Orcinus

Name:  Orcinus

Homeworld:  Mokupuni

Notes:  Long ago in the distant past, when the ocean dwelling Delphine and Sar had issues tolerating each other, long before either decided to align themselves with members of other species, they started an isolated colony with members of both species present as an attempt to smooth relations between each other, naming the world Mokupuni.  Unfortunately, not long after the colony was established, the Alzamatii began one of their periodic wars of expansion and everyone forgot about the colony.

Left on their own, the population was getting by on the planet.  However, unknown when they established the colony, a rogue radiation cloud passed through the system and the planet in particular.  Unprepared for this, birthrates of both Sar and Delphine populations dropped heavily.  Rendered almost sterile, the two species were dying off on Mokupuni until a Anunnaki patrol stumbled upon the world.

Interested in the aquatic capabilities of Sar and Delphine, the Anunnaki combined the genetics of both in their laboratories to generate the first Orcinus.  The natural resistance to the unique radiation of their homeworld was built in as the Anunnaki wanted to let the population grow so they could keep coming back to Mokupuni to stock up on slave workers as needed.

With the decline of the Anunnaki, their empire pretty much collapsing, the Orcinus of Mokupuni were left to their own devices.  Though space travel was lost to them, the Orcinus who remained on their homeworld lived in peace and learned to enjoy life.

As a combination of the cetacean Delphine and shark like Sar, Orcinus naturally split into two separate sub-species.  The majority of the population have most in common with their Delphine genetics, but a minority percent in the population display a heavier influence of their Sar ancestry.  This sub-population are easily distinguished by their vertical, thresher like tail fluke, a small fin on each forearm, and a pair of large head-fins that, from a distance, could be mistaken for ears.

Due to the heavy tectonic stress the world is under from the gravitational influence of its moons, the land on Mokupuni is fragmented into many small land masses roughly evenly scattered around the surface, thus giving the Orcinus the large amounts of open ocean they require.  This also means Mokupuni is heavy on beachfront property.  As Orcinus are an air breathing species, this means they developed a culture that had similarities to that of Terra's ancient Hawaiians.

It was a forgotten ancient crashed ship on the far side of one of Mokupuni's moons transmitting a fading distress signal, one the Anunnaki had just ignored, that attracted the Etherlion Federation scouts who made first contact to the world.

However, not all Orcinus were on Mokupuni when the Anunnaki empire collapsed.  Scattered across the remains of the territory they once held, Orcinus and others were isolated as, mostly, they were freed from their enslavement.  However, it took the actions of the Kami and Akuryou to bring together a sizable percentage of these liberated Orcinus who were with them when they arrived in Terran Imperial Loyalist space looking for a new home.