Creature:Taltaket

The Taltaket were a carnivorous species from the super-earth Zkaniaz in the.

History
The evolution of Taltaket civilisation was fairly typical, with the development of agriculture amongt Taltaket tribes leading to the establishment of city-states and later nation-states and eventually colonial empires. The large habitable surface area of Zkaniaz, with many large and fertile peninsulae and subcontinents kept isolated by steep mountain ranges and wide deserts, meant that the Taltaket had at least twenty-four distinct cradles of civilisation, with the concept of Westphalian sovereignty being formalised on no fewer than ten independent occasions.

Taltaket attempts at space colonisation were delayed by the high gravity of their homeworld, which not only made it more expensive to reach orbit but also exacerbated the negative impacts of low-gravity environments on Taltaket physiology. Although initially reluctant to use nuclear rockets and genetic engineering to alleviate these problems, the discovery of artefacts led to a species-wide conversion to Zealotry and resulted in a desire to explore 's creation first-hand and help spread his word to other species.

Unfortunately for the Taltaket, this revolution was cut short by a Fectonian invasion, who wished to take advantage of Zkaniaz's rich purple spice deposits and the ready-built infrastructure for mining it. In 2745, the Fectonian Navy destroyed Zkaniaz's defences from orbit and an army of Cyber-Fectonians - robotic Fectonian androids engineered to withstand the planet's high surface gravity - were deployed to subjugate the native population.

In 2760, Fecton's colonial empire was in turn conquered by the, and under their rule the Taltaket were given equal rights. As with all Girdo species, the Taltaket became part of after the galaxy was destroyed.

Biology and Appearance
The Taltaket were short eight-limbed predators. Usually they would walk on all eight limbs and only use their front two or four as hands when necessary, but in lower-gravity environments they were able to support themselves entirely on their hind pair of legs. Adaptations for a predatory lifestyle included thick torso armour, twenty sharp claws, and diamond-like crystals in their jaws.

Notable Individuals
Notable Taltaket in the Girdo Empire include Commodore Diamoinu of the starship Sunlight, and Lieutenant Niestor and Ensign Sarkhai, who served on the starship Zkaniaz during the.