Vimesk

The Vimesk (//) were one of the two indigenous sentient species of Shel Du. They were bitter rivals of the other species, the Selff.

Biology and appearance
Generally in appearance, Vimesk stood at roughly  heights and had two hands and feet with five digits each. However, their skin came in bright hues, usually along the red and yellow spectrums of color, although blue was a rare variant.

Even more immediately noticeable, however, were the Vimesk's four insectoid wings. They had a pair of large wings on their backs between their shoulder blades, and a smaller pair attached to their rib cages. The larger wings allowed the Vimesk to fly, while the smaller wings were used for maneuvering while in the air. The Vimesk had lightweight bones and lithe forms to enable them to fly.

Society and culture
Vimesk had exploratory, adventurous natures—their ability to fly (unlike the earthbound Vimesk) enabled them to spread quickly over their homeworld. Primitive Vimesk hunted from the sky, using nets to ensnare prey. Even after technological evolution armed them with galactic-level weaponry, many Vimesk still preferred to fight while airborne.

The Vimesk were ruled by a royal family. While it was ultimately subsumed under the Golden Empire's Sovereign and subject to the planetary Consul and legislature, the Vimesk royalty still exercised enormous influence over their people.

The culture-wide hatred of the Selff originated with religion. The Vimesk believed they were superior to other forms of life, which was why they could fly while the Selff were constrained to walking. They also believed their god had selected the royal family to rule Shel Du, and that the Selff had been their partners in creation before wronging the deity. By the time of the Empire's rule, religion played only a part in the Vimesk-Selff strife, which was so deeply ingrained that both sides considered in an inextricable facet of Shel Du's culture.

Nearly all Vimesk carried weapons so as to always be prepared for "Selff treachery", although more than one Consul threatened to suspend the right to bear arms in response to hostility from one side or the other.

History
The Vimesk had evolved to adapt to Shel Du's high winds; while the stout, solid forms of the Selff kept them solidly earthbound, the Vimesk instead used the wind to their advantage. No history of Shel Du extended far enough back to chart a time before the Selff and Vimesk were at war with one another. Arms races between the two species were constant, and wars became increasingly brutal over time. Though both sides developed space flight technology, it was used solely for strategic advantage over enemies.

The Golden Empire arrived and conquered Shel Du in 120 ABY, bringing a sudden and jarring halt to millennia of war. The Vimesk were forced to reexamine their belief that they were superior to all life in light of an enemy vastly beyond them, though the majority still believed themselves superior to the Selff. Vimesk agents assassinated the Selff Tribune of Shel Du in 134 ABY, sparking the "Second Battle of Shel Du" that saw thousands of Selff, Vimesk, and Royal Army soldiers killed before Torin Saedrin restored order.

In the galaxy
Most aliens viewed both the Selff and Vimesk with deep distrust or even loathing, considering them warmongering maniacs. Away from one another, some Vimesk assimilated better into alien cultures, and at least one became a Centurion.