Klar'ik'ii

Klari'ik'ii (pronounced CLERIC-eye) is a warm E-Class planet in the Orpheus System. Orbiting 1.002 AU from Orpheus, it has a diameter 1.6085 times that of Earth. A single day takes only 10 hours and 6 minutes, meaning a full Klar'ik year is comprised of 920.234 Klar'ik days. The atmospheric pressure is a crushing 10 times that of Earth, and the surface temperature often exceeds 55 degrees Celsius. Confederacy settlements can only be sustained thanks to specialized habitats, but the native Klar'ik, a mid-Type 0 civilization native to Klar'ik'ii, have no problem pursuing their daily lives. The planet is one of the most remote members of the Intergalactic Confederacy, residing over 917 million light-years from the Milky Way Galaxy and only being accessible because of Project Orpheus.

HISTORY

Klar'ik'ii was created from the Orpheus planetary disc about 4.6 billion years ago, at which point life began through abiogenesis. The first multicellular organisms were insects, which came into being around 900 million years ago according to the Intergalactic Carbon Index.

Following the insect-like creatures, the Minor Feranoids came into being. These were small, rodent-like creatures that lived deep underground, feeding off of chemicals seeping from the planet's core. They lived underground from about 600 million years ago until they were killed off by the Major Feranoids 550 million years later.

The Major Feranoids were much larger than their minor counterparts, and were the first species to adapt to withstand the heat of the planet's surface. Growing up to 7 metres in height at their peak, they were the undisputed kings of the planet until a new species came along to oppose them.

THE KLAR'IK'

Early evidence and carbon samples help trace the Klar'ik back to the Archids, an alien race that dominated most of the Indulus Galaxy for hundreds of millions of years. The Klar'ik'ii share their eight claw-like digits, their bony, ridged backs, and their large, black eyes. Most other features, such as the cilia on the arms and legs, have disappeared over time.

The first genetic divergence between the Archids and the Klar'ik goes back to about 1.75 million years ago. The specimens in question, identified as PK-1 through to PK-7, were all found buried beneath the ruins of an old settlement near Gualamo Basin. These specimens were considerably taller and more muscular than other Archids of this time period, suggesting a serious difference in the genetics of the Archids. This has been supported with findings from a similar date at other locations near the basin. This subspecies has since been dubbed Klar'ik inservi, or "primal man".

The Klar'ik are thought to have spread from the basin to the rest of the world as the Archids began to occupy the planet. This event, dubbed the First Occupation of Klar'ik'ii, began in the year 1,653,756 BC, just before the genetic divergence. This piece of information has led to the theory that the Archids bred the Klar'ik' for the purpose of creating a civilization to run the planet after they had left. As the Archids killed of the Major Feranoids, the Klar'ik began to spread around the world. Evidence from the Caves of Tuk suggests that the entire planet was colonized just 1.25 million years ago.

After the Archids left the planet 950,000 years ago, the Klar'ik began to evolve again. The once-dominant Klar'ik inservi developed through evolution, and was soon replaced with a much smarter subspecies, the Klar'ik tyri, or "smart man". The first societies on Klar'ik'ii sprouted in the next hundred thousand years, to the point where the entire planet was part of one of five kingdoms, now known as:

- the Klar'ik Benevolent

- the Klar'ik Fierce

- the Klar'ik Wise

- the Klar'ik Impartial

- the Klar'ik Societal