Dachlyd

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Dachlyd
Four Letter Code	DACH
Federation Status	Unknown
Planet of Origin	Dathis II
Encountered	TNG: Captain's Holiday
T/E Rating	T0/E0
Current Tech Level	N (spacefaring)
List of Named Dachlyds
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The Dachlyd are reptilian humanoids originating from Dathis II.

Home World

See also: Dathis II

History

Since early in its history, Dathis II has been subject to frequent meteoroid bombardment. Fossil records indicate that life on Dathis II has been subject to several extinction-level events. Early Dachlyd history is punctuated by cataclysms resulting from the impacts of one or more asteroids.

Description

The Dachlyds are reptilian humanoids resembling upright Terran iguanas (and also share a striking resemblance to the Gorn), and possess a dewlap (a scaly flap of skin below the neck). Dachlyd chests protrude outwards somewhat like a birds, and a row of spines (varying in size per Dachlyd) extend from the back of the head to a Dachlyd's tail. The hands and feet of male Dachlyd's in particular have long, powerful fingers and toes which end in curved claws.

Due to limits of physiology, Dachlyds lack many of the graces of typical humanoid movement.

Psychology

Dachlyd behaviours include reclusive and subborn tendencies. They may often be struck by doubt or anxiety, fearful of large mammals and avian lifeforms, as these lifeforms do not exist on Dathis II. It's believed that young Dachlyds may overcome these fears through therapy.

Part of Dachlyd respect for unique views is a tendency towards stubbornness: a Dachlyd will tolerate other perspectives while maintaining its own. Among Dachlyds there may be a chance of exchanging ideas. Conversely, when dealing with alien cultures whose views oppose their own Dachlyds have earned a reputation for adamantly refusing to accept the foreign views. Sometimes it has proven impossible to even convince a Dachlyd that its views are the same as a non-Dachlyd's.

Because of their history of respect for others, Dachlyds have at times petitioned outside aide from the Federation in order to expeditiously resolve disputes and reach compromise. Extremism and despotism are not widely understood except by those Dachlyds studying political science or xenocultures.

Society

Dachlyds have a habit of being quite antisocial and prefer to conduct most trade with automated cargo drones and subspace communications. Since the Dachlyd sell valuable alloys and compounds at low prices, they still make a significant profit.

Dathis II, while being the homeworld of the Dachlyd race, is not the seat of Dachlyd culture. Starship, sub-light freighter, and space station -dwelling Dachlyds outnumber their homeworld fellows. It is more accurate to say that Dachlyd culture is rooted on Dathis II and has branched off from the homeworld. The colony worlds of the Dachlyds began along the same vein as Dachlyd settlements upon Dathis II. Dachlyd society is not hegemonic. Rather it is doctrinally opposed to hegemonies, a sort of tradition of egalitarianism.

Culture

Hatching

The hatching open of a brood clutch is called "the cracking crying" by Dachlyds. When a nest of eggs hatches, the parent (or parents) are primarily occupied with freeing the young, ensuring they are safe, and assessing their health. However, ancient tradition indicates that the remaining egg shells should be ingested. This may have originated as a practice in order to keep the nest clean and safe from scavengers. More modern traditions hold that the shells should be smashed or otherwise destroyed, to further emphasize the liberation of the young.

A parent usually keeps the egg tooth once it falls off the young Dachlyd. Collected egg teeth are a point of pride in how many young a Dachlyd has assisted in hatching, especially among professional midwives. If the eggs have become too dry before hatching, the egg may be too tough for Dachlyd young to escape without aid. This aid is usually accompanied by traditional chants and prayers.

After the last Dachlyd has hatched and exhausted itself stretching out its new limbs and tail, the brood is collected as one. The parent Dachlyd eats a small feast to replenish the spent energy. Following this feast the Dachlyd curls protectively around their young and rests.

Neet

The neet or "of size" celebration occurs when a young Dachlyd is no longer able to be held in the outstretched hand of its nest parent. As the Dachlyd is clearly no longer capable of being easily manipulated, this ceremony is held to mark the beginnings of its independence.

Typically the neet is solemn, with speeches on responsibility and the recounting of stories detailing both the bounties and perils faced by historical Dachlyds. As a memento of the nest and family, an adornment (typically of twiyll fiber) such as a bracelet, necklace, gorget, or poncho is received by the Dachlyd being recognized. The celebration concludes with a spinning dance and the young Dachlyd usually spends the night away from home. (Young, space-faring Dachlyd may simply depart the celebration chambers symbolically.)

Huassgk

This sacred day acknowledges a Dachlyd's sexual maturity and confers adult status upon them. The average Dachlyd matures at 15 years. Traditionally, an adult Dachlyd finds its own place to live. Aboard space craft, Huassgk may be accompanied by formal assignment to a crew division. Dachlyd maturity is driven by hormones and the somewhat aggressive expression of these, causing the younger Dachlyd to reject its parent or caretaker. Often this rejection begins as unintentional hissing following normal conversation. From stressed hissing the aggression proceeds to bellowing and roaring, with the two Dachlyds confronting each other. The final stage has both parties vocally confronting each other, bellowing and roaring face-to-face, sometimes for hours. Eventually the exhausted Dachlyd (typically the younger, weaker one) departs to find its own place to make a nest. Postponing Huassgk is difficult, often impossible.

Science

There is a growing trend in Dachlyd industry supporting biotechnology. The developments which receive the most interest and acclaim specifically deal with lifespan-terminated engineered organisms, sometimes referred to as "lifespanned engineered organisms" or by the acronym "LEOs". Many advances have been made in designing organisms with specific functions to replace architectural or mechanical constructs.

The theory behind replacing traditional, crafted buildings and goods is simple: Most living organisms require simple chemical compounds to grow and regenerate. Traditional technology relies on many refined elements and compounds, and sometimes dangerous (toxic, volatile, etc.) substances as well. Therefore a LEO is cheaper and safer than its inorganic counterpart. Also, inorganic technology is static, where a LEO will grow to fill its designated niche and adapt as it is used to be more efficient. The developments in lifespan-terminated engineered organisms, while suffering some setbacks, have become a large portion of Dachlyd industry and continue to progress through diligent research.

Currently, the Dachlyd have not engineered any biological vessels capable of spaceflight. Some advancement has been made in supplementing or replacing space station systems with bio-engineered creatures.

In order to prevent uncontrolled populations of engineered life, Dachlyd scientists have created organisms which require synthesized food. As a further precaution, LEOs have no reproductive systems. This lack of dangerous organs also saves on the cost of creating and supporting an engineered organism. An additional precaution is that LEOs are "lifespan-terminated" meaning that they live a set length of time, whether hours, days, months, or years depends upon their function and their artificial genes. Having a set lifespan reduces instances of mutation and also ensures demand for new replacement organisms.

Finally, there is "The Gap". "The Gap" is a political and ethical boundary which governs the creation of biological entities. Rules limit development to lower animal life, autotrophs and plants being outright banned; further, any creature displaying sentient behavior to the extent of self-awareness must be euthanized and further development of such organisms halted. By requiring a diet which does not naturally occur, lacking natural reproduction, dying after a determined lifespan, and not being capable of producing its own energy nor being conscious, a LEO presents only a marginal risk to naturally occurring lifeforms.

Among elite scientists and certain philosophers, there are whisperings that any biologically engineered organism capable of surviving the vacuum and raw radiations present in spaceflight would need to be at least somewhat sentient to be capable of governing its complex functions.