Skelow

The Skelow are a humanoid species from Skelow Space, and they are the founding race of the Skelow Trade Federation, which spans four sectors between the Machine Sector and the Karabari Sector, in addition to two additional sectors known as the STF Frontier. For the Skelow, ethics, philosophy, and economics are one and the same, and the necessity of fairness and mutual satisfaction in trade--called "hatat"--is a spiritual, emotional and ethical imperative, equated to the highest possible good. It is no mistake that the Skelow common word for a good thing, "belmos," has the same word root as the word for money, "belgrim," which is a facilitator of that greatest good, which to the Skelow is the trade of goods and ideas.

The Skelow are not heartless capitalists, greedy opportunists, or scheming penny-pinchers. In many ways, the Skelow Trade Federation is more liberal-minded, compassionate, and tolerant of difference than either Earth or Tau Ceti. They have now included many other species under the Federation umbrella, where they trade freely and look out mutually for one another's interests; some of these species, like the Abni-S'zaelyn, have interbred with the Skelow.

Skelow are virtually indistinguishable from humans and are among the most similar species to humanity who have been contacted to date. They have the same variation of skin, hair, and body types due to the similarity of their home planet, Kalur, to Earth. Their overall population is far larger than that of humanity and they are several centuries ahead in terms of culture, governmental sophistication, and technological advancement. Their society is governed by the concept of hatat and reciprocation, and they are less prone to chemical and habitual addiction than human beings. It is unknown what psychological or hormonal changes account for the differences between the two species, though humans and Skelow are capable of interbreeding.

The Skelow are a gregarious species--even more so than human beings--and less violent and protective. They are aggressive traders, with keen eyes for value, and extremely fond of competition, pursuing profit and advantage with good will and great energy, They regard the trade of goods, services, ideas, and information among themselves and with other species as an almost religious imperative, an unqualified good. Though they are curious, they are not as curious as the Cetians and Tardek. They can be conservative, uncurious, and even arrogant, though they come by their arrogance honestly, given their creation and ongoing maintenance of the STF. Their gregariousness means that, like humans, the Skelow have interbred with other humanoid species with which they've come into contact, including the Abni-S'zaelyn, Kimbelites, and humanity. It is unknown if all the children of these cross-species matches are fertile without intervention.

Skelow can be most easily distinguished from humans and other humanoids by their use of nanite facial tattoos, which vary wildly and denote a great deal of information, such as profession, guild, family, and mastery levels. They do not have the red hair mutation, but they do have a mutation in their population which renders some shades of black hair an iridescent blue, as well as a wide array of browns, blonds, and silvery platinums.