Race Name: Hekshanian (Hekshanians being the plural), "Hellcats" is the slang.
Homeworld Name: Hekshano
Religions: Karish and Munin
Main Cities: North Tek, Damurai, Kar
Dominant Species: Hekshanians

This little tidbit is written to add some insight into one of the major races of the Inhuman universe. Because so much of the plot takes place around Hekshanians, it might clear up a few questions to read this :3

Hekshanians are mammals. They have fur covering the majority of their bodies and are warm blooded. Their ancestors were a slightly reptilian race, but they have since evolved free of that. Copulation is identical to that of a Human's- their lower anatomy is identical to ours save for the fact that like canines they are hairless around the genitals. They have two sexes, males and females. Gestation takes aproximately 8 months. They give birth to live young who will nurse from the mother for about one month. After this, the child is usually ready to walk. Hekshanian young are very small and remain near their parents at all times. Until about the age of two years, however, they do not speak coherant words. Hekshanian young are also very small in size until about 6 months of age, when they begin to grow at a rate comperable to Human babies.

Hekshanian males are usually larger than the females, although the females have been known to be more aggressive. It is not at all uncommon to see females leading organizations such as street gang. Overall, the size of a Hekshanian is smaller than an average Human. They seldom grow to more than 6 feet. They are not desirable for military or bodyguard jobs because of this size difference. Although quick of foot and hand, they are not the quickest thinkers and have very little in the natural muscle department.

The tail of a Hekshanian is large, usually a little over half their height. It has a very thick base which tapers towards the end. Their tails are more a testiment to their reptilian ancestors than anything else. The tails are not prehedsile nor are they particularly flexable. They are used for balance. In a very bad fight, a Hekshanian may use the base of their tail as a bludgeon to attack, but the tailbones may break. It is more a last ditch effort than a fighting style. The tip of the tail is leathery, a small fin-like attachment for which there is no discernable evolutionary reason.

Hekshanian feet are quite large- too large to fit inside a conventional shoe. Fortunately, they have developed so that there is no need. The underside of a Hekshanian foot is very tough- a thick layer of skin and rough hairs cover the area that would be considered the ball of the foot on a Human. Hekshanians walk on the 'balls of their feet' from our perspective. They have three toes. The actual toe is encased within the large claw the foot is known for. These claws are not sharp, but are rather meant more for climbing rocks than fighting. On the 'heel' of their feet, Hekshanians have a small sparring claw. It is suspected that prior to civilization, these claws were used to settle disputes. Both males and females have these claws. None of the claws on a Hekshanian's feet are retractable.

The fur on a Hekshanian's body is very fine and short. Because of its length, clothing is in order. The underside of the tail, the shoulders, the elbows, the knees, down the spine and the tips of the ears are places where the fur is slightly thicker and longer. The fur is usually earthy in colour- Hekshanians from the southern hemisphere are brown, grey, black, orange, yellow or some varient thereof. The Northern hemisphere Hekshanians are all white, although this may range from silver-white to cream-white to blue-white depending on the individual. Their hair is very fine, soft to the touch.

Hekshanian ears come from the sides of the head, not the top. They are long and can swivel a bit at the base. Varying the positions of the ears is a major part of the Hekshanians' body language. A sick, drugged or otherwise abnormally lethargic Hekshanian's ears will usually remain in the same position, drooped against their shoulders.

And speaking of drugs, let's move on to that. Hekshanians are prone to substance abuse. Their bodies become physically dependant quickly, usually at a rate similar to the psychological dependance. As the race tends to know this, they were quite careful with themselves prior to the massacre. With the aftermath, many Hekshanians gave up the ghost and decided it was better to live in a haze than to fight and be miserable without their loved ones. It is now considered almost normal for Hekshanian youth to go through a period of several years in their life where they abuse substances. However, this is not an excuse to those who remain addicted. Hekshanians are very strong willed and can break addiction easily- if they want to.

The two major catagories of drugs on Hekshano are Stims and Dims. Stims, or stimulants, are almost specifically concocted for the mine race pilots. While illegal, there is little done to control or stop the production of these drugs. They are artificial, chemically created in a laboratory. The usual reaction to a Stim is extreme energy and alertness, although the let-down is very rapid and very unpredictable. The user will usually collapse from exhaustion once the drugs have run out. They also tend to increase the sex drive of the user, although depending on the individual this may simply be manifested in immature jokes. Because of the abrupt and exhausting down, Stim users will frequently double up doses, or chase doses. For this reason, most Stim users are heavily addicted. Withdrawl, depending on the strain of Stim, can be anywhere from helluva unpleasent to deadly.

