Vaharran

</DynamicPageList>]]UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Physiology

External Anatomy

The Vaharrans were a humanoid type species of similar build to a Human; they were hermaphroditic and externally appeared male. On average a Vaharran stood between 1.9 meters (6 feet 3 inches) to 2.05 meters (6 feet 9 inches) and weighed between 100 kilograms (220 pounds) to 140 kilograms (309 pounds). Their bodies evolved to handle the harsh desert climate of their original and current home world.

Their most prominent feature was their cranial ridges, similar to that seen on a Klingon, made of thick, dense, and hard bone that acts as an armored plate. This cranial armor made up much of the upper half of the skull. It was segmented during infancy but became fused together into a single solid piece by adulthood. This armored bone plating extended further down the back, producing visible ridges on the back neck and along the spine. It was theorized that this armored plating was a holdover from an earlier evolutionary ancestor that used the armored craniums as a form of protection from predators by charging and headbutting them. Further the armored spinal cord made it far more difficult for Vaharrans to receive back injuries or have the spinal cord severed entirely. One further area that possessed this armored plate is the Vaharran sternum, which gave the cleft between their pectorals several pronounced ridges as well. This armor plate is believed to protect the heart, though not fully.

To protect from the harmful UV-rays and x-rays their sun produced, Vaharrans evolved to have rather thick skin. Their skin tones typically ranged from a light olive green color to a dark almost grayish green. Areas where the skin is thinner typically had a prominent reddish hue to them due to increased blood flow in those areas, the reason for this is further explained in the Internal Anatomy section of this article.

Other prominent external features included their ears, which were pointed. Their teeth have several sharp incisors due to their semi-carnivorous diet. Their eyes were fairly typical for humanoids with eye colors that ranged from green to brown and even in some rare cases a goldish yellow. Due to their prominent brow, eye color, and darker eyelids, the Vaharrans were particularly adept at seeing in incredibly bright conditions without the need of shaded lenses, however their night vision was rather poor.

The Vaharrans possessed some hair, mostly in the form of body hair. The hair started out as black then turns gray and eventually white with age.

Internal Anatomy

Vaharrans had a rather high muscle mass that gave them enhanced strength compared to that of a humanoid, their strength being about three times greater than an average human. Though they were omnivores they had to consume high amounts of protein in order to maintain their muscle mass and keep their muscles healthy. An issue that affected some elderly Vaharrans was their bodies could not process protein as efficiently and would undergo significant muscle atrophy, this could be treated with medications.

Internally, Vaharran organ systems were not particularly remarkable, resembling in both placement and composition many other humanoids across the galaxy. The only thing of note was their digestive tract is over fifty percent longer than a human’s allowing them to more efficiently break down food and absorb its nutrients into their body. However, again, owing to their increased muscle mass they still required large amounts of food in order to stay healthy and cannot go without food any longer than an average human.

Due to the very hot temperatures of their planet, the Vaharrans had multiple means to maintain their body temperature and not overheat. They possessed some sweat glands for perspiration, the largest of these is in their armpits, however they did not perspire enough to maintain body temperature. The average body temperature of a Vaharran was only slightly higher than a human’s at 37°C (99°F) and were able to handle fevers far better. The most common method for the body to expel extra heat was through several areas of thin skin with increased blood flow. These areas included the ears, nose, tongue, feet, hands, and groin. These areas could be identified by their reddish hue. Due to their bodies having evolved to exist comfortably in high heat environments, Vaharrans were not able to adapt to other climates. The average temperature that most humans found comfortable, 21°C (70°F) , would feel a bit cold to the Vaharrans who were far more used to a comfortable temperature of 40.5°C (105°F). Not being able to adapt or acclimatize to large colder temperature changes meant that Vaharrans required extra protection in colder environments. A world like Andoria or Efros-Delta would be extremely deadly for a Vaharran even with warm clothing, they would require special arctic exploration protection.

Vaharrans had an increased natural lifespan over that of an average humanoid. Typically they would live on average approximately 200 years. It was not exactly known why they live this long, lacking other sentient species to compare to until recently. Research has been done to determine the cause of the increased lifespan and possible ways using the new technologies and medicines they had acquired from Federation, Klingons, and Romulans to perhaps increase it further; but it was in its infancy and required rebuilding a lot of the knowledge that had been lost with the destruction of their planet and the three centuries traversing space.

Reproduction

The Vaharrans were hermaphroditic species, possessing both male and female genitalia.

The Vaharran penis and testicles were of similar shape to an average humanoid, the main difference being that the skin was a bit thicker like the rest of the body and the foreskin more pronounced in order to protect the sensitive and lighter glans from the harsh sun. Further the glans of the penis were pointed and had a ribbed texture to aide in stimulation. The average length of a Vaharran penis was between 20.3 centimeters (8 inches) to 25.4 centimeters (10 inches) and were between 5 centimeters (2 inches) to 7 centimeters (3 inches) in width. Their testicles were also made of slightly thicker skin and extended lower than an average humanoid due to the heat of their environment. When stimulated the penis would become fully erect and the foreskin retracted to reveal the sensitive glands. The skin of the penis is not highly sensitive but glands themselves contained a greater than average amount of nerve endings and was the primary area of stimulation in order to achieve a penile orgasm.

