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Sarspax — Zennworld ASK
Published: 2013-04-23 17:03:04 +0000 UTC; Views: 3012; Favourites: 47; Downloads: 0
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Direct your questions about the Zenn here! They've gotten a bit of a reboot. They're still the aliens you know and love only now I know a bit more about them. Not to say any previous information on them is entirely invalid but a lot of it has either been expanded on or changed.Please don't reply to any of my answers. IF you have another question to ask then submit a new comment. This will make easier for everyone to see the questions and not just one person's enormous conversation with me. Hopefully it'll minimize any repeated questions? I'm going to enforce this by -as hard as it's going to be because I love answering- not answering questions given in a reply. Idk we'll see if this works.
Nvm I caved.
Their anatomy is still subject to change but it won't likely differ too much from what you see now.
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Comments: 65
On average they are a bit smarter than humans and mentally develop faster.
Their current technological level is well above that of humans at the time though it's not known just how far. Much of the technology that is visible to outsiders is non-weaponized: things for improving the everyday life of their civilian populations. For example parts of their cities are climate controlled without the use of any sort of green house. Many of their buildings are covered in foliage with the lower parts often growing edible things that are distributed accordingly with the rules set by whoever owns the building. Public building's gardens will usually distribute theirs to local markets.
They tend to lean to the eco friendly niche because of a deeply rooted past history with ecological upset. Their planet has made incredibly recovery but they do not aim to repeat that mistake again.
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Really nice here, I support the eco friendlies!
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Wyrd66: Any Zenn nursery rhymes, poems, songs, or stories out there that teach children about their culture, morals, and/or proper behavior?
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Definitely! I wish I knew some but I’m still working on their language and the like as well as the things that are culturally relevant.
They have stories about old heroes (still looking for a new word to describe them). Memorable real life individuals who had an impact on early Zenn history. I think there is even a title that comes with that status. Probably songs for each hero as well.
They have some short poems that demonstrate cause and effect sorts of things but then they have others that are way vague relatively speaking and sorta float around ideas like cultural expectations and breaking rules; they value creativity and individual initiative but also discipline and dedication to the group. They have some marching songs but those are hummed or spoken very softly. Those often deal with directions to certain places and acts as a way to remember how to get to safe houses, or looking for specific trees that make good hideouts, or how to confuse certain predators.
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Wyrd66: What kind of space living do zenn have? Do they have space stations? World colonies? Do they have FTL travel? How are spacefaring zenn viewed compared to homebound zenn?
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The Zenn do have space stations with and without artificial gravity. Stations without are generally temporary. If they stay in low gravity for too long the physical therapy required to re-accustom to their planet. Space faring Zenn frequently make stops on other planets to help maintain their mass since artificial gravity isn’t quite enough for long stays shipboard.
They have colonies on other worlds as well as embassies on the planets of their trade allies.
I haven’t entirely figured out their FTL travel yet but they do possess it. I’ve been speculating having them ride off of light waves and accelerate from there, but I’ve also thought about creating my own slipspace/warp/hyper space/etc variant. I’m doing some casual research to fish for a starting point for what I want.
Spacefaring Zenn.. aren’t viewed differently or at least not negatively. They might be considered adventurous or restless or on a sort of personal journey. Maybe they just have a strange preference for the company of aliens. But Zenn that aren’t born AND raised on their homeworld is a problem. They consider that integral to being a Zenn at all. There is considerable leeway if the individual at least grew up on their homeworld and never knew anything else.
Definitely all things to explore further.
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I understand that their home world is a very cold and rocky place, but does it have any forests or jungles, or any sort of place like that? Or is there not much vegetation?
And if you ever get the time, do you think you can upload some pictures of their home planet?
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Yes! They have forests that are filled with something that is sort of like our pine and redwood trees. They also have these massive sequoias and another that is like that but more squat in shape. There is a lot of vegetation in places near geothermal activity such as the hot rivers that run through parts of the continents. Lots of ocean vegetation near underwater vents too!
I'm definitely going to try and do some concepts of their homeworld in the near future. Maybe even some rough ideas for continent layout.
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Criminal Zenn. Do they happen? Thieves, killers, "rapists", drug and other material smugglers, slavery trade, blabla. Are there bad Zenn? Do they have a criminal justice system? Jails?
