Species/Shadekin

Introduction

A traditional shadekin. Despite their mammalian appearance, they actually are not mammals.

Shadekin (singular Shadekin, plural Shadekin) are a species of seemingly mammal creatures, closely resembling canines with four ears. Despite that familiar appearance however, Shadekin are isolationist creatures shrouded in mystery, with many phenomena regarding them still unknown. Because of initial communication difficulties during the Galaxy's first contact with them, researchers gave them the nickname "Shadekin", which stuck with them and is often used in less formal environments. Their own name for their species is Lumelea (singular Lumelea, plural Lumelea), but many did adopt the name Shadekin given how widespread it has become. From what is known, Shadekin live in tribes all across the Galaxy, often in environments that would not support life for most other species. The location of their home world is known, but it is subject to such a harsh environment, that most explorers shy away from it.

Biology

Physicality

Physically, at a first glance, Shadekin appear to be very similar to canine species like the Vulpkanian. While they look mammalian in nature, they are not mammals. Their exact definition is still unknown, since they seem to defy common rules of biology in multiple ways. Shadekin have basically no sexual dimorphism, both male and female share body shape and voice. Male Shadekin have no visible genitals, female Shadekin have no breasts. Neither have nipples or a navel.

The head is very similar to that of a Vulpkanian or other canine: a snout with nose, sharp teeth in the mouth, and two big ears on top. In addition to the two big ears, Shadekin have two more ears lower down, giving them an exceptional ability to discern if a sound comes from above or below, on top of their exceptional hearing. Shadekin eyes are unusually large and are fully mono-colored: there are no discernable pupils, irises, or similar. For all intents and purposes, the eye of a Shadekin is a solid orb of color and, perhaps, their most defining trait.

A Shadekin's tail is much more flexible and controllable than a tail of a Vulpkanian, and Shadekin can even control their tail almost like a third arm, capable of wrapping it around people or objects, though it's not capable of fine manipulation.

Throughout all of observation, Shadekin have not been observed to age. Some may look older and some younger, but there has been no observation of them aging, even after hundreds of years of study. Equally logic-defying, Shadekin have no lungs, and further, no need to breathe. Their entire body carries no oxygen.

Reproduction

After multiple observations, full body scans, and questioning of Shadekin employed by NanoTrasen, the following could have been deduced:

• Shadekin have two genders, Male and Female, and reproduce sexually.
• Male Shadekin have internal testicles. Their sheath is flat against their body and thus invisible unless erect.
• Female Shadekin do not seem to have a cloaca.
• Neither male nor female Shadekin have nipples or a navel.
• The female Shadekin produces between 1 and 3 hardshell eggs. Those eggs are usually white in color.
• During the female’s period, roughly once every two months, the female lays the eggs her body produced.
• Fertilization of the eggs happens by penetrative sex, during which the male deposits his seed inside of the female.
• Unfertilized eggs get laid, but will never grow.
• Fertilized eggs will grow a new Shadekin kit over the course of 11 months after being laid.

So far, there are no signs of interspecies breeding being possible. It is assumed to be unlikely, since the Shadekin body has no oxygen, and thus is incompatible with other biological processes.

Mentality/Eye Color

After multiple encounters with Shadekin, it was observed that their personality and immediate response to others is somehow tied to eye colors. The exact reasoning behind this is unknown, but assumptions that their eyes change depending on mood were discarded immediately.

• Blue = Curious and eager for knowledge
• Red = Determined to reach a goal, not shying away from confrontation to reach it
• Yellow = Very cautious, unlikely to engage with Non-Shadekin, sticking to the dark
• Green = Eager for knowledge but more reserved and cautious
• Purple = Eager learners who are willed to seek out knowledge more directly than others
• Orange = Reserved people who pursue their goals from hiding but will fight when cornered
• White = Very rare, stronger and more durable than others, vastly varying personality
• Black = Shadekin who got burned out, often seen living among other species

In addition, those Shadekin who lose their ability to travel between dimensions, have black eyes, no matter their other personality. Those are also the kind of Shadekin that make up the highest number living in Realspace.

