Tauper

The Tauper are a bipedal race of incredibly intelligent humanoids home to the planet Vendis in Cluster 2. Known for their unique tentacles and hibernative capabilities, the Tauper are presumably the only sentient race to occupy their cluster.

The Horizons Initiative encountered their first Tauperians on the planet A1-B3 when they stumbled across a research team stuck in hibernation for the last few centuries. It is unknown how long they were truly unconscious, so the information they have provided about their species is both out-of-date and woefully lacking. The team seems to have lost recollection of a lot of their pasts during their time away, and combined with spotty translations, there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the Tauperian culture and history.

## Biology

Tauper are a species of tall, amphibious humanoids whose skin span a vast array of colors, including green, pink, blue, purple, and red. Their most distinctive feature are the pair of prehensile tentacles that sprout from the base of their skulls, known as napa. Although Tauperians usually have two napa, it is not uncommon to see some with several more. While Napa serve no biological function on land, they help Tauperians swim when underwater.

Tauper are capable of entering a special hibernative state for centuries at a time, as seen by the science team on A1-B3, that leaves them entirely vulnerable, yet dependent on an external stimulus to awaken them. During hibernation, the individual’s mental and metabolic processes are slow, but they are capable of experiencing intense dreams that seem quite real. It is not recommended to spend more than a few years meditating due to losing grasp on reality.

The species has two sexes, male and female, though males are far more genetically rare. Women are born roughly ten times more frequently than their male counterparts. It is unknown why the Tauper developed this evolutionary adaptation, but as a result, men are born incredibly fertile and are expected culturally to breed with multiple mates. Even in light of this phenomenon, most women are still not expected to find a mate or have children. Due to overpopulation and crowding, some modern Tauper have written off breeding entirely and instead find one partner for life, similar to marriage for most Milky Way species.

Tauper breed entirely uniquely to anything encountered before in the Milky Way. While females are responsible with carrying and birthing live young like Humans, children only take about five months to mature, and procreation is far more unique. Procreation involves the female partner entering their meditative state while the male extends a special muscle from the underside of the pelvic area into the female’s posterior for several hours. It is unknown what kind of process is going on during that period due to poor translation, but it supposedly leaves the female pregnant.

Under normal circumstances, they seem to have a higher body temperature than other humanoid species, average a little over six feet for both sexes, and live incredibly long lives due to their meditative capabilities. Without meditation, the average Tauper is expected to live roughly 70 to 80 years.

## History

Little is known about Tauper history outside of their activity in Cluster 1. According to Caoimhe, the Tauper left their home cluster searching for the source of the interference the Horizons Initiative has struggled with since arriving. However, they were suddenly attacked a few centuries ago not long after arriving, leaving the science team stranded.

With the science team undisturbed, it is quite clear the Tauper discontinued their efforts in light of this ominous threat.

## Culture

Judging by the science team’s behavior, the Tauper seem quite reserved about their emotions, but quite open about their bodies and sexuality. This seems to stem from their society’s extreme emphasis on technology, leading to a largely introverted yet still passionate culture.

The older a Tauperian gets, supposedly the more open emotionally they become. Their society holds a strong emphasis on the intelligence and wisdom of their elders and those who have spent prolonged periods in meditation. Vendis’s leading scientists are said to have become so intelligent through an intense, yet focused hibernative experience that lasts just under three decades. If the individual’s mind is capable of enduring the process, he or she often walks away enlightened and with a new understanding of the topic they focused on.

Their amphibious nature has also helped shape society and create incredibly varied lifestyles depending on where Tauperians live. If they decide to live in one of their many underwater colonies, everything from transportation to the types of work available differ from those living on one of their terrestrial colonies, which are far more numerous.

## Government

According to Caoimhe’s team, the Tauper are governed by a council of their empire’s leading scientists in an effort to ensure constant technological progress. Their empire lacks the political meddling that the United Nations often struggled with back in the Milky Way, if their memories are correct.

## Military

The Tauper seem to solely employ drones and other mechanized infantry against one another instead of firearms or other lethal means. How they function or are organized seems to be entirely lost in translation, though they seem to be potentially controlled by some kind of artificial intelligence if Prometheus’s interpretation is to be believed.

The machines largely serve as a deterrent above all else as the Tauper have not seen a proper war in nearly two millennia. Crime is nearly nonexistent as their semi-socialist state does a fantastic job curating to citizens’ needs.