Caitians (Arcane Universe)

Caitians are a feline race closely related to the Kzinti as the two where once a unified species. The Caitians are believed to be descended from ancient Kzinti colonist who settled on a planet they called Ferasa in the Cait system. These peace loving colonists gradually became more akin to Earth's domestic cats while their Kzinti cousins, embracing the more savage side of their people, became the tiger like Kzinti. The planet Ferasa was unaware of the Earth-Kzin Wars when contact was made with them and eventually became the twelfth member of the United Federation of Planets. As members of the Federation Caitains have gained a reputation as being it's most cooperative members. [2]
== Physiology ==
They are bipedal, with a thick orange mane, long tail, and large golden eyes that provide excellent low-light vision. The Caitian language consists of multiple soft tones, spoken with a deep, purring resonance; this style of communication makes it difficult for the Caitians to adapt to phonetic languages. Caitians have excellent hearing, with a frequency range far beyond that heard by normal humanoids. [2]
== Caitian Ideals ==
It is important to note that Caitians born outside the Caitian Union are not as likely to have embraced Caitian ideals but rather the ideals of the society they where born into.
=== Gender Equality ===
The Caitian species has no records of discrimination based on biological sex. A sharp contrast to their Patriarchal Kzinti cousins. Males and Females in the Caitian Union have full equality in all socio-economic affairs both in domestic and military matters.
=== R'rrallat ===
The Caitians are a martial people, sharing the hunter origins of their Kzinti roots. However where as the Kzinti have turned such aggression towards predation and military challenging of their neighbors the Caitians have turned it towards economic ventures. R'rrallat is a declared economic vendetta, a Caitian tradition. Caitian Merchants are notorious for their dedication to the R'rrallat- which calls for the elimination of an economic competitor one way or another. Fortunately for the Federation no Caitian, simply do to a moral principle regarding the Union's status as a Federation member, has declared a R'rrallat on any federation citizen. Rather Caitian Merchants, believing that Caitians should know better than to pick a fight with an ally, tend to target members of the Orion Syndicate or other non-Federation merchant authorities. [1] The practice of R'rrallat serves as a way for Caitians to exercise their predatory instincts in a way more socially acceptable than that of the Kzinti. One even they, who try to tame the animalistic side of themselves, find acceptable.
=== Vegetarianism ===
Caitians have socially worked to control, to tame, their more animalistic aspects. Vegetarianism is seen as a dedication to civility over savagery and the majority of Caitians in the Union are Vegetarian with the practice having started among the upper classes among the clans and trickled down to the lower. The eating of meat is seen as demeaning, something base- animal.
== RP Attributes ==
* Low-Light Vision - Caitians can see in low light as easily as a Human sees in the day.
* High Frequency Hearing - They can hear frequencies the normal Humanoid can not.
* Resonance Language - Caitians like all known feline species developed a language consisting of soft tones, spoken with deep resonance making the learning of phonetic languages difficult. Their feline accent carries into other dialects with such native sounds coming out as they speak a phonetic language. Most thus speak such languages in a slow manner, due to the difficulty in creating for example, English words. Caitians thus have an image of being calm and thoughtful to those unfamiliar with the difficulty they have with phonetic languages. They can also speak other resonance languages far easier then the common Humanoid as such languages are closer to their own. [1]
== Notes ==
* Caitians where first introduced in Star Trek: The Animated Series via the character of Lt. M'Ress, and given their connection to the Kzinti by FASA in their RPG content.
* Most feline species in Star Trek appear to be related to one another.
* The name 'Caitian' is one bestowed upon them by Earth people who call the star around which Ferasa orbits 'Cait'. The native name for their species may have been the original name of the once united people of the Caitains and the Kzinti before the Kzinti proclaimed themselves the superior and created a separate identity for themselves.
== References ==
# FASA 'Trader Captians and Merchant Princes' [Secondary Resource]
#Worlds of the Federation [Tertiary Resource]
Category:Star Trek
Category:Star Trek Arcane Universe