Bluespace Control

Thanks to an abundance of Exotic Bluespace Matter in their body, Shadekin have the innate ability to control Bluespace to a degree. To them, this is very much like a muscle, a symbolic organ that can be used, trained, and over-used. As a Shadekin ages, this symbolic organ will naturally grow, but through training a Shadekin can become better at controlling Bluespace.

A somewhat crucial step for Shadekin, is a process commonly called "The Ritual", in which a Shadekin that has come of age will intentionally overly train and overload this symbolic bluespace muscle. This is needed to jump-start the development and become strong enough for short-range teleportation. In many cases, this Ritual succeeds and the Shadekin emerges from this stronger than before. Sometimes rarely though, the Shadekin prooves to be too weak, or otherwise doesn't manage to succeed in the Ritual, which leads to them "burning out", where the flow of the Bluespace Particles through their body is shunted. Those Shadekin lose their eye color and have black eyes from that point onward.

Something similar could also happen to those who had originally succeeded in the Ritual, but who have over-used their symbolic bluespace organ, causing it to burn out later in life. Those who are burned out need to stick to the tribe to be able to travel with them thanks to the white-eyed Shadekin leading them, or often join one of the other civilizations. NanoTrasen is one of the largest Employers of Black-Eyed Shadekin, and are observing them for further studies.

History

Origins

Daytime on Azuel I is far from sunny.

Lumelea originate from the planet Azuel I in the Azuel system. By galactic standards, it is generally accepted that Azuel I is classified as a Deathworld and no life should exist there. Defying expectations however, various Flora and Fauna exist here in addition to Lumelea. The planet is highly unstable and dangerous even to prepared explorers. Storms ravage the lands, tectonic activity creates and removes mountains within a century, geysirs spew Phoron gas into the air, and highly radioactive rain is a regularity here. In addition, the planet is getting only very little light, despite having the closest stable orbit around the stellar object at the center of the system.

Azuel is a single star system, but instead of having a sun in the center, there is a small black hole. The only light in the system comes from the light of a rather thin accretion disk at the event horizon of the black hole. In addition, the black hole seems to be at the center of an area where the border between Realspace and Bluespace is particularly thin. Naturally, the entire system is showered in heavy radiation and in exotic Bluespace Energies, including Azuel I. Scientists assume that this combination of harsh conditions, radiation, and Bluespace Energies is what led to all the unusual Flora and Fauna found on Azeul I.

Many of the local Flora and Fauna adjusted to a live in darkness and under dangerous conditions. Most Flora either grows very wide and sturdy while staying low to the ground, or grows very thin and tall. Especially ferns which use spores to reproduce grow very tall, often stealing whatever little light there is coming from the black hole. Many of the other Flora uses bioluminesence either to ensure their survival, by attracting those animals they need to spread their seeds and spores to reproduce, or in conjunction with Bluespace Energies as a defensive mechanism. For example, one plant has roughly fist-sized, round fruit with a soft glow to them. Animals which find the plant will be attracted to the soft glow coming from the fruit, and when they eat those, they get teleported a few meters in a random direction. Another plant has long but narrow fruit. When the fruit is touched, the rest of the plant teleports away. Interestingly, tests show that if one eats this fruit, or steps onto it, that person is teleported a few meters in whatever direction they are facing. Careful though, stepping on the fruit is rather slippery.

Even the local Fauna have taken up some Bioluminisence and some Bluespace Energies. Some animals use Bioluminesence to lure in other smaller animals. Some use it to scare off predators by glowing in bright colors to show that they are dangerous or poisonous. Next to the Shadekin themselves, one of the best known Fauna from Azuel I is the Azuel Jumper, a small rodent-like animal which uses Bluespace Teleportation to flee from predators. Shadekin are the probably most well-known Fauna to come from Azuel I, and are known as one of the more successful predators on the planet. And while they do not possess inherent bioluminesence, they possess multiple Bluespace abilities.

