Tajaran

**Tajaran** (*ᴛᴀʜ-jaw-run*, plural *ᴛᴀʜ-jaw-rah*) are a humanoid race possessing cat-like features. Hailing from Ahdomai, the smaller of two twin planets, they possess insulative fur and felinoid stability to better survive in their harsh native environment.

**Additional Information:** Ahdomai, Tajaran Culture

## Mechanics

* Tajaran can speak a unique language of Siik'Maas. Use this in game by typing **say ,j**

* All Tajaran have claws, and will scratch with them instead of punching, dealing extra damage.

* Tajaran can see much better in the dark than humans.

* Tajaran are less vulnerable to harm from cold due to their fur, but more vulnerable to harm from heat.

* Tajaran cannot use human gloves or shoes due to their claws and digitigrade limbs. They are only able to wear hardsuits and hardsuit helmets designed/modified for their Tajaran anatomy. They are able to wear 'softsuits' (such as non-hardsuit space suits, biosuits, and fire suits).

* Tajara can not be heads of staff.

## Overview

### Biological classification

**Cunabula:** Ahdomaris

**Kingdom :** Animalia

**Phylum  :** Chordate

**Class  :** Mammalia

**Subclass:** Eutheria

**Order  :** Primacreodonta

**Family  :** Coetidae

**Genus  :** Tajara

**Species :** T. Sapiens

### Naming

Tajaran names tend to have a lot of H,K,M and R, as well as A, I and E. They also tend to have some "pauses"; Examples: Mikam Ja'hmka, Jakrrah Akh-Harmak and Hamirka Mareikja.

### Biology

The Tajara are an omnivorous species of bipedal animals that resemble Terran felines, particularly lynxes and housecats. The size and shape of the body depend mostly on the climate. In the northern areas with more snow and colder temperature they tend to have larger paws and thicker fur, while nearer the equator they tend to have less fur and smaller paws.

Their body is almost completely covered in a thick, isolating fur, exceptions are palms of their hands and feet, their eyes and finally around their bodily orifices. Their hands are humanoid, but carry a set of claws. Their feet are feline and also have claws. Around their neck and head they normally have a mane, this mane is thicker and more wire-like.

Tajara fur colors tend to be monochrome, but they can have several colors, with the mane being darker than the rest of the fur. Tajara can have several types of patterns in their fur, ranging from stripes to spots to random color markings in their fur. This fur tends to create trouble on space stations and other hotter environments, as the tajara begin overheating slightly.

Tajara have very large, well developed eyes set above their muzzle. Their pupils are generally large. but can contract faster than most other species. Their eyes also possess a refractive layer which greatly enhances their dark vision capabilities, this causes their eyes to shine when illuminated by weak light.
Their teeth are long and sharp, the largest ones being the frontal corner teeth. Their teeth also grow thicker as they go further back.
Tajara ears are long and upright, these are capable of swiveling around to locate sounds better.

Tajara have sets of five digits per hand or foot, but they to be shorter and fatter. They have a set of retractable claws originating from a second set of knuckles. Tajara claws are always visible. The Tajara are digitigrade, this in turn forces Tajara to wear modified footwear. Due to their stubby fingers and claws they also need to wear modified gloves.

Tajara have a notably longer sleep cycle than humans, the wake period being between 36-48 hours with a subsequent sleep cycle of 20-28 hours. This pattern is often punctuated by several small naps between 5-30 minutes.

The average Tajara body is slender and highly flexible. Sexual dimorphism, except for overall size, is low between males and females. The only real exception being mammary glands, which are normally internal, but come out when the female is caring for her children. Most of their internal systems are like Terran felines, this includes their gastrological, cardiovascular and lymphatic systems. This has led many to believe that the tajara originate from somewhat the same place as Terran felines.

All medical equipment aboard NanoTrasen vessels will be compatible with Tajara biology with minimal modifications.

### Behaviour

Tajara have a strong tendency towards loyalty and cooperation from their old slavemaster regime. Younger Tajara tend to be a lot more forward and expressive than their older counterparts, this is due to travel and education becoming more accessible. Tajara that are older than fifty years old tend to be less educated. This means that there is a massive educational gap and other such things are also fairly large. Tajara have a just as wide emotional range as humans, but older ones tend to show less of it.