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Yes. Illegal drug and slave rings definitely yes. They do have something of a sex trade though its.. different than ours as it's not dominated by any one particular sex or even species. Sex is already held in a different light. Sex is a bonding thing, as common place as we would go to the movies with friends. Trafficking species that cannot consent is not super common place and extremely taboo. Same with child sex-slaves. Sex trade in general is not as common as drug rings.
There is actually a degree of social pressure to be sexually active, even at a young age. It's not taboo in the slightest. They have very comprehensive sex education.
None of it is too big of an issue for them and they seem to be able to use non-lethal police authority to control most of it. The bigger issue is actually zenn trafficking done by other sentient species.
Zenn criminals are typically rehabilitated. In more extreme cases they'll be executed either in single combat or by way of suicide mission. It's considered to be an honorable way to die. Dangerous physical labor is also another consequence.
Criminals tend to be individuals who fell through the cracks when it came to care in their neighborhood communities or didn't receive the help they needed in the rare instances of childhood abuse. Rarer still are infanticide survivors. Mental and physical disabilities are usually something they carefully screen for in breeding triads but anomalies and birth defects happen. The ostracization as a result of this is enough to drive many to live outside of society and resort to underground markets to get their basic needs.
As for bad Zenn.. Culturally defined, yes. There are definitely individuals who live outside the norm and do not adhere to culturally set values of morality and conduct. Some of these individuals manage to learn how to live within society anyway through help with rehabilitation but others are detained and generally sent on suicide missions until they perish. More often than not these individuals ENJOY doing them. They have rehabilitation centers but not jails. They won't exile them off planet either as that becomes problematic if the individual chooses to disclose confidential information about the Zenn homeworld to any other space faring species. If they are dangerous enough individuals they'll be granted execution in single combat.
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Please explain the sexes, genders, and gradations you have alluded to. What is the function of the third sex? If they carry offspring, which sex does so? Can two individuals produce offspring, or must it always be three? Can more than three be involved?
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Their sexes are not analogous to ours. It takes three ingredients for them, none of which are the same as our gametes. I do not know what their reproductive organs are like, YET. I'm hoping to work that out in the near future. They normally have 3 sets of chromosomes. Their genetic code looks sorta similar to ours but it's a triple helix configuration.
You need all three, no ifs, ands, or buts, about it.
More than three can be involved but you won't be having 4 sources of genetic material should a child result. Just means someone got to have a little orgy. Haha.
Just like humans, the Zenn have a variety of gender identities. A handful of them are tied into their perceived biologic sex while the rest do not. They are all slightly different depending on the culture. None of them are analogous to ours. So they don't have any concept of 'boy/man' or 'girl/woman'; their gender roles are different (culturally dependent). The gradient refers to the fact that many won't identify with any of the currently constructed ways of identifying so they'll either create a new word for themselves or they'll just not worry about it.
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Where is the offspring incubated as it changes from zygote to multi-celled organism? Egg, pregnancy, or other? Does one create an egg, and the other types include their genetic material later? Do all three deposit genetic material? Where is it deposited? Do they produce foam and all mix in that? Do they have invasive or non-invasive intercourse? Do they need to be in a special place? Is their any sex with a nursing function, or can children eat regular food right after birth? Is their any gender dimorphism, or do they all look the same? I'm not concerned with gender roles, or even the shape of the organs, just the overall basic mechanics. I don't want to know how they have sex, I'm asking about the (very) early life cycle once the offspring has been generated. I'm also not trying to figure out who is the female. Even on our planet, males can sometimes bear young. Just trying to figure out the basic *biological function of each sex.
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I'm still working on names for their genders, sexes, and appropriate pronouns so bear with me if I use A, B, and C. Lol.
I haven't determined yet how that works. I'm planning a research day to work that out. The only thing I know for sure is that all three do contribute genetic material and then one of the sexes carries the developing child inside them.
I just mentioned that bit because you did include genders in your inquiry.
Sex among Zenn is a common practice. It's not at all taboo and if anything its highly encouraged to be sexually explorative from a young age. The chance for viable offspring is much smaller than it is for us. Some chromosome combos simply don't work. They don't need a special place besides knowing they are somewhere safe.
One of the sexes has an underdeveloped gizzard-like organ in their throats. They can eat mushed up soft plant matter and pre-chewed (and partially digested) food provided by adults.
Pretty sure it's invasive intercourse but a lot of this information has potential to change. For the moment its A+B deposit to C.
