TEXT: The Big Book of
  The Big Book of  
  Kitraxa
  Kitraxa
  The definitive guide to the Kitraxian species.
   By Arcturax
  
  This written work is © 2012 by Arcturax (and his player).  Artwork inside is © their respective artists.
  The Kitraxian species is © 2001 by Arcturax.  All rights are reserved.
  Cover art is © Keshikins (http://www.furaffinity.net/user/keshikins/)
  Photo of Sagittarius is © Arcturax (http://www.furaffinity.net/user/arcturax/)
  Male Kitraxian is © HornedStorm (http://www.furaffinity.net/user/hornedstorm/)
  Kitraxian Constellation is © Unyko (http://www.furaffinity.net/user/unyko/)
  Kitraxian flag image is © Merinasanith.
  
  Table of Contents:
  Notes
  Chapter 1:  Location in the universe
  Chapter 2:  Origin and evolution
  Chapter 3:  Anatomy
  Chapter 4:  History of Civilization
  Chapter 5:  Culture and Customs
  Chapter 6:  Kitraxians Relations with the People of Earth
  
  Notes:
  All references to time will be in Earth standards such as earth years and earth hours except where 
  noted.  Distances and masses will also be measured in kilometers and kilograms except where noted.  
  Light years are based off the Earth standard for a year.
  Most comparisons to intelligent life on earth will be to humans as they are the most average sample 
  of intelligent life on Earth.
  The history of Earth is left intact up until about the year 2000 where it diverges for the first contact 
  part of the story.  There is really no way to make the Kitraxian version of history jive with every other 
  “off-world” or even on world furry group's world story, so I won't even try.  I don't stick hard to this for 
  RP purposes, so don't worry about it.  Most of Kitraxian history here is to give the species a back story 
  and the first contact part is there as a potential plot point for other stories I may write someday.  My 
  aim was just for realism, to make a “real” world for my people.  As the first, last and only member of a 
  species that never existed, I feel a need to give them a story, and this is it.  Any resemblance to persons 
  living, dead or undead is purely coincidental and you probably shouldn't get that worked up over a 
  piece of fiction anyway.
  
  Chapter 1:  Location in the universe
  The Kitraxian home world is 193.72 light years from Earth in the direction of the constellation 
  Sagittarius.   Both the star and the planet bear the name Kitraxa on astronomers maps.  Kitraxa is the 
  name the Kitraxians gave to their home world, and eventually their race.  Humans and other earthbound 
  creatures call them Kitraxians, much in the way hypothetical people from Mars would have been called 
  Martians.
  The Kitraxian star lies not far from line 
  of sight from Psi Sagittarius, in the 
  otherwise somewhat empty appearing 
  area between the galactic core and the 
  constellation Capricornus.  While 
  appearing empty to the eye, the region is 
  littered with smaller and dimmer stars 
  similar to Earth's sun and countless other 
  types of dwarf star, many ripe for the 
  bearing of habitable planets.  This same 
  region of space is close to the source of 
  famed “Wow!” signal detected from 
  Columbus Ohio in August 1977.  This is 
  the first and only space signal detected 
  from Earth that matches the expected 
  parameters from an extraterrestrial transmission.  Because the actual data of the transmission was not 
  recorded and only its signal strength, no one has been able to determine if the signal came from a 
  Kitraxian source, or from yet another undiscovered race in the region.
  The Kitraxian home world is the fourth out from a K0 spectral class yellow-orange dwarf star 
  about .82 times the mass of the sun and 46% of its luminosity.  The Kitraxian home world has a mass 
  1.1 times that of earth, but is less dense and thus has a larger radius of 1.13 earths which results in 
  slightly lower gravity (.95 g).  As seen from Earth, the Kitraxian sun is a very dim 9th magnitude star.
  Like Earth, Kitraxa is mostly ocean with only one third of the planet being landmass, making it a 
  curious “twin” of Earth in that respect.  Like Earth it also has an oxygen (22%) nitrogen(77%) and the 
  remaining 1% being carbon dioxide and other trace gases.  The atmosphere is a result of a similar path 
  to life that occurred on Earth, starting with methane and hydrogen metabolizing organisms which later 
  were supplanted by oxygen generating microbes that used photosynthesis as their primary way of 
  generating energy, followed by a split between plants and animal cells at some point.  This has lead to 
  remarkably similar forms of evolution on Kitraxa, often paralleling some of the major developments in 
  the evolution of life on Earth.
  The planet has no large moon, but instead a system of two large rings and 15 smaller and much 
  fainter ones.  The main ring system is shepherded by two moons which form little more than bright 
  points in the sky among the spectacular ring system.  The rings are most noticeable at mid latitudes, 
  less at high latitude and at the equator.
  The night sky is filled with bright stars, the brightest being the stars Nunki and Kaus Australis 
  which shine as brightly as Sirius does in the skies of Earth.  Earth's home star Sol as seen from Kitraxa 
  
  is nearly lost as an easily overlooked 8th magnitude star nestled among the many scrambled stars of 
  Gemini and Taurus.
  The day/night cycle on Kitraxa is shorter, at only 19 hours, 22 minutes for a day.  The year is only 
  211 days long due to the planet's closer orbit to its star and sits a little more towards the outer edge of 
  the habitable zone than Earth does.  The sun is larger in the sky due to closer orbit, but is dimmer due 
  to its lower output and an orange tint in its hue.  While still dangerous to stare at, it is much easier on 
  Kitraxian eyes than the brilliant yellow glare of Earth's sun.  The planet has a slightly thicker 
  atmosphere, at 1.185 atmospheres at sea level, but the dimmer sun and position in the habitable zone 
  renders Kitraxa a cooler planet on average.  The axial tilt is only 16 degrees, making the seasons less 
  severe than on Earth and this along with the thicker atmosphere and large oceans helps to prevent run 
  away albedo that would result in frequent ice ages.  The ice ages cycle on Kitraxa is similar to that on 
  Earth, with occasional periods of icing that are usually ended by volcanism or years of enhanced solar 
  output.
  The Kitraxian sun is slightly more prone to flare than Sol, but the thicker atmosphere and a healthy 
  ozone layer protects the inhabitants from the worst of any flare activity.  The Kitraxian sun runs on an 8 
  year solar activity cycle as opposed to the 11 year cycle of Sol.  Aurora are spectacular in the extreme 
  north and south, more than making up for poor visibility of the planets rings at those latitudes.
  Geographically, the land is divided into four continents with none being present at either pole.  One 
  continent reaches deep into the south, but the north is largely ocean and most of the land is equatorial 
  or tropical with one continent being centered on low northern latitudes and extending up to 50 degrees.  
  Due to less energy output by the Kitraxian sun, even the tropics are more temperate with large broad 
  leaf rain forest and swamp being the most common habitat.  There are also some less common plain 
  and desert regions, the plains being the spawning point for the litter bearing pack hunters that birthed 
  the Kitraxian race and nurtured them until they evolved enough intelligence to adapt to the more 
  common types of habitat.
  There are a number of mountain ranges and islands and volcanism is as common as it is on earth.  
  The planet has 22 distinct plates, in line with what Earth has, making the two planets very similar in 
  that respect.  Earth has a slightly higher surface metallurgic content due to the late heavy bombardment 
  and the collision that formed the Earth's moon.  Kitraxa's own moon was shattered early on by an 
  impact that left its rings behind and much of the planets metals come from what fell onto the planet.  
  The rings are not thick but are noticeable even in the daytime and will partially dim the sun as it passes 
  through them.
  While there was an event similar to the late heavy bombardment in the Kitraxa system, it was far 
  less severe than what occurred in our solar system.  The lack of a large gas giant near the inner asteroid 
  belt may have had a lot do to with this.
  The Kitraxian system or a total of 7 planets.  The first planet is a hot Neptune class planet, 
  weighing in at 16 earth masses.  The second is a hot super earth with 9 earth masses and a high pressure 
  atmosphere similar to Venus only more layered with a hydrogen envelope atop the carbon dioxide and 
  methane layers.  The third is a hot mars sized object that lies barely within the inner habitable zone but 
  is bone dry and lost much of its surface and atmosphere due to a spectacular collision early in its 
  history.   Kitraxa is the fourth and is remarkably similar to Earth in size, mass and elemental 
  composition.  The fifth planet is about 1.8 times the mass of Jupiter and has minor ring system as well 
  and has helped shepherd the asteroids that lie between it and Kitraxa.  Lying at 7 AU, it leaves a much 
  
  larger gap between it and Kitraxa than exists between Mars and Jupiter.  The size of the field suggests 
  that at least two mars size worlds collided there at some point.  The sixth planet is an icy Neptune class 
  planet 30 times the mass of Earth and the seventh is a 2.8 earth mass ice world with multiple moons 
  sitting at nearly 23 AU from Kitraxa's sun with a thick but cold nitrogen atmosphere and a large amount 
  of carbon compounds similar to those found on Titan.  Beyond that is a rather large secondary asteroid 
  belt with numerous dwarf planet class objects similar to Pluto in appearance and makeup.
  
  Chapter 2: Origin and evolution
  The Kitraxian home world formed out of a cloud of gas and rocks about 5.2 billion years ago, with 
  life forming about 4.8 billion years after the formation.  This leg up on life compared to Earth still did 
  not produce intelligence until just a few thousand years before it formed on Earth.  This suggests that 
  intelligent life is a rare commodity and that it was sheer luck that the Kitraxian race exists in the same 
  time frame as intelligent life on Earth.
  The Kitraxian race began on the chilly plains of southern Kitraxa as a quadruped, litter bearing 
  pack hunter.  Looking more like a large eared wolf or fox with stubby wings and the ability to glide 
  short distances, they hunted their way across the plains and foggy marshes and sea cliffs of the southern 
  ocean for about five million years before an ice age forced them to forage into the equatorial forests to 
  survive.
  Being forced to deal with trees caused a change over time that caused an evolution towards greater 
  dexterity and the ability to rear up on hind paws and jump upwards as needed to get prey.  Kitraxians 
  are almost totally carnivorous and only find a few types of plants palpable.  Part of their survival ability 
  includes having three stomach chambers.  One is a food crop, meant to store large chunks of meat when 
  the stomach is already full, for later digestion in the long times between a good kill.  The need to 
  quickly swallow large chunks of meat, or even small animals whole brings the need for an internal 
  grinding system.  The Kitraxians developed an organ similar to the gizzard in a bird, swallowing 
  smooth river stones to aid in the crushing of bones and other tough organic materials.
  Kitraxian teeth are pointed with only four smallish molars in the back for crushing and grinding 
  seeds and fruits when meat is scarce.  This ability to survive on scavenged fruits in the bush helped 
  them survive when hunting was poor and to make up for any nutritional deficits when ideal game could 
  not be found.  Like many creatures on Kitraxa, the Kitraxians developed a powerful anti-coagulant in 
  their saliva, a form of toxin that prevents the clotting of blood.  Bites from Kitraxians will bleed 
  profusely without stopping unless an antidote is administered or enough time passes for the body to 
  neutralize the toxin.  As a defense against other creatures or rivals wielding this same weapon, 
  Kitraxians can secrete a powerful coagulant from their tongues by will.  This acts as an antidote to their 
  own anti coagulant and can be used to stop profuse bleeding.  There is significant interest in these 
  Kitraxian compounds from Earth scientists since they could both be highly useful in the medical field.
  Early forms of the Kitraxians bore live litters much in the same way as mammals do on Earth.  In 
  fact the many similarities in Kitraxian sexual development suggest that this is a highly successful and 
  common form of reproduction throughout the galaxy.  While most births are now singles, there is a 
  much higher twinning rate among Kitraxians than human beings and some of Earth based fur-kind.  
  Females and males still have six breasts, though on the males all are small and hidden under the fur 
  along the chest.  With females, the top two are fully formed, with the other four being small like the all 
  of the male versions and vestigial in function.  When still litter bearing, the nipples were all along the 
  chest rather than the lower part of the body unlike most litter bearing creatures on earth.
  Kitraxian intelligence began to rapidly develop about 60,000 years ago, culminating in the first 
  developments of civilization 16,000 years ago.  Surviving several disasters, including as cometary 
  fragment hit in the northern oceans 11,000 years ago and a period of super volcanism 6,000 years ago, 
  the Kitraxians eventually developed beyond hunter gatherer communities and formed cities and spoken 
  and written language, art, music and eventually, science.  Despite undergoing a brutal world war 258 
  
  years ago as of the writing of this book, the Kitraxians become a fully space faring race about 210 years 
  ago beginning with the permanent colonization of one of their small moons.  Current estimates put 
  them at about 200 years of scientific, cultural and technological advancement over Earth.
  
