Tajaran

The Tajaran (pronounced TUH - yaw - run, singular Tajara) are a feline humanoid race that possess cat-like features. The Tajaran hail from Ahdomai, the smaller, tundrous but habitable one of two twin planets. They possess fur for the purpose of self-heating and feline attributes for stability in their environment.

Additional Information: Ahdomai, Tajaran Culture

Mechanics

• Tajaran can speak a unique language that incorporates large amounts of body language, including tail use. It cannot be used over the radios. Use this in game by typing say :j

• All Tajaran have claws, and will scratch with them instead of punching, dealing extra damage.

• Tajaran can see much better in the dark than humans.

• Tajaran are less vulnerable to harm from cold due to their fur, but more vulnerable to harm from heat.

• Tajaran cannot use human gloves or shoes due to their claws and digitigrade limbs. They are only able to wear hardsuits and hardsuit helmets designed/modified for their Tajaran anatomy. They are able to wear 'softsuits' (such as non-hardsuit space suits, biosuits, and fire suits).

• Tajaran are able to wear human gloves but a wirecutter must be used on them beforehand to make them fit on Tajaran hands

• Tajaran are able to devour rats with an aggressive grab.

Overview

Naming

In order to communicate with multi-species crews better, most Tajaran have taken arabic first and last names to allow for better communication. Most Tajaran clans and given names tend to have a distinct east asian slant to them as to begin- Due to their facial anatomy, sharp lip-based mora tend to be less present.

Biology

The Tajaran are a species of omnivorous, bipedal mammals with features that strongly resemble Terran felines in structure. Their body is covered almost entirely with a thick fur coat, the only exceptions being the palms of their hands and the soles of their feet, directly around their various orifices, and their eyes. On many individuals the fur near their neck and head grows into a shaggy "mane", not unlike a lion or horse's mane, which is made of even tougher, wiry hairs. Tajaran fur colors tend towards monochrome, with the mane generally being significantly darker than the rest of the fur. Patterns of all types have been observed: flat, spots, stripes, and many variations in-between. Tajara males on average range between 145 cm and 185 cm in height and 55 kg and 90 kg in mass, while females on average range between 135 cm and 180 cm in height and 35 kg and 75 kg in mass.

The Tajaran have two fairly large and well-developed eyes set above a slightly elongated "muzzle". Their pupils are generally large, but can contract significantly faster than most other species. Their eyes also possess a refractive layer very similar to a tapetum lucidum which greatly enhances their night vision and causes their eyes to shine when illuminated in dim light. Tajaran teeth are sharp and needlelike in the front and slowly grow thicker towards the back. The closest analogous animal to their tooth structure would be a terran raccoon. On the top of their head Tajara possess two normally erect ears. Tajaran ears have a wide range of motion, and are capable of rotation up to ninety degrees and folding entirely back to the skull. Because of the structure and wide range of motion, Tajara have a noticeably more fine range of hearing than other crew species.

The Tajaran hands and feet both have five digits and are somewhat stubby and thick compared to human extremities. A set of retractable claws originate from the second knuckle are always visible and are always visible at least slightly from the tips of tajaran fingers and toes. Tajara are digitigrade, and most equipment that interacts with the feet requires modification to fit. All Tajaran also possess a flexible tail. This appendage is muscled and is capable of a exceedingly large range of movement.

Tajaran have a notably longer sleep cycle than humans, the average wake period for a Tajara is between 36-48 hours with a subsequent 20-28 hours of sleep. This wake period is often punctuated by short (15-30 minute) naps.

The tajaran body is generally lithe, slender, and extremely flexible. Sexual dimorphism, except for overall size, is low between males and females, the only real exception being the presence of mammary glands, which externalizes slightly while the mother is caring for her children. Internally their gastrological, cardiovascular, and lymphatic systems are eerily similar to terran species, leading a few scientists to speculate that the Tajaran may have originated from microbe cultures on meteors that brought life to the earth, with more radical individuals suggesting they had been influenced in their genetic development by outside forces.

All medical equipment aboard NanoTrasen vessels will be compatible with Tajaran biology with only minimal modifications.

Behaviour

Tajaran have a strong tendency towards loyalty and cooperation from living in what was overall a collectivist society. Younger Tajaran tend to be significantly more forward and expressive than older adults as the world and education have expanded for most Tajaran - The current generational gap in education and so forth is fairly enormous. Overall, however, they have been observed to have as wide an emotional range as humans, by extensive neurological investigation, although some reports from dubious sources state otherwise. Stimuli may vary compared to humans.

It is advisable for staff to make use of this mindset. It is said that a Tajaran friend is a friend made for life in many circles. NanoTrasen does not openly advocate for non-human command staff, although often times workers from Ahdomai are enticed with the prospect of upward mobility, as it is not a full lie - there are no direct regulations that prevent this. However, such is heavily frowned on as a corporate liability and PR move.

