Mukalai'vi

The **Mukalai'vi** are a race of bovine quadrupedal mammalians native to the planet Mukalai. The Mukalai'vi possess a soft flabby mouth and lack vocal chords of any kind, making them incapable of speech. To deal with this, many Mukalai'vi equip themselves with robotic translators which translate their thoughts into decipherable language. Many unknowledgeable beings commonly mistake Mukalai'vi for common cattle.

## Biology and appearance

The Mukalai'vi are a race of quadrupedal mammalian bovines native to the planet Mukalai. Mukalai'vi usually have a large torso with four long legs, a short tail, and a head. The tail is boneless and droops down from the rear. The Mukalai'vi's legs are skin-tight and have three joints, giving Mukalai'vi a sturdy stance. Mukalai'vi are typically two meters tall and 2.7 meters long. Mukalai'vi weigh 169 kilograms on average.

The Mukalai'vi's head has a broad snout. The snout's nose is flat and has two nostrils. The Mukalai'vi's two eyes have hairy brows and are brown in color with black pupils. All Mukalai'vi have large horns that stick out from the side of the head. The two largest horns have a circumference of 38 centimeters. Mukalai'vi males have two smaller horns underneath. Most notably, on the underside of the Mukalai'vi's head is the mouth. The mouth consists of four skin flaps that open to reveal multiple tongues that can snatch up food. Mukalai'vi lack vocal chords of any kind, making them an entirely silent species.

The Mukalai'vi have four large, flat feet. The feet have a double-pronged claw used for digging. Their skin is usually pink in color. The whole body is covered with a coat of hair that is brown in color. The brown darkens to a black coloring at the feet and tail and there is tan colorings on the stomach, along the back, above the eyes, and on the snout.

Mukalai'vi calves are capable of walking an hour after birth. The calves grow their horns and reach maturity by the age of seven and a half. Adult Mukalai'vi can live up to 90 years. As they age, Mukalai'vi fur turns grayer and the horns completely fall off by the age of 80. Mukalai'vi, like most species, have to sexes that are assigned at birth, males and females. Female Mukalai'vi lack the two lower horns that males have and have lighter fur colorations.

## Society and culture

Mukalai'vi overall have a calm demeanor, which is reflected by their culture. Mukalai'vi have a hunter-gatherer oriented culture. The herds wander with the females collecting plants for consumption and the males seeking out and collecting creature for taming. These creatures, like the Chuali and the Yiyaarpa, provide resources or help to protect the herd. Because they lack vocal chords, the Mukalai'vi have no language; instead, specialized individuals called "Cappers" use customized tools called Capper-baras to alert the entire herd at once. The Cappers are the unofficial leader of the herd, with the herd having no real hierarchy.

To interact with other races in the galaxy, many Mukalai'vi utilize robotic translators like the TTS robot. These specialized robots directly translate and project the Mukalai'vi's thoughts into decipherable languages, allowing other beings to know what they are thinking. This can lead to a lack of privacy, making the robots strictly a public or diplomatic appliance.

Though the Mukalai'vi can adapt quickly, they have tribal levels of technology. They were able to spread beyond their homeworld after they captured and sold as beasts of burden. Even to this day, because they are completely silent, many beings incorrectly assume that the Mukalai'vi are mere cattle.

## History

The Mukalai'vi first evolved on the planet Mukalai. They had recently evolved from a herbivorous bovine creature, and only just began developing their culture around 2,000 YBO.

Around 500 YBO, the Mukalai'vi were first discovered by Phicar traders. Not knowing of their sentient nature, these traders began to sell Mukalai'vi as beasts of burden across the galaxy. It wasn't until the discovery of the "Cappers" by the OGC at 24 YAO when the Mukalai'vi were officially recognized as a sentient species. After the creation of the TTS robots at 74 YAO, the Mukalai'vi were granted membership in the OGC.

The Mukalai'vi remain members of the OGC, with a Rector representative. The Mukalai'vi still have trouble interacting with the wider galaxy due to their lack of language.

## Mukalai'vi in the galaxy

The Mukalai'vi are a rare species, commonly found in the OGC and rare elsewhere. Most Mukalai'vi beyond their homeworld use a TTS robot to speak. Beyond their actions in the government, because they are completely silent, many beings incorrectly assume that the Mukalai'vi are non-sentient, making it difficult for them to interact with other races.

Off-world Mukalai'vi usually work in nature-oriented jobs because of their more simple culture and their knack with wildlife. Many Mukalai'vi help to boost farms. Other Mukalai'vi, even if they are recognized as sentient, work in manual labor due to their sturdiness and strength.