The Metye /ˈmɛt.jeɪ/ (from the Proto-Sith metye meaning "to pounce"[1]) was a Force-sensitive, semi-sentient feline hunter native to the planet Azarac in the East Spinward sector.
Description[]
The Metye had the appearance of a large feline smilodon, with four legs, a long muscular torso, and an extended, flexible tail that was used like that of a Vornskr to stun or incapacitate prey prior to a strike.[2] Its fur was of a charcoal coloration, with certain variations exhibiting stripes of a darker charcoal, and it possessed a small mane around its neck profile in addition to a crest that extended down the length of its spine.
A nocturnal hunter, it was best suited to the dark forests that covered the surface of Azarac, where it would stalk its prey for miles while remaining above ground in the treetops. Though its eyesight and sense of smell were underdeveloped in comparison to similar feline hunters, its use of the Force enabled to overcome these physical weaknesses, allowing it to "smell" its prey's Force aura even when concealed at a distance.
History[]
During the Infinite Empire's rule of the planet, the Rakata imported a number of exotic semi-sentient creatures to aid in the research and development of Force-sensitive hunters for use as biological weapons. The Metye, a feline breed that shared some characteristics with the Vornskr canine race, were among the first successful experiments, demonstrating superior problem solving and logic capabilities that far surpassed those of the other test subjects.
However, tests were cut short by the arrival of a Rakata-targetting, Force-based plague that ultimately brought about the end of the Empire in 25,200 BBY.[3] Harassed by a Red Sith slave uprising on Azarac and bereft of their control over the Force, the Rakata abandoned the planet, releasing the Metye on the Sith as a last-ditch total war tactic and bombarding the planet from orbit.
Over the ensuing millennia, the Sith struggled to survive in the blackened wastes and dark forests of Azarac, harried by the Metye hunters who picked off the non-Force users and those too weak to defend themselves. The resultant evolutionary paradigm shift that brought about the Tsis species was largely in response to the Metye's Force enhanced hunting abilities. Only those Tsis sufficiently strong in the Force were able to successfully escape or fight the Metye and propagate their genetics to the greater tribe. This led to a strong, near-univeral affinity for the Force in the Tsis people and ultimately empowered them to seize the position of apex predator of Azarac from the Metye.
Roughly a thousand years before the first voyages to Lune and the subsequent colonization of the Tsis Worlds, the Metye had mostly been driven to the brink of extinction by the Tsis. The birth of an industrial society and the development of advanced weapons, armor, and technology allowed the Tsis to expand across their world unafraid of the Metye. By the time of the Great Galactic War, the Metye had been driven to extinction, though their genome's genetic sequence remained preserved in a handful of laboratories across the galaxy.