Species: Hjorden

Type: Insectoid

Preferred Climate: Jungle/Humid warm environments

Sovereign Identity: The Hjordan Democratic Monarchy.

Population: ~25 Billion

Systems: One Primary System, Three Known Colonies & Home Planet. 3 Further Known systems with 1 Colony each.

Physical Appearance:

The Hjorden are an advanced space faring species. They are smaller in stature than most Humans; they have 4 arms and two legs, which make them skilled builders.  They are industrious and very sociable amongst their own kind.

Government System:

Their system of government appears stable although it is significantly different from those of other space faring species. They have blended Aristocracy with democracy. The Legislature (lawmakers) are democratically elected; however, the Judiciary (law enforcers, judges) are all hereditary and headed by a reigning monarch. The stability of the system has only been kept by the tradition and legal requirement that the children of the Élite are given up at birth and put into the state crêche and orphanage system. The growing élite are not told of their aristocratic heritage until several years after reaching majority (15 Earth year equivalent). This means that the people that they judge and rule are from strata of society that have helped form them as individuals. Further balance to this system comes from the fact that they may only take mates from the “Common” population.

Further, the Aristocrats are restricted in profession, as they may only enter into occupations in the public service sectors: Judiciary, Police, Healthcare, Military, “Pure” Research

Technology Profile:

The Hjorden have particular expertise in electronics and and are notable in that they have cloaking technology; however, use of cloaking technology has been observed only on rare occasions. They have developed their own gate system which interlinks with the TSN’s gate system.

Diplomatic Relations:

The USFP and Hjorden are on moderately friendly terms, Hjorden Cruise liners and cargo ships are often seen on the trade route between Hjorden and Port Arthur. Hjorden Civil ships are permitted throughout the USFP Sphere of influence, Hjorden military craft require permits to travel inside the USFP; however, these are freely issued especially for the purposes of escorting Hjorden traffic though the less secure Cerebus, Promethean and Krisanda systems and the accompanying waypoints in Galactic sector 91.

The Hjorden are fairly secretive, they view the USFP as a potential threat to them and their culture and tend to compartmentalize a lot of information, being very careful what information they share. Having said that, they have shared their cloaking technology with the USFP. Unfortunately, the mechanics behind it would cause a complete collapse of any Warp core or Jump matrix with catastrophic consequences if the device was even installed on a USFP ship.

Conversely, the USFP feel that the Hjorden would make excellent new members to the USFP. and the Citizens of the USFP have made the Hjorden homeword a prime tropical destination for adventurous individuals. The Hjorden themselves view this with amusement and annoyance, however the economic benefits are significant for the relatively tiny Hjorden economy.

Among the best known Hjorden export goods are: Hjorden ale, an alcoholic beverage that has gained much favour among humans; and a non-alcoholic drink resembling an intense dark chocolate shake.