I do plan to give them sexual dimorphism. I haven't determined what that is yet. Haha, sorry, I know a bunch of these answers aren't going to be entirely satisfactory at all.
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If you want to stay away from the male-female sex differentiation, which could still be similar if you have C receive genetic material and carry the child (female role) and A+B together forming "male" roles, you could try these variations.
In a SciFi novel by Piers Anthony with a 3-sexed species, all 3 sexes could carry a child. The sex of the child as well as who carried it was determined by who initiated intercourse in a sort of rock-paper-scissors (A + B&C = B, B + C&A = C, and C + A&B = A). The child was always the same sex as the parent. In this novel, mere proximity of all three genders was enough to initiate intercourse, and the society consequently had highly specific regions for each sex to avoid unwanted copulation and resultant offspring.
A variation would be that all of them can carry offspring, but which one does so is determined by who is receiving genetic material. Maybe only two genders can bear children, or maybe only one.
Another way would be to have one sex that received genetic material from the other two, mixed them internally to form a zygote, and then deposited that zygote in one of the others, which would then become the carrier-sex.
You may want to consider body morphism being completely unrelated to sex, and instead reflecting environment, social class, or some other factor.
So these are just some ideas for you. Don't know if they will be helpful or not in helping you decide what direction you want to go with the species.
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I'm not looking for help but thanks for the thoughts.
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No worries, I didn't think you really needed it, lol.
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I do appreciate the thought though. Haha. I just haven't had time to really devote yet but classes are out in a week and then I'll be able to spend every waking moment that I'm not working to get on the ball with this stuff.
Every.
Waking.
Moment.
I'm going to give people infogasms.
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Do the Zenn have a seedy underworld? Drug rings? Slave rings? Sex trade? What are Zenn criminals like, and how are they dealt with?
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Yes. Illegal drug and slave rings definitely yes. They do have something of a sex trade though its.. different than ours as it's not dominated by any one particular sex or even species. Sex is already held in a different light. Sex is a bonding thing, as common place as we would go to the movies with friends. Trafficking species that cannot consent is not super common place and extremely taboo. Same with child sex-slaves. Sex trade in general is not as common as drug rings.
There is actually a degree of social pressure to be sexually active, even at a young age. It's not taboo in the slightest. They have very comprehensive sex education.
None of it is too big of an issue for them and they seem to be able to use non-lethal police authority to control most of it. The bigger issue is actually zenn trafficking done by other sentient species.
Zenn criminals are typically rehabilitated. In more extreme cases they'll be executed either in single combat or by way of suicide mission. It's considered to be an honorable way to die. Dangerous physical labor is also another consequence.
Criminals tend to be individuals who fell through the cracks when it came to care in their neighborhood communities or didn't receive the help they needed in the rare instances of childhood abuse. Rarer still are infanticide survivors. Mental and physical disabilities are usually something they carefully screen for in breeding triads but anomalies and birth defects happen. The ostracization as a result of this is enough to drive many to live outside of society and resort to underground markets to get their basic needs.
My brain is super tired so I didn't word that well but I hope that got the idea across.
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In our world we all have two ears. What would having four ears do? Why do they need four ears? Would they have better hearing than us or would it be the same?
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Much better hearing and in particular more acute ability to discern the precise location of a sound source. Multiple ears also lets them focus in on multiple sound sources at the same time which they can distinguish separately from the others.
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Where can I read/ learn more about Reed. He's caught my eye and I just want to know more! lol
If There isn't much I've missed then I am happy waiting. c;
btw You're awesome. I told you that, right?
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I actually don't have any information really posted though I have a small blurb about what he is in the Antiquus Vir folder sidebar.
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Oh ok, good. I shall check it out. C:
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The Zenn are a technologically advanced species of aliens that come in many flavors:3 biological sexes(but recognize more than 9) and a gradient of gender identities. They live on an ice-ball of a planet whose years are about 5 times longer than ours. They speak 9 different languages interchangeably (ei how we use Spanglish) and overlay it/embellish with nonverbal languages. And their planet has huge fuzzy dinosaurs for predators.
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Fuzzy dinosaurs sounds cute as frick.
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Are Zenn any major type of power, like Political, Military...?
And, hope you don't mind two questions at once, but how far are they technologically?
