One of three species friendly to Earth in a stric sense, and advisors to the Terragen Council since it's inception shortly after Contact. Kanten resemble giant broccoli yet they are still attractive; albeit, in a completely alien way. Rounded blue and green shoots form symmetrical, spherical balls of growth around a gnarled, striated trunk. Tiny crystalline flakes tip a few of the branches, forming a cluster near the top around a blow hole that is usually hidden from view. These crystals tinkle with movement and breathing and possibly serve as light receptors since Kanten don't have eyes. Kanten stand seven-feet tall with the aid of root-pods. Claws can extend through these root-pods to grasp a surface. Like most Galactics, they have no modesty taboos. Kanten agree with Earth and Tymbrim that the Library is a potential trap leading to an uncreative culture. They are active participants in the largely ignored Galactic Institute for Progress. Kanten are members of the Alliance for Progress.
A species driven insane by genetic manipulations beyond allowed codes. Before uplift they were mole type creatures living on a metal rich world. They possessed great ability in digging and had a carbon-oxygen metabolism. Their Patrons changed their metabolism to extract energy from radioactive compounds. Such a severe alteration was very painful for the Karrank% and when this abuse was discovered by Galactic institutions, they were freed from indenture. They tried living as starfarers, but eventually decided to retire to Kithrup, which was leased to them indefinitely 226+225 (that is 100 million) hab-years ago. Instead of dying out, the Karrank% have adapted with a unique life-cycle. They live under the surface of Kithrup extracting nutrients from magma. Metal mounds with drill trees found along tectonic plates of Kithrup are the Karrank%'s larval stage, which eventually fall into the planet's crust and mature into adults. They have lived in pain for aeons and are powerful at psi communication.
Amphibian pre-sentient natives of Kithrup with extraordinary potential. They were rediscovered by a joint Alliance for Progress forensic intelligence mission to Kithrup. There was clear evidence for the Streaker discovering and interacting with the Kiqui. (Named by Toshio a-Human, who first discovered them according to Kiqui sources.) Kiqui are nocturnal underwater hunters that use nets, spears, and traps. Underwater they look like green puffer fish. They have shining black eyes, splayed web-fingered claws, flippered legs, a pair of prehensile ventral fins, a thin crest of flagella which aides in oxygen extraction, and are able to produce sonar and high chittering squeaks. By day they forage in the forests of the metal mounds for nuts and small animals. They are led by the eldest female, known as the Nest Mother, and male elders. Three Kiqui were voluntarily taken aboard the Skiff (and apparently Streaker), and taken to Earth's Center of Uplift to be claimed by Humans as new clients.
The other three members of A4P agreed to the priority of the Terragen's discovery. A claim petition for rights to the Kiqui as a candidate-species-for-Uplift is now before the GUI. The petition is sponsored by the Linten and names Humans as patrons and Kanten as consorts. (In return, Clan Terragen promised the Kanten --who have only one client species --a Terran candidate-species within the next standard Terragen century.) Don Compadre a-Thennanin ab-many-illustrious ul-Chooser-and-numerous-honorable-others also back the Human-Terragen claim. The Karrank% agreed to share the planet with Kiqui, upon learning of Humanity's association with Neo-Dolphins and Humpback Whales, but declined the honor of Uplift co-consort.
They were given legal residence of the planet Pila after it had laid Fallow for 227+226 (that is, 200 000 000) hab-years and found the species proto-Pila. Their Soro patrons intervened and ended the Pila's indenture to the Kisa.
Tg.M.A.A.: The disgruntled Kisa are a weak link in Clan Soro.
The Kisa are the second clients of the Soro and are universally regarded as the black sheep of Clan Soro. Despite their political disadvantage among the more influential species in the Clan, the Kisa are widely distributed throughout Clan Soro space due to their preeminance as technicians and engineers. However, the Kisa are discouraged from interacting with members of other clans.
The proto-Kisa lived along streams and estuaries on their origin world Pil. The proto-Kisa were monogamous and lived in bands of eight to twelve adults and sub-adults. The proto-Kisa had a six-phase development cycle. Eggs were laid in specially made nests called coffers. Eggs were subject to significant disease and predation. After <a month> hatchlings left the nest and started an infant stage where they lived in the wild for <about 2 yrs>. Hatchlings and infants were also subject to very high levels of predation. Upon reaching childhood succesful indivduals rejoined a band and began to contribute to building, food gathering, and nest tending. Children suffered moderate mortality due to relative neglect and disease. Adolescents were likely to survive to adulthood. They were most likely to suffer morbidity and mortality from injuries inflicted by annoyed adults. Those proto-Kisa fortunate enough to reach full adulthood often survived past their reproductive prime.
