Srinti

The Srinti are a species of hydrogen breathers living within Ardustaar.

=Physiology= Srinti are slightly smaller than average humans, both in build and height. They are significantly heavier though, being of more compact structure to withstand their prefered environment - gas giants, with an abundance of hydrogen (which they breath in) and traces of methane and ammonia (which they breath out). Most such worlds have a gravity of 2.0 to 2.5 g, temperature ranges in excess of 100°C, and extreme atmospheric pressure values. They are both resilient and strong - strong enough to compete with some Kartanin, a surprising fact for most beings meeting them. Their resilience and strength are offset by a major weakness however: oxygen is completely toxic to them, and even brief exposure can disorient or even incapacitate them. Oxygen exposure can kill a Srinti within one or two minutes. Due to this, Srinti wear environmental suits when working outside their ships and worlds. These double as space and combat suits, a technology they have become very adapt at. Their general appearance - if seen without those suits - is roughly humanoid, with pale skin and eyes, black hair and three-fingered hands.

Their genetic markup bears basic resemblance to baseline humans, with traces of heavy genetic modification, to the point where the Srinti believe they had been normal humans a long time ago. Their language - a difficult dialect of Basic - would support that theory.

=Culture= The Srinti have no common government, and are neither official member of the Kartanin Dominion nor the Leeran Alliance. They simply live by whatever law their stellar environment happens to apply where contact becomes necessary. Among each other, they live in individual clans, which might number from as few as 20 individuals up to several hundreds or even thousands, usually onboard one or multiple "starships", though some prefer to call them hyperspace-capable stations. They usually drift through gas giant atmospheres, filtering out useful resources, assisted by a number of skiffs, and sometimes supplemented by groundside stripmining. Sometimes, they travelled to other worlds to seek out "greener pastures". Occasionally a growing clan might split in two or more parts, each with their own ship, and eventually separate, though this happened rarely. Their ships are habitat, factories and refineries at once, though sometimes tasks may be split between different vessels. They are constantly modified, enlarged and improved, which leads to vastly different individual vessels, all handcrafted with no specific ship models.

Some Srinti temporarily offer their expertise to other species (see below). A few of them even serve as part of the Kartanin Warfleet or the Leeran Navy for multiple decades before returning home.

=History= Their origins are mostly shrouded in mystery. Approximately two millenia ago, they arrived in Ardustaar with a ragtag fleet, fleeing from a today unknown enemy. They had occasional and brief hostilities with ships from the Kartanin Empire, but since they kept travelling to avoid them and there was hardly a resource competition - since the Srinti prefered gas giant environments - contact was sparse, and the Kartanin were usually too busy with other matters to pay much attention to a band of refugees. At some point a group of Srinti started regular trade with a number of leeran colonies, and in 500 BBY a Srinti vessel rescued the kartanin high lord of House D'hios, whose ship was heavily damaged and had started an uncontrolled descent into a gas giant's atmosphere. After that incident, relations strengthened, first between House D'hios and a small selection of Srinti clans, and later between various members of their species. The Srinti still prefer their own company, but are far less reclusive than in earlier days. There are simply very few common interests, and most meetings deal with an exchange of needed goods.

=Technology= The Srinti are excellent starship engineers, and their ships are built for centuries. Their experience with high pressure environments and unique ship conglomerates makes them very desireable technicians, and occasionally single or groups of Srinti hire out their services for some time, and then return to improve their own craft with technology and ideas they have acquired from other species. Their rarity - the total number of Srinti within Ardustaar is estimated below five millions, and those hiring out even lower - means they can often charge steep compensation for their services.

=Behind the scenes= The Srinti physiology is partly inspired by the Maahk species from Perry Rhodan. The pictures used are from the Quarian species from Mass Effect.