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In terms of relations with other species or among themselves? They have a stable government that isn't too overbearing yet. The media is honestly the most powerful where they are. Haha. With other species they are not very well known. They're seen as powerful but no one has seen or dared test their military strength yet.
Technologically.. They have prosthetics that behave like the real thing and even simulate senses of touch to an extent. They have space flight capability that allows them to reach other parts of the galaxy in a reasonable amount of time. They occupy a few dozen colony planets- mostly because its safer than using their own planet for resources. They use projectile and light energy based weapons.
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I know this question is similar to another as far as variation, but..... Would there be any variation on the Zenn depending on where they're from? Would the ear shape and muzzle structure change slightly depending on where the zenn is from? .....
Since it wouldn't necessarily be detrimental to their survival, Zenn with slightly longer ears, or longer snouts, and such from a more southern region, on and on... does that happen, just like with us people, or are they mostly all the same shape and structure everywhere?
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Yep! Someone else asked a race question but I can expand on it a little. Yeah, slightly shorter or longer snouts are definitely in there. Same with ears. The shapes can vary a bit too. Other traits are: nose bridge, sagital crest size and angle, nostril shape, subtle changes in skull shape and tooth arrangement, and tail length. Most of the differences are relatively subtle and you'd have to be a member of the species to notice.
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Alright after reading the comments how do Zenn classify species on their planets? Is this the only color their pelt comes in or are their more variants and mutations, adding onto that with mutations and variants concerning number and shape of ears, facial structure, eye color. Are their different 'races' of Zenn? What is the social structure of their world, do they have a government, do they have tribal and more modernized pockets, socially how do they interact with eachother and others species? Are their morals or taboos specific to them in their culture?
Sorry for so many questions I'm curious to learn a bit more about them. xD
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Sorry it took me so long to get around to answer. Lots of questions. I didn't want to try and cram them in between things. Now that I've got a few hours to kill I can take my sweetass time with a proper answer. Still, I'll try not to be too wordy and explain it as simply as I can. Else I'll get extremely carried away. Hell, even this little foreword is a bit much. Ha!
The Zenn speak 9 different languages interchangeably. Think of it in almost the same way as Spanglish. Their language however has also a huge emphasis on body language. You can't speak without it and you can't use only the body gestures that accompany it either. Not ALL of the 9 languages are like that. Perhaps 3 to 4 but even still all of it is combined into one big complexly interrelated way of speaking. Some of the languages are slightly more prevalent in one part of the world over another since they all started regionally. Many of the languages earlier on got phased out. Gah. I got wordy. So you see the problem with classifying. They ended up picking a much older and almost dead language and used that as well as new words they created to describe the scientific world and classify things.
Their pelts do come in various shades of earthy greys and blacks as well as just straight up brown. There is variation to their pelts like patterning but that's something I'm still working out so I don't have any visual examples yet. There are not very many mutations appearance wise overall as the Zenn frequently commit infanticide or abandon children who exhibit culturally determined undesirable traits. These traits vary from culture to culture but now that the Zenn are, for the most part, a unified people they practice is becoming less and less because of cross cultural controversy. I hope I phrased that right.
But yes, there is dimorphism among Zenn such as ear shape and size, body proportions, bone structure, eye color, tooth arrangement.
There are different 'races' yes. Culturally defined though. Just like with humans. When I decide on ethnic backgrounds for the Zenn I'll be sure to post more information on it. I know they have them, I'm just not sure what they are yet.
I'm not entirely sure what their government would be defined as. Its got elements of a few different ones. They support their citizens fully with basic necessities as long as they are working. Almost all Zenn have at least two part time jobs. Ideally one is a more mentally demanding job and the other is something with more physical labor in it. Multiple part time jobs allow them to float through different activities and trades. Part of their earnings help pay for the necessities and the rest can be spent on luxury items and in particular food. There is literally nothing the Zenn hold to higher quality standards than food and it's production.
Moving on. Cities will typically have a council led by a triad. A group of maybe 6 cities' triads will form their own council. Then there are representatives from various occupational fields to give their input. So with the multiple occupation bit in mind, every politician has another occupation or two else where and remains a part of the labor force. By choice. The Zenn love physical activity. Its integrated into who they are as a species. They get really anxious and out of sorts if they do not have a physical outlet. That's what it is ina nutshell anyway.