Tribes

As a result of Shadekin being one of the more successful predators on Azuel I, they had little need to gather into large groups for protection. As such, the usual route many civilisations take did not came to pass, since Shadekin never needed to band together for protection. Instead, Shadekin formed smaller tribes, groups of Shadekin where the various members specialised in specific tasks, so that they all could benefit from one another's expertise. With some jobs, Shadekin of certain eye colors were more likely, but eye color alone was never a sole decision. While a red-eyed Hunter would be more likely to go for a direct approach and hunt other Fauna with little care for stealth, a yellow-eyed Hunter would usually act from hiding, striking swiftly when the opportunity arises. This focus on jobs also played into the Shadekin naming conventions.

Typically, at the center of each tribe, is one or more white-eyed Shadekin. While all Shadekin can teleport short distances, white-eyed Shadekin have far better mastery over their Bluespace abilities, higher energy reserves, and are naturally stronger, more durable, and faster than other Shadekin. Instead of being able to teleport a few meters, white-eyed Shadekin can teleport massive distances and take others with them, and tribes make use of this ability to move around as a group. White-eyed Shadekin often serve as a tribe's leader, either spiritual or not, giving them direction as well as mediating problems within a tribe and with other tribes.

Early Settlements

On their home planet of Azuel I, Shadekin started out nomadic in nature. With their own seemingly unlimited lifespan, they were innately aware of how a mountain can rise or disappear within a single century, and as such the construction of permanent buildings seemed completely useless. Instead, constructions were kept simple and quick. Tents were often used, and because of the volatile and unusual nature of a lot of the Flora on Azuel I, in place of actual farmland, some Shadekin simply made sure to leave behind the seeds in places where a new plant could grow before the tribe moved on.

The first change to this came when some tribes pushed the limits of the teleportation ability of their white-eyed Shadekin, and the first tribes moved away from Azul I to the other planets in the system, like the rocky, lifeless, Azuel II which lacked any atmosphere, or more likely to the planet of Azuel III, a more temperate planet with a savanna-like biome and oceans over most of its surface. Some few ever went to the further away Azuel V, a rocky planet on the outskirts of the system, beyond a gas giant. The conditions on those planets were still not the easiest, but especially Azuel III was much more livable, with a calmer Flora and Fauna than Azuel I, and with far less tectonic activity. Especially on this planet, the first Shadekin tribes built long-lasting colonies, homes out of stone and wood. After discovering plants which didn't teleport away when one tried to eat their fruit, the first farmers started to intentionally grow those plants and harvest them for a steady food supply, and soon after the domestication of animals followed.

As some of the Lumelea slowly shifted over to a more permanent lifestyle, with long-lasting buildings and settlements, they put more focus on gaining better tools and material. With the help of some white-eyed Shadekin, interplanetary mining trips to planets like Azuel I were not a problem, the high tectonic activily meant that valuable ores were much closer to the surface and easier to reach. As such, many Shadekin tribes started working with early metals like Copper and Bronze, creating better tools, weapons, and even armor. Clothing wasn't something a lot of Shadekin cared for, their natural bodies were able to withstand most of the elements anyway. Most times, when a Shadekin wore something, it was because it was useful, for example a piece of clothing with pockets, or a piece of clothing which provided protection, like armor.

Scavenged Technology

As the Shadekin spread out further, the first ones found ruins of an unknown precursor civilisation on Azuel III, and while the first Shadekin to discover those didn't know it yet, they discovered research outposts which were set up to observe the stellar phenomena in the system. After the first few findings were made, more Lumelea set out in search, and they found an entire city of this precursor civilisation. Shadekin from various tribes gathered and looked through the ruins, scavenged and otherwise tried to learn as much as they could. Thanks to some inter-tribe cooperation, some Shadekin even managed to decipher and later on repair some of the technology, and over the following decades were able to restore various buildings, power generators, and ships. This time was not without failure though, and many a piece of technology was misunderstood, repaired wrongly, or otherwise broke down. Instead of riding this wave of cooperation between the tribes to create a proper nation, many Shadekin simply shared what they had learned with the others, then moved back to their own tribes.