Clothing

While uniform is an important part of employee unity, Tajaran are authorised to forgo the need of shoes and gloves in most cases, due to physiological differences. Sandals and Fingerless gloves are also acceptable alternatives for Tajaran crewmembers. Many ear mounted items also prove difficult, for reasons that should not need explanation. Tajaran should also be excused from duties which require contact with increased temperatures, due to an increased susceptibility from heat.

As Ahdomai is still a fairly arctic planet, most clothes are heavy and cloaks are common, and almost always split back, to allow for freedom of tail movement. Boots tend to be of an open-toe design. An excess of sashes/inserted waistcloth is used for decor purposes, particularly for formal events.

Layering tends to be almost universal in Tajaran fashion, no matter the clan or region. Aside from an underwear layer, usually consisting of tap pants along with some form of loose fitting undershirt for both male and females, most Tajaran clothing consists of some sort of scarf and jacket, usually a cloak for outdoor wear, and about 3 proper layers of clothing.

Tail accessories tend to be used by individuals within a relationship, although this has changed since 50 years ago, and more tail decor is less of a taboo for just anyone to wear- Historically, it was generally a way of showing off courting favors, the less bound up version of wedding rings. Several sorts of ribbons bestowed by a significant other is considered as showing a status of being in a committed relationship, with marriage in Tajaran society primarily being reserved for legal bloodlines. Traditionally it was made of childhood garments offered to one's significant other, to signify giving away a piece of yourself and your past, although naturally in the modern day a Tajaran would buy such from clothing shops, the more elegant and intricate ones having price tags akin to the inflation of plain diamond rings in human society.

Language

All alien races in active employment must have passed a prerequisite test of Common fluency to allow them to converse at a minimum level with other crewmembers, as required by HR due to corporate hiring standards. However, use of their own language has been shown to be used to communicate in private with others of their race. The primary language spoken is Siik'mas, with Siik'tajr a secondary.

Siik'mas was the traditionally employed tongue that is in common use in Ahdomai, enforced by the ruling class as a standard educated language 250 years ago for ease of beaurocracy and understanding. It is spoken by humans, although many inflections are almost impossible for a human mouth, and body language from the ears, eyes and tail, which are respectively less flexible, less marked, and somewhat nonexistant for humans to communicate with, causing occasional communicatory difficulties, with humans coming off as incredibly somber and stilted. Siik'mas tends to be spoken as a common language in the same way English is, although many regional pride groups developing in the post slavemaster era have attempted to once again re-establish old languages such as Nal'rasan, Devahhi, Ya'ssa and Resheha.

Siik'tajr was formerly an informal pseudo sign language employed by the lower class prior to the revolution as a variant of Siik'mas with old Nal'rasan equivalents(Spoken in the equatorial region of the trade hub of Nalyar, already a mixture of old languages) mixed in for the less educated at the time, being used originally in the cramped spaces when Siik'mas was introduced but still unused in family life, incorporating an incredible amount of tail movements, with many 'homophones' only barely distinguishable by either context or tail movement allowing for double communications during the rebellions, with very little verbal noise. Previously, it was used as It is incredibly unfriendly to non tailed speakers, almost unable to be replicated due to the factor of tails by human and skrell. Siik'tajr is an informal, lowbrow method of talking, common for the older members of the newly established clans who were heavily involved in the rebellion.

Cyrillic/latin characters are the most common in use as a transcription of spoken Siik'tajr and Siik'mas, rather than the old Siik alphabet - Usage of such is usually restricted to 'official' documents within the old clans such as the Hadii and Alfarsi, and is generally frowned on due to its association with the old regime. It is still known within the aforementioned clans, but in active use it is linguistically dead.

Note that Tajaran commonly may extend the "R" sound of words, and all Tajaran generally adopt the third person in referring to themselves (Example: Rather than "I have completed my work", a Tajara would say "He has completed his work".) A Tajaran speaking in first person is considered to be giving a display of extreme trust, although due to the stresses of space, Tajaran can 'slip up' occasionally when speaking languages other than their own due to the examples of first person used around them from human crew.

Background

For hundreds of years, Ahdomai was simultaneously united and oppressed by a ruling class, referred to in the modern day by the epithet 'the Slavemasters', although in their day they went by terms that roughly translated to 'The Overseers'. The Overseers ruled with a heavy hand. Speaking when not spoken to first by an Overseer would be potentially punishable by severe beating or death. Nonetheless, their united front managed to bring an unpreceedented fruition of knowledge... For the ruling class. A relatively younger civilization than humanity, under various clans of Overseers, prior to human intervention, the first world era rulers had an approximate technological basis to the late nineties, with their communications equipment on par with the late 2000s, having had ample encouragement to cement their government with unified comms. Much of the methods used by the Slavemasters are lost, as during the revolution, taking down towers and sabotaging equipment they no longer had the blueprints for was strategically key to the rebellion. Meanwhile, the average Tajaran lived on par with the early 1900s in terms of tech for the lower/middle class, with illiteracy rates incredibly high.