Dims are the counterpart to Stims. They are the more conventional depressants, and usually more legal. They are dubbed 'Dims' by the Hekshanians because of their ability to dim one's perceptions and feelings on the world around them. Alcohol and cannibas are both considered Dims, although there are other kinds available on Hekshano. Hullicinogens also fall into the catagory of Dims. Due to the broadness of this catagory there is no 'typical' Dim addict.

Mixing Stims and Dims is deadly. It can result in a coma or instant death. It is never to be done. Stim addicts do not drink, Dim addicts do not touch Stims. Both know enough to avoid the other's drugs of choice, although they do not avoid one another. Dim addicts usually find Stim users very amusing and enjoy watching them act with energy that they themselves lack. Stim addicts enjoy having a pushover who they can mouth off to or drag around who doesn't object. There is a fairly strong unity between the two groups.

Despite their chemical shortcomings, Hekshanians are very friendly with one another. They still cling to a bit of a pack mentallity, so street gangs have become common after the massacres. A stranger, provided they are Hekshanian, is usually not only welcomed but treated like an old friend. Also, word of mouth and friend-of-a-friend news is very commonly used. For a Hekshanian, having a total stranger walk up and address them about a life event they believed to be private is nothing strange. This usually extends to other races, which often leaves visitors a little baffled. Devotees to Rulerism obviously do not receive this friendly treatment.

The two major religions practiced on Hekshano prior to the enterance of Rulerism are as follows: Kerish and Munin. Kerish is the older of the two, focused much more on the appriciation of nature and living things. Those who practice are encouraged to live alone, or to wander. There is no set church or leader of the Kerish movement. The God for it is not ever named, but one is supposed to live to appriciate and help the things which It created. Kerish is comperable to Gregorian monks. Munin is the more structured and ritualistic religion, having developed after nations were formed across Hekshano. It involves giving thanks every day to the God for being given the opportunity to learn from their experiences. There is a daily prayer at about mid-morning where followers of Munin are supposed to kneel in silent meditation. Both religions were fairly whiped out by the Rulerists, who threatened if anyone were found practicing either they would be killed. Many Hekshanians converted to Rulerism for the sake of survival, and a few out of genuine spiritual interest. While followers of Munin are nearly impossiable to find, Kerish can still be found holding out- albiet the less orthodox ones. Kyotoshi lives by an essentially Kerish philosophy. The Lypha family was a non-orthodox Kerish one.

The major cities of the South are North Tek (no, there are no other Teks. It is the last of an ancient trio of cities that have since been destroyed) and Damurai. Both were successful spaceports quickly after Hekshano's 'discovery.' In the North, Kar is the only major city of importance. It is the official 'capital' of the Hekshanian nations. The nations, originally bits of territory argued over by war lords, were united 340 years ago. The Hekshanians have no name for their nation or for the method of government which watches over it- It is similar to the Roman senate, however, after the massacre the planet essentially fell to anarchy.

Hekshano was 'discovered' by an outside expedition force of Aliens about 200 years ago- it is still very young in terms of enterance into gallactic matters. At the time of its discovery, it was essentially devoid of technology. There were cities and governments, but they had not yet achived space travel on their own. Under exploration laws of the time, the discoverers were only allowed to leave limited items to the planet's inhabitants, offering them a chance to 'figure it out for themselves.' The Hekshanians never did this to quite the extent of other worlds- they still have not achived space travel for themselves. They rely on that technology from neighbors. All in all, probably as a part of the Munin and Kerish philosophies, Hekshanians are uninterested in technology. They do not have television, although they enjoy radio communication and broadcast. They do not have computers or video games. To those few who are interested in those subjects, going off-world to study is really the only option.

Hekshanians get along very well with the Myches, but really, Myches get along with anyone who will give them the room to build something new. The planes used in the mine races are Myche design and operation and the Myches usually teach the pilots how to operate them. Hekshanians who are mechanics tend to be retired racers (which are fairly rare) who, while not quite as good as a Myche, know their machines fairly well.

Also due to the discovery of Hekshano 200 years ago, the planet never really developed its own art. Hekshanians are not known to be particularly artistic, believing that art is in the world around them. They do appriciate the imported art styles, but lack any of their own. There have been a few well known Hekshanian authors, however. The race is fairly enamored with written word.