With the knowledge they had obtained from scavenging, technology among the tribes was jumpstarted and instantly forwarded a few thousand years. Tribes which just a century ago were forging bronze swords, were now building solar collectors for power. Some of the most widely used technologies were Biodomes, Forges, Assemblers, and Spaceships. While the Lumelea could already travel between planets, and some even between stars, using their white-eyed ones and their abilities, having a spaceship was not exactly necessary, but it certainly allowed to transport a lot of goods more comfortably. It is important to note though that while certainly many Shadekin had managed to learn the basics of how Electricity worked and similar, all of this technology was basically copied from what they had found. Many things they did not fully understand of how it worked, and as such their technological progress was halted. Sure, they got a jumpstart and quickly gained access to some marvels of technology, but at the same time they never truly learned how to get those themselves.

While the Lumelea did their best to replicate a lot of the precursor technology, this did not always go well. Some of the ships and stations they rebuilt are in a constant state of maintenance, where not a week goes by without systems failing. In fact, there are some derelict ships out there which had been laying dormant for thousands of years, only for a tribe of Shadekin to partially restore them and fly off with those, before they ran out of fuel and abandoned the ship again, leading to thousand year old ghost ships drifting through space and being picked up by some explorers. Also, some Shadekin claim to this day that some of their early scavenging was flawed and they had misunderstood some of the technology, like how they claim that the Biodomes were actually meant to be testing labs, but were simply assembled wrongly by the Shadekin and led to a different result.

Interstellar Explorers

Many tribes now move around the galaxy, either on board of a ship, or with the help of their white-eyed tribe leaders. Sometimes, a white-eyed Shadekin finds a ship travelling through Bluespace as they themselves travel through it as well, and board the ship mid-transit, which sometimes leads to hostilities and sometimes to first steps in diplomacy. It was during this time that the first documented contact with the Lumelea happened, when a group of Shadekin teleported onto a ship of the Vikara Combine while it was travelling through Bluespace. Before that, all cases were brushed off as "Space Madness" and "Overly dramatic made up stories". When the Shadekin met the Skrell and Teshari of the Vikara Combine on one of their ships, after initial hostilities stopped, communication could be established.

Given their abilities, the Vikara Combine was naturally interested in the Shadekin, wanting to study them. Some of them were willed to "show off" their powers while being observed and recorded, and in exchange got some technology and knowledge. The scientists observing were able to determine, that the Shadekin were somehow using exotis Bluespace particles in their body to control Bluespace, a fact that was further solidified as the Shadekin in question also said that their ability to control Bluespace was like a muscle, something that one could train and improve. And even though their first meeting was mostly positive and friendly, some scientists immediately started working on ways on how to stop a Shadekin's Bluespace Manipulation.

The first documented case of Shadekin meeting NanoTrasen, was on Virgo 3B, an outpost on a moon. As NT's policy was to be friendly to new species, word of this place spread to other Shadekin, and soon the various NanoTrasen stations were visited by various Shadekin. And while there were some incidents, mainly revolving around Shadekin using their powers to get into areas they weren't meant to be in, or otherwise being a nuisance to the crew of the various stations, most interactions were positive. NanoTrasen was actually one of the first big corporations which didn't only allow Shadekin to visit their stations, but also offered employment to Shadekin.

Culture

Life as a Bluespace Nomad

A Shadekin tribe is usually rather loose, compared to the tribes or packs of other species. Individual members of a tribe usually stick together because of convenience, and because the various Shadekin with their various specialisations can make life easier. Some Shadekin choose to be in a specific tribe because of family, because they like another Shadekin in that tribe, or because of a particularly charismatic or otherwise agreeable leader of the tribe. But overall, it's much easier for a Shadeking to leave one tribe and join another, than for example for a Teshari to switch their pack. Within a tribe, it's generally expected that each Shadekin does their job. Beyond that, when possible, a Shadekin is of course free to help others as possible and as needed. Within a tribe, there is no money and everyone simply does whatever is needed for the tribe as a whole to survive, sharing food, medical help, building for one another, and similar. Only when goods and services are exchanged between tribes, the tribe leaders will usually make a deal with one another, or simply promise that one tribe will help the other in the future.