It is advisable for staff to make use of the loyalty and cooperation in their line of work. NanoTrasen does not openly advocate for non-human or -skrell command staff, but it is acceptable. A Tajara would have to work very hard and be extremely humble to have a shot at becoming a command member. However, a Tajara captain is not acceptable in any way.

Clothing
While a uniform is an important part of employee unity, Tajara are authorized to forgo the need for shoes and gloves, due to physical differences. Sandals, toeless boots and fingerless gloves are also acceptable alternatives. Many ear items may prove difficult, due to their elongated and erect ears. Tajara should also be excused from work that require contact with increased temperature, due to their increased susceptibility to heat.

As Ahdomai is a very cold and near arctic planet, many of the clothes include heavy cloaks and such items, these are normally split down the back to allow free tail movement. Pants and skirts are common as well, often very wide cut and puffy looking. Skirts are usually worn by females. Boots tend to be open-toed.
Layering tends to be almost universal in Tajara fashion, no matter the clan or region. Three layers, except for the underwear layer, tend to be the norm.

Tail accessories tend to be used by individuals in a relationship, though this has changed in the last fifty or so years, and tail decor is less of a taboo to be worn by anyone. It used to be a way of showing courting favors, a lesser version of a wedding ring would be a good example. They tend to be ribbons and were normally created out of a childhood garment to show that you are giving up a piece of yourself and your past. Now you can buy them in clothing stores, the more intricate ones could cost around what a diamond ring costs in a human society.

### Language

All alien races in active employment must have passed a prerequisite test of Galactic Common fluency to allow them to converse at a minimum level with other crewmembers, as required by HR due to corporate hiring standards. However, the use of their own has been shown to be used to communicate in private with others of the same species. The primary language of the Tajara is Siik’maas, the secondary and almost non-existant language is Siik’tajr.

Siik’maas is the traditionally employed tongue on Ahdomai, and it was originally enforced by the old slavemaster regime. Though it is also spoken by humans, humans struggle with several words and pronunciations being physically impossible due to the human mouth; S turns on to sh and they would speak broken, missing out on certain words. Siik’maas is completely auditory.

Siik’tajr is a formerly used informal pseudo sign language used by the lower class. It is partly auditory, but it is mostly spoken with tail movements, making it impossible for a human or any non-tailed creature to speak this language. It was seen as quite rude to speak this language in front of people/Tajara that didn’t speak Siik’tajr.

Note that Tajara extend R sounds due to their facial anatomy, and all Tajara from Ahdomai adopt the third person way of referring to themselves (Instead of “I have completed my work.” it would be “He has completed his work.”). Speaking in first person is a display of extreme trust, although due to the extreme stresses of space and other races speaking in first person around them, a Tajara can slip up occasionally.

Tajara use the Siik alphabet. The Siik alphabet is composed of a lot of jagged "letters", these letters symbolize a vowel and a consonant, two consonants or two vowels.

### Background

For hundreds of years, Ahdomai was simultaneously united and oppressed by a ruling class, referred to in the modern day by the epithet 'the Slavemasters', although in their day they went by terms that roughly translated to 'The Overseers'. The Overseers ruled with a heavy hand. Speaking when not spoken to first by an Overseer would be potentially punishable by severe beating or death. Nonetheless, their united front managed to bring an unprecedented fruition of knowledge... For the ruling class. A relatively younger civilization than humanity, under various clans of Overseers, prior to human intervention, the first world era rulers had an approximate technological basis to the late nineties, with their communications equipment on par with the late 2000s, having had ample encouragement to cement their government with unified comms. Much of the methods used by the Slavemasters are lost, as during the revolution, taking down towers and sabotaging equipment they no longer had the blueprints for was strategically key to the rebellion. Meanwhile, the average Tajaran lived on par with the early 1900s in terms of tech for the lower/middle class, with illiteracy rates incredibly high.

50 years prior to present day, a small academic exploration funded by Sol Central, unaffiliated with megacorps, discovered Ahdomai and the Tajaran. The exploration team spent five years learning the Tajaran language and culture, taking samples, with their efforts guided towards a positive reaction by the Overseers, showing them the sort of peaceful society they had attempted to cultivate, trying to have them gloss over the class disparity and poverty. Eventually, the team returned to Earth with their findings.

