Xukumid Dominion

The Xukumid are a reptilian humanoid species whose martial Dominion rivals the human Gaian Empire, a rivalry which led to the Expansion Wars. Today, as both the Dominion and Gaia have retreated to their diminished core territories, humans and "lizards" mingle freely in the lawless Threshold. Calling the people Xukumid is technically a misnomer: "Xukumid" (meaning "control") is the name of the government, not the species. Their own name for themselves is Nin Qorratada. Generally somewhat taller yet narrower in build than humans, the Xukumids' most distinguishing feature is that they, like most higher life forms on their homeworld, are not vertebrates in the traditional sense: rather, their limbs and nervous system are built on the framework of a hard external carapace or shell in place of a spine. While not a true exoskeleton, this carapace is more durable but less flexible than the human spine, summing up the relationship between the two species in many areas besides the biological. When Gaia first encountered the Xukumid, the reptilians had already been a spacefaring race for nearly 200 years, and possessed many technologies humanity had yet to even imagine. Initially, relations were civil and much trade and innovation was exchanged, but as time went on, the stalwart and rigid Xukumid became increasingly unnerved by the Gaians' flexible minds and quick adaptability. This tension grew as territorial clashes in the Threshold increased, and since the end of the war, the Dominion has been reluctant to engage in diplomatic and commercial contacts with the relative newcomers.