Vexori

Name: Vexori (Nitensgekko Astrum)

Also known as: Vexes, Gecks, Lizards, Shieldkin, Metal Roaches, Kaupkshee

Lifespan: 330 Cycles

Diet: Omnivores

Homeworld: Harav Rak

The most advanced race within the known universe, vexori are (typically) bipedal digitigrade creatures standing at 3'4 feet tall. Born onto a tidally-locked planet, they have long suffered from overpopulation issues due to the lack of habitable space and as result have mechanized their bodies to be able to survive harsher environments.

These bodies, called 'shells', remain despite immigration efforts significantly improving the issues on their homeworld. Because of the issues, their culture is largely singular and consistent across the whole planet, with small pockets of communities developing their own cultures.

Biology

Anatomy

At birth, vexori are raptorial in stance, with long arms tucked into their chest, short frail legs, and a long neck and tail. Their skin is loose and scaled, with horns on their head and neck. Colors range from black, brown, to muted oranges and reds. 'Unshelled' vexori have a myriad of health issues as they grow up, ranging from weakened scales, overgrown horns, back and neck problems, broken leg bones, etc. Such issues are what most vexori point to when questioned about why they continue to undergo the shelling process, although how much of it is true or propaganda is unclear.

Once shelled with a typical model (known as a modern model), they assume a fully upright stance, retaining their long necks, tails, and sometimes their horns if they wish. While moving it's common for a vexori to drop to all fours (especially while running), but its a choice up to preference. Their vision is removed entirely, replaced with various sensors that reconstruct the environment around them to see. Any eyes on a vexori's shell are there entirely for show.

The shell usually comes in a single dark hue (most commonly black), while the gaps in between are a soft, jelly-like material that glows. Their hands have two clawed fingers, with a large talon on their thumb widely used for cutting, while their feet have four toes, with the hallux placed on the back of the foot. Their tails are segmented and end in the jelly-like material, along with the symbols on their chests- both added to their bodies for aesthetic purposes.

On the back of a shell is a port where the vexori can attach cords for various purposes. The two most common reasons are to sleep and recharge the shell, or to feed themselves- shells with working and functional mouths are rare and often an extravagant addition by the rich. vexori require both electricity and food to survive, as the inside of a shell still contains tissue and organs.

Vexori are hermaphrodites, with no visible dimorphism. During reproduction, both carry and eventually lay a combined total of two dozen eggs, of which only two or three will actually hatch. Naturally, a vexori would carry eggs on their underside, but a shell's anatomy is different enough to no longer allow this. Instead, shells sometimes come with egg carriers for this purpose to properly incubate the eggs within the shell, or worn pouches can be purchased instead for much cheaper.

Variation

While the modern model is the most common shell chosen, vexori may choose to add drastic modifications for a number of reasons. A doctor may choose to have modifications to do surgery better, a manual worker may want a larger and physically stronger shell, or someone may choose to change simply as an extravagant display of wealth. The bigger the deviation from a modern model, the higher the cost and the risk of complications.

Culture

Language

Vexori have two languages, one using hand and light gestures known as talons-speak, and the universal common speak.

When shelling became a dominant practice, the biggest issue became communication- the shells were originally not equipped with voice capabilities. Shells could link to one another to allow for text communication, but many found it difficult, unnatural, or uncanny using this system. The use of hand gestures and lights grew in popularity until certain gestures were widely known, and the language cemented itself as common practice.

Once models were updated with proper speaking capabilities, first contact with the whokik species had already been made, and a common language between the two was just starting to be worked on. It was decided that the vexori would shift their official spoken language to the new common speak- many vexori had never learned their original spoken language (now known as shelless speak, and heavily stigmatized), and it was advertised as a way to embrace new races and erudite species into their culture easier.

Gender

Born as hermaphrodites and pressured into undergoing the shelling process, vexori have no real concept of gender and typically find the idea of gender (and gender identity) confusing. Outside of their species the vexori have learned its best to just ask for an individuals gender and trust them on the response, but within their culture it is assumed that an individual will not identify as anything. Those that do have a gender identity are treated with curiosity at best- at worst, hostility or aggression.