Soon after, multiple megacorporations took interest in Ahdomai: Much of the mineral, agricultural, and biological wealth of the planet remained untapped. "Aid" was quickly dispatched to Ahdomai in an attempt to gain the trust and cooperation of the indigenous species. Over the next ten years various megacorporations set up small laboratories and outposts to map Ahdomai out, geologically, biologically, economically.
Not long after the first laboratories had been set up, one of the intellectual revolutionaries of the oppressed majority escaped from confinement and found asylum off-planet on a NanoTrasen facility for five years. During his time in the facility, he saw how a truly collaborative effort could improve everyone's living conditions and wrote a manuscript on his ideas- "Gazing Upwards". While his original name was lost to time as he abandoned it in interests of not being targeted by Slavemasters for immediate censorship, his pen name was Harimah Ranjiira.

After his return, Ranjiira began to distribute his manuscript, and the few literate Tajaran spread it's word by mouth like wildfire- Sparking revolts across the globe. The Slavemaster response was swift, uncompromising, and harsh. Soon the rebels found themselves in a full-blown war with their masters.

The megacorporations with facilities on Ahdomai, interested in maintaining their investments and seeing a chance to profit, began to provide the two factions with monetary and military aid. The rebel forces, with their superior numbers and a technological boost from their supporters, began to overtake the Slavemaster forces. However, the final blow to the Slavemaster forces was the defection of the Hadii. The Hadii, seeing the cracks in their regime, turned coat and chose to support the rebels. While several rebel clans opposed this, the Hadii support network, records, and tactical knowledge were the final push that won the war for the rebellion.

A provisional government was propped up by the various megacorporations that supported the rebels, and over time Ahdomai gained a new governmental system. Medical corporations focused around the equatorial region, while mining and production corporations focused on land near the northern and southern areas. The largest corporate influence on Ahdomai is NanoTrasen, due to their affiliation with Ranjiira, who have supported the Hadii clan- Although they are by no means alone.

### Government

After the revolution, a new government was set up, this new government being The Confederate Commonwealth of Ahdomai (Abbreviated CCA). This government lets the clan leaders deal with their own affairs, but rather deal with things such as border disputes on Ahdomai and external affairs. The clans deal with their own mining contracts and such, but pay a certain amount of the profits to The CCA.

The Confederate Commonwealth of Ahdomai consists of three members of each of the three major ruling clans. The CCA members are selected once every two years by each of the major ruling clans.

Members of minor ruling clans may also attend CCA meetings, but only if it is specifically requested by the minor ruling clan and accepted by The CCA or if the minor ruling clan is specifically asked to attend the meeting. In these few cases, the minor ruling clan members are there to watch and only carry half a vote.

### Export and import

Ahdomai exports a large amount of ship thrusters, ship & station plating and finally land based industrial vehicles. With a minor export of nuclear fuel and refined materials. Though they also produce an excess in other materials, such as agricultural supplies and medical supplies. Though they don't export as many of such materials, as the demand is lower.

Ahdomai imports very few raw resources, but imports a reasonable amount of weaponry, spacecraft, medical supplies and the occasional supply of non-tajaran food.

Though there are very few Ahdomai based corporations, many factories and mining operations are conducted by several large corporations.

### Culture

Main article: Tajaran Culture
The arts are held highly in Tajaran culture, with music being the most prominent, a renaissance coming in the post slavemaster era. Older Tajaran are generally more accomplished in the arts while younger have turned to newly-available education.

### Ethnicities

Much like humans, Tajaran have various "sub-species", which differ in some form in physiological traits.

Main article: Hharar
Main article: Njarir'Akhan
Main article: Faaira'Nrezi
### Home Planet

Main article: Ahdomai
Tajarans hail from Ahdomai, the smaller of two twin planets. It is very cold and icy, and they possess fur for the purpose of self-heating and feline attributes for stability in their environment.

### Current day

The Tajara were recently accepted into the galactic community, but are still seen as somewhat of a cheap workforce. With the new government more and more Tajara are becoming educated, now with a large amount of scientists and engineers and with a lack of a basic workforce on Ahdomai.
Originally relying on other races for their technology, they have nowno started developing their own technology. Rural areas have become more modernized with the help of radios and large networks of computers.