Simyasto

"Someone won the evolutionary lottery…"

- Tariun Sakaros, about the Simyastos

The Simyastos (singular "Simyasto") were a species native to Zarban in the.

Biology and appearance
Simyastos were, on average, taller than and other humanoids; even a female Simyasto shorter than 1.68 meters was atypically small. They possessed a number of distinctive facial features, including vestigial tentacles around the jawlines similar to those possessed by and dark-colored, vestigial horns above their eyes. The eyes themselves, uniformly dark brown, were set deep below heavy brows. Simyastos had dark teal skin.

Simyastos had no hair, revealing their bulging crania. Unlike Humans and many other species, Simyastos had brain with three distinct parts: a central structure regulating all involuntary bodily processes and a variety of voluntary motor actions, and two additional spheres which handled higher thinking, planning, and analysis. All three parts worked in coordination, and the increased "processing power" allowed Simyastos to think faster, analyze in more detail, and process larger batches of information than many other species. Xenobiologists considered them intellectually equivalent to and. Though they did not generally possess, they were able to retain more information than most other species, both quantity and detail.

In addition, their three-part brains structure also gave Simyastos atypical physical dexterity, giving the impression of superhuman reflexes and extremely fine motor skills. They were among the galaxy's few species which were naturally ambidextrous.

Simyastos reached full physical maturity around twenty-five years of age. They carried their young for over a standard year, allowing embryonic Simyastos' brains to develop fully in utero. Simyastos lived roughly eighty-five standard years, although living past a century was not unheard of.

Society and culture
"A Simyasto can not ethically match wits with a Human; it is to fight the unarmed."

- A Simyasto observation

The Simyastos had a somewhat superior attitude toward other species, though it more often manifested as patronizing rather than openly condescending. They were aware of their physical and intellectual superiority over many other sentient species, but most often displayed an almost paternalistic attitude toward aliens, feeling their clearly superior capabilities obligated them to guide less able species. As a result, they were often resented by many other sentient races.

Due to their intellectual and physical capabilities, Simyastos were able to reach the top of many fields when they fully exerted their efforts. Simyastos often served as professors, surgeons, scientific researchers, musicians, tacticians, and government leaders among aliens; on their homeworld of Zarban, only the elite of the elite rose to such positions, making them intensely competitive. Some Simyastos looked down on their fellows who sought employment or even found success off Zarban, feeling they had done so because they knew they were unequal to competing with their own.

The Simyastos had, as a species, forsaken religious practices millennia into their past, although small holdout sects of ancient religions did exist. When they became aware of the existence of the, the Simyastos regarded it as a purely biological reality, discarding any metaphysical ramifications.

Society on Zarban was geared toward Simyastos and their ability to process information quickly, and young Simyastos learned in months what Human children learned in years. As a result, the minimum mandatory education on Zarban was equivalent to university study for other species. Much of Simyasto society was meritocratic, with promotions being more dependent on test performance (academic and performance) rather than connections; indeed, hiring managers were often restricted in their hiring abilities, and many positions, especially in civil service, did not conduct interviews.

History
Evolving as prey to a variety of predators even larger than themselves, ancestors of the Simyastos developed both their quick reflexes and ability to process information quickly as a direct response to these threats. By the time predators ceased to be a danger, the Simyastos were already far advanced in intellect and physical prowess both.

The Simyastos were the founders of the Zarban Hegemony, a small regional power in the. They were among the few species known to have developed technology absent any involvement from the s,, or other ancient galactic civilizations. The Hegemony included both Simyasto colonies and the worlds of other species.

The Golden Empire encountered the Simyastos and the Zarban Hegemony in 104 ABY, shortly after the Great Liberation. Rather than fight, the Simyastos elected to join the Empire voluntarily.

In the galaxy
Many aliens felt the Simyastos had an attitude of superiority and resented them for it. Those Simyastos who learned to work alongside aliens, however, often succeeded in the Golden Empire, rising to important government positions. Ghess was a Simyasto Centurion who served as a Royal Guard to Tariun Sakaros.