They give each other a lot of space but not because of discomfort but out of respect. Every Zenn has highly sensitive deeply rooted sensory hairs on their bodies that allow them to 'see' the world around them in the form of air currents. More often than not an individual will willingly invite strangers into their space. It's not necessarily considered rude to infringe on another's space. It may just mean haste or something is going wrong for you to have done so. It's not taken as an offense. Someone who does this frequently is usually considered very distracted.
Yes, their morals and taboos are culturally specific but one species wide one is the bestiality taboo. Totally not okay in their book unless it is something intelligent enough to give consent. THAT part is defined culturally though so it varies. For some cultures a way to get around it was to perform necrophilia since for the Zenn the body after death is considered meat. It is not important with the exception that it should be consumed and not wasted if possible.
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YES!
Question, do the Arkkoo blaze?
I certainly hope so
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They do have recreational drugs of their own, yes. They are extremely wary of things like addiction and vital organ failure so it's not as wide spread, nor is it viewed in the same way as we view recreational drugs. For them it's more like how we'd every once and a while go out for a really really nice expensive dinner somewhere with friends. None of it is illegal unless it can have lasting negative impacts on the body.
If they smoked weed here on earth I'm not sure what it would do to them. Alcohol might have some effect but because of their density and sheer size it would take much more of it to do anything. They might enjoy the taste though.
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FINALY! the Zenn are back! I dont have much to ask right now, but I will say the one above that you colored looks very reptilian compared to the others... maybe its the jagged mouth. Not really against the look, but its different from what you have done so far.
Im happy they are back, though!
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They just have stretchy lips haha. Their mouths haven't changed in shape though it did get a little more extreme in some cases. [link]
They also will still have their poofy fur. Its just these particular examples that don't have much of a mane.
I'm happy they're back too
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I think the lack of mane really makes them look way different, and I think its a good idea to keep it.
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Just like some people have thick hair and some people have thin hair, it'll be a genetic thing
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And I was wondering... I've seen a few references to some form of animated series here and there on your posts... does this exist or is it jsut a plan you want to kickstart soon? I was also wondering if there was anywhere I could find more Zenn lore, sorta like a database, or if all of the info is scattered around on your posts and comments and in your head?
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That was an older project which I've since had, with much sadness, to scrap. It was ambitious for my level of ability back then. I have kept all the material though and I'll likely be recycling it into a more up to date bit for the Zenn. For now there are no set plans.
I wish I did have a database to offer but I do not. I'm hoping that through this ask as well as the explorations I have by myself I'll be able to get a database started. Most of the info scattered in my posts is out of date. It's not irrelevant. Its just not the same as it used to be.
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How do they reproduce? Same as humans/similar gestation? Live birth or eggs? Number of typical offspring?
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I haven't fully decided yet but I'm considering something either similar to mammalian gestation or something not entirely unlike viviparous sharks. The internal structures and mechanics of it are a bit different either way. The typical number is one with two being common (not twins and more common than with humans), three being unlikely but possible and any more than that being exceptionally rare.
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Would they be able to function on Earth? As in, does their planet go by the same rules as ours, as far as the basic building blocks of life? Oxygen, water, and so on?
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Yes! They breathe a relatively similar atmospheric cocktail, drink water based fluids, and are carbon based like us. We miiight survive on their world in turn but the ecology might not support our nutritional needs.
Highly acidic foods can seriously injure or kill a Zenn if they ingest it. So no vinegar or citric acid. The running joke has been that a grapefruit can kill a Zenn. They will consume it in small amounts for 'macho points'. Lol.
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How do Zenn normally defend themselves, what sort of weapons do they use against each other or against another threat out in space?
really happy to see these guys back, they're interesting to talk about man.
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They're well versed in their own brands of martial arts but those generally only apply to fighting something more or less in your weight range. They would have no use against the giant fluffy dinosaurs that comprise a lot of the bigger terrestrial predators. They almost always carry a knife but predators are generally dealt with by fleeing. They can be killed with group efforts or with modern weaponry. Light energy weapons are favored since most projectile weapons large enough to kill them are too big and need to be mounted to a wall or vehicle. Handheld weapons are fine size for dispatching smaller ones. Guns aren't the favorite for shipboard combat since there is a risk of puncturing the hull. Ship to ship combat though is a mix of cyber combat and mounted projectile and light-energy weapons.
Yeah I really missed them too. I know everyone else has as well.
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