Octopi

octopi

There are worse things than death. We do not want to become what we were never meant to be.

The Octopi are one of the True Alien species encountered by the Alliance.

One of two intelligent species that originated on a planet (later nicknamed Amity) of the star Theth-129. The Octopi are the only species remaining, following the deaths of the Small Ones. First contact was with Alysha Forrest and the UAV Stardancer.

Vital Statistics (At a Glance)

Pronounced as the Terran animal. "Octopi" instead of "octopuses" or "octopodes" or "cephalopods" or something else more technically accurate because Darya Darteriov called them that and they took to it. What they call themselves, or what the Small Ones called them, is unknown.

• Species Type: True alien
• Origin: Evolved
• Frame Type: Cephalopod
• Average Height: Varies greatly, apparently dependent on age.
• Average Lifespan:
• Gravity Preference: Stardancer crew found it unremarkable
• Homeworld: Amity
• Native Language: Some form of chemical communication using pseudo-neurotransmitters, with the water of the homeworld oceans as a conduit.

Appearance and Physiology

Appearance

The Octopi are cephalopods, with a central body hosting a large single eye and long, trailing tentacle-like limbs; their bodies are covered by a slick skin, often very colorful. The are capable of changing the color of their skin, and of bioluminescence. Unlike their namesakes, Octopi have more than eight tentacles. Flexible membranes connect the tentacles. The tentacles terminate in 'string-like' ends.

Physiology

Octopi grow with age. When holding themselves out of the water (with tentacles submerged) young non-egg-bearers may be as little as seven feet tall, while old egg-bearers can reach more than thirty feet in height when holding their trunks out of the water, not counting the tentacles beneath the water "as thick as the pylons of the Stardancer's Well drive.". Though uncomfortable on the shore, young Octopi can walk on land so long as they remain moist. Egg-bearing Octopi die not long after they drop their eggs, but can choose to delay doing so to prolong their lives.

Biochemical Communication

Octopi communicate by 'pushing' neurotransmitter-like chemicals into the water, which can then be picked up by others, which may be perceived in a variety of ways simultaneously: emotions, words, colors, flavors, scents, sensations. Some non-Octopi can 'hear' these communications better than others; Alysha Forrest is particularly good at it, whereas the Small Ones had more difficulty, and the inability to separate the thoughts of the Octopi from her own thoughts rendered Alastar Virgil temporarily comatose. Even for those skilled at communicating with the Octopi, being in the water when a great number of them are speaking can be dangerously overwhelming. Though they abhor doing so, they are also capable of removing memories, though not always successfully

Society

Religions

Octopi believe strongly in the natural order of things, even if it means their deaths. In addition to the fact that egg-layers die while laying their eggs, they choose not to resist the predatory leviathans, which they refer to as 'destroyers.' They held it as a primary duty to maintain the balance of the ocean, even if it meant their own deaths.

History

The Octopi initially had a close relationship with the Small Ones, another sapient species that evolved on Amity. Young Octopi visited the Small Ones on shore, and Small Ones visited Octopi on the water, and both were capable of seeing to the other's comfort. However, their belief that "the chain of life is worth more than an individual's contribution" caused a conflict with the Small Ones, who thought they ought to lengthen their lives in two ways: by encouraging the egg-layers to withhold their eggs, and by fighting back against the leviathans. They were partially successful in this, and the result was the Octopi feeling at war with the order of things. Accordingly, they withdrew from the Small Ones, who warred with one another, eradicating their species and leaving the Octopi lonely.

When the UAV Stardancer made contact with them in (year? is this noted somewhere? look up), the Octopi initially feared that they were like the Small Ones, and would seek to change the Octopi as they had, "[becoming] what we were never meant to be." The Eldest among them, the last living egg-bearer, sent an summons to many other Octopi, who debated the question of whether it was worth the risk of befriending another species that might encourage them to betray their beliefs again.

Famous Figures

• Eldest, the last of the egg-bearers at the time of first contact with the Alliance