A strange fish-like species, the Osathri do not mingle much with terrans or other aliens. Uncomfortable out of water, they prefer the company of their own kind, or at best that of other aquatic species.

Biology

The Osathri (singular Osath) are an ocean-dwelling species resembling catfish, with specialized fins for manipulating objects. They have six eyes - two on the sides of the head, two on top forward, and two downward-looking just in front of the mouth. Osathri have two genders and lay eggs; well-fed females have daughters, but hungry or stressed mothers have sons. At present, males make up only 10 percent of the Osathri population and live solitary wandering lives in the oceans of the homeworld with almost no technology; they interact with other Osathri primarily to breed.

Soolasha, the Osathri Homeworld

The homeworld of the Osathri is a large planet, some 15,000 kilometers in diameter with a gravity of 1.2 standard gees. An ocean averaging 10 kilometers deep covers the surface; only one small group of islands breaks the surface. The Osathri barely use the land, which they cannot ambulate on without advanced technology. Many islands house Imperial facilities, vacation resorts for tourists who come for the diving and other water sports, and the like.

Society

The ancestral Osathri lived in shallow water, feeding on creatures resembling shellfish, and evolved the ability to use tools to break into their food's shells. Civilization developed on reefs and in shallow lagoons, where the Osathri began farming shellfish and herding fish. Osathri have an extremely old civilization, as living in the ocean slowed their technological and scientific development.

Contact with Terrans and annexation by the Consortium has caused a great schism in Osathri society. For some, access to air-breather science and the chance to leave their ocean homes to visit other worlds was worth becoming subject to the Consortium. For others, the disruption of traditional society was intolerable. Over time, several million Osathri have moved to other worlds in the Consortium, especially water planets; they are typically loyalists and often join the Expeditionary Defense Fleet Sea Forces. The Osathri homeworld remains a hotbed of rebellion and discontent, requiring four full divisions of soldiers (which do not include any Osathri troops) to keep things quiet.

The total population of Osathri is hard to determine. Off-world Osathri number about 125 million; the population of the homeworld is thought to be approximately 1 billion, but it is notoriously difficult to keep track and many census-takers suffer fatal accidents. Rumors of secret deep-ocean communities persist - several million Osathri could be living in hiding, preparing for an uprising against the Consortium. A Terran governor has authority over the islands and a few Army bases; otherwise Soolasha is controlled by small local communities, usually democracies.

Pre-Consortium Osathri technology was barely ATRI 2. Osathri on colony worlds typically maintain a technology rated at ATRI 8. On the homeworld, a few enclaves around the Imperial capital are ATRI 10, but the rest of the world is ATRI 5 or below. Because they can only live in water and have no legs, Osathri require watersuits and hover platforms when they visit air-dwellers. On colony worlds with significant Human settlements such things are as common as automobiles; Osathri on the homeworld in possession of such devices are shunned and hated as "walker lovers."

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