling to cold regions (Such as Antarctica). They will also avoid travelling to planets with cold climates. However, their blood also gives them an advantage. Tercrotans are completely invisible to thermal imaging, especially if they are cloaked.

What fascinates biologists more are the venom sacs, located in the thoracic cavity. For females, these sacs are often mistaken for breasts. These organs produce an extremely potent venom, containing a combination of neurotoxin, dendrotoxin, and hemotoxin; the latter of which is used by the Tercrotans' most advanced medical treatments. Male Tercrotans possess smaller venom sacs than the females, which are often semi-flat.

When extracted, further analysis reveals that the venom itself is a liquid gas, and evaporates on contact with the surface. Upon touching any surface, the venom will begin to spread at a slow but constant rate. Eventually, the venom will dissipate completely. The action to trigger the venom sacs works the same way as if spitting out saliva. Tercrotans have muscles which squeeze the venom sacs, at which the venom travels directly into ducts inside their fangs. This in turn allows them to project the deadly venom directly to their target. Symptoms caused by the venom include swelling, hyperexcitability, diarrhea, disorientation, headaches, convulsions, nausea, and even paralysis. Tercrotan venom contains a number of enzymes which are used for medical treatment. These enzymes help regulate wound sites, and speed up recovery rates. Tercrotans are immune to their own venom, and will not suffer from any of the symptoms.

Most remarkable of all is that Tercrotans are highly intelligent, often scoring an IQ of 263. This perhaps proves to be their greatest strength of all; Tercrotans possess an extremely high understanding in regards to physics, engineering, and sociology. They are masters of diplomacy, and can easily bring an end to brief conflicts in the galaxy. However, one must be careful to underestimate a Tercrotan, for not all of them possess the same friendly traits.

Tercrotans are capable of normal reproduction, but in very rare cases they will reproduce through parthenogenesis. On average, a female Tercrotan can gestate fifty eggs if they choose to do so. Incubation periods last for four and a half months, at which the mother gives birth to live young. Although Tercrotans are blessed with the gift of parthenogenesis, it also leaves the young hatchlings ever more vulnerable due to a lack of genetic diversity, and perhaps this is one of their greatest weaknesses.

Their greatest weakness is that they are not capable of adapting to foreign environments very well, and often die to diseases that are not native to their home planet. This is perhaps the very reason that, despite their goals to achieve liberty and independence, Tercrotans are often reliant and dependent on genetic modification through a substance named Pharaoh. This substance allows Tercrotans to modify certain aspects of their biology and grant them unexpected capabilities. Because of their vulnerabilities to foreign environments, Tercrotans have often become dependent on Pharaoh to drastically alter their biological and physiological aspects. There are even some reports that Tercrotans have fully disguised themselves as humans to infiltrate planets such as Mars during the Separatist Wars.

Tercrotans have an average lifespan of 2,966 years, making them the longest-lived species in the Milky Way galaxy. Their average height is 7'0" tall. Tercrotans possess yellow blood cells rather than red blood cells.

Culture
Tercrotans live in a utopian paradise, where everyone works hand-in-hand with one another to protect the galaxy from threats, both externally and internally. They strive for total equality, regardless of assigned jobs or strata. To the Tercrotans, one life is worth the same as any other.

Tercrotan religion is humane in almost every way. Often compliant with the now reinstated Geneva Convention, Tercrotan society is often known throughout the churches and temples built on their planets. These provide them the means to spread their good faith across the galactic community throughout the stars. Every Sunday, Tercrotans gather at the churches to feast on bread and drink water. This ritual is performed every Sunday as the Tercrotans connect themselves, both mind and soul, with the divine heavens above. There are many other rituals, such as meditation, that allow their psionic potential to develop.

The Tercrotans worship Bandia, the Tercrotan goddess of good. What was once an immortal being walking amongst mere mortals is now a dying carcass on a blue throne, and individuals with psionic potential who are not sanctioned are sacrificed daily to keep Her sustained.

Despite the great usage of psionic powers by the Tercrotans, many other species grow distrustful of psionic Tercrotans. A common stereotype is that a psionic Tercrotan is prone to the temptations of Ethereal corruption, and such claims are true. Not all Tercrotans possess good faith, and this is why every Tercrotan treads carefully to not make irreversible mistakes. Once corrupted by the Ethereal Powers, their souls are utterly consumed, never to return to the old ways. They lose their compassion for others and will seek out to inflict harm on others.

It is for this reason that Bandia punishes the individuals Tercrotans call Heretics or Blasphemers. Unless they beg for forgiveness, which isn't relevant in the violent and pessimistic 26th century, perhaps then would the traitor be forgiven and their souls restored. This is not the case, for many Tercrotan traitors openly resent the Republic of Tercrota and are unlikely to beg for mercy or forgiveness here. Ever since the Cektre invasion, the Tercrotans have taken a vow to never forget, and never forgive the traitors who turned their backs against the Republic and joined Mallacht, the god of evil.

Language
The Tercrotan language is known as Tercrotic. Tercrotic shares similarities with the Earth languages of Latin and Greek. However, their vowels are pronounced much differently. While speaking Tercrotic, Tercrotans will occasionally hiss when they speak their words. When they speak any Earth language, such as English, their voice is often described as “beautiful” for females, or “handsome” for males.

The word Talani Sara is a greeting from a Tercrotan, which translates to “hello” or “greetings”. Tercrotan in Tercrotic literally translates as “Warrior Serpent”. Since the Tercrotans encountered humans in 2102, Earth’s languages were eventually integrated with their own.

The Tercrotic alphabet is often described as ornate and curved glyphs. Translation of Tercrotic is often very difficult for beginners, but is certainly easy for linguists to translate. Human linguists are able to translate Tercrotic with ease, thanks to their experiences with Tercrotan culture.

Whether the Greek and Latin languages are somehow connected with Tercrotic or are just mere coincidences is not fully understood. Though the font for Tercrotic is similar to both languages, the glyphs and vowel pronunciations contradict these claims otherwise.

For other species who recently began to traverse the stars, Tercrotic is near impossible to translate due to its unique alphabet and letter shape.