  Chapter 3:  Anatomy
  General appearance
  Kitraxians are bipedal winged creatures which range from a normal of 1.5-2.0 meters tall.  Average 
  weight is about 90 kg, slightly heavier than human average under Earth gravity due to wing weight and 
  bone density.  Kitraxians have a basic humanoid shape, with two legs with a knee joint, two arms with 
  a single elbow joint and five fingers on each hand and four toes on each foot.  The main difference 
  from human shape is in the head, wings and tail.  The head is more like that of a fruit bat with a nose 
  structure that resembles that of the Flying Fox.  The ears are large and can swivel independently.   The 
  mouth is more of a muzzle like that on a fox or a dog or a bat.  A sharp pair of fangs peek out from 
  under the upper lip and fur of most Kitraxian muzzles, giving them a somewhat feral appearance.  The 
  rest of the teeth are sharp and made for grasping and tearing except for a set of four molars on each side 
  (two at the top, two at the bottom) of the back of the jaw.  Kitraxian eyes are generally green, blue, 
  purple or brown and have slitted pupils like a cat or a fox.
  Image: Kitraxian Male
  Kitraxians are furred with dark black fur everywhere except at the tail tip, the shoulders and the 
  
  arms just below the elbow joint.  The tail is generally about 3 feet long and is used for balance.  The tail 
  is tipped with a flame shaped brilliant orange (see notes) fluff of fur.  The shoulders bear large “poofs” 
  of the same brightly orange fur as the tail and has been used for display when attracting a mate or as a 
  sign of status throughout Kitraxian history.  The color can range from a lighter orange to a dark almost 
  orange red.  At the arms, the fur ends just below the elbow joint and gives away to a scaled appearance 
  similar to a birds legs and feet.  The top of the arms and legs are ridged and the underside is less so 
  with a smoother appearance.  Each finger and toes is tipped with a claw.  The finger claws are straight, 
  the claws of the toes are slightly hooked downwards.
  Sight:
  Kitraxian eyes are extremely light sensitive and can see a lightly larger range of the spectrum than 
  the average human can.  They can see slightly into the infrared and some near ultraviolet wavelengths.  
  Kitraxians have exceptional night vision and can navigate by starlight alone.  In daylight the pupil 
  closes nearly  to a slit, limiting vision, particularly peripheral vision.  On Earth, the brighter yellow sun 
  of earth renders Kitraxians nearly blind from the glare at summer noontime.  Most will wear sunglasses 
  for comfort and protection when visiting Earth and outdoors during the daytime.
  Hearing:
  Kitraxian hearing exceeds human hearing in every way.  Their hearing is highly directional and 
  they can swivel their ears to “zoom” in on a sound, the ears acting as sonic concentrators.  Kitraxians 
  can hear as low as humans and up to 75 kHz at the high range.  Kitraxians are capable of a bat-like 
  sonar  though it is more for navigation in complete darkness than hunting.  This adaptation allowed 
  them to hunt in the heavy fogs of the plains and marshes they evolved in.  In conversation Kitraxians 
  will swivel both ears forwards if you are facing them.  If off to the side one ear will swivel to focus on 
  the speaker leaving the other free to scan the room.  Kitraxians can also press their ears almost flat and 
  off to the side when in the presence of loud noise.  This action actually closes off an inner flap which 
  protects their sensitive inner ear from loud concussion and pressure changes.  Kitraxians do not like 
  loud environments and will tend to seek exit from such locales as soon as possible.
  Smell:
  Kitraxians have a heightened sense of smell as well as a different reaction to some smells that 
  humans can detect.  While the sense of smell is stronger, it doesn't seem broader than what humans can 
  detect.  Due to differing perception, Kitraxians can be put off by some smells that only marginally or 
  don't bother humans or most other animals.  Durian fruits for example are a strong repellent, as are 
  onions, leeks and certain strong herbs are also displeasing.
  Touch:
  Kitraxian touch is somewhat less developed than on humans.  Their fur keeps most of their body 
  insulated from touch, though the fur does respond to touch via bending force against the follicles.  
  Their hands have a thicker skin than human skin and again dulls touch somewhat.  They are however 
  very sensitive to heat and water heated to 40.5 C (105F) or hotter is considered searingly hot.  Kitraxian 
  skin will burn easier if exposed to hot water and can scald at over 48C(118F).
  Taste:
  Kitraxian taste of similar to human taste in sensitivity and range and have taste buds for all five 
  taste types.
  Strength and Athletics:
  
  Kitraxians are pound for pound less muscular than humans and can lift far less and cannot develop 
  near as much musculature as a human.  Humans on the whole can out lift, out run and out endure 
  Kitraxians in almost any athletic competition.  Kitraxians also cannot swim well and have a natural fear 
  of deep water, but do have the advantage of the tail for balance as well as the ability to fly and glide.
  Wings:
  Kitraxian wingspan is about 10-14 feet depending on their height, generally a wing is a foot longer 
  than the standing height.  The wings are bat-like in appearance and covered in a smooth tight skin over 
  the ribbing of bone and muscle.  On their home world, the lighter gravity and thicker atmosphere 
  allows for powered flight using their wings.  On Earth, powered flight is difficult and only done in 
  short bursts due to the fatigue generated fighting the stronger gravity and thinner air.  However 
  Kitraxians can glide long distances if leaping from a height on earth and can even use thermals to 
  extend their time in the air like a hawk.  With training, the muscles around the wings will grow 
  stronger, allowing for longer powered flight on earth, but requires regular exersize to maintain.  
  Kitraxians usually keep their wings furled when in public since spreading them often will cause alarm 
  and panic, as many humans and some animals have a built in fear of large winged creatures.
  Reproduction
  Kitraxian sexual development is very surprisingly similar to mammalian forms on earth, including 
  the formation of breasts and similar male genitals.  Kitraxian males have a fuzzy sheathe that protects 
  their penis from the elements and damage, extending from this protection only when aroused.  
  Kitraxian male sperm developed an offensive capability due to a sexually transmitted parasite the 
  caused problems in the past for the Kitraxian species.  Male sperm will attack and devour foreign cell 
  types that get in their way, including non Kitraxian eggs, making them a possibly dangerous infectious 
  agent to earth life, at least short term.  The sperm do have a limited life and will die off and will not 
  divide on their own and thus are not a major threat unless there is direct exposure, which can cause pain 
  and swelling in females who take Kitraxian sperm internally and can even damage the ovaries and the 
  eggs they contain if they get into them.
  Females have a vaginal slit though the outward appearance is less detailed than that found on Earth 
  creatures, with much of its variations internal.  The young are born live with a thin coat of fur.  
  Kitraxian DNA is completely incompatible with any earth based life form and crossbreeds are not 
  possible through natural means and is only theoretically possible by technological means.
  Internal Body layout:
  The Kitraxian body is fairly similar to most mammals on earth.  The brain is located inside the 
  skull, the heart is in the chest, though more centrally located and the lungs flank it on either side.  
  Below that are the digestive and excretory organs.
  Feeding and Digestion:
  Kitraxians evolved from creatures that used both scavenging and hunting to survive.  Their teeth 
  are built to do great damage with a bite and also made for quickly tearing off chunks of flesh.  Their 
  mouths have 8 molars, only two small ones on the top and bottom of each side.  The have 30 needle 
  like teeth including two large fangs that protrude from under the upper lip even with the mouth is 
  closed.  The lower fangs are shorter but capable of delivering a savage bite wound on any prey or foe. 
  Broken or decayed teeth will fall out and be replaced in 10 weeks by a new tooth with the exception of 
  the molars, which cannot grow back if lost. 
  Kitraxian saliva contains a powerful anti-coagulant which will cause a bite wound to bleed 
  
  profusely without stopping for up to half an hour, usually more than enough time for a bite victim to 
  bleed to death if the bite was deep enough.  As a defense against such bites to their own bodies, they 
  can secrete a milky white coagulant and antidote to their own (and many other) anti-coagulant toxins 
  that they can lick onto a wound to stop the bleeding.  This ability was of great import both during early 
  evolution and on the battlefields of war later on.
  Kitraxians have three stomach chambers and a digestive system that is analogous to that of some 
  birds.  The first stomach acts as a crop which can store excess food for later digestion or to bring back 
  home to feed to offspring or mates.  While the latter practice is no longer generally observed, it was 
  part of the survival strategy of ancient Kitraxians.  Later in their history the crop found new use in 
  smuggling.  Long flight consumes a lot of energy and the crop is often filled along with the stomach to 
  power Kitraxians who go for a flight lasting more than five hours.  Kitraxians have stayed in the air this 
  way for up to 19 hours before fatigue will force them to land to sleep.
  The second stomach chamber acts as a proper digestive stomach and is where food is broken down 
  for absorption later on.  The contents are cycled between this and the third chamber which acts as a 
  gizzard, using swallowed stones to grind up bones and other hard to digest materials.  At times gizzard 
  stones can slip out of the third chamber before being ground down sufficiently in size and can cause 
  intestinal blockage resulting in a dangerous condition with symptoms similar to appendicitis in humans.
  Kitraxians have three organs in the place of the liver in Earth creatures.  One produces the biles, 
  and two act as metabolic centers for various molecules in the body.  If one of the metabolic centers is 
  lost, the other will grow larger to make up for the lost functionality.  The organs also perform a similar 
  function to the pancreas in Earth mammals.  Loss of the bile producing organ is fatal without medical 
  treatment.
  Heart and Circulatory:
  Kitraxians have a four chambered heart very similar to that of earth mammals.  The location is 
  more central in the body than on humans and some other animals.  The circulatory system of Kitraxians 
  is very similar to that of earth creatures, suggesting a common path of evolution.  Kitraxian blood is a 
  reddish orange color due to the presence of cobalt sulfate along with the iron based compounds used 
  for transporting oxygen.  The cobalt sulfate is used to keep the PH of the blood slightly acidic as a 
  defense against infection.  Kitraxian blood cells are spherical and mostly filled with a substance similar 
  to hemoglobin.  One point of interest is that while Kitraxian cells do have an energy storing and 
  converting organelle in their cells, it is rather dissimilar to the mitochondria found in Earth life.  Earth 
  mitochondria has its own DNA which is passed down through the mother.  Kitraxians do not have this, 
  which suggests this developed as a true organelle instead of through a symbiotic relationship as on 
  Earth.
  Respiration:
  Kitraxians have two lungs, though slightly smaller due to the presence of their extra digestive 
  organs.  Instead of the windpipe opening being next to the esophagus, Kitraxians have two openings in 
  the back of the throat that each connect to separate tubes that combine into one just behind the spine, 
  branching back off again when it reaches the lungs.  This allows Kitraxians to have a large esophagus 
  for swallowing large pieces of food.  Incidentally, this means that attacks that slash or tear the throat of 
  a Kitraxian will not prevent them from breathing but will make feeding difficult until healed.  As a 
  result of their windpipe design, Kitraxians do not have a uvula.  The ends of the breathing tubes are 
  very flexible and controllable, allowing Kitraxians to make a variety of sounds, enabling them to mimic 
  the vowels of earth languages despite the design of their muzzles, though with some limits and adding a 
  
