The Xan are native to Algara. They are hairless, slender humanoids with large, bulbous heads. Their height averages between 1.5 and 1.75 meters. Skin coloration ranges from pale green to yellow or pink. Their eyes have no irises, and are big, round pools of black. Xan faces do not show emtion, as they lack the proper muscles for expression. However, like most sentients in the galaxy, the Xan are emotional beings. Their code of behavior is very simple: do good to others, fight when your life is threatened and do not let your actions harm innocents.
The only pronounced difference between Xan physiology and that of normal humans is their vulnerability to cold. The Xan cannot tolerate temperatures below one degree Centigrade. When the temperature ranges between zero and minus 10 degrees Centigrade, Xan fall into a deep sleep. If the temperature goes below minus 10 degrees, the Xan die. As a result, most Xan live in the equatorial regions of Algara.
Life expectancy among the Xan is roughly 80 years. Xan births are single-offspring, and a female Xan can give birth between the ages of 20 and 50. The human Algarian settlers strictly regulate the number of children Xan women can bear.
Algara has been gradually taken over by its human settlers, who now dominate the planet and restrict the Xan to certain professions and social classes. The humans' advanced technology allowed them to quickly dominate the Xan, a condition that has prevailed for 400 years. The vast majority of Xan are classified as Drones, doing unskilled, menial work.
Centuries of Algarian domination has resulted in the virtual extinction of the Xan culture. What little remains must be practiced in secret, in small private gatherings. Unfortunately, most Xan have never heard the history of their people. Instead, they are fed the Algarian version of events, which speaks of Xan atrocities against the peace-loving humans.
Most Xan can speak Basic as well as their own native sign language. A small percentage of the Algarians are also trained in the Xan language, to guard against any attempts at conspiracy among the lower classes.
Their status as second-class citizens has turned the Xan into a sullen, resentful people. They do the work required of them, no more, no less, and waste no time in complaining about their lot. They do, however, nurse a secret sympathy for the Empire. Most believe that the freedom the Rebel Alliance promises each planetary government to conduct its affairs in its own way is tantamount to a seal of approval for Algarian oppression. The Xan do not belive that their lives could be worse under Imperial rule, and believe the Empire might force the Algarians into awarding the Xan equal status.
The Xan are forbidden by Algarian law to travel into space. The Algarians do not want their image to be tarnished in any way by Xan accusations. |