Chichifa

The Chichifa are a race of rabbit-like creatures native to the Delta Sector. They exhibit most of the characteristics common to Old Earth leporids (rabbits/hares), in that they are small, furry creatures with long, upright ears. There are, however, some significant exceptions. The species is sentient, though they still largely act on instinct in many matters. Unfortunately for visitors to their world, one of these matters is an aversion to significant heat sources (which the species tends to equate to the presence of predatory megafauna species such as Grey Anemones). Upon detection of any heat source, members of the species will form massive swarms and attack. Extensive interaction with the Chichifa hasn't occured to date, due to the high risk of loss of manpower and equipment.

Basic Characteristics

 * Type: Leporid
 * Durability: 4
 * Learning Rate: 3
 * Science: Poor
 * Navigation: Average
 * Tactical: Average
 * Engineering: Poor
 * Communication: Poor
 * Medicine: Poor
 * Genders: 2
 * Life Stages: Adolescent at 6 years. Adult at 8 years. Middle Age at 14 years. Old Age at 21 years. Venerable Age at 26 years.
 * Lifespan: Lifespan 27 + 3d5 years.
 * Height: 1.24 meters; 0.94 + (2d5 *0.06) meters.
 * Mass: 8.54 kilograms; 7.13 + ((2d5 from length) * 0.47) kilograms.


 * Niche/Symmetry: Herbivorous Bilateral Consumer
 * Speed/Transit: Quadruped, (normal) 13 m/rd (8 kph), (leap) 100 m/rd (60 kph)
 * Volume: 0.009 m^3
 * HD: 59/50/59
 * HP: 40
 * Unarmed Damage: (normal) 5 HP; (leap) 30 HP
 * STV: Undesirable, 0 MU (0 MU/m^3)

Physical Description
While exhibiting many traits common to other quadruped leporids, Chichifa have some very key differences. Their skin includes a layer that blocks all infrared emissions from their bodies, which combined with their external white-colored body fur is an efficient way of staying warm in the harsh polar regions of their homeworld (where most of the species is located). The species has a pair of infrared "pits" not unlike those found on many species of Old Earth snakes. Finally, their musculo-skeletal and skin structure is built like a spring in their lower abdomens, allowing them to compress themselves before leaping; this allows them to cover a tremendous distance in the process. This leaping action is combined with a set of maxillary bicuspids (whose sole purpose seems to be self-defense) to give the Chichifa a bite with incredible force behind it; there were documented cases from the 4640 Interstel crews of Human crewmembers being decapitated by a bite from a single Chichifa. Chichifa can also use their bodily compression in order to hurl small projectiles (such as rocks) with deadly force. To do this, Chichifa simply scoop up a projectile into their mouth, plant their hind feet, compress their body and release the improvised projectile once fully extended, in effect turning their whole body into a catapult. Chichifa are fairly small creatures; they weigh just shy of ten kilograms on average and are approximately 1.25 meters in length when their abdomen is in the "rest" position. When compressed, Chichifa on average are only about half a meter in length; when they are fully uncompressed, a Chichifa can measure three meters in length or more. Chichifa are capable of sitting on their haunches and using their forepaws for coarse manipulation of objects when the need arises. Fine manipulation, however, is beyond their capabilities. Chichifa aren't particularly durable creatures; if singled out and caught by a predator they can be subdued fairly easily. They also don't learn particularly quickly, as evidenced by their tendency to act instinctively in many situations rather than think through a more rational course of action. Though fully capable of generating sounds with their vocal apparatus and perceiving them with their long ears, Chichifa as a rule communicate with each other using various scents produced by glands on their outer bodies. The major exception to this rule is when they need to protect themselves as a group, when they are more likely to use vocalizations to coordinate their efforts. Chichifa are herbivorous; for the most part, Chichifa feed on their homeworld's gelatinous carpet lifeform, though on occasion they can be seen munching on the lower portions of the native Fur Trees. They generally spend about an hour each day feeding, usually broken up into three twenty-minute periods at irregular points during the day. Unlike other leporids, Chichifa do not practice coprophagia and are capable of emesis if necessary. Chichifa may sleep up anywhere from four to six hours per day. Chichifa are a highly prolific race. Females of the species ovulate during copulation, usually releasing between five and ten ovum at a time. Gestation takes approximately two months. Females of the species also experience postpartum estrus, allowing them to conceive again almost immediately after giving birth to a litter.

Space Units
Not Applicable: Species is Non-Starfaring.