  breathy sound to their speech and giving them a strong accent.
  Kitraxians lungs are more folded than standard human lungs, allowing for them to have greater 
  internal surface area and thus they can breath easily at greater altitudes.  The maximum altitude is about 
  9500 meters.  Maximum habitable altitude is 6700 meters.  Kitraxians can hold their breath for about 
  three to five minutes.
  
  Excretory System
  Kitraxians have four organs where the kidneys would be on a mammal, two on each side.  The 
  lower organ has a kidney like function, the upper functions similar to the spleen.  Both are capable of 
  acting as a backup if its twin on the other side of the body fails or is lost.  The small and large intestines 
  are similar to Earth mammals as is the placement of the anus.  The similarities are suggestive that this 
  is the most efficient design to be found in nature.
  Other Organs:
  Kitraxians have a small organ in the mid-brain that acts as a hormone center of the body.  The brain 
  itself grows around this organ and connects to it by a number of nerve connections.
  Another peach sized organ in the mid abdomen acts as a “immune control center” producing 
  special cells that release chemical markers at sites of infection and tag intruder cells or virus particles 
  for targeting by immune cells produced in the bone marrow.  Loss of this organ will result in an AIDS 
  like illness that is difficult to treat without replacing the organ.
  Nervous System:
  The Kitraxian brain acts as the center of the nervous system and is where all thought, emotion and 
  perception occur.  While the layout and location of various functional areas is quite different, the end 
  result is the same as with life on Earth with the brain being the center of a Kitraxian's being.
  The brain connects through the brain stem down to the spine.  Like on in Earth creatures, the brain 
  stem controls involuntary “survival” functions, suggesting a similar path of evolution.  The brain stem 
  itself is protected by bony plates around it, making it hard to knock out a Kitraxian by a blow to the 
  back of the head.  This is thought to have evolved to prevent bites or blows to the back of the head 
  from being easily fatal.
  The spine connects to the base of the brain stem and runs down into the body, major nerves 
  branching off.  Severing of the spine will result in paralysis as with earth creatures.  A severed spine 
  above the third vertebrae down from the base of the neck will result in paralysis of the lungs and death.
  Kitraxians do dream when they sleep, suggesting a similar function to dreaming on Earth as part of 
  revitalizing the mind during sleep.  Kitraxians are immune to hypnosis even though they can self 
  induce a trance through meditation.  There is some conjecture that Kitraxians have been using 
  cybernetic enhancement to their brains for some time, but the Kitraxian government will not confirm or 
  deny this.
  Skeletal system:
  Kitraxian bones are somewhat denser than the bones of a human.  This gives them great strength 
  against breakage and makes Kitraxians hard to injure via bone breakage in unarmed combat.  
  Kitraxians can also take a greater fall, with falls of up to 20 feet resulting in minor fractures at most.  
  Despite the density of the outer shell, the inner bone is filled with many hollows and a lattice like 
  structure that renders them lighter pound for pound to a human bone.  The marrow runs through the 
  center structure and is an important part of production of immune cells.
  Allergies and health hazards:
  Kitraxians do have a few challenges with off world foods.  Some foods are simply repulsive to 
  them, while others can cause allergic reactions or are poisonous.  
  
  Onions are known to be toxic and will cause severe nausea and vomiting as a defensive response to 
  their consumption.  It is not known what the lethal dose is since it will be expelled upon ingestion, but 
  severe cases can cause lingering ill feeling for several hours after exposure.
  Caffeine is also mildly poisonous and will cause terrible headaches and ill feeling for several days 
  after significant exposure.  Opiates will dull pain, but can cause hallucinations and severe nausea. 
  Valium and similar drugs have been known to cause seizures in Kitraxians and should be administered 
  with care and doctors supervision. 
  Heat Shock
  Another hazard involves “heat shock” which is caused by overheating.  Similar to heat stroke in 
  humans and other animals, Kitraxians are particularly sensitive to this condition.  The Kitraxian body 
  does not sweat to remove heat like humans and some animals can.  Instead heat is removed by panting, 
  and from the extremities.  The unfurred parts of the arms and hands act as radiators for excess heat as 
  do the ears and wings.  The pads of the feet are filled with a heat conductive fluid that helps conduct 
  heat out from that part of the body.  Most Kitraxian footwear has heat conductive sections where the 
  pads go to allow heat to conduct out and into the ground.  Excessively warm temperatures, too much 
  time in bright sunlight or immersion in hot water can bring about a condition where the body cannot 
  remove heat fast enough.  Symptoms include slurred speech, difficulty walking or standing, confusion, 
  seizures, trembling and rapid panting.  Treatment is to remove to a cool area, spread out the wings and 
  fan over with cool air.  Ice packs around the feet pads are also helpful.  Prevention is key to prevent 
  heat shock and Kitraxians should avoid long exposure to the sun, especially on Earth or other worlds 
  with hotter or brighter suns.  Immersion in water greater than 100 degrees should be limited to 15 
  minutes or less.  Normal Kitraxian body temperature is 97.3 degrees Fahrenheit (36.2 Celsius).
  
  Chapter 4: History of Civilization
  Early History: 20,000 BCE – 3000 BCE
  Kitraxian civilization started when the first groups started to emerge from the equatorial forests 
  and mountains where they had evolved from quadruped plains hunters into bipedal creatures capable of 
  climbing and reaching up to catch lower hanging prey or food.  The return to the plains allowed for 
  forming of hunter-gatherer type of communities which roved the land, living on the plains in the 
  summer and moving back to the equatorial rain forests in the winter.
  After some time, more permanent settlements were created in coastal or mountainous areas from 
  which hunting parties could move out into the forests or plains and return with spoils of the hunt.  After 
  time these communities grew into towns and later cities as writing and mathematics developed to aid in 
  trade and communication with other communities.
  Kitraxians are pack oriented and packs act as extended families with 20-30 families forming the 
  smaller packs.  This allowed for enough genetic diversity to allow interbreeding within the pack.  Early 
  communities were pack based and many warred with other packs for territory and hunting ground or 
  other spoils.  Later more peaceful relations were possible after spoken communication developed.  
  Written allowed for creation and posting of laws and regulations on members of the pack as well as 
  visitors.  Early towns and cities were often controlled by a ruling pack and one set of laws existed for 
  the ruling pack and a different set for members of other packs living in or visiting the town or city.  
  Sometimes a third set existed for allied packs close to the ruling pack. Packs could fall in and out of 
  favor with the ruling pack as alliances and the balance of power shifted.  These ruling packs and their 
  allies were the foundation of the first nation states.
  While groups of Kitraxians often warred, taking of slaves was almost always a taboo among them.  
  Kitraxians developed a code of honor early in their history and being used for the gain of another is 
  among one of the worst dishonors one can experience.  Over time, slavery became so abhorrent that at 
  times packs that were longtime enemies would temporarily band together to destroy another pack that 
  employed the practice of enslaving war captives.
  The development of Kitraxian law is very complicated due to the pack law system in which 
  different sets of laws applied to groups based on pack affiliation.  Many ancient legal systems were 
  thrown out either in the middle ages or in the aftermath of the great war.  Justice was often done by a 
  council of five judges, though a few packs used a jury like system made up of 7 males and 6 females.  
  Punishment for crime involved public posting of notices of dishonor or public humiliation for minor 
  offenses.  After the development of a monetary system, fines were also imposed.  More serious crimes 
  such as assault involved imprisonment or payment of a “blood price” in either currency or deeds.  
  Crimes of murder or sexual assault against children were punished by the sword in most cases, with a 
  thrust to the heart or to the spine above the third vertebrae being the most common forms of execution.  
  Hanging is ineffective given the design of the Kitraxian trachea and strength of the neck bones and was 
  not used as a form of capital punishment as much as a form of torture due to the pain caused.
  After a time, several powerful packs merged to form partnerships that formed the most powerful 
  nations of Early Kitraxian history.  After a period of war, a 100 year agreement between them brought 
  about an era of peace and prosperity as well as the beginnings of scientific advance in areas such as 
  mathematics, geometry and astronomy.  This period was brought to a sudden and violent end by a 
  
