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Faction Name: Turtloids (nickname; true name unknown)
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Homeworld: Unknown
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Status: Departed Hanar following failed settlement attempt
Overview
The Turtloids are a reptilian, shell-bearing species that attempted first contact and settlement on Hanar shortly after the Liberation. Nicknamed “Turtloids” by Trevor Colt and others due to their physical resemblance to Terran turtles or tortoises, their real species name remains unknown.
Their arrival, marked by a dramatic landing in Gilead City‘s plaza, presented an unprecedented first contact scenario for Hanar’s fledgling government.
Physical Characteristics
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Bipedal Reptilians:
Walk upright with side-to-side shell movement. -
Backward-Jointed Legs:
Anatomically distinct from primates but highly mobile. -
Natural Shells:
Their protective shells are biological, not worn or manufactured. -
Speech:
Communicate through hissing and clicking, but capable of speaking both Humanic and the Mother Tongue (Gelt language) almost immediately.
Cultural Traits
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Communal Mentality:
Refer to their young as clutchlings, suggesting communal or non-gendered familial structures. -
Limited Concept of Territory:
Consider unoccupied land as free for the taking unless actively built upon. -
No Experience with Crime or War:
Struggled to understand human/Gelt concepts such as theft, violence, or even organized government structures. -
Literal Communication:
Lacked nuance in diplomatic phrasing; treated orders and requests at face value. -
Revenge Seen as Alien:
Attempted an act of “revenge” by eating a human who killed one of their own, but found the experience morally repugnant.
Role in Hanar’s History
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First Contact:
Landed without prior negotiations, demanding to be “taken to Hanar’s leader,” thereby forcing Lattus Tishla into rapid and unprecedented diplomatic action. -
Settlement Conflict:
Chose to settle in a human separatist enclave without permission, triggering a tense standoff between separatists and Hanar’s government. -
Clutchling Incident:
One of their young (a clutchling) was killed and eaten by a human renegade named Patsy, under Nobu Katsumoto’s influence. Retaliation by the turtloids further escalated tensions. -
Departure:
Disgusted by the violence and cultural incompatibility, the turtloids ultimately abandoned Hanar, departing aboard their sphere ship to rejoin their mother vessel in orbit.
Legacy
The turtloids’ brief presence on Hanar exposed deep fractures among Hanar’s populations and highlighted the ongoing difficulty of multicultural governance. Their rejection of Hanar as a “savage” world served as a sobering reminder to Tishla and her advisors of how far their society still had to evolve.
Appearances: “Half Shell“