50 years prior to present day, a small academic exploration funded by Sol Central, unaffiliated with megacorps, discovered Ahdomai and the Tajaran. The exploration team spent five years learning the Tajaran language and culture, taking samples, with their efforts guided towards a positive reaction by the Overseers, showing them the sort of peaceful society they had attempted to cultivate, trying to have them gloss over the class disparity and poverty. Eventually, the team returned to Earth with their findings.

Soon after, multiple megacorporations took interest in Ahdomai: Much of the mineral, agricultural, and biological wealth of the planet remained untapped. "Aid" was quickly dispatched to Ahdomai in an attempt to gain the trust and cooperation of the indigenous species. Over the next ten years various megacorporations set up small laboratories and outposts to map Ahdomai out, geologically, biologically, economically.

Not long after the first laboratories had been set up, one of the intellectual revolutionaries of the oppressed majority escaped from confinement and found asylum off-planet on a NanoTrasen facility for five years. During his time in the facility, he saw how a truly collaborative effort could improve everyone's living conditions and wrote a manuscript on his ideas- "Gazing Upwards". While his original name was lost to time as he abandoned it in interests of not being targetted by Slavemasters for immediate censorship, his pen name was Harimah Ranjiira.

After his return, Ranjiira began to distribute his manuscript, and the few literate Tajaran spread it's word by mouth like wildfire- Sparking revolts across the globe. The Slavemaster response was swift, uncompromising, and harsh. Soon the rebels found themselves in a full-blown war with their masters.

The megacorporations with facilities on Ahdomai, interested in maintaining their investments and seeing a chance to profit, began to provide the two factions with monetary and military aid. The rebel forces, with their superior numbers and a technological boost from their supporters, began to overtake the Slavemaster forces. However, the final blow to the Slavemaster forces was the defection of the Hadii. The Hadii, seeing the cracks in their regime, turned coat and chose to support the rebels. While several rebel clans opposed this, the Hadii support network, records, and tactical knowledge were the final push that won the war for the rebellion.

A provisional government was propped up by the various megacorporations that supported the rebels, and over time Ahdomai naturally re-splintered with it's primary central government gone into Clan alliances. Medical corporations focused around the equatorial region, while mining and production corporations focused on land near the northern and southern areas. The largest corporate influence on Ahdomai is NanoTrasen, due to their affiliation with Ranjiira, who have supported the Hadii clan- Although they are by no means alone.

Aggressive mining operations have started on Ahdomai by the megacorps, and in a century it will be long on its way to mirroring Earth - A somewhat unpleasant prospect. Many prominent scientists, doctors, and a few political groups on both Earth and Ahdomai have protested this action.

Culture

The arts are held highly in Tajaran culture, with music being the most prominent, a renaissance coming in the post slavemaster era. Older Tajaran are generally more accomplished in the arts while younger have turned to newly-available education.

Ethnicities

Much like humans, Tajaran have various "sub-species", which differ in some form in physiological traits.

• Hharar
• Zhan-Khazan
• Njarir'Akhan

Home Planet

Tajarans hail from Ahdomai, the smaller of two twin planets. It is very cold and icy, and they possess fur for the purpose of self-heating and feline attributes for stability in their environment.

Current Day

Tajaran currently exist in a limbo between being accepted into the galactic community and a source of cheap labor used by the megacorps. They are seen as newcomers and as somewhat backwards, ignorant, and (especially) easily exploitable. They are second-class citizens, for the most part, due to their dependency on other, more advanced races for the technology that allows them to even get off of Ahdomai, though people on both sides attempting to take steps towards full integration. Human smothering is a legitimate danger to Tajaran society, as quiet as it is, and several corps do their best to 'humanize' Tajara in behavior and imprint on them. A lot of corporate and independent activities taking advantage of and brutalizing Tajaran are still present in the modern day, with several outposts on Ahdomai being condemned for atrocities and straining relations on occasion.

Corporate-sponsored border skirmishes still occur frequently on Ahdomai between various clans that are supported by different megacorporations. Travel alone over long distances is discouraged.

Species on Paradise Station

Dionae

Grey

Humans

Kida

IPC

Plasmamen

Skrell

Slime People

Tajara

Unathi

Vox

Vulpkanin

Drask

Nian