  super-volcanic eruption in roughly 4000 BCE that brought about a thousand year “dark age” at the end 
  of the early period.
  Middle Ages: 3000 BCE – 1500 CE
  Kitraxian middle ages began as a period of recovery a due to decline of the earlier civilizations due 
  to a massive volcanic eruption which devastated the northeastern continent and brought about a nearly 
  700 year period of cold weather and poor hunting and a 300 year period of little progress afterwards.  
  The poor weather and hunting of the previous 1000 year period and disruption to the old order of the 
  world had forced great change in Kitraxian society.  Many of the great packs of antiquity has been torn 
  apart or been overthrown in the chaos following the eruption and its aftermath.  With poor hunting on 
  land, the Kitraxians were forced for the first time to take to the high seas in search of meat.  Kitraxians 
  cannot swim well and have an innate fear of water they cannot stand up in.  While boats had been used 
  for coastal and some river trade before, few had ventured out far into the sea and only during good 
  weather.  Faced with starvation, desperate Kitraxian crews braved the high seas in both sun and storm 
  seeking edible sea life, many perishing in the attempt to feed their respective packs.  As ship design 
  improved the number of deaths dropped and Kitraxians finally began to master their fear of the sea and 
  exploration picked up as the deep cold abated at the end of the dark ages.
  With the ability to sail to the far corners of Kitraxa, many discoveries were made and many 
  civilizations were enriched or uprooted by colonization and pillaging of the new lands.  The least 
  fortunate were island communities which had been founded during the dark ages by shipwrecked 
  crews, or even earlier by those who braved the sea or by island hopping by wing to escape their 
  troubles with the early civilized world.  Many of them were preyed upon in various ways and wiped 
  our or absorbed into the packs and nations that invaded them in the name of expansion.
  The exploration period did have its good side as well.  A great exchange of ideas and customs 
  swept across the face of Kitraxa and scientific progress began to advance again.  The first printing press 
  was built in 543 CE, allowing the masses to take up reading and further advances in mathematics and 
  materials pushed civilization into a new era of discovery and architecture.  It is around this time that the 
  foundations of the modern eras great packs and nation states were laid.  The nations of Keshara and 
  Neraxu were both founded during this time and were the most successful, setting the stage for the both 
  the wonders and terrors of the modern era to come.
  Advances in medicine were made with the invention of the microscope in 1208 CE, following the  
  telescope in 1059 CE.  While the world has been accepted as round since about 300 BCE, Kitraxa's 
  place in the universe and understanding the nature of life was further refined with the telescope and the 
  microscope.  The renaissance era of 1000 CE to 1500 CE led to the developments of mechanization and 
  the beginnings of industrialization.  This unfortunately also led to greater killing power in war with the 
  introduction of the long rifle in 1164 CE.
  Steam engines and the first railroads were built around 1420 CE.  By 1500 CE, the first 
  automobiles were on the roads and factories were springing up across Kitraxa.  The modern era was 
  beginning and the middle ages were falling behind the Kitraxian race and a new era of exploration was 
  about to begin.
  Pre Great War Modern Era: 1500 CE – 1754 CE
  In the years before the great war, Kitraxian society advanced at a pace similar to the speed seen on 
  
  Earth after the industrial revolution.  There were seventy eight nation nation states, five of which were 
  major powers and two superpowers.  These nations were held together in semi-peace through a tangled 
  web of alliances between packs and secret societies.  Meanwhile, the populace enjoyed greater and 
  greater advances despite a few skirmishes and a bloody civil war in Neraxu in 1611 CE.  The first plane 
  launched into the air in 1652 CE, bringing faster and safer powered flight to the Kitraxians.  The first 
  radio transmission was in 1645 CE and the first television transmission in 1688 CE.  The first 
  suborbital test rocket left the Kitraxian atmosphere in 1692 CE, followed by a crewed flight in 1701.  
  The first moon landing occurred in 1736 CE when Keshara landed a crew of five on the surface of the 
  largest of the two small moons, consisting of 4 males and one female.  Neraxu had a failed attempt to 
  land on the smaller moon that resulted in death of four crew members a year later.  The first atomic test 
  was in 1689 CE with many nations investing in the weapons as a hedge against invasion.  It is notable 
  that no nuclear arms were used in combat until the Great War.
  The Great War 1753 CE:
  Tensions between Neraxu and Keshara increased from 1735CE through 1753 CE following a war 
  between two of their respective allies in 1734 that ended in a bitter stalemate.  While peace was held, 
  the two nations were on edge and both began stockpiling more weapons and teaching their allies to 
  build better missiles.  Things came to a head in 1753 CE when a terrorist missile strike on a presidential 
  plane murdered the family of the leader of Keshara.  The attack had been aimed at the president, but he 
  had been called away from the flight at the last minute due to a minor political crisis with one of his 
  cabinet members, sending his family on ahead and planning to fly back the next day to meet up with 
  them.  While it is still debated whether Neraxu or its allies were at fault, or a displaced people within 
  one of the allied nations of Keshara was behind the attack, the result was devastating for all of Kitraxa.
  Three days after the attack, Keshara declared war on Neraxu and its allies and people began to 
  evacuate the major cities.  After two days of cat and mouse military maneuvers between the two and a 
  lot of last minute attempts at peace deals, a major battle involving the actual armies of both 
  superpowers finally brought both sides fully into war with each other.  The first missiles left the silos in 
  Keshara at 18:44 GMT on October 9th, 1753 CE.  The Neraxu response came within 5 minutes of the 
  launch and within 4 hours, all major cities in both nations lay in ruins and over 300 million were dead.  
  The war continued for nearly a year, with the first months bringing several more nuclear exchanges that 
  laid waste to the remaining large cities on the planet and killing a total of 800 million Kitraxians.  The 
  great war finally ended with the collapse of civilization and a new dark age as both Keshara and 
  Neraxu and their allies disintegrated into a burned out mess of ruined cities, roving armed bands of 
  warlords, and battling packs.  
  The Second Dark Age: 1754 CE-1792 CE
  The years after the collapse of civilization were harsh and terrible.  The major cities were in ruins, 
  most of the highways were destroyed and many of the smaller packs used the chaos to settle old scores. 
  Many small private wars between surviving packs were fought over the few uncontaminated resources 
  left behind.  The survivors faced a land poisoned by radioactive fallout and roamed by bands of raiders, 
  some left without a pack by the fighting and who survived by taking what they could from those less 
  able to defend themselves.  All prisons left untouched by the war had been breached from within or 
  without and many violent prisoners were freed to pillage, rape and torment the survivors who had fled 
  the cities.  Most of these prisoners were killed by a group of former lawmen and women who formed 
  bounty hunting squads to track down those who returned to crime after their escape.  This group 
  worked alongside a few military units that survived the war to build the first safe haven in 1765 CE and 
  
  began the first real work on rebuilding civilization.
  By 1771 CE there were several safe enclaves across Kitraxa, most in areas that had seen little 
  fallout or were spared the worst of the fighting.  Many of these places were in remote areas where 
  survival was a challenge.  Most of these places forced a dissolving of pack loyalty before one could 
  join the community and newcomers were watched closely, many forced to live on the outskirts until 
  they could prove their trust.  In 1772, a young woman from the enclave nearest to the border with 
  Keshara would change Kitraxa forever.
  The Imperial Era: 1772 CE – Present
  In 1792, a young woman, Ezra Keshara, a former member of the Keshara pack became the leader 
  of the largest enclave of survivors from the war.   She had arrived in 1768, renouncing her ties with her 
  pack and earning the trust and respect of the people there.  Well educated and with an aptitude for 
  politics, she soon rose to a senior position on the council that ruled the largest enclave of survivors.  
  When several of the leaders were killed in an ambush while traveling to another enclave for unification 
  talks, the young woman stepped in to take their place and personally led the posse that ran down the 
  raiders.  She changed the stance of the enclave from one of entrenchment against the outside world to 
  involvement in solving disputes and pacifying the wild territory beyond.  She completed the peace 
  mission her predecessors had initiated and unified her enclave with the second largest one, made up of 
  mostly survivors from Neraxu.
  With the unification, Ezra introduced a new concept into Kitraxian interpersonal relations.  While 
  before most had identified with their pack first, and their home nation second, Ezra introduced the 
  concept of a “great pack” that included all Kitraxians.  Over the next 19 years, she brought in through 
  diplomacy and the occasional twisted arm or pulled wing, most of the remnants of Neraxu, Keshara and 
  the allied nations.  She died in 1811 CE from a plague that was sweeping across Kitraxa, bringing new 
  misery to the world.  Her youngest daughter,  Zakirah, survived and took up her work and by 1825 CE 
  had unified the entire planet and had reconstruction well underway.  With the fading of the radioactive 
  fallout from the cities, the people began to return and rebuild them, with the capital of Keshara being 
  reclaimed in 1807 CE and set up as the capitol of the Kitraxian empire over the next 20 years.  Zakirah 
  was raised to the title of Empress in 1827 CE through she insisted until the end that her mother had 
  been the first true Empress.  She died in 1854 CE from heart failure, leaving the throne to the next 
  empress, Mahrijah.  The reconstruction of the major cities in the empire was completed under her and 
  life returned to pre-war conditions by 1875 CE.  She died in 1888, leaving the throne to Azrael, who is 
  still in power today.  Azrael was not related to the original line and instead was chosen in a vote to 
  succeed due to a new law disallowing the passing of the throne as a dynasty and making it an elected 
  position that is served until death or dishonor.  It should be noted that the English spelling of the latest 
  empress is taken from the Biblical name Azrael, as it is the closest sounding word to the name of the 
  third empress.  This has caused some trepidation with certain religious groups on Earth, who see it as as 
  sign from God warning that that Kitraxians are dangerous.  Others point out that this is just a 
  coincidence and that the choosing of the spelling is simply what matched the pronunciation most 
  closely.
  In the years leading up to reunification, all of the major cities were rebuilt and life began to 
  resemble what it was before the great war.  The toll of the war had been nearly 3 billion dead with most 
  of that number dying from disease, famine and exposure in the harsh years afterwards.  When the 
  factories once again came on line and medicine was produced on an industrial scale, death due to 
  illness plummeted and medical and scientific advances began again, some having continued despite the 
  
  war and its harsh aftermath.  In 1802, space launches continued, though the first were mostly satellites 
  to replace those lost during the war and a few crewed launches to survey the extent of the damage to 
  the world.  Repair crews were sent up to the still orbiting space station in 1805 and it was brought back 
  on line and used as a transmitter of unification messages to any remote outposts that had not yet been 
  approached.  Both moons were colonized in 1838 CE and the first landing on a planet besides Kitraxa 
  occurred on the third planet in 1851 CE, establishing the first interplanetary outpost on the nearly 
  airless desert world.
  The discovery of the first planets outside the Kitraxian system had occurred in 1738 CE but the 
  confirmation of life on one of these world was not made until 1866 CE.  This was a profound finding 
  that radically changed the outlook of much of Kitraxa.  The first interstellar mission was launched in 
  1872 CE, with a sub-light probe sent to the nearest G type star 6.2 light years away.  Advances in 
  propulsion led to the eventual development of the first “warp” type drive in 1917 CE, around the time 
  the first world war was still raging on Earth.  The first ships could not reliably travel more than 15 light 
  years and the first missions were simply fact finding and scientific missions.  The discovery that Earth 
  was not only inhabited by life, but possibly intelligent life in 1925 CE led to a renewed interest in 
  forming colonies and expanding the reach of the existing ships.  The first planet fall on a habitable 
  world was in 1959 CE on a world 24 light years from the Kitraxian home world.  The first colony was 
  established upon landing and the Kitraxian race became an interstellar civilization.
  While advances in space exploration were being made, major far reaching changes occurred in the 
  government of Kitraxa. Advances in computer technology led to the first truly sentient AI programs in 
  1883 CE.  While distrusted at first, in time the Kitraxian people became more and more reliant on their 
  advice and  their ever growing intellectual prowess.  In 1899, the first governmental AI was set up, with 
  four more to follow over the next 5 years.  The AI's were capable of talking with all of the citizens of 
  Kitraxa in real time and the average person could air their grievances directly to the government in a 
  meaningful way for the first time in history.  In 1912 CE, just days after the sinking of the Titanic on 
  Earth, the Kitraxian government became fully run by AI, leaving only a president and a council as 
  public face of power and the Empress as a revered figurehead.  With the efficiency of AI run 
  government, nearly limitless power based on Solar, Wind and Fusion and the vast resources of their 
  entire solar system, the Kitraxian people evolved from a profit and labor driven society to one where 
  people were free to pursue any dream without fear of going homeless or penniless.  With society set 
  free to pursue their dreams, advances in science and medicine came even more quickly.  The ability to 
  replace all type of aging or damaged organs came in 1896 CE and the ability to repair the brain with 
  cybernetics came just 4 years later.  The ability to reverse and hold back aging indefinitely arrived in 
  1921 CE and is the reason that the third empress is still alive and maintained in a youthful state.  With 
  death possible only by choice, accident, or murder, the Kitraxian population boomed towards 
  unsustainable levels, pushing the need for colonization of other world.  Interim solutions involved 
  creating more and more habitable space on the planets and moons within the Kitraxa system.  With the 
  establishment of the first colony on a habitable world in 1959 CE, the problem of overpopulation on the 
  Kitraxian home world came to and end as the empire could now expand beyond the Kitraxian solar 
  system.
  In 1977 CE as Star Wars hit the theaters on Earth, the second habitable colony world was 
  established 38.6 light years away from Kitraxa.  In this same year, Kitraxian warp technology 
  developed a theoretical range of 250 light years, a leap from the previous 180.  This brought Earth 
  within range of Kitraxian ships, just a nine week journey away and the first probes were dispatched in 
  1982 CE, entering orbit in September of that year. The probes returned with more than twenty million 
  photos, thousands of hours of transmission data captures and even pieces of broken earth satellites in 
  
