Antican
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The Anticans were a large, furry, sentient humanoid species from the planet Antica in the Beta Renner System. Anticans are a carnivorous species who prefer to eat their meat alive. They are covered by thick, warm fur except for their prominent, bald heads. They have sharp, canine teeth and clawlike extremities, and they prefer their meat raw and live. Despite their animalistic appearance, they are a technologically advanced civilization that developed space travel capability in 2300.
Physiology and Personality
The Anticans evolved from canines that learned how to walk upright, and their social and political organization reflects their ancestral origin. Their basic social unit is the pack, an extended family headed by the dominant male. Most pack members are related to the dominant male by marriage or blood, but servants and other hangers-on may be incorporated as long as they acknowledge fealty to the patriarch. On a larger scale, Anticans also organize themselves along pack lines. They follow a single world government that functions more or less like a monarchy. The Maximum Pack Leader makes all important decisions and rules until death or senility, at which point the regional Pack Leaders convene to select a new one from their ranks.
They also have prominent muzzles, long whiskers, and sharp claws and teeth. Their eyesight is highly developed, and they can see in near-darkness. They possess prominent, hairless, craniums. They stand slightly taller than the human average, between 1.7 and 2.5 meters in height. They hide their narrow rib cages and haunch-like legs beneath flowing robes when among non-Anticans, but among their own kind they wear form-fitting clothing (especially when hunting). Average lifespan is 50 years.
They mate often but the male typically does not stay any longer than necessary with the female after birth. Antican litters range in number from 2 to 8, and the male is responsible for their care and upbringing.
Anticans are combative by temperament. Within their own packs, their ingrained obedience to the hierarchy tamers their aggressive urges. But arguments, even fights, between members of different familial packs or regional packs are not uncommon, Anticans are very guarded when dealing with other species and do not take perceived slights lightly.
They are also highly pragmatic. They craft their tools purely for their functional value, and none of their native products have ever had much in the way of purely aesthetic value. Anticans do not have strong musical or artistic traditions.
In situations where an established pecking order exists, Anticans are generally friendly and even reserved or restrained; they are deferential to those clearly in command. When presented with an opportunity to assert dominance or improve statue, however - such as a weak leader, indecision or failure on the part of compatriots - they can be quick-tempered and argumentative. The typical Antican is fiercely loyal to his friends.
History
The apparent existence of another intelligent race on another planet in their solar system roused the Anticans' suspicions from the moment that modern astronomy allowed them to discover it. Who were they? Would they be hostile if the Anticans met them in person? Once the Anticans developed space travel, they didn't really wait for an answer. Their ships bombarded Selay from orbit with very little contact as prologue. The Selay, who had also just developed space travel, responded in kind. Over the next 60 years, the two civilzations exchanged both spaceborne raids and ground invasions with little advantage and much destruction to show for it.
The Anticans made first contact with the Federation in 2360, but it took four years of persuading by an endless stream of UFP diplomats to get them to consider making peace with their longtime foes. Only when the Federation made a formal peace treaty the prime condition of UFP membership did the two sides agree to a cease-fire and direct negotiations. High-ranking embassies from both sides met on Parliament in 2364 and hammered out a long-term peace agreement, known as the Beta Renner Treaty, although it took considerable pressure on both sides by Federation intermediaries to get them to actually sign it.
Since then, the Anticans have abided by the treaty, and every Maximum Pack Leader since then has formally disavowed any aggressive intent toward the Selay. However, it is not inconceivable that rogue elements within the Antican political or military leadership might try to orchestrate a violation of the treaty by one side or another. Restless young military officers sometimes grumble about how peace deprives them of the chance to live up to their ancestors' heroic deeds. And it is a known fact that ambitious politicians have considered stirring up a crisis to give them a chance to prove themselves more fit for leadership than the current Pack Leader, and a new war with the Selay is the gravest crisis that the Anticans could create for themselves.
Reference(s)
- Bridges, Bill, et al. Star Trek Roleplaying Game Book 5: Aliens, Decipher, 2003. ISBN: 1582369070.