Cities

Due to self-preservation forcing a collective effort to combat their dwindling space, their culture has been effectively compressed and forced equally across their planet. Thus, 'cities' isn't an accurate description- their homeworld is almost entirely a single city, with buildings built upon buildings in attempts to house every vexori. The center strip of the city is the worst offender of this, with buildings becoming more spacious and modern at the edge thanks to their shells allowing living and construction to be possible in the colder/hotter environments.

Within the city is small pockets of unshelled districts, where those who refuse to undergo the shelling process live. Culturally, deshelled individuals are seen as, ironically, unnatural or something to be hidden away. They are walled off from the rest of the city and are largely self-governed as result, although without any support from the city outside their walls. When issues on this treatment are brought up, it's almost always countered with "they can undergo the process at any time"- to many vexori, their suffering is self-inflicted.

Government and Currency

Vexori value intelligence and scientific discovery highly, and are by and large a technocracy, prioritizing knowledge and expertise. Publicly, at least. Behind closed doors, its known that most government officials either stole the work of someone else to gain their position, or had one breakthrough that singlehandedly rocketed their career. Those who truly worked to achieve their positions are hard to find, but can be even more stuck up or pretentious than their lying counterparts.

Currency and living is reflected by this system, where one's worth is decided by their profession and contributions to society. Housing and basic needs are provided by the government, their quality based on occupation and performance reports, as well as a personal spending salary provided by their work. Naturally, this has led to those with jobs less scientific or intelligence-based receiving less. Namely, manual labor is considered the lowest job one could take, and those working physically struggle financially to survive.

Psychological Issues

Vexori, especially those old enough to remember the overpopulation at the height of its severity, or who grew up in their homeworld, often display signs of kenophobia (fear of open spaces) and anxiety. Most feel like they must be doing something at all times, and struggle when not provided with concrete plans or schedules that they can follow. A day/night cycle can also prove stressful, leading to other planets or ships providing rooms for the species to retreat to when other worlds become overwhelming- sometimes this is a requirement in certain establishments by law.

Beliefs and Expression

Death

Once a vexori reaches 300 cycles, their interior organs begin to become damaged and mental capacities degrade. While a vexori could theoretically continue living beyond this number with repairs and medical attention, a vexori is always euthanized on their 330th cycle- a decision made as the vexori decided they never wanted to reach a point where they were beyond death itself.

This event is celebrated by family and friends, and act as the funeral for the vexori (one in which they themself can participate in). The event's planning is left solely up to the family of the vexori, to avoid pressuring or stressing the passer-on. A vexori may choose to hollow out their shell or to digitalize memories as gifts to someone, before their shell is deactivated and their life support systems are turned off. Bodies and shells are usually burned or recycled, with space funerals growing in popularity but becoming a slight concern due to the off chance a ship might accidentally stumble across a vexori space graveyard.

Media

Technology plays a large part in a vexori's day to day living, with the most well known pass-time being VR technology. Fueled by stress and the need for escapism (and aided by their mechanical shells), their VR technology approaches something akin realism and is highly developed. Unfortunately, addiction to virtual worlds is common enough that permits are required to purchase and use VR technology, with some vexori entering a comatose-like state and are unable to unlink themselves from the systems without harming their interior bodies.

Outside of vexori culture, this VR technology is somewhat popular, with humanity in particular nicknaming it 'Vexori Reality'. Connecting to a biological body has proven to be a difficult problem to tackle, with only invasive or uncomfortable solutions being found.

Interactions and Diplomacy

Species Relations

As a whole, the vexori are polite and accepting of other erudite species, openly prideful as the main provider of technology and spacecraft to the other species in the known universe. Openly insulting or being rude to non-vexori is quickly reprimanded and shut down by 'upstanding citizens', and its expected that if you hear anything odd about another species, to just accept it, don't comment, and move on. It's an open secret that a vexori will simply integrate anything you tell them about your species into their belief system, and they are incredibly gullible as result.