Proto-Kisa practiced engineering and decoration prior to becomming sapient. The primary population of proto-Kisa stock built dams on streams, Kisa houses, and nest coffers using twigs, branches, and stones. Proto-Kisa would also fill and excavate with earth and debris. Several Proto-Kisa populations would even construct or weave non-functional structures for personal or territorial assertion. Making geometric petroglyphs and painting or incising ones own carapace were also common.
Tree bark was the staple of an adult proto-Kisa's diet. Proto-Kisa also ate shellfish and boo shoots. Food would be shared by members of the band. Older and larger band members had priority in access to food.
Each adult pair would have a nest coffer. Coffers were tended by children and adolescents under the supervision of the immediate parents. In the event of a threat coffers were often defended by all members of the band.
Proto-Kisa society, sex, and other behavior were very interdependent with proto-Kisa anatomy and physiology. As a result the Soro had evident difficulty adjusting the Kisa lifecycle to a more K-adapted nurturing form. The Soro premium on nurturing and parenting never developed a Kisa analog. Soro still complain about the cold inscrutable nature of their Kisa clients.
Kisa are arthropodial and have eight limbs. The forelimbs are largely unchanged from the form found among the proto-Kisa. The rear-most legs have been strengthened in uplift. A Kisa can rise up off it four front legs and run very fast using its hind legs only. Two round holes in the mid-anterior carapace are nostrils. The nostrils provide portals for air or water to run over internal gills. Kisa speak through their nostrils. They are talented vocalists and can speak any of the twelve standard languages. Kisa smell and eat through their radula. The mouth has two sets of bony, enamaled crushing organs.
Kisa are notable for having two distinct parts to their brain. Higher functions are largely housed in two external torroids. These cerebreumoids are very plastic. Thus, Kisa are very fast learners. Unfortunately, the exposed brains are also quite vulnerable. Brain injury is simply a non-leathal commonplace of Kisa existance. Naturally the Soro tried to engineer a protective covering for Kisa cerebreumoids, but they are critical for Kisa social and sexual interaction so the enclosure project never succeeded. Much to the embarasment and annoyance of the Soro, the Kisa as a mature O-2 species find the notion of enclosure repugnant. Only very rarely will Kisa ware helmets or other removable protective occupational gear.
Kisa memory and critical brain functions are housed in the eighsided central pineapple called the sensory cone. The sensory cone also sports a pair of sensitive ears and a pair of eyes on stalks. A Kisa can rotate its sensory cone 270 degrees.
The Kisa are the preeminant engineers of Clan Soro. They are among the most competent technologists and research librarians in O-2 Main Sequence Civilization. As a result, Kisa are ubiquitous throughout Clan Soro space.
However, Kisa are little involved in galactic organizations. Kisa seldom meet non-Clan members. Presumably Kisa are discouraged from interacting with aliens because the Soro regard the Kisa as foul-smelling, stubborn, cold, obtuse specialists and generally an uplift disappointment despite the very high marks received in their graduation Uplift Ceremony.
Several members of Clan Soro share the view of Kisa as cold, inscrutable, and stubborn to the point nearly of treason. Relations are made worse by the fact that Kisa social behavior is unusually complex and exhibits many traits characteristic of a low-grade gestalt intelligence. (Please note, this is not to say the Kisa have a hive intelligence.) In short, Kisa are very sensitive to symbolic contexts and their resulting behavior can be unpredictable, volatile, and bizare to non-Kisa. Nevertheless, the GUI has repeatedly insisted that these states should not be regarded individually or collectively as pathological _per se_. (This is not to contradict the truth that some Kisa social behavior is conditionally dysfunctional in the context of Clan Soro culture.)
Kisa have only the most formal and proper relations with their only clients, the mature Pila. The Kisa were forced to ceede their homeworld, Pil, to the Pila. The Kisa have only their new homeworld, one leasehold on a Garden world, and three Class B leaseholds. There are numerous Kisa dominated Class A colonies and spacestations.
Kisa have muted but positive relations with the Konahd and Hul. Paha seem to have no taboos about working with Kisa but their policy toward the Kisa is ambiguous and well within Soro guidelines. Relations are cold with the Soro, Pila, and Pring. Among the ordinarilly gregarious and amiable Forski, fear of Kisa company is quite common.
[Illustrations: Front and side views of a Kisa.]
Klick-klick love to farm. They love to grow things. They like sturdy buildings made of wood. They like to eat well. They keep pets and enjoy the company of children from many races.
