Krikta

The **Kriktans** are a sapient insectoid race from Tsakyr. They are humanoid and resemble Earth moths. They are known for their ability to use celestial light to guide their flight without the aid of mechanical aid and this has lead to their renown as brilliant navigators and pilots.

They are represented by the Kriktan Empire in the Galactic Union.

## Physiology

Kriktans are very much like Earth moths, but they are humanoid features. They are on average the same height as humans and weigh about 45kg. Their body comprises of head with a pair of antennae, a thorax, an abdomen, 2 pairs of arms, 1 pair of legs and 2 pairs of wings. They respirate through spiracles. They have developed hard exoskeletons which make them quite tough.

A Kriktan will give birth to a *Kritsa* which is like a caterpillar. This stage in the life of a Kritsa is quite short, usually 4 Earth years. After this period they spin a cocoon around themselves and after a week metamorph into fully developed Krikta. Krikta mature at about 10 Earth years of age and have an average lifespan of 60 Earth Years.

Kriktans are noncturnal. They are very sensitive to light and use it to navigate themselves, both on and off world.

## History

Little remains from ancient Tsakyr, aside from the famous ruined city of Tsark Ikra, home to ancient buildings still in use today as administrative centres.

In pre 1537 BC Tsakyr, there were thousands of Kriktan nations with varying degrees of power. In 1537 BC, however an industrial age known as the Rak do Kayr (literally Age of Machines) began with an incredible revolution. An industrialised Kriktan empire, the Thakki Empire, began to dominate Tsakyr, creating an empire which spanned continents. Isolated continents were unaffected, by both the industrial revolution and the Thakki conquests. This industrial boom ended in 1345 BC, heralding a Thakki Golden Age.

In 1237 BC, the Thakki Empire collapsed and a vicious civil war erupted. An arms race led to the developement of nuclear weaponry.

The Kriktans achieved spaceflight in 1224 BC as part of a space race between the Htuki, Thaknak and Kstun factions. In 1153 BC Kriktan scientist NukinTkat invented the V-reactor. The subsequent rise in V-Reactor power made other forms of energy redundant, ending much of the conflict on Tsakyr.

In 963 BC, a group of colonists in the Tsken system declare themselves independent from Tsakyr, declaring themselves the 'Tsken Empire'. A large fleet from Tsakyr, comprised of all three major nations, reclaimed the system after some conflict. This sparked many rebellions, culminating in the Htuki Rebellions of 921 BC, where the Htuki Empire collapsed.

Thaknak General, General UkraKsh, sent to reclaim lost Htuki territory, turns on his empire in 918 BC. By 894 BC, UkraKsh had not only conquered the Thaknak Empire, but the whole of Kriktan territory. For the first time, the entire species was unified into a single empire. UkraKsh is praised as "the Kriktan Augustus". Upon his death in 873 BC, his daughter, Empress UkraRokt declared the empire to be the Kriktan Empire, which remains to this day the representative government of the Kriktan species and the foremost authority for the species.

In 312 BC they made first contact with the Florians and established an alliance. In 68 AD, the Kriktans made first contact with the Naxarl. The Kriktans began colonising Naxarl worlds and this led to the Naxarl-Kriktan War in 68 AD. The Kriktans were well on their way to complete domination of the Naxarl until the Florian intervention in 87 AD, which ultimately led to the defeat of the Kriktans by joint Florian-Naxarl forces in 91 AD. The Galactic Union was formed and the Kriktans, despite having lost the war, were welcomed into the Galactic Union that same year.

The Kriktans encountered the Uxen in 203 and began the Uxen Conquest, which ended in the Kriktan dominance of the Uxen by 205.

## Society and Culture

The Kriktans value knowledge and will not be violent unless there is no other alternative. That being said, Kriktans follow a military doctrine similar to the Ancient Romans of Earth: offense is the best defence and the integration of defeated enemies into the empire is critical.

### Language

Kriktan civilization has produced many native languages, but a *lingua franca*, known to outsiders simply as '*Kriktan*', is considered the official language of the Kriktan race, and is spoken by most members of the species.

### Religion

Although few Kriktans practice religion today, there are a number of Kriktan belief systems. Many of them focus on the sun and light, such as the Cult of the Illuminator and the Path of Illumination. Many of them share a belief in reincarnation and a metamorphoses of the soul after death.

## Game Rule Information

### Racial Traits

1 D8 HD

+2 Constitution

+4 Piloting, Driving and Navigation