Various tribes can vary heavily in their day to day life. Some tribes are still mostly using the technology Lumelea have discovered themselves, using early metalworks, while other are freely using whatever advancements and new technology they can get their hands on. Some tribes inhabit a space station, or a ship, while others have folded into other societies, living in a part of a city. Thanks to inventions such as Teleporters, Spaceships, and similar, even Shadekin who have left their tribe and are now travelling on their own can still travel between planets and stars.

A common day for Lumelea living in other societies

The vast majority of Lumelea who aren't part of a tribe, live either inside the Orion Confederation or the Vikara Combine. Only very few live in the Hegemony, because of how restrictive those are. Apparently, the Hegemony has installed Bluespace Dampening Devices in multiple places at important structures to stop any chance of an unwanted Lumelea getting inside. Both the Orion Confederation and the Vikara Combine allow Shadekin of all kind to live within their borders. Naturally though, they are expected to behave, but usually the Police in those places are more lenient with them, taking more time to explain them why they aren't allowed to do something rather than immediately arresting them.

Many Shadekin living with other species had to learn Galactic Common, and depending on how quickly they learn and how much time they had, their knowledge in that language might not be too good. Generally though, those who work for the various companies are at least fluent enough to communicate clearly. Despite their official name being Lumelea, many still get called Shadekin in less formal situations. Most people and nations will treat Lumelea like any other sentient species, allowing them to live and work within their borders. The Moghedi Kingdoms however generally do not accept them by default, and decide on a case-by-case basis if they allow them to join.

In normal day-to-day life, the ability to teleport can be a neat ability, but in actual daily live, the ability to teleport a couple of meters doesn't replace a shuttle taking you from planet to orbit, or public transport moving you halfway through the city. As such, while some people might ask Shadekin to show their abilities, often their daily life isn't too impacted by those.

However, there are also those Shadekin who do not wish to integrate. Many such will live in hiding, in the shadows, exploring, sneaking around, taking whatever food they need, and moving on. Those often do not care about the wishes of whatever nation they are in and will just look around, do what they feel like, and then often move on.

Language

Shadekin have developed their own language, which makes heavy use of their connection to Bluespace, or rather the Bluespace Particles in their bodies. These allow them to feel the emotions of other Lumelea within a certain distance. This led to an interesting language, primarily revolving around the word "Mar", spoken with varying pronounciations and emphasis. To an outside observer, two Shadekin talking to one another might just sound like them saying "Mar" in a hundred different ways, but Shadekin are able to convey complex messages and ideas to one another. This can also be done without any talking, across longer distances, allowing for what seems to be completely silent telepathy. The exact distance varies between Shadekin.

Naming Convention

Lumelea tend to name themselves with a singular word, ranging from states of being, such as Lone or Calm, to words that describe their preferred activities or job within a tribe, like Dreamer or Cook. Names can also be abstract, like Spark for an Engineer, or Ember. However, other names are taken as well, allbeit much more rarely. Names hold a great deal for Lumelea, because of how closely they are often tied to describing who they are or what they like. Following life changing events, they might even choose to take on a new name.

Eye Color Change

When hatched, a Shadekin usually inherits the eye color of their mother, with a very small chance for the kid to hatch with white eyes. However, the eye color is representative for the mentality a Shadekin has, and as such, as a Shadekin grows up and later on lives, long-lasting changes in mentality and personality can change their eye color. This is a slow change, over the course of many years, even some decades sometimes, as this truly resembles a deep mental change for a Shadekin. The only eye colors which are not tied to specific personalities, are white and black. Both can have any personality. However, those with white eye colors do not change their eye color, and neither do other eye colors change to white.