  May of 1984 CE.  With the first hard evidence of intelligent life on Earth, the Kitraxian people began a 
  great debate on whether to contact the people of Earth.
  After review of the captured television and radio transmissions, it was determined that Earth was in 
  a precarious position similar to Kitraxa just before the great war.  With the United States and the Soviet 
  Union at each other throat and many other nations pawns in a game of international chess, the prospect 
  of a Great War on Earth looked almost inevitable.  Probes were sent to keep constant watch on Earth 
  for signs of trouble or peace and the Kitraxians were surprised to see peace emerge in 1991 CE with the 
  breakup of the Soviet Union.  With the world changing due to the advent of publicly available Internet 
  access in 1993 and the world staying largely peaceful with only a few small exceptions, the Kitraxians 
  decided to make first contact in 2000 CE, a year they knew would be significant to the people of Earth.
  Contact with Earth: July 1st-23rd, 2000 CE
  The Kitraxians sent a fleet of 19 ships, including the flagship with the Empress on board in May of 
  2000 CE.  The ships arrived in June with a travel time of only about three weeks due to further 
  improvement of warp ability.  The month of July was chosen for contact due to the fact that the sun 
  would be opposite Kitraxa in the skies of Earth, allowing for clear communications home if needed.  
  The first contact signals were sent to the NASA deep space network antennas on Earth on July 1st.  The 
  first signal was picked up in Canberra, Australia and thought to be a hoax.  NORAD began tracking the 
  first of the fleet of ships at 17:12 GMT and the US president was informed.  As other ships began to 
  show up on NORAD radar, the president made a decision to inform the Russian president, the Premier 
  of China, the UK Prime Minister, the French President and the Secretary General of the U.N.  The 
  military was ordered to go to DEFCON 3 at 18:00 GMT but not told the real reason why.
  One of the smaller Kitraxian ships was carefully maneuvered into low Earth orbit and further 
  transmissions sent as well as a close pass made to the newly built and crewed international space 
  station.  More broadcasts were made using shortwave and HAM radio frequencies, directed first at 
  China and Japan and then at the United States and Canada.  At this point news of the extraterrestrial 
  contact broke out of control of the government and took the world by storm.  While the initial reaction 
  involved its share of panic, the general public was more calm about it than many expected.  When 
  plasma bolts and howling Kitraxian shock troops did not rain from the sky over the next two weeks, 
  things slowly began to calm down and a sense of excitement about meeting another species took over 
  from worry and panic.  For the first time in history, the people of Earth were truly united to either 
  welcome or, if necessary, fight the newcomers.
  Actual diplomatic first contact is considered to have officially taken place when the first face to 
  face meeting occurred on July 23rd 2000.  After much negotiation about meeting time and place and 
  discussions of how to deal with infectious concerns, the meeting was set to take place in the airlock of a 
  Kitraxian shuttle by one of the members of the international space station.  The crew on board drew 
  straws on who would make the first physical contact, a fact that greatly amused the Kitraxian 
  delegation waiting patiently on the other side.  The winner was granted the temporary post of special 
  UN ambassador for the duration of the meeting.  Russian cosmonaut Vasily Demidov drew the short 
  straw and met with Kitraxian ambassador Kavra Praxterus after making a short untethered spacewalk to 
  a nearby Kitraxian shuttle.  Vasily offered his hand to the Kitraxian ambassador, who took it while 
  bowing his head with his left arm across his chest in the traditional Kitraxian show of respect and 
  friendship.  The initial handshake and bow was met with cheering and fireworks across both Earth and 
  Kitraxa.  The initial vocal greeting from Earth's ambassador was delivered in Russian and translated to, 
  “We welcome you with peaceful greetings to the planet Earth”.  The Kitraxian ambassador replied in 
  
  his own language, “It is a great honor to accept your gracious welcome on behalf of the Empress”.  The 
  meeting between the two ambassadors continued for another twelve days, with translation provided by 
  a Kitraxian AI who despite having been programmed with an understanding of most of Earth's major 
  languages still needed occasional correction on its Russian from the Earth Ambassador.  The United 
  Nations was in direct contact with the ambassador who acted more as an intermediary for negotiators 
  on Earth.  At the end of the meeting the cosmonaut left the shuttle after decontamination and had to 
  stay in his space suit and proceed immediately to the Soyuz escape capsule for departure back to Earth.
  Despite Kitraxian assurances they had taken great decontamination pains and would aid in treating 
  any resulting illness, the cosmonaut was kept in quarantine for 365 days after returning to Earth alone 
  in a Soyuz capsule and was released without suffering any ill effect from his exposure to Kitraxian life 
  forms both macro and microscopic.  The Kitraxian empire re-reimbursed both NASA and the Russian 
  government for the costs of sending a replacement Soyuz capsule to the station as a gesture of 
  goodwill.  The Kitraxian Empress sent a personalized gold plaque and a message of sincere thanks to 
  the ambassador for sacrificing a year of his life in the name of peace with her people.  More of the 
  outcome of the Kitraxian-Earth contact will be discussed in Chapter 6 of this book.
  
  Chapter 5: Culture and Customs
  Kitraxian culture is naturally rather different than most cultures on Earth.  There are places of 
  overlap and places of divergence and while it is hard to cover them all, the major tenants will be 
  covered here.
  Kitraxian Flag:
  The Kitraxian flag is white with a flying ancestor of the Kitraxian race on the front.  
  This represents the animal that the entire Kitraxian race evolved from and is a symbol of 
  the common origin of all Kitraxians regardless of pack or nationality.  The jeweled 
  necklace is an adapted form of the crown of the Empress, which is more of a circlet than 
  the kind of crown used on Earth.  This symbol is emblazoned on all Kitraxian ships, military vehicles 
  and even license plates.  Kitraxian military uniforms have the flag on the right arm just below the 
  shoulder puff and it is often worn as a pin on the left lapel of traditional Kitraxian dress robes.
  Kitraxian Packs:
  A Kitraxian pack is much like that of a family only blood relation is not required.  Packs initially 
  hunted and lived together, but later became a form of alliance between family groups.  The complex set 
  of alliances that created pacts and between packs, or sometimes even subgroups within packs led to the 
  Great Kitraxian War in 1753 CE that nearly destroyed their civilization.  Pack allegiance has been 
  deemphasized in place of an idea of a “Great Pack” that includes all the Kitraxian people, united under 
  the power, beauty and wisdom of the Empress.  The very foundation of the Kitraxian empire today 
  stands on the idea that Kitraxians can reach out to each other in aid and friendship despite whatever 
  pack ties their family may have.  Pack membership is now more of a matter of historical pride rather 
  than something more important in forming of relations with other Kitraxians.  Many Kitraxian last 
  names derive from the pack name rather than a family name, which is often used as a middle name.
  Kitraxian Honor:
  Kitraxians have long held honor as very important in their culture.  This is something that has 
  transcended most pack politics and law throughout Kitraxian history.  Honor enshrines the idea of 
  being fair in both combat and in trade.  Honesty is important, though white lies to protect feelings or 
  the honor of another are commonplace and accepted practice.  Dishonorable acts include selling out a 
  friend or pack member, treason, attacking from behind or extensive dishonesty for personal gain.  
  Kitraxians have a long memory when it comes to slights and can sometimes be taken aback by things 
  that would be considered a small deal on Earth.  Rudeness is considered a disdain for their honor and 
  being interrupted while speaking will often insult a Kitraxian.  Kitraxian culture stipulates patient 
  listening until the other party is finished speaking, with interruption only done when absolutely 
  necessary.  Western culture on Earth is more lax about this and this sometimes causes unintended slight 
  towards Kitraxian visitors if they are interrupted by someone while speaking.
  Making a promise or a claim that is not kept is a big deal for Kitraxians and is considered a sign of 
  dishonorable behavior, even if the promise was small.  Once someone has gotten themselves marked a 
  potentially dishonorable in nature, it is hard to regain that trust.  Some leeway is given to the people of 
  Earth, but this is ingrained enough that people who make the mistake of breaking even a small promise 
  will find themselves shunned for a time.
  
