Good afternoon, my name is Alater Osted and today I will be instructing you on Barabese culture. The point of this exercise is to introduce you to the mind of a Barabel as you encounter them throughout your career and amongst your own work. You may know me already to not be as well spoken as I will be today, and that is due to a process of speech writing. You don’t have to worry about the authenticity of this course, as it was written by me, simply edited to make it easier on the ears of those not used to my mannerisms and speech patterns. A few things we will cover include: Barabel speech, clan and family organization, customs, and many other aspects of Barabel life and culture. Let’s begin shall we?
To start you will have to understand the home planet and system in which the Barabel species evolved. Barab-I, the Barabel home planet, is possibly the harshest of all planets that a sentient species has been known to evolve on. The planet is closest in the system to the sun, making the temperatures there unbelievably hot. Of the thirty six hour long day, only six of those are in darkness. Due to the extreme heat and radiation on the planet almost all water on the planet’s surface is instantly vaporized after it condenses, if it even does. The planet’s harsh environment has also given birth to some of the most vicious and dangerous predatorily animals in the known galaxy. On a planet where even the herbivores have claws and fangs, chief of the non-sentient predators is the Durgolosk, which we will go into later. Back on topic, I’ll continue with a little more geographical information. Throughout the planet’s crust is an extensive network of caves and underground caverns. These have become the home of the Barabel people almost since they first began to develop major cognitive abilities. Moving onward.
The Barabels have become possibly the hardiest of all species to evolve. They are reptilian in nature, and as such have scales, claws, and razor sharp fangs longer than your finger. We’ll start from the head and work down from there. The skull of the Barabel is protected by not only his skull and scales, but a dense cranial plate that has more than once been used in combat, primarily against other males when the species was young and it was mating season. Barabel eyes have evolved over the years to compensate for the darkness of living in caves. Some Barabels can also see in the infrared spectrum. A genetic mutation in recent years has caused a very small number of Barabels to be born with the ability to also see in the ultraviolet spectrum, and as a result contain two eye colors. The arms of the Barabel developed to fit their body, as any other humanoid species, but their claws are retractable, resembling feline in nature. The claws themselves are harder than most substances, including durasteel. Vibroweaponry can even be deflected for very short exposure, but as I learned myself even custom modifications cannot stand up to vibroweaponry’s power. As Barabels are reptilian and the father fertilizes the eggs, the reproductive organs are internal and the penis is retractable. Covering the entire Barabel body is an armor of scales, varying in color from green to brown to black. Over ninety eight percent of the Barabel population begins at a medium dark green shade and their scales turn brown or light black over age. One clan, specifically mine, is known for their larger size and occasional midnight black color, as you see me here and now. The scales were evolved for both protection from the predators of their home planet and the radiation from the close proximity to the sun. The scales provide insulation from losing heat, as the Barabels are reptilian and there for cold blooded. The mentioned radiation protection is also useful, allowing them to remain in the direct sun of their home planet for sometimes hours. The scales are also amazingly strong; low powered blaster bolts, stun shocks, and normal melee weapons are completely ineffective and generally only serve to aggravate the Barabel. Speaking of aggravation, let us move on to your ‘typical Barabel’ explanation.
Most Barabels are portrayed as big, mean, feral beasts. In fact this is generally far from the truth. The average Barabel is quick to anger, very passionate about his friends and family, and in general seems to always be ready for a fight, but this is due to the large culture differences between many species and the Barabel way of life. The Barabel culture stresses the importance of honor, respect for elders, family, and many other things that are often considered ‘noble’ traits. The aggressive and hunter nature of the Barabel, when added to their large and sometimes scary site, can and does lead to misconceptions. Barabels are not often encountered outside of their home system and generally don’t discourage this fear as the ones that do leave are generally mercenaries or hunters of some kind. This is due to the very strict code of honor held for the Barabels, especially in reference to The Hunt.
The Hunt is what every Barabel calls killing, fighting, and in essence; living. Since the environment of Barab-I is so rough, the Barabel culture had to develop a code to teach themselves and their children how to survive merely by nature. While on The Hunt a Barabel can be a very scary site indeed. Their honor system teaches them to be ruthless, but with absolute respect for an opponent. Teeth are never used in combat as it is considered barbaric, since your teeth are for eating and one never eats an opponent. Those that break the code of honor are often banished from the protective caves of their Clan, and usually die as a result or are simply killed off as a safety measure. Another symptom of their feral nature is a small group of Barabels known as Krsst. They are not a certain set of people; rather a title given to those that can fall into a blood rage, and experience it often. The Krsst are considered the best hunters, the best killers, but are feared as such. They are not allowed to mate for risk of spreading this amongst their people. Often Krsst are raised slowly to positions of minor leadership, and a few like myself even ascend to become the leaders of their Clan.
The Krsst though, have no problem with their rage, and seek only to control it. Through this control, through the acceptance of their fury, they gain great strength and power. The power of a Krsst is generally categorized in three stages. The first stage is simply a blood rage which results in enhanced berserk like fury, and a lack of ability to come his or her senses. The second stage is one of temporary control. These Barabel push themselves into frenzy, and control it through long practice and most of the time a mentor. This practiced fury results in blood red eyes when in control, and yellow feral eyes when not. The third and rarest of the Krsst stages is one of permanent control. It is impossible to tell these Krsst from a regular Barabel, except to know the Barabel fighting styles. A third stage Krsst fights like he can see the future. His strength is insane, enhanced even for a Barabel, but he does not waste it. To explain further would be wasted on any that do not understand the forms of Barabel combat.
You now understand the environment the Barabel come from, their honor code, and the secret powers of the Krsst, but do you truly understand the Barabel people? That is something you are going to have ask yourself as you interact with these people. They are strong emotionally and physically, and can be stubborn and dumb like anybody. Can you tell from one Barabel and another? Only time will give you the answer, but I hope that you have at least taken any prejudice from your mind and put aside the reputation of these people, my people. To end this I will give you a few pointers on interacting with Barabels.
1.Never insult a Barabel. They are often indeed quick to anger, and an angry Barabel is worse than an angry Wookie.
2.Be mindful of their culture. If you are offered something, or instructed not to do something and you don’t understand, first do as you are told and then ask questions. Barabels do not generally tell jokes or lie.
3.If you see a Barabel with red eyes running towards you, run.
4.Never try to stun a Barabel, shooting him is your best bet.
5.All Barabels are not the same, and most are actually very sensitive and intelligent creatures. Just because they look different or act different does not mean they are all bad: give them a chance.
Alater shut down the life sized hologram and turned back to his class. Some of them were familar, most weren't, but he had been charged with teaching it.
"Very well. I am Sergeant Alater, and if you don't have any questions you can see your way out and return to your duties. Your mandatory attendance to this class has been noted." He said, turning back to the holodesk to collect his papers.
