Cepheids

> Only once in Galactic history was an intelligent race of non-humans discovered.
>
> Ligurn Vier alludes to the Cepheids in *Essays on History*

The **Cepheids** were a sapient race of semi-humanoid beings which evolved on an unnamed desert world and were briefly relocated to a planet in the Cepheus 18 star system by the Galactic Empire.

## Biology

Cepheids were relatively short bipeds and notable for their retractable proboscis, which they used for drinking. Their skin was wrinkled and brick-red in coloration, although it swelled and lost the wrinkles when they drank enough water, since the excess was stored under their skin. They ad small black eyes and lipless mouths.

The Cepheids communicated by telepathy, although the physical mechanisms that allowed them to do so remained unknown. Their preferred environment was dry and hot. Even temperatures of 120 Fahrenheit (circa 48 Celsius) were considered cold by them. They could go over a week without drinking. Like humans, however, they required sleep. Their diet was completely herbivorous.

## Culture and society

Cepheid science developed in completely different ways compared to that of humans. Their medical, biological and psychological sciences advanced considerably, while their physical sciences remained stagnant. They could produce pills which heal broken bones in fifteen minutes, although, due to physiological differences, none of their medicines would have any beneficial effect in humans.

Cepheids were naturally peaceful creatures, and it was remarked that they had no criminals and no misfits in their society.

## History

In 975 GE, the Cepheids were removed from their dying planet and transferred to the much more pleasant Cepheus-18 (hence their name). The planet was a combination of zoo, laboratory, and reservation for the creatures. The scientists that study the Cepheids differed on whether to treat them as sentient beings or as animals, but agreed that the aliens were in danger of extinction as they had ceased to reproduce. While the administrator already suspected that this was due to a certain ennui, the Cepheids' leader later admitted personally that while their race would likely have soon died out on its dangerous home world as their science only covered their biological needs; they had nothing to live for in a galaxy completely ruled by humans who provided for all their physical needs, and they were prohibited from leaving the Empire.

The civilian supervisor, a career administrator, attempted to help the creatures using his thorough knowledge of the Imperial bureaucracy. By carefully orchestrating a leak of a report that he encouraged a subordinate to make, he caused the bureaucracy to make the reproduction problem a priority. Then, he arranged for the Cepheids to receive pilot training under the guise of providing them with a challenge, and finally by using a crude form of telepathy during an interview with their leader, he hitned to the leader to express interest in a bulky object so that he could manipulate the bureaucracy into arranging for a fleet of hundreds of spaceships to deliver a large quantity of these to the Cepheids. His plan worked and the Cepheids commandeered the ships leaving the humans off guard without any nearby ships with which to mount a pursuit, and they left for the Magellanic Clouds to find a new world of their own. The supervisor protected himself from any blame for the escape by his ingenious bureaucratic maneuvers, and was placed on leave pending reassignment.

In 11867 GE, the only extragalactic human colony was abandoned in the Greater Magellanic Cloud, after coming into contact with the Cepheids once again, but all data was suppressed. Later, in 499 FE, Golan Trevize correctly suggested the Cloud as a location for alien life.

## Appearances

* "Blind Alley"
* *Foundation and Chaos*