Dershetche

The Dershetche are a race of stingray-like, flying carnivorous plants native to the Delta Sector. They have a fairly bad reputation with most of the races in the sector; even the Humna Humna will not trade with them. This isn't for lack of trying, mind you, but their policy of immediately devouring any sentient lifeform has, quite understandably, kept them from becoming very popular.

## Basic Characteristics

* *Type*: Plant-Like
* *Durability*: 7
* *Learning Rate*: 4
* ***Science***: Good
* ***Navigation***: Excellent
* ***Tactical***: Excellent
* ***Engineering***: Average
* ***Communication***: Good
* ***Medicine***: Poor
* *Genders*: 1
* *Life Stages*: Adolescent at 53 years. Adult at 79 years. Middle age at 132 yrs. Old Age at 211 years. Venerable Age at 295 years.
* *Lifespan*: 300 + 14d10 years.
* *Wingspan*: 3.96 meters; 3.3 + (2d5 \* .22) m.
* *Mass*: 462 kilograms; 346.5 + ((2d5 from wingspan) \* 23.1) kg.

* *Niche/Symmetry*: Carnivorous Bilateral Producer
* *Speed/Transit*: Flyer, 70 m/rd (42 kph)
* *Volume*: 0.462 m^3
* *HD*: 48/57/41
* *HP*: 70
* *Unarmed Damage*: 20 HP
* *STV*: 268 MU (580 MU/m^3)

## Physical Description

The Dershetche are a race of flying carnivorous plants. Their ability to fly is unique among carnivorous plant species; they are members of the order *Ericales* but are otherwise completely unrelated to all other species in that order. The wingspan of a Dershetche is approximately four and a half meters in length, with individuals weighing somewhere around 450 kilograms. The Dershetche are highly dependent upon their planet's oftentimes severe weather to assist them in flight. Their general overall appearance is similar to a manta ray; they have a very round shape (when viewed from above), but are very flat. They have two simple eyes on their dorsal side set forward, and a long, prehensile vine towards their posterior which serves as a control surface in flight. While they are slow to learn new skills, Dershetche are very durable and have been known to survive direct lightning hits without even so much as a scar. Dershetche utilize photosynthesis to gain energy from the environment. This gives them their characteristic green outer skin color. They usually can't gain sufficient nutrients through photosynthesis; they gain those nutrients through predation on smaller animal lifeforms (the intelligence level of their prey is not typically a concern to a Dershetche). The Dershetche mouth is located on their ventral side. Dershetche are capable of creating low-pitched, rumbling vocalizations which other members of the species hear through an in-line auditory organ. The vine-like tail is capable of grabbing hold of creatures of significant size and stuffing them into the creature's mouth, where the prey is suffocated before being slowly digested. A typical Dershetche can go for about six months after a sufficiently sized kill before needing to kill again, though they will eat anytime the opportunity arises (even if they've already eaten a large kill recently). Dershetche do not require sleep and usually gain sufficient water through atmospheric moisture. Dershetche reproduce via self- or cross-pollination, generally around the time they enter Middle Age. For a three-month period, a series of small, white flowers bloom from the vine; this renders the vine useless for controlled flight. Pollen is carried between blooms by pollinating insects. A white, poisonous fruit is produced from any fertilized bloom, containing anywhere from 2 to 8 seeds (depending upon how much of a chance the fruit has had to grow during blooming). At the end of the period, all the blooms and fruit fall off the vine. Dershetche take approximately a year to sprout out of the soil and can gain flight after about ten years. While still in the ground, the parent Dershetche oftentimes will protect the area from would-be predators.

## Ground Units

This gives a general listing of the vehicles available to the given race. Engaging the ground units of a species in combat will have the same general effect on the player's relations with the species as engaging their units in space. The mineral composition of ground units will be the same as that listed for space units, though the amounts will be somewhat lessened. Indication of "turrets" for a ground unit allow the unit to fire a weapon in any direction; otherwise, the unit must face their target before they may attack another unit. Ground units always include a very generic description of how the unit will appear. Ground Units in general use the same ratings as space units, but have a few additional properties as outlined below:

* *Still need a response on energy.*
	+ *Melee*: An attack that can only be delivered when that object's collision area is touching the collision area of its target.
	+ *Flat*: The speed/efficiency the unit travels on flat land.
	+ *Mount*: The speed/efficiency the unit travels on steep mountains. This will likely be determined by rapid changes in planetary elevation, though the exact amount of elevation change necessary has not yet been determined.
	+ *Liquid* The speed/efficiency the unit travels on a liquid surface (possibly also including ice and cooling lava.)

*No Data Available at this time.*

## Territory

The Deshetche have been a starfaring race since 4649 (*approximately six years before the beginning of SF3*). Prior to that time, they had achieved a level of industrial development; they had rudimentary air vehicles which were used for faster travel (much like the way Humans use automobiles), as well as durable sea craft capable of withstanding conditions in the equatorial oceans. Telecommunications and spaceflight had not yet been theorized by their scientists when the G'Nunk visited, but they learned rapidly and embraced those technologies whole-heartedly. They have since claimed much of the Topaz Constellation as their home territory; indeed, since the freeing of the Umanu, it has become one of the most dangerous regions of the Sector in which to travel. The Dershetche have yet to claim any additional worlds as their own; on their home planet, the Dershetche have a roughly Average population density, which is a little more scarce around the planet's equator and more dense towards the poles (with a far greater percentage of the population living around the south pole, due to the higher volume of land mass there).