  Some early Kitraxian cultures employed the death penalty for extremely dishonorable behavior.  
  Other cultures on Kitraxa had a form of ritual suicide similar to seppuku in Samurai culture.  Instead of 
  disembowelment, this involved the insertion of a specially made short dagger into the heart.  This 
  practice has long been discontinued but every Kitraxian military officer keeps a ritual suicide dagger 
  for use in case of imminent capture by an enemy while they are in possession of knowledge that may 
  harm their war effort.
  Law:
  Kitraxian law is as complicated at times as human law, but considered in some cases even more 
  fair than a trial in the US due to completely impartial AI judges.  Defendants can still choose a 
  traditional jury of 13, with an AI acting as judge if they wish.  Kitraxians on Earth are subject to local 
  laws as well as the Kitraxa-Geneva-New York Accords.  Most Kitraxians are law abiding with a lower 
  rate of sociopathic behavior than the human average.  Some of this may be due to more advanced 
  medical care and ability to detect and correct many mental illnesses before they become a problem.  
  Kitraxians will generally follow lawful commands and will often defer to authority, especially in cases 
  where they are unsure of the local laws or customs.  Few problems have been reported with Kitraxians 
  on earth and most of those were misunderstandings due to language or culture.  Most problems 
  involving the law have involved self defense against an attacker with a racial or religious based bias 
  against any Kitraxian presence on Earth.
  Gender Equality:
  Kitraxians have a history of gender equality, with both males and females taking their turns in the 
  hunt with the exception of pregnant or nursing females.  When young are old enough to be weaned, the 
  mother returned to her normal activities within the pack with the father taking his turn caring for the 
  children.  While females do have somewhat less strength and musculature than men, the differences are 
  far less pronounced than for example, the average human male and female.  Most females are as 
  capable of men in feats of both endurance and strength.  Kitraxians have long relied more on cunning 
  and co-operation in pack hunting than on brute strength, which may explain this difference with many 
  cultures on Earth. 
  Facial Expressions:
  Kitraxian facial design is very different from basic human facial design.  As a result Kitrxian facial 
  expressions and emotional expressions are often very different.  Some have pointed to similarities with 
  canine expression as a guide to interpreting Kitraxian facial guestures.
  Smiling is accomplished in Kitraxians by slightly opening the muzzle and letting the tip of the 
  tongue peek out across the lower lip.  This is differed from panting due to exertion, where the tongue 
  protrudes much more.
  Frowning involves a downward drooping cast to the ears and a downward cant to the head.
  Wincing involves bearing of teeth without opening the muzzle while splaying the ears to the side, 
  usually due to a loud or irritating sound.
  Sadness involves a look similar to frowning.  Kitraxians also have tear ducts and can and do cry 
  when in grief in a very curious parallel with human behavior and is an area of intense study by 
  
  scientists on both sides, neither whom have explained why sadness causes tears in either species.  
  Extreme grief is also expressed using a low honking cry that has been described as the sounds of a 
  “dying dolphin”.
  Anger can be expressed by baring of forefangs and the shifting back of the ears while keeping 
  them upright.  A warning hiss made by sucking air between the forefangs is also made when expressing 
  a harsher anger.
  Extreme anger can bring about the most spectacular and frightening Kitraxian display of emotion.   
  When the baring of fangs and a warning hiss is not enough, the ultimate expression of rage involves a 
  quick but complex set of motion and sound.  The muzzle is opened fully and all the teeth bared, the 
  tongue poking out stiffly over the lower lip.  The wings are snapped out and curled partially inward as 
  if to encircle the target of the anger.  The arms are similarly outstretched, fingers splayed out as if to 
  scratch with the talons.  The tail lashes and quivers and the shoulder-puffs will bristle out as will the tail 
  tip.  The final part of this display is an ear shattering roar that can reach 125 decibels and is capable of 
  damaging human hearing.
  Another display of aggressive anger is to snap out the wings, arching them so that the spines point 
  towards the target and leaning the head forwards and hunching the back before rushing at the target 
  while making a hissing sound through the teeth like an angry goose.  This is usually done after a target 
  retreats from an earlier roar to ensure they think twice about turning back around.  This is most often 
  used in a fight over a mate in place of a roar of challenge, but is also used to drive off potential threats 
  from non Kitraxian creatures.
  Kitraxian Roar:
  The roar of a Kitraxian has been likened to somewhere between that of an a lion and a bear with a 
  little tiger thrown in for good measure.  While Kitraxians can snap their ears to the side to close them 
  off and prevent damage from hearing, humans and some other animals are not so fortunate and could 
  suffer permanent hearing damage at close range to a Kitraxian roar.  Smaller animals can be stunned by 
  the blast of sound and there are cases of dogs having heart attacks due to extreme fear after being 
  subjected to the roar.  The roar also includes some infrasonic harmonics that have been known to 
  induce fear in people.  Kitraxians are admonished to only roar on Earth in an isolated area, or in a life 
  or death situation.  In Kitraxian culture it is also customary to roar to the sky for the loss of a family 
  member, friend or beloved pet shortly after learning of their death.
  Insulting Gestures and phrases:
  Kitraxians have no dedicated curse words, instead using more complex oaths which describe 
  someone as stupid for example.  The closest phrase Kitraxians have to “damn” is the phrase “Chirrah-
  nix” which simply translates to “not good”.  In Kitraxian, something can be negated with the phrase 
  “nix” at the end.  “Chirrah” means “good” while “Chirrah-nix” means bad or not good.  English curse 
  words used by humans and other Earth creatures is a source of confusion to Kitraxians until they have 
  been immersed in Earth culture enough to understand the Earth form of cursing.
  Kitraxians have only one obscene hand gesture, which is more of a threat than an obscenity.  This 
  involves making a “gun” with the hand using the two fingers as the barrel and bayonet and the thumb 
  as the “trigger”.  This is generally a threat of harm and is only used between blood enemies.  This 
  gesture developed in the days of Kitraxian black power pistols having an attachable bayonet for close 
  quarters slashing after the single shot was spent.
  
  Kitraxians do have a more light hearted gesture used to taunt or mock the target that involves 
  taking their brightly colored tail tip fluff in their right hand and shaking it at the target of ridicule.  This 
  is considered an insult similar in severity to Kitraxians as throwing a shoe at someone in Islamic 
  culture.
  Accent and Speech:
  Kitraxian throat design results in a rather lower voice than human average, with males having a 
  rumbling basso to their voice.  This is despite Kitraxian hearing ranging up to 75 KHZ.  Kitraxian 
  echolocation is actually produced in the nose and interplay between the tongue and upper palette and is 
  not used as part of speech, but only for navigation in extreme darkness or in the foggy conditions found 
  on the moors and plains where the Kitraxian species originated.  Females have a somewhat higher 
  voice due to smaller voice box and muzzle.
  Kitraxians have a fairly distinct accent which has been described as somewhere between the 
  fictional Centauri of Babylon 5 and the Khajhit of the Elder Scrolls series of video games.  Kitraxians 
  will sometimes stumble with pronunciation of human languages.  English has been said to give 
  Kitraxian great trouble due to its seemingly contradictory grammar and pronunciation rules.  The 
  Kitraxians have had a unified language since roughly 1875 CE and like with the French, they have a 
  governmental agency dedicated to maintaining the official Kitraxian dictionary. While slang develops, 
  it is discouraged and is generally not recorded in official dictionaries except in very unusual cases.  
  Kitraxian letters each have a pronunciation that does not change due to adjoining letters like in English, 
  making it a somewhat simpler language to master than English.  
  Kitraxian's cannot roll their r's and struggle with pronunciation where this is desired in languages 
  such as Spanish.  Kitraxians will often put a breathy sound on their speech due to how they have to 
  force air through their long muzzle to produce speech as well as the unusual design of their respiratory 
  system.
  Clothing:
  Kitraxian clothing has to take into account tails, wings and shoulder puffs as well as claws on the 
  hands.  Most clothing is woven from a strong plant based material similar to cotton.  Kitraxian clothing 
  is generally thin due to their fur coating, except for gear made for extreme cold environments such as 
  space or polar regions.  Kitraxians are extremely proud of their brightly colored shoulder fluff and for 
  both cultural and comfort reasons, all Kitraxian shirts and robes and coats leave the holes for the 
  shoulder puffs to push through.  Traditional Kitraxian clothing consists of a pair of shorts and a thin 
  undershirt with the back open for the wings, covered by a robe like covering of thin yet strong material 
  that is divided in the back for the tail and has holes for admitting the wings.  Fancier occasions call for 
  a long scarf like ribbon laid across the back of the neck with each end hanging down to knee or thigh 
  level.  Many of these are decorated with Kitraxian animals or plants or Kitraxian writing with insightful 
  quotes or words of wisdom or reflection.
  Poetry:
  Kitraxians never really developed poetry as an art form separate from music and are often baffled 
  by poetry, which so far is a form of art that is unique to Earth.  One famous Kitraxian was quoted, “I 
  read haiku for two hours and all I got was a headache”.
  
  Music:
  Kitraxians have a variety of musical instruments from drums to wind instruments to instruments 
  similar to the piano in design.  Most modern Kitraxian music is heavy with synthesized sound and 
  similar to electronica popular among the rave crowds today.  Kitraxian singing voices do not have the 
  range and ability of a human voice or that of some birdlike species.  Kitraxians generally consider 
  Earth music to be far better than their own and after first contact, Earth music has become massively 
  popular on Kitraxa.  Kitraxians favor mostly music from 1990 and earlier with a few exceptions.  Most 
  do not like the heavily “autotuned” music that is popular in the 21st century.  Lack of a copyright treaty 
  and extremely lax copyright culture on Kitraxa has led to much complaint from rights holders on Earth. 
  The Kitraxian's response to the complaints so far have amounted to “We make our art and music and 
  movies freely available, and we expect the same in exchange as laid out in the Kitraxa-Geneva-New 
  York accords (agreement between the U.N. and the Kitraxian Empire).  One media exec said this was 
  not a fair trade and described Kitraxian music as “Caramelldansen on crack”.
  Movies:
  Kitraxian and Earth forms of video entertainment are fairly similar, though many Kitraxian 
  animated cartoons are considered more in line with Japanese anime, complete with translation gaffes 
  and a debate over whether to watch them “dubbed or subbed”.  Currently Earth movies have caught on 
  better on Kitraxa than vice versa.  However some of the Kitraxian classics have become popular on 
  Earth, particularly those involving the great war era which have struck a chord with fans of apocalyptic 
  or dystopian themed movies.  The most popular Kitraxian movie on Earth is a subtitled version of, 
  “Legend of the Lawbringers”, a movie about a group of Kitraxian law-bringers who hunted down the 
  10 extremely dangerous criminals in the irradiated ruins of Keshara in the chaotic aftermath of the great 
  war.  Since Kitraxians have access to the Internet though a satellite relay when in orbit, pirated movies 
  often make it to Kitraxa within about a month of their appearance on the Internet on Earth.  Depending 
  on when a ship arrives or leaves, it can take up to four months.  Due to the accords, the Kitraxians get 
  unfiltered Internet access when visiting Earth, something that media execs have complained should not 
  have happened.  Requests to the Kitraxians to block access to piracy sites have been rebuffed every 
  time as unacceptable censorship.
  Kitraxian food:
  Carnivorous by nature, most Kitraxian cuisine involves meat.  Many vegetables are unpalatable or 
  even indigestible by Kitraxians.  However there are some forms of Kitraxian vegetation that are eaten 
  or used as spices or side dishes to improve nutrition.  Fruit is well tolerated and enjoyed with many 
  meals though not all fruits are palpable to the Kitraxian sense of taste.  Some such as Durian fruits 
  actually act as an effective repellent due to their odor.  Unfortunately, due to contamination concerns, 
  Kitraxian food cannot be imported to Earth at this time and only a few people from earth have ever 
  sampled it.
  Earth Food:
  Kitraxians can consume all earth meats without trouble.  Many vegetables either do not taste good 
  to them, are indigestible or even toxic.  Onions are the most toxic vegetable to Kitraxians.  Ingestion of 
  fresh onions will trigger vomiting, in some cases forcing all three stomachs to empty their contents.  
  The smell of onions is an effective repellent.   Lettuce is indigestible since the Kitraxian gut rejects the 
  
  microbes that aid with its digestion as are some other leafy plants and can cause illness due to 
  blockage, though usually the gizzard will grind it up enough to pass, but it will cause bloating and pain 
  until that time.
  Some vegetables are surprising favorites which include garlic, asparagus and lightly cooked 
  Brussels sprouts.
  Feeding habits:
  Some aspects of Kitraxian dining etiquette can be annoying or even offensive on Earth.  Drinking 
  is done with straws on Earth instead of slurping or lapping  from a bowl.  Straws are used on Kitraxa 
  but in fancier restaurants that keep to old traditions, beverages are served in bowls and lapped up 
  noisily.  Kitraxians can pour from bottles or cans but have to tilt their head up and pour in while 
  opening just the tip of the muzzle.  Sometimes this still results in accidents.
  Feeding can involve ripping hunks of meat with the forefangs and then tossing it back in a 
  curiously birdlike motion, sometimes with jerking and snapping motions while gulping and sometimes 
  even shaking  the head and upper body to help send larger chunks down.  On Earth this can seem 
  savage and even threatening as people can feel uncomfortable watching Kitraxians rip large sections of 
  meat with their sharp teeth or crunching through bone.  Kitraxian visitors are urged to make use of 
  forks and knives to cut their food into smaller pieces that do not require more traditional feeding 
  methods to swallow.
  Another custom they are asked to avoid is picking up their plate and licking it clean as a 
  compliment to the chef for a good meal.  Kitraxians also have to adapt to Earths “3 meals” regime.  On 
  Kitraxa most eat twice a day due to shorter days, and they eat slightly larger meals, slowing releasing 
  food from their crops throughout the day to maintain their strength and blood sugar at a nice constant 
  value.
  