The Vaharran vagina was located directly behind the testicles and like the penis had a similar shape and characteristics to the female genitalia of other humanoids. Also like the penis the skin around the vulva was thicker to protect it from the sun’s rays. The length and width of the vaginal canal was similar in comparison to the length and width of the Vaharran’s penis. Also similar to the penis the exterior skin around the opening of the vagina was not very sensitive but the interior was and could be stimulated to achieve an orgasm.

Vaharran reproduction itself, despite their hermaphroditic physiology, was fairly straightforward and similar to other mammalian humanoids. Utilizing Vaharran terminology, the act of course required two partners, one referred to as the provider and the other the receiver. When the receiver has started to ovulate the provider was able to insert his penis into the receiver’s vagina for sexual intercourse. Once the provider had been stimulated to orgasm he will ejaculate into the receiver’s vagina to fertilize an egg. Vaharrans produced large deposits of semen far above that of a typical human but their actual sperm count was slightly less than that of an average human. Once the egg has been fertilized it will take just over ten months for the fetus to come to full term and the receiver could give birth.

A Vaharran did have the possibility to impregnate themselves, but the chances of success were less than 1%. Further the odds of a child being able to survive to adulthood from such an insemination were approximately 8%. If such a child reached adulthood they would have extremely poor health and a lifespan potentially 60% shorter than an average Vaharran. Such practices of self-impregnation were considered repugnant to nearly all Vaharrans, viewed worse than inbreeding.

Psychology

Vaharrans were communal by nature and lived in large tight knit social groups. Friends were lifelong and families highly devoted to one another. The death of a friend or family member was keenly felt by a Vaharran and their communities at large. Most Vaharrans used their spirituality to temper the pain of loss as they believed in the passing of one soul from the material world to the spiritual world upon death.

These tight knit communities and social groups did have drawbacks in that it spurred factionalism and destructive competition among groups. This has left a violent legacy on the Vaharran past that perhaps rivaled even Humans and Romulans for the destructive wars that took place on their home world. Unlike humans though, the Vaharrans only just managed to escape a full blown nuclear apocalypse but not before nearly half a million people were killed in a preemptive strike on the city of Saratios. Since the destruction of their home world though Vaharrans have embraced the view of the species as one large community; and while factionalism and competition still remained the interests of the now endangered species has brought on unity.

Vaharrans also had a high degree of ingenuity which served them well during the exodus from their destroyed home world and the establishment of their new one. This allowed them to be quite resourceful in maintaining their key ships and equipment for the nearly three hundred year journey through space. It also aided in their ability to adapt the new technology they had acquired from the various new aliens they had encountered after first contact, getting it to work with their own more primitive tech.

Due to their communal nature, Vaharrans have also found themselves to be suspicious of alien outsiders. Not to the extent that they are outright hostile to them but they do keep their guard up whenever they have encountered aliens or have allowed them to visit their world. Certain areas of the home world and capital city were off limits to outsiders without an escort and any temples or spiritual sites barred outsiders completely from setting foot on their grounds. This suspicion should not however be misconstrued as a total dislike of outsiders. In fact many Vaharrans were quite curious about the new peoples they have come across and were very welcoming, provided of course that those outsiders behaved themselves.

Language

Speech

The Vaharran language, known as Tynos, was not particularly complex to understand or translate. Where things got difficult was the sheer number of Vaharran dialects, approximately thirty-nine but before the exodus there were hundreds if not thousands. This large abundance of highly different dialects was influenced by the Vaharrans’ communal nature, communities finding their own forms of speech despite the fact that the language was universal to the entire planet. There were however, two dialects that were considered the definitive forms of Tynos, these were Modern and Classical. The Modern dialect was what was taught in schools and used in all official communications and was the basis for programming the language into the Universal Translator upon first contact with the Federation. The Classical dialect was primarily used for spiritual purposes as it was considered the oldest consistent dialect of Tynos, derived from the dialect of the Akarid tribe of which Monk Zar, considered the founder of the Vaharran spiritual religion, Kyros, was a part of. In order to preserve its important cultural significance, the Vaharrans have refused to allow the Federation or any users of the Universal Translator to program it into its database.

Another dialect that Vaharrans used was what was called Shaa Speech which consisted of a heavy use of slang terminology. While originally Shaa Speech was used by agricultural workers and miners it gradually found use among the military and diplomatic leaders as it could not be translated properly by the Universal Translator, sounding completely nonsensical when directly translated. Vaharrans frequently used this slang dialect to have private conversations among outsiders without as much worry of eavesdropping.