Omni

Omni
General information
Status	Presumed extinct
Native to	Kollha
Biology
Diet	Omnivorous
Limbs	2
Intelligence	Sapient
Symmetry	Bilateral
Lifespan	400 years
Miscellaneous
Description	Aquatic amphiboid

The Omni are an intelligent humanoid species believed to have gone extinct long before the rise of the First Galactic Senate. Native to the long-destroyed planet Kollha in the Algus system, Omni were tall amphibious humanoids that lived both in the water and on land.

Appearance

Omni were tall amphibious humanoids that often grew tentacle-like tendrils for beards. They were bipedal with three opposable cartilage fingers and a long, flexible spike protruding from their head. The head spike serves as a channel for detecting changes in atmospheric pressure.

Physiology

Omni lived both in the water and on land as the gravitational pull of their homeworld's moons made it so that there are no regions where permanent dry land exists. With the ability to predict the weather based on subtle gravitational pulls and atmospheric pressure, the Omni adapted to a lifestyle based on phases of the moons which governed both their sleep and migration cycles.

As both a means of communication and a primal leftover from an earlier evolutionary state, Omni can change the colors and patterns of their own skin at will. Supplementing their ability to speak, the Omni's skin changing ability is crucial to their own language, allowing them to convey concepts not possible with audio alone.

Being aquatic creatures, an Omni's eyes are adept to vision underwater, having two sets of eyelids. The double eyelids keep their eyes clean from dust both underwater and on land.

Omni also have quad-strand DNA as well as a dextro-amino acid diet.

Reproduction

Omni reproduce through external fertilization with the ability to create as many as 500 eggs in one sitting. Such eggs must be kept in an aquatic area to develop properly. To overcome the threat of overpopulation, Omni have three genders - the third serving as a catalyst for the male and female.

Cognitive

The lobes which process information obtained from the cartilaginous extension on their heads allows them to predict and respond to weather as naturally as breathing. Such subtle changes allow them to be alerted of hypercanes days before they arrive at their present location. Having become so attuned to these subtle atmospheric variations, the Omni were greatly influenced by the weather when developing their technology inventing machines that could pacify hypercanes generations before creating propulsion rockets.

Some scientists speculate that their form of reproduction played a critical role in the evolution of Omni psychology. As opposed to individuality, the Omni placed more importance on the survival of their entire species, working collectively to solve problems with little concern over individual well-being. An Omni is next to useless when alone as they are generally incapable of thinking for themselves. However, when working together, they rely heavily on non-verbal cues to solve problems, growing more intelligent when in large groups. It is not yet known how exactly Omni do this, but the behavior is comparable to pack animals and social insects.

Autopathy

Despite being social creatures, some have found evidence that Omni possessed unique personalities, but because over 98% of the Omni were indoctrinated by LUCIS, very little archaeological evidence of these unique personalities remains. Autopath was the term used to describe the unique personalities, and Omni scientists classified it as a genetic disease although there were no known associated health effects. Autopaths have a complete sense of freedom and individuality that also makes them great at lateral thinking and problem solving. However, because Omni by nature were supposed to solve problems collectively, autopaths tend to be uncooperative in the established caste system; they lack the ability to understand many of the social cues that are present in the majority of the population. Because of this, autopaths were either exiled or put through gene therapy to "cure" their disease.

Notably, the ruler of the Omni Empire, Emperor Haraxa, was an autopath himself.

---