Klick-klick are roughly as tall as a Synthian, but somewhat less massive. They have an internal skeleton with largely vestigial remenants of a chitenous exo-skeletion still in evidence. They have no sense of humor and only a limited grasp of irony. Otherwise the Klick-klick are remarkably unremarkable. Indeed, almost all O-2 Galactics who are capable of finding other species likable, think the Klick-klick pleasant --in an unassuming, bland way.
The Komahd ab-Vhig ab-Raxmahd (not to be confused with the Konahd ab-Gello ab-Soro) are patrons of a clan of medium political-economic import. They are members of the august and conservative Vhig Clan where they have considerable influence. The Komahd often adopt independent internal or alien policies. In short, Clan Komahd is a polity led by the Komahd while Clan Vhig is a close-knit alliance or loose confederation at least as far as the Komahd are concerned.
The Komahd trace their linage to the Lions and are staunch members of the <Abdicator> ideological party. They are among the more conservative members of the Alliance of Moderate Clans. Among the Moderate Clans Komahd opinion and policy carries weight beyond their power, wealthe, and even beyond their Conservative Caucus due to the Komahd reputation for objectivity, probity, and healthy skepticism. Komahd are fairly represented in most galactic organizations. They are prominent in GIPPN, GFO, and GIT.
The Komahd are slightly sexually dimorphic with males larger than females. Males average <6.5 ft> tall. Komahd evolved from ancestral stock that was long ago radially symetrical with six limbs. The Kohmad are scaled (really echinodermal) with a remarkably Human-like head and upper body. Females even have breasts. Their hands have four fingers and a thumb. Digits end in nails. Komahd are cold-blooded, but bear their young live. Births are almost always single.
Komahd are tripodal. The rear and middle leg and foot are markedly heavier than the two forelegs. As a result Komahd have been described by the charitable as vaugely centaur-like and as spider-Human chimera by others.
Komahd relations with the Terragen Confederation, and indeed the all members of the Alliance for Progress, are cool to the point of being adversarial. Despite being fairly active members of the Galactic Institute for the Promotion of Progress and Newness, the Komahd are very critical of Terragen liberality, recklessness, and lack of respect for Tradition. Furthermore, most Komahd regard Humans as given to extreme irrationality, both individually and collectively. Not the least example of Human irrationality is the absurd, and relatively popular, theory that Humans developed haut-sapience through natural selection alone.
The Komahd have argued against any support for the Tg.C. in any conflict until the Human wolflings agree to a period of semi-autonomous early maturity probation (sometimes called uplift level five) like that rarely imposed on borderline cases for passing uplift level four. The Komahd have also been very active in pushing the Tg.C. to grant the Galactic Forsight Organization carte blanche inspection priviledges.
The promising proto-Konahd were discovered on the Soro leasehold Tymbanador and donated to the Gello as their first uplift clients.
The proto-Konahd were ground dwelling populations of flightless carnivorous avians. Their primary mode of sustenance was ambush hunting. They used mantis-like arms to catch and kill prey. Various populations lived in scrub, mangrovesque swamp, rushes, and rain forest undergrowth. Most groups were also able to hunt submerged at stream side like a crocodile. High-mounted compound eyes and nostrils. In most populations the tip of the nose could be rotated upward to further enhance concealment at stream-side. Modern Konahd ab-Gello also have prehensile lips, flat faces and a shallow mouth with dog-like dentention. They produce sound using their mouth and throat. However, they they have semi-external ears with feathery vibration detectors. Their auditory organs are very sensitive but poor at determining frequency. Unlike most members of Clan Soro, the Konahd use Galactic Languages three and six rather than six and twelve. They even need prosthetic help to properly understand Galactic twelve. All varieties of proto-Konahd moved by jumping like kangaroos. They lived as solitary individuals or in family groups.
The most promising population that contributed most to the current Konahd genome had a mated alpha male and female breeding pair that would be assisted in child-rearing by siblings and older children. Members of this and a few other populations were clumsy tree climbers. They supplemented the base proto-Konahd diet of prey and carrion with eggs, nestlings, and fruits with high nutritional value. They also had very rudimentary tool use at levels analogous to that observed in pre-uplift Terran apes.
They manipulated tools using two fingers attached to the wrist of each arm just above the pincher. The failure of the Gello to elaborate on the very rudimentary proto-Konahd hand by adding a palm and more digits has caused repeated and public complaints from the Soro. Note however, that Konahd lips are prehensile and the mantis-like arms are very strong.
