Vaikan

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The Vaikan are an intelligent humanoid species from Ucharpli, a planet that orbits the F class star Szon located in the Twin Hearts Nebula.

Physiology

Vaikan are small, scrawny humanoids with large, long ears and large eyes. They have rows of short sharp teeth in their mouth. Vaikan have four fingers including an opposable thumb as well as three toes. From their fingers, they can discharge jolts of electricity.

Having to adapt to the heavy radiation from their star, they evolved to have skin that varies in shades of blue. Not only can they survive this radiation, but they also metabolize it using special cells in their skin. Their large ears primarily fulfill this function. Their ability to photosynthesize reduces their overall caloric needs which allowed them to adapt to their original desert environment.

Vision

Vaikan have binocular eyes that allow for depth perception and stereoscopic vision; eye color often varies between blue, purple, orange and red. Both eyes are large and oval-shaped, being taller than they are wide and also blinking vertically. Although they lack trichromatic vision, they can see deeply into the ultraviolet spectrum. As such, they perceive their surroundings in shades of blue and purple with amounts of vibrance and brightness denoting subtle color transitions.

Cognitive

Vaikan, as well as other species native to Ucharpli, have a unique brain chemistry with their own set of hormones. Because of this different chemistry, adrenaline from an outside source can induce powerful hallucinatory effects. For much of Vaikan history, adrenaline was considered an illicit drug.

Electricity

Vaikan have the ability to discharge electricity from their fingertips. Running down from their brain to their arms is a series of electrical cells. Upon activation via a brain signal, a reversal of charges occurs in the air. This shock can send enough volts upon the target to stun them for a few moments. An organ dedicated to holding electrical charges exists near their two hearts and sternum which can be charged through a combination of both caloric intake and periods of sleep.

This stunning mechanism was an evolutionary leftover from their more primitive ancestors who used electric shocks to ward off their enemies. When Vaikan evolved to become predatory creatures, they learned how to use their electrical abilities in conjunction with weapons such as copper spears.

Digestion

Vaikan metabolize most often from their ability to absorb UV radiation. However, in order to survive cave environments as well as Ucharpli's lengthy periods of nighttime, they needed to directly be able to ingest food as well. Thus, their teeth are designed to be able to extract liquids from their meals, but they are capable of swallowing solid food as well. As they lack a direct equivalent to a stomach, their esophagus connects straight to their small intestine which is then processed throughout the rest of the digestive system. The small intestine is particularly elastic and can expand, unravel or otherwise rearrange itself to hold extra food if it becomes necessary. Once enough nutrients have been extracted, uric acid is excreted as a means of conserving water and removing toxins from the body.

Maturity cycle

Vaikan naturally live to approximately 150 standard years. Although Vaikan possess object permanence upon hatching, they have an otherwise fairly slow aging process when it comes to cognitive development. They do not gain the ability to self-recognize until age ten. Additionally, they do not reach sexual maturity until age thirty. Despite these setbacks, once their brains fully mature, they gain better control over their emotions and become more adept at solving mathematical and logical problems.

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