  Chapter 6:  Kitraxians and Earthlings
  The relationship between Kitraxians and the people of Earth has been as complex as anyone 
  guessed a first contact situation would be.  This section breaks out some of the more interesting or 
  important aspects of the relationship between Kitraxians and the people of Earth.
  One of the first orders of business after initial contact was to negotiate the setting for an agreement 
  between the United Nations (representing all member nations on Earth) and the Kitraxian Empire.  The 
  meeting was done via teleconference since Kitraxians were not medically cleared to visit Earth until 
  January 2003.  It took seven months to hammer out a full agreement and it ranged from everything 
  from visitation rights on each planet, transfer of technology and sharing of culture.  The accords were 
  worked out with groups located in both Geneva and New York with representatives from the eastern 
  and western hemisphere respectively in each location.  The Kitraxian delegation was on board their 
  ship in geosynchronous orbit over the mid Atlantic with a microwave band connection to both groups.  
  The Empress herself remained throughout the negotiations and electronically signed the final 
  agreement.  She later returned in 2003 to physically sign the agreement after a few amendments were 
  made and Kitraxians were cleared to physically land on Earth.  This final agreement was signed in 
  Washington D.C. on February 3rd, 2003.
  Earth Controlled Space:
  Among the more important decisions was to establish limits of Kitraxian space in the direction of 
  Earth.  In the end, a 100 light year buffer from Earth out to the general direction of Kitraxa was marked 
  as Earth controlled space and includes jurisdiction to any planet not already inhabited by another 
  intelligent race.  While this gives Earth a 7 light year advantage on the space between Earth and 
  Kitraxa, it was considered fair given the vastness of space and the Kitraxian empires head start on 
  colonization of other worlds.  The Kitraxians do not plan on colonizing another world in the next 50 
  years and only have two other worlds colonized outside their home world.  Neither are anywhere near 
  the border with Earth.  The Kitraxians also agreed to leave a section 250 light years deep untouched in 
  a 30 degree angle cone above the north and south pole of Sol.  The Kitraxians have no plans to go 
  around and colonize on the other side of Earth space and are focusing more in the direction of the 
  constellations Scutum and Scorpius for expansion of their empire.
  Hopes for Unity on Earth:
  Upon arrival, the Kitraxians brought the people of Earth together simply by appearing in the skies 
  over Earth.  The Kitraxians expressed hope that the changing political climate on Earth and their 
  moment of unity would be the starting point for the unification of the people of Earth in time.  These 
  hopes were shattered on September 11th, 2001 when terrorists flew aircraft into buildings in the United 
  States.  The resulting war has greatly dimmed Kitraxian hopes that the people of Earth would find unity 
  without going through the type of situation that brought them theirs.  Some on Kitraxa have pointed out 
  that contact was made too early, before the people here had conquered enough of their problems and 
  shaken off the shackles of unbending religious dogma.  The Kitraxians have kept their distance from 
  the wars on Earth, generally not bringing them up and when asked about them answer that is is an 
  “Affair of the people of Earth to resolve”.  However in 2004, the Kitraxian ambassador to the UN gave 
  a speech about the Kitraxian Great War and showed sometimes shocking photographs taken during and 
  after the war.  This was done as a not so subtle message to the people of Earth that the inability to settle 
  differences and sticking to dogma can and will result in great tragedy.  So far the “War on Terror” 
  
  continues to rage on and violent revolution continues to be the primary force for change in many parts 
  of the Earth.
  Transfer of Technology:
  While initially governments on Earth clamored for access to Kitraxian advancements, Kitraxians 
  have been adamant that they will not provide any technology either mechanical, electronic, software, 
  mathematic or medical that is above what Earth can do itself.  One Kitraxian ambassador likened the 
  telling of the secrets of the universe to the spoiling of a good movie before you have watched it, or 
  learning what lies ahead on a voyage into the unknown when you wanted to make the discovery for 
  yourself.  In short, Kitraxians who visit are not allowed to bring any advanced technology or 
  knowledge of the universe to Earth that would alter Earths natural rate of advancement.  Most 
  Kitraxians bring nothing but clothing form their world and instead rely on using only Earth technology 
  while visiting.
  Some have greatly criticized the inclusion of medical technology being withheld, arguing that the 
  Kitraxians could help end cancer on earth today, or cure AIDS or any number of illnesses both genetic 
  or infectious.  While Kitraxians cannot give formulas for medicines directly to Earth to solve its 
  medical problems, some Kitraxian visitors have opted to give blood instead.  While Kitraxian blood 
  cannot be transfused into any creature on earth without killing or injuring them, the donated blood is 
  used for research instead.  Kitraxian blood is full of novel compounds and proteins never seen before 
  on Earth and Kitraxians have also given samples of their coagulant and anti-coagulant saliva variants.  
  Since scientists on Earth have to work to isolate useful compounds from Kitraxian blood and saliva and 
  test them and then finalize them into usable drugs, this is not considered a violation of the accords.  
  Kitraxian anti-coagulant has since been developed into a life saving drug for stroke and heart attack 
  victims and has begun initial human/furry trial as of the writing of this book.
  Cultural Exchange:
  Both sides agreed to a royalty free exchange of music as well as movies and television broadcasts 
  more than 35 years old and artwork of any age.  The music and book industry has been left quite upset 
  by the fact that movie and television broadcasters got a 35 year limit while they have no limit.  Artists 
  are generally not as worried since the real money is generally made on the originals which cannot 
  really be copied.  Kitraxians have agreed not to buy and remove any original artwork or antiquity from 
  Earth without express U.N. Approval.  Kitraxians however are free to bring such objects to Earth with 
  the exception of firearms. 
  Copyright:
  Kitraxians only allow a very limited personal copyright and even that only protects from 
  unauthorized derivative work, not against sharing.  Corporate copyright is infinitely extensible but only 
  through payment of a tax on a percentage of the amount of money it is calculated to generate and also 
  only protects against derivative work and obvious look-a-likes.  Media is shared freely on Kitraxa with 
  new works sponsored by patronage via Kickstarter like sites or directly paying the artists to promote 
  the production of more work.  The Kitraxians say this is a cleaner system the rewards good content.  It 
  is noted that performers, actors, artists, writers and producers are expected to manage their own 
  retirement concerns just like any other laborer unlike on Earth where there is an expectation to keep 
  getting paid for life for single work.  Earth based media producers claim this system only works at the 
  level of technological advancement that the Kitraxians have and have launched an all out campaign 
  
  resisting any changes to the system on Earth.  Only time will tell if the Kitraxian copyright system will 
  be adopted on Earth, but many hope it will.
  Combat:
  There have only been a few real altercations between Kitraxians and humans.  While some have 
  done mock battles to show fighting techniques or to study human martial arts, real combat has been 
  rare and generally due to racist or religious reasons or crime such as robbery.
  When it comes to unarmed combat with a Kitraxian there is one rule and only one rule to 
  remember:  There is no such thing as unarmed combat with a Kitraxian.  Kitraxian claws can tear 
  through the average humans skin easily and their bite is even more fearsome.  Kitraxian anti-coagulant 
  saliva will make any bite wound bleed and Kitraxian bites can be devastating even without that.  The 
  fangs can tear through flesh and even bone.  A Kitraxian is capable of biting a pool cue in half and a 
  bite can easily crush bone.  Any teeth forward of the molars that are lost will regrow.  The wings of a 
  Kitraxian have claws along the bottom of the bone tips that can rake at an attacker and cause nasty 
  lacerations.
  In armed combat, Kitraxians can be capable with swords, knives and guns with the proper training. 
  Kitraxian military ability is impressive and they are capable of launching interstellar war operations if 
  necessary, but seek to avoid this due to the extreme cost.
  Religion:
  Kitraxians have had only polytheistic religions in their history, the largest of which had 36 gods 
  and goddesses and which was the dominant religion in number of believers until 1680 CE.  With the 
  advance of technology and science as well as religious driven strife, a backlash against organized 
  religion begin in the 1600's CE.  The number of non believers or believers in personal non organized 
  faiths grew until it eventually outweighed the number of believers in other religions.  The decline 
  continued slowly until the great war, which left such devastation that while a few groups formed cults, 
  many simply abandoned any faith in intelligent deities.  Only a few choose to believe in deities today, 
  with most of the population not believing in any supreme beings.  Interestingly, many do still believe in 
  some form of afterlife noting that the laws of the universe don't preclude an afterlife existing without a 
  god or gods.  Kitraxians have reported near death experiences that mirror some aspects of those 
  experienced by those on Earth.
  Upon their arrival on Earth and after the initial weeks of negotiation with the UN and world 
  governments, a website was set up to take questions from the public.  People were urged to use 
  whatever language they felt most fluent in as translation would be handled by an AI.  With the help of 
  the AI on board the flagship, over 27 million questions were answered within 5 weeks.  The Empress 
  herself even took some time to read an answer a few of the questions.  One of the most popular 
  questions asked if Jesus had been on Kitraxa.  One of the Kitraxians helping to craft responses 
  famously asked, “Jesus who?”.  Finding that Kitraxian religion had more in common with the religions 
  of antiquity on Earth led to a lot of soul searching for some.
  Some believed that Kitraxians would get “signs from God” at the right time, and their time had not 
  yet come.  Others saw it as their duty to preach to the Kitraxians, especially certain Christian sects with 
  a history of running modern day conversion missions.  Others saw the Kitraxians fulfilling some of the 
  signs of revelation.  Atheists cheered the Kitraxian rejection of organized religion and “faith” based 
  