* **Patrol**:
	+ *Alpha Sector*: None
	+ *Delta Sector*: Sparse, but Present
	+ *Beta Sector*: None
* **Space**:
	+ *Alpha Sector*: No Sphere of Influence
	+ *Delta Sector*: centered at 106x73, 15 parsecs radius
	+ *Beta Sector*: No Sphere of Influence
* **Star**:
	+ *Alpha Sector*: None
	+ *Delta Sector*: 105x75, 106x73
	+ *Beta Sector*: None
* **Worlds**:
	+ *Alpha Sector*: None
	+ *Delta Sector*: Dershet (106x73, p5)
	+ *Beta Sector*: None

## Status

Dershetche are generally viewed negatively by most of the Starfaring sapient races in the Delta Sector, given their peculiar dietary and raiding habits. Most of the non-starfaring races in the Sector also view the Dershetche the same way, particularly with the onset of Dershetche food raids. Only two extant starfaring races don't view the Dershetche with abject loathing. The first are the G'Nunk, who visit the planet every now and again to test their mettle. Dershetche reportedly find armadillo G'Nunk tastier than worm G'Nunk. There are rumors that the G'Nunk use the planet as part of their justice system; anyone who survives for a year receives a full pardon. There are also rumors of G'Nunk visiting the planet for other purposes, though the nature of those purposes remains a mystery. About the only race in the Sector that doesn't take a dim view of the Dershetche are the plant-like Tandelou, who make infrequent visits to their planet. It is suspected that this is because the Tandelou "Center of the Universe", where they conduct the Thdok-Bryg-Ahhh in the presence of the Most Valuable Thing, is in fact somewhere on the surface of Dershet. While they haven't had regular contact with Alpha Sector races as yet, it can be assumed they would only be friendly with the Elowan, and possibly neutral towards the Spemin.

* **Ally**:
	+ *Initial*: G'Nunk
	+ *Final*: G'Nunk
* **Enemy**:
	+ *Initial*: Empire, Humna Humna, Ng-Kher-Arla, Ch-Q-Tss-T, Dweenle, Ancients
	+ *Final*: Empire, Humna Humna, Ng-Kher-Arla, Ch-Q-Tss-T, Dweenle, Ancients

## Economy

* **Economic Status Levels**:
	+ *Dershet*: Depressed (Non-Trading)
* **Specialty Trade Goods Purchased**:
	+ None
* **Specialty Trade Goods Sold**:
	+ None

## Supplemental Information

Not much is known about the personality of a Dershetche; much of what is known is second-hand information that comes from the Tandelou. Dershetche are a fairly amicable race, at least to other plant-like forms of life. They apparently are mildly aloof, and tend to keep to themselves most of the time. The Dershetche have a word for most animal forms of life. That word is "food". Due to their physiology, the Dershetche rarely get enough nutrition from any of the extant lifeforms on their homeworld; the only animal megafauna on their world are Wheel Snakes, which don't provide a good deal of nutrition. They therefore attack any other animal lifeform on sight, regardless of its size or intelligence. The Dershetche do possess a moderate level of intelligence, having reached an industrial level of development without outside assistance. Of the three races uplifted by the G'Nunk, they were the only ones with the wherewithal to utilize the technologies given to them as intended.

Dershetche don't generally stray too far from where they were born. When they do, its usually because the animal food supply has become too scarce, or to find a better spot to spread seeds. Some Dershetche are known to keep a constant vigil for landing starships, to see just who is daring enough to visit their world. The ones that have left their world for the blackness of space do so due to the increased food supply; while they usually have every intention of bringing back food for other members of their race, it's rare that a delicious, sentient morsel makes it all the way back to Dershet...

## Importance

The Dershetche act as a navigational hazard in the Delta Sector, and has the same basic function as the Klaptur in the Beta Sector (give them a good or they attack). They also are part of the G'Nunk-oriented quest for the Leghkian Sun Bomb, one of the mission-critical artifacts. The player will be required to engage a large Dershetche fleet in order to acquire a Titanium Honor Marker, from the debris of one of their ships. The Dershetche homeworld is also the resting place of the Most Valuable Thing, one of the Arming Keys for the bomb. Taking and using it will lead to negative consequences with the Tandelou, even if the player can survive the visit to the Dershetche homeworld.

## Communication Text

This final "stat" is a listing of phrases a species will use in communications with the player. For more details on this system, see the discussion on Communication Mechanics, Interface and Engine. In addition to communications phrases, this section should include the species reactions to various communications postures, as well as their "threshhold values" (again, see the Communication Engine discussion for details).

*As a non-starfaring race in SF2, the Ch-Q-Tss-T have no pre-existing comm text. New text will need to be generated for SF3.*

In the SFRPG Playtest campaign, Dershetche were portrayed as speaking somewhat broken english, sans pronouns, addressing the player as "food":

"This is Dershetche Captain (Name) to unidentified FOOD. Leave other FOOD ship to Dershetche, Dershetche let leave in peace. Otherwise, become snack."

Might follow this if I end up writing their text.

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