White-Eyed Shadekin

White-Eyed Shadekin are a rarity among Shadekin. They look much the same as any other Shadekin, except for the different eye color. However, white-eyed Shadekin are naturally stronger, faster, and more durable than other Shadekin. Like other Lumelea, they too have the ability to alter Bluespace and perform various tricks, however, their powers are much stronger than those of normal Shadekin. While those can teleport a couple of meters, white-eyed Shadekin can teleport with seemingly no restrictions over immense distances. In addition, they possess the unique ability of being able to create portals through which other Shadekin can follow them, allowing for an entire tribe to easily travel vast distances.

Also unique amont white-eyed Shadekin, is a natural defensive mechanism. Much like some of the Flora on their home planet, when a white-eyed Shadekin gets heavily hurt, their body teleports away to safety. This usually means that they teleport back to their home planet of Azuel I, where they can recover. This is an unconscious ability which white-eyed Shadekin can not trigger intentionally, or prevent from triggering.

Black-Eyed Shadekin

Black-Eyed Shadekin are those Lumelea who have either failed their Ritual, or otherwise burned themselves out afterwards. Physically they aren't much different to normal Shadekin, except for the eye color.

Notable Shadekin Factions/Entities

There are no big Shadekin factions. Some Shadekin tribes live among other species in their cities, stations, or planets, but those tribes rarely ever pursue any political ideals and instead integrate. Notable entities are limited and mostly come from Pop-Culture and from the actions of individuals, such as… Rose, a Shadekin who worked in the film industry, most times playing the female lead role in romantic, action, and drama movies. Blink, a Shadekin film star, most well known for the trilogy "Call B for Blink", a classic Noir Detective story where Blink uses his powers, wits, and revolver to uncover a galaxywide conspiracy, defeat corrupt leaders, and save the galaxy. Azrael, a Shadekin pirate who somehow started to work with Vox pirates. The name was given by those observing camera footage of his attacks, where he used his Shadekin powers to teleport onto ships and cut down the crew with a sword. When an Orion Confederation decoy ship was attacked, Azrael was reportedly shot by multiple tasers and lasers while the pirate ship exploded, but since the Shadekin managed to teleport away after he was hit, many theorize that he might actually be alive.

Not a Shadekin faction per se, the Iron Forge Shipping Company was one of the first companies to openly accept Shadekin as employees, and have set up entire training and schooling courses to teach Shadekin how life in the various other societies work, from teaching them Galactic Common, all the way to teaching them about money. They offer multiple specialised courses on the different topic, including Electrical Engineering, Law, and Cooking for Humans, and that it's not okay to teleport into a house to leave a delivery inside. While the company originally started as a shipping company and they started to run some courses for their own Shadekin employees, other companies, including NanoTrasen, have soon started to send their own Shadekin employees to those courses to learn, as well as scientists to observe how Shadekin learn.

Technological advances in response to Shadekin

Immediately after the Skrell found out that Shadekin are able to perform feats yet unknown thanks to innate Bluespace manipulation, the first work on Bluespace Dampeners started. Other nations also followed suit, and by now, there are a multitude of different devices, such as "Interdimensional Dampeners" or similarly named devices, which in turn can all be classified as "Bluespace Dampeners" or "Bluespace Shielding." In essence, any technology that can prevent common Bluespace technology from functioning, like teleporters or translocators, can also dampen or block the abilites of Shadekin.

A recent invention by NanoTrasen, is a medical treatment for those Shadekin who have burned out. After finding out that those Shadekin had the flow of Bluespace Particles in their body disrupted, experimentation started, and now NT Scientists and Doctors have devised a method to restore the flow. The specifics are still kept hidden, but the procedure works. Black-Eyed Shadekin who undergo this procedure regain their abilities and their eye color within only a few weeks after the treatment.

Shadekin impact on the Galactic Economy

When Shadekin became officially known to the Galaxy, there wasn't a huge change. Multiple nations started to look a little bit deeper into technological ways to prevent Bluespace travel on the small scale, but they were already investigating such to prevent infiltration and espionage by means of personal transporters anyway. Some nations might have increased funding a bit, which might have sped up one or the other discovery.

