Ur-Quan Kzer-Za

The **Ur-Quan Kzer-Za** are one of two subraces of Ur-Quan. They are nearly identical to their Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah brethren, the main difference being that their skin is green rather than black. At least part of their body is covered by a sheath which retracts when the creature experiences intense pain or fear, along with the oozing of their talons. Their race was genetically engineered by the Dnyarri from the main line of the Ur-Quan during the height of the Dnyarri Slave Empire. The Kzer-Za were designed to be the "thinkers," the scientists, technicians, and overseers of the Empire.

The Dnyarri did not name their creation. It was not until after the slave revolt that the Kzer-Za named themselves in honor of the martyred Kzer-Za, who discovered the secret of their freedom.

## Culture

The Kzer-Za follow the Path of Now and Forever. This doctrine states that they must seek out all sentient life and offer them a choice: imprisonment or enslavement. The Kzer-Za are aware that this way of life may be incorrect and so they willingly participate in the Doctrinal Conflict with the Kohr-Ah. Much like their destructive brothers, the Kzer-Za named themselves after a prominent character in their history, in the case being the Ur-Quan scientist who made the discovery that led to their freedom from the Dnyarri.

For several thousand years they have circled the galaxy, enslaving races into their Hierarchy or imprisoning them under slave shields. Even one battle in their long history is an extreme situation in the eyes of a younger race. The Great War that most contemporary races speak of was, to the Kzer-Za, just another of a thousand conquests.

The Kzer-Za, as well as their brothers the Kohr-Ah, make use of Talking Pets, devolved Dnyarri, who speak on behalf of their masters, as the Ur-Quan see it as beneath them.

## Biology

The Ur-Quan Kzer-Za, much like their brethren, resemble a large earth centipede with four large manipulator claws on the sides of their heads. They possess multiple eyes, which in the case of the Kzer-Za are purple. The Ur-Quan originally resembled externally a brown, 10-meter-long and 2-meter-thick variation of the predatory caterpillars native to Earth's Hawaiian Islands. The Kzer-Za are now green due to the genetic tamperings of the Dnyarri

They have long, multi-segmented bodies with four arms protruding from the frontal segment; they also have clawed legs on the posterior section of their bodies, which they use for clinging to the ceiling, while the anterior legs are longer and can function as grippers and manipulators. The Ur-Quan's most anterior body segment, or its head, possesses a plethora of sensory organs, giving their face a wide variety of horrific expressions. The Ur-Quan as a whole are psionically weak and prone to mind control, as shown during their millennia long servitude to the Dnyarri.

Unlike many sentient species, the Ur-Quan were not social animals; they were, instead, solitary hunters, with all of their very limited repertoire of social instincts relegated to the field of sex and reproduction. Ur-Quan individuals were instinctively fiercely territorial against each other and against most other species, which they either hunted as food or chased off as potential predators or rivals. They were forced to overcome this nature when they strove to become members of the Sentient Milieu and were largely successful.

## Technology

The Kzer-Za, given their original status as scientists and thinkers among the Ur-Quan, have highly advanced technology allowing them to maintain their stranglehold over the galaxy. This is largely achieved through the invention of the slave shield, a powerful impenetrable device capable of encasing an entire planet in a protective bubble that cuts it off from the rest of the galaxy. This leaves the Ur-Quan free to move onto other sections of space without fear of the slaves forming a resistance movement, as they are confined to their planets of origin.

Another addition to this level of control is the Starbases which are managed by the Fallow Slaves of shielded worlds. These stations are tasked with maintaining Ur-Quan ships and those of the local Battle Thralls. Only the Ur-Quan can disable the shields to allow for resupply from the surface of the shielded planets.

Finally, the crux of the Ur-Quan's power is their fleet. The fleet has three types of ship available. The first is a small drone that alerts the Ur-Quan to potential threats to their power and safety. The next is the crux of the Ur-Quan's power, their Dreadnaughts. These ships have the ability to fire powerful laser beams and release autonomous fighters from their sides. The final is the Sa-Matra, a powerful Precursor vessel that the Kzer-Za claimed in the last Doctrinal Conflict with the Kohr-Ah. The victor of the next Conflict claims the Sa-Matra as a prize, as it is the Ur-Quan's most devastating weapon.