Species: Skr'rit Companion
Character design idea.
This is an idea I've been working on for a bit. I have a character on a muck that is a Skr'rit Companion and this is an attempt to clear up some confusion and back story needs. FWIW, if you like the idea and want to use it somewhere, please feel free, no permission necessary. I have just enough to go on here to be able to give someone some food for interesting ideas I think.
Introduction
Throughout the known galaxy, there is and has always been a need for hunters. They go by varied names and roles: bounty hunters, assassins, private investigators, etc. but the function that they serve in civilized society is basically the same. They are individuals who operate on the outskirts of the law to take care of "personnel problems". As a people, the Skr'rit are usually considered the best of the best for anyone in need of such services. (and if you have the money, and can find them, you may be able to hire ... the A team *roll credits*)
Description
The Skr'rit are rarely seen, preferring to work through a small network of intermediaries for their business affairs. Those that have been hunted for capture rather than consumption report that they are large insectoids that vaguely resemble a Terran mantis species. They are roughly 2 meters tall, with iridescent black chitin and long and powerful forelimbs ending in fingers fully able to handle fine manipulation. They are able to be completely still while waiting in ambush, and as a cold blooded species they are difficult to detect even with infrared while they are lurking in the shadows or at night.
Society
There is no such thing as Skr'rit society in the traditional sense. They are nearly unique in that their natural territorial instinct has evolved to the point that they will attack one another on sight. They are a single gender race though they do require a genetic exchange to be able to procreate. In the recent past, such pairings were negotiated and oftentimes performed while one or both partners were sedated to the point that they could do little else but mate, but being in the presence of one of their own kind is distasteful in the extreme. It was not unheard of that only one survived a mating.
There are mere hundreds of thousands of their kind that inhabit territory on their home planet. When a territory becomes available, all members of the species are notified and are eligible to negotiate for the property by whatever means is deemed appropriate. The population has dwindled over recent centuries and the Companion project was developed to prevent extinction.
Companions
The idea of the Companions would seem strange to many intelligent species in the galaxy. Why genetically engineer a creature to serve as a mate rather than genetically engineer out the instinct that makes mating with one's own species unwanted? Such is the dislike that they have for their own kind that the idea of 'fixing' themselves is unthinkable.
With the help of genetic engineers from other races, each Skr'rit designs their Companions to their own specific needs. As a partner for procreation, they are almost always female, though some examples of hermaphrodite or even male have been encountered. Morphologically they can be just about any body type desired, though the most often seen types could be mistaken for someone's pet. Even solo hunters need someone to watch their back or be able to provide or find assistance in case their owner is injured or incapacitated, so very few Companions are designed strictly for the need to procreate.
Companion: Skessa
Skessa's owner was a bounty hunter and she was designed to be able to assist in her owner's line of work. Externally she vaguely resembles a large canine with elongated legs, neck and tail. Stealth is a major objective in her construction and to that end she has a lowered body temperature, short but thick fur laying flat along her body in order to keep her body heat in, and copper-based cyanoglobin as the base for her respiration instead of iron-based haemoglobin. She is an egg-layer and therefore has no womb or mammary glands as would be found in a true mammal. She also has an ovipositor integrated with her birth canal which remains hidden until she expresses it. Because of her cupric blood, her soft tissue is shaded in blue to indigo. Hidden fangs in her upper jaw are hinged and she possesses paralytic venom that is disorienting in small amounts and potentially deadly in larger doses. Specialized lung-like organs allow her to breathe air normally, but for short periods of time she can also achieve respiration underwater - another reason for her cyanoglobin blood type.
Unlike other Companions, she was not preprogrammed to suicide in the event of the death of her owner. When her owner died while trying to fulfil a contract, she was dropped off at the star port in Chehon along with a limited amount of credits. She also possesses a matte black collar which allows some translation of her thoughts into language. It is not perfect and it was damaged on her last job.