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Teshari
- Species Type: Sapient Avian Carnivore
- Population: ~40 Billion
- Population Demographic Majority: Teshari
- Common Language: Schechi
- Government Type: Joint Representative Republic
Teshari are a diminutive raptor-like species which evolved on Shekha, a tentatively habitable world in the Mecati-Stendarr system. Historically a pack-hunting predator, Teshari society values cooperation and success through teamwork. The average Teshari is a highly social and inquisitive creature, whose quickness to adapt to galactic society and long cultural legacy of community and communality has served them well as crew aboard starships.
Originating from the large, icy planet of Shekha which orbits Mecati’s and Stendarr's star at the edge of the Goldilocks zone, the teshari are descended from highly social pack hunters. Shekha is regarded as barely habitable by most species due to low temperatures and atmospheric pressure, but Teshari are able to survive comfortably in temperatures as low as -30C without extra layers, and are adapted to lower pressures than other species, able to function normally at pressures as low as 70 kPA.
Teshari are digitigrade bipedal tetrapods with four clawed fingers and an opposable thumb, taloned feet, and a large, flexible tail that is typically used to maintain balance. They possess a largely mammalian head, with two external, motile ears serving as their primary sense in their days as pack hunters. Their bodies are covered with a thick coat of down feathers to protect them from the cold. They typically have prominent crests of longer feathers on their heads and the ends of their tails, as well as along their arms and legs which are popular to style and dye in the same manner as other species treat hair.
Teshari are diminutive compared to the average galactic species, standing roughly 4' (122cm) tall on average, with heights ranging between 3' to 5' for the majority of Teshari. The Teshari lifespan has likewise been short until the advent of modern medical techniques, with the average life expectancy being 50-60 years, though with modern medicine and lifestyles this has been extended to 80 years of age.
Teshari History is greatly defined by both resource scarcity and unity. Originating as migratory, pack-hunter primitive avians, the Teshari won the evolutionary race with stone tools, much like other sapients today have historically. Animal husbandry soon followed and with that the Teshari expanded out across Shekha into the equatorial band as tribes where agriculture found it's roots. What soon followed was the start of Teshari settlements and an end to their migratory nature, with the equatorial migrant tribes settling the first city-states.
With civilization however came war, with Shekha's lack of much fertile land and grazing space for livestock, the larger equatorial city-states bullied their smaller neighbors driving more Teshari refugees northwards to the tundras, forcing them to stand together as the Council of Kilask. While this was a constant strife; over the next two centuries this conflict spilled over into an arms race. Generations of tension between tundra-dwelling Teshari council, fearful of the equatorial city-states expansion finally culminated into a global war southwards fought now with gunpowder, war machines and artillery. Known as the greatest tragedy of the Teshari people at the time, hence called the Age of Sorrow. The eventual stalemate and ceasefire resulted in a begrudging peace accord between the two major powers, forming what became the Unified Council. While this prevented another global conflict, the issues of centralized rule quickly became evident. While the Accord never failed entirely, the disparate interests within the UC caused significant internal struggle.
Shekha's troubles were not over entirely however. Another great population boom generations after soon threatened to force more resource scarcity and with that, another great war. Fearing even more mechanized conflict with even more advanced weaponry would doom the species. The Unified Council looked to the stars desperately investing Shekha's brightest minds and resources into space flight, developing orbital habitats and a lunar colony before the fragile accord was pushed to breaking. While the concept of alien life had occurred to the Teshari in both academic and fictional circles, any doubt had been removed when they soon after received long-range radio signals from a planetary body within similar P-orbit.
While curious, war and hardship made the Teshari cautious. their first investigation into these signals had arrived as not a manned expedition, but a remote probe. Fearing the worst with a ramshackle, barely combat-able fleet on standby, the Teshari were pleased and more than a little concerned to find the overly-welcoming Tajaran people. With this information and a light-years-long language barrier. The Teshari communicated through crude pictograms their intent to visit. Without FTL travel however the trip for the Teshari envoy was long one, between waiting for both planet's orbits to sync and the actual flight time.
Fearing the Tajaran people had grown paranoid with only a remote probe to communicate with; poorly at that. The small team of scientists and their escort were met with open arms yet again. A historical anniversary still celebrated today by the combined people.
With both species proven to be space capable and strong allies, the foundation for what would become the TTA was established in the Mecati-Stendarr system with both the Tajaran and Teshari colonizing their binary star system. Yet as the question to what other systems held and their own joint venture into Bluespace. Both discovered that once again they were not alone.
Much like the Tajaran, the Teshari are a highly social, pack-based species that's thrived through teamwork and tool usage. However the Teshari by today's standards are quite conservative and collective. Much more focused on they, and the Tajaran's species welfare as a whole in a much greater galaxy. Their naturally shorter lifespan and high reproductive rates also have encouraged a much more brisk-minded view of politics and policies. A mindset that's both helped and hindered the TTA as a whole.
While the Tajaran make up more of the military and scientific community of their joint republic, the Teshari are very much the "face" of it in both external and internal politics. While their small stature sometimes make them hard to take seriously in intergalactic affairs, they still are quite proud of reaching an equal foothold to at least two other FTL-capable species.
Credit for Teshari go to Ashturi and Gloss, who wrote all of this source material I merely put into wiki format.