  beliefs and see the same rejection as inevitable on Earth.  
  The name of the Kitraxian empress has caused quite a bit of religious fear among some Chriatians.  
  The way the name of the empress closely matched that of the biblical Angel of Death was seen by 
  many as a bad sign and some even claim her as the anti-christ.  Islamic people seem to have more 
  stigma about Kitraxians than Christianity as a whole, with some groups claiming them as satanic 
  monstrosities sent to thwart the will of Allah.  Kitraxians are banned from setting foot in Iran and Saudi 
  Arabia and a cleric in Iran even issued a fatwa against them.  Another in Pakistan offered $1000 for the 
  every head of a Kitraxian brought to him and a billion dollars for the head of their empress.  Some 
  African and Indian Islamic groups have been more open to Kitraxians while some African Animists 
  have even celebrated their arrival.
  Some cultures have seen Kitraxians themselves as something special.  There are reports of worship 
  of them in parts of China, Japan, Africa and India.  While most of these cults are simply laughed off, in 
  China, the government has taken to forcibly disbanding entire villages over the worship of Kitraxians.  
  The Kitraxian government has issued a statement against such worship, but it usually will not sway 
  those determined to do so.
  In some parts of Japan and China, Kitraxians are treated with a special respect that borders on 
  worship.  Some who follow older religions claim they are just another part of the vast spirit world that 
  is paying Earth a visit and aren't the first off worlders or the last.
  There are a few reports of Kitraxian worshipers in the US and Europe, but most are generally 
  laughed off and one group was even famously pranked by a group known as “Anonymous” into 
  thinking the Empress herself was going to visit them.
  Over all Kitraxians have a general disdain for organized religion and many have argued they 
  should not have contacted Earth until they had lost most of their organized sects.
  UFO Enthusiasts:
  While the arrival of the Kitraxians was considered a huge triumph for UFO believers, more 
  questions than answers have arisen from the revealing of other intelligent life in the universe.  When 
  the first Kitraxians were cleared to visit Earth, massive crowds came to greet them.  Some took it as a 
  time to enjoy dressing as green men or as various characters from science fiction.  Others protested and 
  some even called for the Kitraxians to leave and consider them invaders.  A number of conspiracy 
  theories popped up in the darker corners of the Internet that the Kitraxians are just biding their time 
  until they can strike.  Some groups such as the KKK and the WBC have come out against the 
  Kitraxians and claim they have come to do great evil.
  Many UFO enthusiasts have asked the Kitraxians if they have had anything to do with Roswell and 
  other incidents.  The Kitraxian's have denied this, noting they did not have the technology to reach 
  Earth until 1977 and it was not until 1982 that they had absolute proof of Earth's inhabitation by 
  intelligent life.  All previous studies using telescopes had simply inferred it via the presence of 
  industrial chemicals detected in the spectrum of Earth's atmosphere.  No earth radio or television 
  signals have reached Kitraxa or any of its colonies yet due to the long distance from Earth.  The probe 
  sent to Earth came out of warp near the orbital path of Mars and coasted to Earth, taking photos along 
  the way.  Radio and TV signals as well as other transmissions were picked up almost immediately after 
  the main antenna had pointed to earth.  The first photo to show city structures was only possible from 
  
  orbit, with a photo of Nairobi, Kenya being the first city photographed by the probe after entering a 
  high orbit that started over southern Africa.  The probe kept itself hidden by its dark color and a radar 
  absorbent coating and design that prevented reflections.
  Kitraxians have admitted to seeing many strange things in space.  Most of the area between Kitraxa 
  and Earth remains unexplored.  Kitraxians are not allowed to enter Earth controlled space unless 
  traveling to Earth or with the permission of the UN council on extraterrestrial relations that was 
  established to manage compliance with the accords.  The Kitraxian people are not allowed to give any 
  data on objects in space to the people of Earth that they have not yet been either discovered by humans, 
  or cleared by the Kitraxian government.  It is being left to the people of Earth to discover any habitable 
  worlds nearby and to develop the means to colonize them.  Kitraxians have not extensively explored 
  beyond 40 light years away from their home world, with the voyage to Earth being the longest trip they 
  have taken.  Even the area within that 40 light year area around Kitraxa still has many stars that have 
  not been visited or extensively studied or cataloged.  The area in question contains over 1600 stars with 
  only 5% having been visited by a probe.  Kitraxians will not say much about interstellar travel other 
  than it is still expensive.
  While exploring, some ships have claimed to have seen objects on radar or visibly that seemed to 
  move intelligently.  One Kitraxian officer on a ship admitted to seeing objects leaving Earth that  did 
  not match the technology profile of anything made on Earth.  Another ship on approach from the arrival 
  point out near the orbit of Mars radioed another Kitraxian ship in orbit of Earth asking if they had any 
  small craft in the area as they had spotted what appeared to be five ships traveling in formation.  When 
  they were told no, they proceeded to change course towards the objects, which were reported to have 
  fled their approach and vanished from their screens.  The transmissions were captured by several 
  listening posts on Earth set up to monitor Kitraxian ships, which by the accords are required to transmit 
  in the clear while in Earth space.  The Kitraxians still deny ever meeting another intelligent species and 
  both the habitable worlds they colonized had only simple forms of life.
  Politics:
  The accords forbid any political or technological influence on Earth that can be avoided.  
  Kitraxians do not interfere with developments on Earth or take sides in any conflicts.  The Kitraxian 
  ambassador to the UN in mainly there to deal with any affairs that directly effect the relationship 
  between Earth and the Kitraxian people.
  The Kitraxians do reserve the right to define their relationship with individual nations on Earth.  
  While they enjoy full diplomatic relations with the US and all European nations, they have limited 
  diplomatic contact with some nations for specific reasons.  China for example has long sought full 
  relations but the Kitraxians have said they will only have limited contact until there is “change”.  To 
  avoid violating the accords, they don't describe what that change is, but for some it is clear that 
  censorship is a sore point as the Kitraxian people see it as a dishonorable way of governance.  The 
  Kitraxians refuse any relations with North Korea,  Iran and Saudi Arabia due to “philosophical 
  differences”.  Their beef with Iran and Saudia Arabia is clearly based on religious based hatred from 
  the governments of these nations.  North Korea is said to be shunned because the Kitraxians consider 
  the people to be enslaved by the elite in the government there.
  Both Taiwan and South Korea have approached the Kitraxians asking for an aid agreement if they 
  come under attack but the Kitraxians have pointed out this would violate the accords which also forbid 
  any military action that was not provoked and a one month cooling off period for any act of war.  The 
  
  closest this came to a test is when members of a US based UFO cult with a large celebrity following 
  attempted to assassinate the Kitraxian ambassador to the US in Washington DC.  The ambassador was 
  stabbed and wounded but survived after fighting off the attackers.  One of the attackers lost an arm 
  after a bite wound became infected and another nearly died from blood loss after being bitten on the 
  neck.  The Kitraxians demanded that the cult be disbanded and their leaders arrested, but first 
  amendment barriers have so far prevented a proper investigation into whether this was planned by the 
  leadership.  The cults leaders claimed that the attack was done by a “splinter” group within the 
  movement and was not planned by the leadership.  The Kitraxians withdrew their ambassador from the 
  US in protest for three months and have threatened military retaliation against the cult if there is 
  another incident involving its members.  The cult was told they would have a single month according to 
  the accords, and if justice was not done, the Kitraxians would see to it themselves.  The cult has been 
  very quiet regarding the Kitraxians ever since and even withdrew its 24/7 protests of their embassy in 
  Washington DC.  The cult in turn suffered months of mass protests by people on Earth against them 
  and have seen their membership plummet.
  Kitraxian relations with Russia have been rocky.  They grudgingly gave full diplomatic access due 
  to the aid they received on first contact from a Russian citizen.  However the Russians have been 
  warned that diplomatic access could be restricted if their country heads down the wrong path.  The 
  Kitraxian ambassador has been withdrawn several times as an act of simple protest, the only real 
  influence that the Kitraxians can use towards any Earth government as laid out in the accords.
  Takeover worries:
  Given how advanced the Kitraxians are, some worry they might take over Earth.  The Kitraxians 
  have sought to allay such fears, explaining they would have attacked already if they were going to do 
  such a thing.  They also point out that interstellar war is incredibly expensive.  They have run 
  projections on how much it would cost to fight a war if necessary and even scenarios involving the 
  conquest of a less developed world would cost more than it was worth to take a planet.  Conquest 
  would involve destroying much of the planets infrastructure and would cost untold sums to move the 
  troops and ships and weapons to perform such a feat.  Spending decades fighting and subduing 
  survivors would simply not work out economically.  They concluded by pointing out that it was far 
  cheaper to find and colonize a non claimed habitable world, even if it meant terraforming, than to try to 
  take an already claimed world.
  These assurances have done little for those who have it set in their mind that the Kitraxians are 
  dangerous on religious or racial grounds and there are plenty of anti-Kitraxian groups scattered across 
  the globe.
  Travel to Kitraxa:
  Only a handful of Earth people have ever been to Kitraxa and none to any of their two colonies.  
  So far the UN will only authorize a few people to go, all of them diplomats or ex-presidents so far.  
  Due to the accords on transfer of technology, it is considered too risky to allow general travel yet.  
  Since the trip takes at least three weeks one way and involves a month or more on planet before return, 
  no sitting presidents or leaders have traveled there.  A few ex-US presidents, a former UK and a former 
  Canadian Prime Minister and an ex-chancellor of Germany have made the trip thus far.  There is also a 
  permanent diplomatic post in the Kitraxian capital of Ksharra with a staff of 5, including the 
  ambassador.
  
  It is noted that travel to Kitraxa involves spending most of the time on ship in a decontamination 
  protocol that involves replacing any Earth microbes in the body with similar Kitraxian microbes and 
  extensive use of Kitraxian medical technology to ensure this process is safe for earth born travelers. 
  Constant medical attention is needed in case of reaction or infection.
  Kitraxians on Earth:
  Only a handful Kitraxians actually live on Earth as part of a peace program.  Most live in big cities 
  and are young and untrained in any technology they could transfer to Earth.  Letting them stay here 
  allows for people to get to know Kitraxians and become more comfortable with them, and for the 
  Kitraxian visitors to learn to understand the people of Earth better.  So far the program has been a 
  success with only a few incidents involving racially or religiously motivated attack.  Living on Earth 
  means undergoing a decontamination procedure that replaces the body's natural microbes with Earth 
  equivalents.  Kitraxian medical technology is sufficiently advanced to make this replacement process 
  relatively safe.  All have been generally well accepted in the communities they live in, though the sight 
  of a Kitraxian in the street will still draw stares and whispers.  As the people of Earth eventually 
  develop better technology, more Kitraxian visitors are expected and it is hoped there will be eventual 
  partnership between the races of both planets in peacefully exploring the galaxy.
  
  Thanks for reading!  Hope you enjoyed this overview of my species!  I hope to make future revisions to 
  add more images for use by artists in drawings!
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Vault2.0.-.Fiction-and-audiobooks/Books/A/1356068207.arcturax_big_book_of_kitraxa.pdf