Aduunka

Aduunka is the the homeworld of the Xukumid race, and the seat of the Xukumid Dominion. Relative to Earth, it is located closer to the galactic core, on the opposite side of the vast Threshold territory. It is more arid, with less ocean coverage and fewer areas of dense vegetation. It's gravity is somewhat lower, resulting in higher mountains and flora and fauna which to the human eye seem strangely elongated. The Xukumid themselves are, while comparable in biomass, taller than Gaians, and one of Aduunka's most striking features are the tree analogues which grow to seemingly impossible heights.

All higher lifeforms on Aduunka are arthropods, lacking the flexible spine found in Earth vertebrates. Instead, Aduunkan arthropods base their biological structures on a rigid, external dorsal shell-like structure. This shell - or carapace - houses the main nerve bundles to and from the brain, which is housed in a traditional skull typically fitted atop a protrusion from the shell. Limbs and rib-like structures fit perpendicularly or tangentially against this shell.

As the Xukumid discovered the graviton before overpopulation and environmental issues became acute, Aduunka's ecology has remained in balance despite continued heavy population in urban areas. Unlike Earth, the Xukumid homeworld continues to be the cultural and political capital of the Dominion.