Ground Units
This gives a general listing of the vehicles available to the given race. Engaging the ground units of a species in combat will have the same general effect on the player's relations with the species as engaging their units in space. The mineral composition of ground units will be the same as that listed for space units, though the amounts will be somewhat lessened. Indication of "turrets" for a ground unit allow the unit to fire a weapon in any direction; otherwise, the unit must face their target before they may attack another unit. Ground units always include a very generic description of how the unit will appear. Ground Units in general use the same ratings as space units, but have a few additional properties as outlined below:
 * Still need a response on energy.
 * Melee: An attack that can only be delivered when that object's collision area is touching the collision area of its target.
 * Flat: The speed/efficiency the unit travels on flat land.
 * Mount: The speed/efficiency the unit travels on steep mountains. This will likely be determined by rapid changes in planetary elevation, though the exact amount of elevation change necessary has not yet been determined.
 * Liquid The speed/efficiency the unit travels on a liquid surface (possibly also including ice and cooling lava.)

No Data Available at this time.

Territory
The Chichifa are a non-starfaring race. They can only be found on their home planet of Chichifar, located at &delta;12x158, p2, which is located in between Dweenle and Tandelou territory. They can only be considered marginally civilized, as would be expected due to their lack of fine manipulators. They have yet to invent many primitive machines or organized religion. They haven't even mastered fire, though this is largely on account of their natural intolerance to heat. On the other hand, they've nearly mastered organized hunting skills (which are used when the species swarms). While some members of the species have experimented with domesticating the local minifauna, these efforts have yet to really yield fruit. The Chichifa have a very dense population density (no doubt due to the virility of the species), making any exploration of the land area of their homeworld (around the planet's southern pole) extraordinarily dangerous for almost all visitors to their planet.


 * Patrol:
 * Alpha Sector: None
 * Delta Sector: None
 * Beta Sector: None
 * Space:
 * Alpha Sector: No Sphere of Influence
 * Delta Sector: No Sphere of Influence
 * Beta Sector: No Sphere of Influence
 * Star:
 * Alpha Sector: None
 * Delta Sector: None
 * Beta Sector: None
 * Worlds:
 * Alpha Sector: None
 * Delta Sector: Chichifar (12x158, p2)
 * Beta Sector: None

Status
Chichifa don't have any significant relationships with any other races. They don't manufacture any goods for export, and even if they did, it's unlikely they could control their attack instincts long enough to initiate a trade, let alone conclude it. As a result, most visitors to their world are either ships that have gotten lost in one of the nearby fluxes whose crews think they've arrived at the nearby Humna Humna colony and don't bother to check the trade buoy data (oftentimes leading to tragic results), less than sane lifeform collectors hoping to stock up on Pulsating Gummies and Grey Anemones, truly suicidal Dweenle, G'Nunk on holiday, or those ignorant of their nature. Everyone else familiar with the Chichifa knows well enough to leave them be; a visit to their world simply isn't worth the risk.


 * Ally:
 * Initial: None
 * Final: None
 * Enemy:
 * Initial: None
 * Final: None

Economy

 * Economic Status Levels:
 * Chichifar: Depressed (Non-Trading)
 * Specialty Trade Goods Purchased:
 * None
 * Specialty Trade Goods Sold:
 * None

Supplemental Information
Not a great deal is known about the normal personality of the Chichifa; observing them in any other situation besides a highly agitated and defensive state is a problematic proposition, as most sentient lifeforms generate sufficient heat to trigger their instinctive swarming behavior. Even those species who do not generate heat naturally (including ectothermic and photosynthetic races) have to exercise extreme caution, as the Chichifa will attack any vehicle generating a sufficent amount of heat. Chichifa swarms are generally massive enough to utterly destroy a vehicle, usually with tragic results for its occupants, heat-producing or not. Most of what is known (or at least surmised) about the Chichifa has come from observations made by orbiting observatory space probes and by those extremely rare visitors that don't generate heat and use surface vehicles that sufficiently mask their heat signatures. From these limited observations, it seems that the Chichifa are not much different in behavior from most other small herbivores (the key exception being their famed swarming behavior). They are very social creatures and form communities, with populations sometimes approaching those of a small city. Local food supply and abundance of local resources appears to be the limiting factor on how large a Chichifa community can grow. Because Chichifa lack fine motor control, their communities largely consist of large concentrations of underground warrens.

As noted before, the species has a strong sense of community and an instinctive need to band together in order to face danger. Individual members of the race aren't keen to strike out on their own; most who do probably have been ostracized and are likely searching for another nearby community to join. No Chichifa has left their world to date, and given their instinctive reaction to most other races, it's not likely any ever will. Chichifa will not be found off-world, not without a damned unusual reason; certainly any individual who happens to make it off-world would find themselves almost continually fighting the instinct to attack, a battle they'd be certain to lose at some point.

Importance
The Chichifa guard the Iron Honor Marker, which the player will need if they want to try and retreive the Leghkian Sun Bomb (a mission-critical artifact) from the G'Nunk. Other than that, they serve no other purpose in the game, aside from being a hazard to exploration on a world that houses some valuable (if dangerous) lifeforms.

Communication Text
As a non-starfaring race, the Chichifa had no comm text of any kind in SF2, and will likewise have no comm text in SF3.

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