The primary language on Hekshano has no name- it is spoken by both northern and southerners. Usually, in learning other languages, Hekshanians will learn Uni (Universal Language, the most common one spoken by Humans and other races), Chuian (spoken on the neighboring world of Contura) and Mychenian (spoken by Myches). The language itself does NOT sound like Japanese. Rather, it sounds a bit more like spanish and hebrew. For example, the name Kyotoshi is not pronounced 'key-oh-toe-she' but 'ky-oh-toe-shi', as in Kyle or Kite. The name Soshika is actually pronounced in their language as 'sho-she-kah' but is difficult for other races to prounounce, and so is slurred to 'so-she-kah' off-world.

Fashion for Hekshanians does not exist as it does for other races- they do not believe in trends or new looks. Their clothing is functional, and usually not much else. Their pants usually have a small scoop cut into the rear for the tail, with a strip of cloth that can be looped over the top of the tail and buttoned to hold the pants up. They are not ones for elaborate dress, usually sticking to very basic outfits with solid colours. In the North, they have a peculiar form of head dress to fend off the cold weather. It is like a detachable turtle-neck that sits around the neck and mouth most times, but may be pulled up over the ears in windy weather. There is no need for such an accessory in the south, where it is fairly dry and almost always warm.

Hekshanians subsit on an omnivorous diet. The majority of this is made up of grains and other vegatable or fruit. They do eat meat, but it is usually in the form of seafood. Hekshanians eat two meals a day, one at mid-day and one prior to sleeping.

The race is primarily noctournal, most active during dusk and dawn. During the noon hours they are most sluggish, taking brief naps throughout the day. Most of their sleeping is done between dawn and noon.

When the Rulerists entered Hekshano, they split into 8 different groups to cover cities. Two of these groups interpreted their orders as 'kill everyone', one interpreted it as 'kill the adults' and the remaining interpreted it simply as 'detain everyone and kill anyone who resists.' For this reason, depending on the city, the devestation of the invasion is more visable. North Tek was one city in which the adults were killed. After they pulled out, Rulerists began to issue their apologies to the residents. Laws of war at the time insisted the Rulerists make compensation for their damage. Many Human workers were sent to take over the abandoned jobs and many social workers were sent as well- but of course, not enough. Hekshanians would avoid Rulerist run businesses, forcing them to leave. Of course, older Hekshanians moved from other towns and cities to fill the gaps, but with the youth protesting and refusing to enter Rulerist-run schools, most of the harshly effected cities turned too dangerous for real business. The social workers were ruefully understaffed, one working up to as many as twelve homes at a time. Also, the Rulerists must pay a monthly fee to the family of those killed. It is not a large amount, but it is supposed to gradually compensate. This is a very Human notion, and the Hekshanians did not receive it well. Many would turn down the money. Kyotoshi is one of the rare few who actually puts it to use- although that is his only income. (bum :B)

A few months later, Rulerists began to gather up aliens and return them to their species' homeworlds in an attempt to homogenize the planets. This resulted in many Hekshanians who had been living on other worlds for generations being dumped on Hekshano without a clue to the language, customs or anyone to help them survive. They had to rely on the help of strangers. It is, of course, difficult to explain to an off-worlder in a language that is not native to them that the guy smoking dope across the street is trying to offer them a place to sleep until they get things straightened out.

After the reintroduction of the non-natives to Hekshano, the Rulerists did what is considered their greatest offense to the people of Hekshano. They populated the upper atmosphere above the major space-ports with mines. This strangled trade and forced Hekshano into a depression worse than it had already been experiencing. Those who had been sneaking out or planning to sneak out and return home found themselves stuck on the ground.

It began as a monthly attempt to find a pathway out of the ever-shifting mines- I am speaking, of course, about the mine races. Gradually hot-shot stim addict pilots began to try to show off to one another as they searched for the way out. Now an official event with North Tek and Damurai, pilots bring their planes to the old spaceports in the summer and race for aproximately fifteen minutes in and out of the mines. It is a very dangerous very deadly game. The first survivor wins. Usually about one third of the pilots do not survive. Eventually, a pathway through the mines was found, but it is too small for major ships to enter and so trade is still crippled.

The terrain on Hekshano is rocky. There are many mountains and canyons outside the cities. While there are few forests, savannahs and large fields are plentiful. The North is more mountainous than the South, the Hekshanians there believing themselves to be more in touch with their ancestral roots. The climate of Hekshano is fairly warm, with short but frequent small rainstorms washing over the cities and planes. In the past year, due to the grinding halt of industry, the skies around the cities have dramatically cleared. Previously, there was a good deal of air pollution from planes and factories.

The architecture of current Hekshanian cities is fairly colonial, with many arches and archways and brick houses. Front steps are common on the houses, although porches, balconies or other such Victorian additions are not. Like so much about them, the Hekshanians as a race prefer functionality over looks.

it's great to learn
CAUSE LEARNING IS POWER