LIGHTNOVELONLINE Interlude The Krall Imperium
The Krall are a species with no exact equivalent among species on earth. They have generally reptilian characteristics, but they also share traits with mammals including the ability for live birth, and the feeding of young via nursing. Physically they are bipedal with a size range similar to that of Humans, but the size difference between genders is a bit more pronounced. Males are typically taller and larger than the average human male, while females are often smaller than the average human female.
They evolved on a world not entirely dissimilar to our own with similar gravity and atmospheric conditions. However their homeworld is notably warmer, and much of the surface is covered with lush vegetation. Resulting in a mix of swamps, jungles, and rainforests covering much of the more hospitable regions of their home planet, although its not without its grasslands and deserts.
Appearance-wise, they appear generally human-like, with scales covering much of their bodies. They have a short snout on their faces, that is even shorter and softer in the females. Their legs are sturdy and built for running. They have three fingers on each hand, and the same number of toes on their feet.
Krall society is noted for having a very strongly defined set of gender roles. Unlike other cultures however no gender is set above the other. They just have a strong belief that women are better suited to certain tasks, while others are best done by men. This strong set of gender roles is quite prominently obvious in every aspect of their society. The sciences, engineering, and many intellectual positions within society are dominated by women, whereas men often favor more physical pursuits.
As a people, they highly value honor and strength. They believe in a strict code of morality and conduct that has guided their people well for thousands of years. It has been the cornerstone of their society for many generations. The result of this code is that the Krall are not only a highly accomplished society, but also a very respected one.
They are not without enemies, they have a few long-held rivals near their borders. Rivals that have kept much of their attention in recent years, but a changing political landscape has allowed them to turn their attention elsewhere. As such they are starting to pay increasing attention to the relatively young civilization of the Cathamari. As the aggressive expansion of the Cathamari in recent years has been alarming to certain circles of the Krall leadership. It is likely that a Krall-Cathamari war may begin within the next few years as tensions between the two powers rise. Already skirmishes have been noted between the two sides, while ships from both sides attempt to show the flag so to speak.
The Krall Imperium itself is ruled by a group of eight individuals known as the Imperial Council. Four seats of this council are reserved for men, and the other four seats are reserved for women. The council is where all matters concerning the Imperium as a whole are debated and resolved. The reason for the split is because the Krall believe that no decision can be made without equal representation of both sexes. They also have an elected position called the council chair which is filled by two people one male, one female. These two must debate, and vote in the event of a tie on the Council. In ages past, the role fo the chair used to be filled by the Imperial family, and often still is. However, they gave up sole control of the chair position many centuries ago.
Speaking of family, the Krall like humans form family groups. The structure of these groups is somewhat different though. Krall are allowed as many mates as they like, but it is important to note that Krall females are extremely loyal, and once they have picked a mate they almost never select a second. In fact, it is the females who chose the mates, not the males. Males often compete to attract mates. The most popular males often end up with several females vying for their attention. When this happens those females often end up sharing that male. Sometimes even to the exasperation of the male. The Krall believe the ideal household is one male, with three female mates. Naturally, their family structure can get a little complicated. Especially when one factors in their birthrates. Krall families can grow to be quite large, especially since they can be rather competitive.
Moving on, the Imperium is quite accomplished with the sciences. The Krall are generally ahead of most of their neighbors in terms of scientific advancement. With quite a few potent and unique technologies at their disposal. Krall weaponry is particularly advanced, as they are one of the few powers in the quadrant to field continuous beam weaponry. They are also the only power to field the devastating spatial torpedo, a very potent torpedo weapon. Of course, weapons aren’t their only advancement. The Krall being accomplished scientists have excellent sensors and powerful computers at their disposal. The most potent example of their scientific advancement is the Inversion Drive, a very unique FTL drive. The differs greatly from the more common drive types employed by other races such as the hyperdrive, and warp drive. Like hyperdrive, it makes use of hyperspace to function, but it works very differently. Instead of opening a window into hyperspace allowing a ship to enter hyperspace, where it can travel at higher speeds. The Inversion drive creates hyperspace inversion that effectively catapults the ship from one point in space to another. Transit time is virtually instant, but the process also sends up a hyperspace flare revealing the location from which the ship made the jump. The drive must then cycle before the ship can jump again. Regardless of its limitations, the drive does make Krall ships the fastest in the Universe, and they can move ships even faster through their territory thanks to the Inversion gates, specialized structures, that use Inversion drive technology to transport ships great distances between any two of them.