A bigger, though still very minor impact, was on the entertainment industry when various talk shows raced to be the first to have a Shadekin starring in them. Which, of course, was made difficult thanks to most Shadekin living in nomadic tribes.

Especially in the early stages of Shadekin meeting the rest of the galaxy, there were multiple cases of Shadekin tribes trading for technology or ships, though they could only offer raw materials, scavenged equipment, and similar as payment. And as some people like scientists were eager to get some functioning precursor tech, others saw it as ancient junk, which led to successful trades to a wildly varying degree. As such, it can be said that Shadekin as a whole didn't have a lot of an impact on the Galactic Economy, not more than when any Explorer would have found precursor technology and returned it to scientists and museums.

Current Racial Status/Government

There currently exists no Shadekin goverment, and with Shadekin being as rare as they are, they tend to fit into currently established societies and civilisations, with varying degrees of success in the past. In recent years, however, many cultures have taken to accepting shadekin as another galactic constant, going as far as allowing them lives simillar to those that any of the other species would lead.

Vikara Combine was the first galactic power allowing such, with Shadekin appearing near Skrell Bluespace Testing sites around 2150's, with Shadekin being, at first, captured and tested upon for means of utilising their powers in technology, and even to recreate them using, at the time, experimental technologies. The tests failed, and Skrell deeply apologised to the Shadekin that appeared in their regions for their behaviour, designating them as a sentient species.

Orion Confederacy, however, truly came in contact with Shadekin via NanoTrasen Research Facility NSB Adephagia constructed in the Virgo-Ergone system. While it's not known when precisely Shadekin appeared in the system, it's speculated it happened around the 2400's, with the Facility having to handle various Shadekin interactions during it's operation. It's the NanoTrasen research staff that dubbed the race "Shadekin", in relation to their preferance of dark spaces, and the name stuck. After stable contact with the planet's Black-Eyed Shadekin was established, various NanoTrasen representatives started introducing them to Orion Confederacy space, where they were relatively quickly accepted into day-to-day life, with Humans affectionately dubing them "Interdimensional Floofers".

Moghes Hegemony on the other hand is still reluctant to accept Shadekin into their borders, with each one being treated on case by case basis. However, much to the dismay of the Pracausal Division of the Hegemony, in recent years Shadekin have been spotted inside of their borders, without any explanation on how they got there. In answear to a swelling in Shadekin population, the Hegemony created what they dubbed Reality Anchors, which block a Shadekin's ability to utilise their powers, while also reportedly giving them varying degrees of psychological pain. Moghes Hegemony does not utilise said devices in public places, however govermental buildings, such as Planetary Administrations, are equipped with them.

Notable Racial Factions/Entities

There are no known Shadekin factions. Some Shadekin in Realspace form communities, but those are communities for people of the same species to stick together, not to pursue political ideas. Notable entities are limited and mostly come from Pop-Culture and from the actions of individuals, such as...
Rose, a Shadekin who worked in the film industry, most times playing the female lead role in romantic movies.
Blink, a Shadekin film star, most well known for the trilogy "Call B for Blink", a classic Noir Detective story where Blink uses his powers and wits to uncover a galaxywide conspiracy.
Azrael, a Shadekin pirate who somehow started to work with Vox pirates. The name was given by those observing camera footage of his attacks, where he used his Shadekin powers to teleport onto ships and cut down the crew with a sword. When a Orion Confederation decoy ship was attacked, Azrael was reportedly shot by multiple tasers and lasers while the pirate ship exploded, but since the Shadekin simply disappeared after he was hit but before he hit the ground, many theorize that he might actually be alive.

Technological Advancements as Understood by NanoTrasen

Shadekin lack any major technological advancements, however in lieu of that majority of their species is capable of utilising what many colloquially refer to as "magic". Each one of the galactic powers has a different nomenclature for Shadekin powers, ranging from Hegemony's Type Green to Combine's Extra Dimensional Access properties category C or EDA-C.

