Teuthos

Name:  Teuthos

Notes:  A land dwelling cephalopod-like species, the Teuthos are an enigma wrapped in a mystery.  Propped up on six powerful tentacle like limbs, though this species is biologically optimized for a lower gravity environment, the Teuthos are more than capable of living comfortably in Terra standard gravity.  In addition, they have two manipulator tendrils/tentacles that, after an initial split into three parts, keeps dividing into finer and finer sections until it reaches a point where it is impossible to see any further with the naked eye, but these manipulators remain strong enough to crush metal I-beams used in construction.

First encountered on a remote island on Ka'Tula Prime by the Terran Imperial Loyalists, the Teuthos had set up a colony on this previously uninhabited island.  The first of the Teuthos were found by Loyalist cartographers, charting the island for official record purposes, among the trees of the island's interior.  They were using their immense strength to prune and harvest trees to make room for growing crops as well as lumber to use in construction.

Though both sides were surprised by the encounter with the other, the Teuthos intentionally decided to ignore their visitors as they were judged non-hostile.  Even when scientists and other experts were dispatched to intentionally study and try to communicate with them, the Teuthos appeared to pay them no heed, in spite of also critically studying them right back.

As a species, the Teuthos primarily communicate using chromatophores and bioluminescence.  However, they are powerful touch telepaths, in part due to the finest of the fine 'hairs' on the end of their manipulators slipping into another being's skin and linking directly to their nervous system, but they consider this a very private experience due to how intimate the contact between minds is.  It wasn't until an accident resulted in Teuthos having to save a number of the Loyalist specialists caused the required physical contact.

Recognizing the emotional discomfort telepathic caused the Teuthos, the Loyalist experts, now with an understanding of the standard communication methods of these strong but gentle giants, began construction of hardware to allow translation.  Though the going was slow, aided by limited telepathic contact with those Teuthos willing to endure it, it wasn't long before a basic system was developed.  Though it has a long way to go before perfection, it provides a basic means of communication.

Inspired by this success, under the watchful eye of Loyalist engineers, a mechanically inclined Teuthos used Loyalist hardware to craft a wearable personal translator.  Though the Loyalists have yet to figure out the principles on how it works, it is a replicable piece of hardware that allows for communication with any Teuthos in an environment not able to be set-up with the complicated hardware needed for the other method.  Though capable of being used separately, this Teuthos design was intentionally designed to work in conjunction with the Loyalist model.

Though a land dwelling species, the Teuthos enjoy floating in the lagoon waters they built their settlement around on the island.  Though the reasons behind this are complicated, and they'll neither confirm nor deny it, the Loyalists suspect the Teuthos use it as a method to counter the stress caused by the higher gravitational pull than they evolved with.