Curh

The Curhax (//, singular "Curh") were a sentient species native to Xoquon in the.

Biology and appearance
The atmosphere of Xoquon was markedly different than that of most other habitable worlds; it filtered what a would call "visible light" and instead let in primarily ultraviolet radiation. For this reason, the Curhax evolved to see in ultraviolet, not the visible spectrum. Their skin was immune to the sunburn and cancer effects that excessive UV radiation caused in Humans and other humanoids, but some biologists theorized it had turned the species' uniform black due to that very exposure.

The black skin of the Curhax had a slightly reflective "marble" look, especially when exposed to visible light, and Curhax hair was black and shades of gray. However, it was their eyes that struck other humanoids as most unusual. Rather than having fixed irises, pupils, and sclera, a Curh's eyes were a mix of colors which resembled shells or fuel spilled in water. The arrangement was fixed, but the color seemed to change and warp when viewed from different angles. For this reason, Curhax were often said to have "oil slick eyes".

According to Selish Anteran, Curhax blood vessels from the heart to the brain were mostly internal, but were closest to the surface in the hollow behind the ears. This point was used for direct injections, as opposed to the neck injections favored by Humans and similar species.

Curhax bore live young after a gestation period of roughly a standard year, and usually one at a time. Curhax reached full physical maturity around the age of twenty standard years.

Society and culture
Due to their ability to see even slight traces of bodily fluids or foreign substances on one another with their ultraviolet vision, the Curhax developed a tendency toward fastidious cleanliness. Being seen publicly with visible traces of contaminants was considered embarrassing, and as a result most Curhax who could afford the time bathed several times a day. Many of the most obsessive native Curhax would rather be cold than sweat, and anyone who could afford maids or cleaning droids had them to keep their homes "presentable". Those who knew themselves to be in dirty or physically demanding occupations often wore loose, body-covering clothing, while those who could more easily stay clean wore less clothing.

Physical exercise was considered an entirely private affair, and while gyms existed on Xoquon, they were usually assortments of private exercise rooms. As an extension, a social divide began on Xoquon and continued for centuries, well into the time of the planet's membership in the Golden Empire. Wealthier Curhax, who could afford to devote more time and money to perfect cleanliness, were awake during the day, while poorer Curhax and those in dirty or labor-related occupations worked at night. "He wants to sleep at night" was a euphemism for calling a Curh a social climber.

Because they saw in the ultraviolet spectrum, Curhax couldn't see in the visible spectrum. As such, space travel was uncomfortable for them, since most spacecraft did not generate UV radiation with their onboard lights—the Curhax could see at their destinations, but not in transit. After the Curhax became better known to the Golden Empire, a niche market sprang up among starship manufacturers to design s with UV-lit cabins specifically for Curhax. A handful even designed or refitted entire ships exclusively for Curh use.

History
The Curhax evolved as prey rather than the apex predators on their homeworld. Their own biologists theorized that their seemingly-innate fixation on biological traces stemmed from attention to the signs of passing predators. Such an attitude would not only have allowed them to detect nearby predators, but also to keep one another clean and thus leave fewer biological traces for predators to track.

Despite their natural disadvantages, the Curhax were the only species which evolved sentience, and were thus able to create tools and barriers to keep out the animals which hunted them. Curh society developed into a caste system in many areas, with the wealthier members of society keeping ritual cleanliness and lower classes who did physical labor being shunned except by each other. This would eventually lead to the day/night stratification of the species. Distaste for physical exertion made military service unappealing to many Curhax; though lower classes would often willingly fight, all Curhax preferred to avoid it when possible, making them more open to diplomacy than many other sentient species for a while.

The invention of s was of monumental importance in Xoquon's history. Not only did it allow the Curhax to delegate many manual labor tasks to droid labor, but it also opened the possibility of conquest by force without having to usual actual Curhax except as strategists and technicians. The Curhax were still experimenting with the possibilities of droid combat and waging war on one another when the Tetrarchy of Mezlagob arrived.

The forces of the Tetrarchy were impressed with the Curhax emphasis on droid warfare, and the Mezzels and Hudrelans among them could identify with the idea of passing off physical labor to machines. Xoquon was invited to become a member world of the Tetrarchy, and it became the Tetrarchy's capital in what wound up called the Xoquon sector. Many of the upper classes ruling Xoquon, who received money and resources from the Tetrarchy, were satisfied with this arrangement, but the majority of Curhax were uncomfortable with it for many reasons. Protests were common and rebellions far from rare, but the Tetrarchy's forces assisted Curhax collaborators in crushing any resistance.

The tide began to turn in favor of the rebels during the Great Liberation. With Tetrarchy forces devoted to repulsing the Armada invading the Xoquon sector, fewer battalions were available to keep the peace. The rebellious Curhax seized the opportunity and launched yet another revolt, stealing and reprogramming Tetrarchy s to fight for their cause. The Golden Empire's defeat at Hudrel was a setback, but before the Tetrarchy could mass an overwhelming force to annihilate the rebels, the Empire attacked Tizgo V.

Losing Tizgo V and the majority of its Xoquon sector forces crippled the Tetrarchy in the sector and was the first step to its final defeat at Mezlagob. With no backup coming, the Curhax Tetrarchy loyalists were isolated, and most were captured even before the Empire arrived at Xoquon. The forces of Rin Sakaros quickly rounded up and executed the Tetrarchy's officers and accepted Xoquon's request to join the Empire.

The Curhax did not suffer much in the opinions of other species; their discomfort with interplanetary travel had confined most of the species to its homeworld, and thus most species oppressed by the Tetrarchy had never even seen a Curh. When the Tetrarchy was defeated, most Curhax preferred to remain on Xoquon, although some ventured offworld into the new Empire.

Xoquon itself was not attacked during the Nightmare War, but the Xoquon Sector Fleet under both Tariun Sakaros and Tarse Medrego used the system as a base of operations and refueling center due to its central location in the sector.

In the galaxy
The Centurion and war hero Selish Anteran was a Curh. Those Curhax who could be persuaded to venture off Xoquon often found work as forensic investigators or interrogation specialists; their ultraviolet vision could find biological traces at crime scenes, and they could easily perceive when other sentients were sweating or exhibiting other physical signs of stress.