Relationships With Other Species

Humans: Humans pack-bond with anything, including Lumelea. The nickname "Shadekin" came from humans, and exists up to this day. Overall, relations between Shadekin and Humans went rather peaceful, with Humans letting them integrate, and most human governments and corporations accepting them with open arms. Unathi: With Unathi society greatly based on blood relations, and Lumelea not being of their blood, the Moghedi treat them as outsiders. Even worse, as outsiders they cannot control as well as other outsiders. As such, Shadekin were under scrutiny, with many officials believing or fearing that they were spies, and many Shadekin found little hospitality throughout the entire Moghes Kingdoms. Naramadi: Naramadi Society is split on how Lumelea should be treated. With the Ascendancy putting high emphasis on personal strength, improvement and skill, Lumelea possesing extradimensional properties is seen as cheating by some, and as a valuable addition by others. The Landsmeet currently orders all Houses to treat Shadekin as any other species, and to look at them on case by case basis. Skrell: When Skrell and Lumelea met for the first time, the Skrell found them on one of their ships after a Shadekin group had boarded the ship while it was mid-Bluespace travel. After initial confusion, and minor hostilities, communication could be established and the Shadekin talked to the Skrell and Teshari on the ship. Information, some Technology, and some Demonstration was shared, then ways parted once again. However, this marks the first officially documented interaction between Lumelea and one of the other species in the galaxy, and from that point onward, Skrell research stations were advised to be friendly to any possible Shadekin visitors.

Rumors and Speculation:

Rumor says that Shadekin are being from another dimension, capable of performing feats others could only describe as "magic", with no scientific explanation. It is speculated, that Shadekin actually have a whole nation in their own dimension, and those that come to Realspace simply collectively refuse to talk about it. Sometimes Shadekin mention a "Hub", which is obviously just further proof of a Shadekin nation. An Urban Legend says that Shadekin are the Vulpkanian crew of an expedition ship which disappeared a hundred years ago, even though the first Shadekin sightings were long before that. Obviously, this expedition ship performed time travel.

OOC Notes

Role Bans

Shadekin cannot play as these specified roles:

• Command, including Secretary
• Security, excluding IAA
• Pathfinder

Notes for Medical

Shadekin respond to most chemicals in ways as expected. The Shadekin body is less sturdy than those of most other humanoids. Their bones are also somewhat brittle, breaking slightly more easily than a human's.

Despite Shadekin not having lungs and thus not breathing, it is still important to apply CPR to them as during CPR their heart is artificially kept pumping and as such their blood keeps flowing.

When doing surgery on a Shadekin, the N2O mask (which is standard in most OTs) does not work on Shadekin. The usage of Soporific however is discouraged, because it takes a long time to start working, does not reliably keep them under during the surgery, and then continues for a long amount of time after the surgery. Instead, use Chloral Hydrate in moderate amounts to quickly make the Shadekin unconscious and thus make surgery easy.

Etiquette Guide for Shadekin

Even though Red-Eyed Shadekin are known to not be afraid of conflict while pursuing their goal, do not use the excuse of being a formelry Red-Eyed Shadekin as a reason to needlessly cause trouble. Shadekin learn other languages at different rates. Some may speak Galactic Common fluently, some very broken. Pick your own language capabilities and don't let anyone else tell you how your char should speak. But keep in mind that NT will only employ Shadekin who are able to communicate decently.

Important Racial Terminology

Shadekin: The name given for your race. While your race calls itself Lumelea, and this is accepted as the formal name for the species, most of the Galaxy calls them Shadekin.
The Dark: The Shadekin term for Bluespace. When a Shadekin teleports, they move through the Dark, same for when a White-Eyed Shadekin lets other Shadekin travel with them.
Mar: A word used to verbally communicate feelings, emotions, wishes, hopes, ideas, and whatever, in addition to your Empathy. Happy? Mar! Confused? Mar? Seductive? Maarrrr~ ---

Author: C0rtana, also known as Alina
First image provided with permission by page author.