The various proto-Konahd populations had different patterns of feathers. Modern Konahd ab-Gello have white, brown, or black feathers down their spine and on a vestigial fatty tail. Most Konahd dye and decorate their plumage. They have no nudity taboo and only wear clothing for decoration or due to environmental necessity.
[Illustration: Konahd.]
At present Konahd ab-Gello society is still oriented toward smallish groups based on family cooperation. Higher levels of organization often result from cooperation among related alpha members of different extended households
Designed by the Gello to have a predisposition to be effective warriors, the Konahd are generalists limited by flat affect . Warfare and armament, however, are still major industries. The Konahd have a talent for ecology and conservative commercial pursuits like banking and utilities. However, due to their socio-biology they have difficulty scaling-up their enterprises unlike the Pila or Kwackoo ab-Gubru
Konahd are relatively unknown outside of Soro space. However, they are solid Galactic citizens. They are second in importance only to the Paha in the Clan Soro military. It is very common for a Konahd Junior General Staffer or Colonel to assist a Paha or Soro Field Marshal with fortifications, retreats, and defenses of all kinds. That is, the Konahd officer's role is analogous to that of a defensive coach in American Football. Relations between the Paha and Konahd are generally friendly and constructive.
However, Konahd-Pila relations are highly competitive often to the point of dysfunction. In general, it seems that the somewhat more adventurous Pila have the upper hand due to their popularity with the Soro. This is perhaps somewhat unfair considering the long term success of the Konahd's conservative approach to things.
The Konahd enjoy an unusually close, but discrete, relationship with the Kisa who are treated as the black-sheep of Clan Soro. Konahd and Kisa often cooperate on Clan Soro, Gello, Kisa, and Konahd engineering teams. Konahd are generally much less creative and volatile than Kisa. However, their matter-of-fact, straight-forward, unflappable personalities mean that the Konahd get on well with the ill-favored Kisa engineers.
Konahd fortunes are expected to rise through the foreseeable future along with those of the highly effective Gello.
Unlike their Gello or Soro ancestors or Bahtwin siblings, Konahd usually have a visceral dislike of Terragens and are uneasy around them and their closest allies in the A4P. They barely support the Gello policy of Terragen-Soro rapprochement and push for a domineering detente on terms highly advantageous to Clan Soro. Unlike most members of the Soro Clan they will even go out of their way to harass Synthians and Kanten.
Konahd get on well with Thennanin, probably better than any other member of Clan Soro. Konahd relations with the Lesh and their clan are adequate.
Patron ancestral to Don Compadre a-Thennanin and the Human and Neo-Chimpanzee god-client and gen-mate a-Th. ul-Chooser
Currently a lethargic species, dedicating most their energies to meditation. It is generally believed they will not be around much longer. Patron ancestral to the Human compadres the Tymbrimi and the Human god-clients the Tytlal.
Four-footed, three-toed, white feathered, rotund species. Less fastidious than their Gubru Patrons. They have a highly specialized speech organ. Kwackoo Uplift began nearly 60,00010 Earth years (11100000000000002 hab-years) ago.
The Kwackoo had sold the Humans of Garth an optic fiber factory. All fibers made from this plant were coated to resonate back on a probability band used by the Gubru. This is how all Humans wearing or using manufactured products could be found by gasbots.
The Kwackoo are Clients of the Gubru. Like their Patrons, they show contempt for most races not of their Clan. They do not show great ambition for a race with only a few thousand years of indenture left. It is widely believed that the Kwackoo will probably become servants and workers for their Patrons even after their indenture is up. The Kwackoo come from six-legged avian stock. Like most sapient avians, the wing limbs atrophied and became gripping appendages. The Kwackoo, however, had four other limbs to use, so the wings simply became vestigial. The Kwackoo have received great improvements in their delicate speech organs, and are masters of Galactic Three and Four.
The Kwackoo live on most Gubru colony worlds, mostly as administrators and domestic servants.
e4v0r0
Tg.M.A.A.: Nevertheless, Kwackoo astro-political potential should not be under-rated. They are a conservative species (though not prone to reactionary politics) in more ways than one. While not creative like Soro, nor as competitively acquisitive as their patrons, they show exceptional talent in husbanding what they have. It is worth noting that the Kwackoo control a disproportionate amount of Clan Gubru's capital wealth. Also, despite the fact that they are still only fourth-plus level clients, the Kwackoo control the plurality of Clan Gubru's banking and utility industries. What the Kwackoo are most unlikely to do is indulge in any "Oedipal" competition with their patrons, per Gubru design.