Hakons

"War has always been the greatest friend of progress. Why? It is so because in war, especially in a genocidal, total war progress becomes a matter of survival. In peaceful times, you can afford morality - you can halt research if it is too risky, or the effects are harmful. But in war, you move forward, or you die. You can... And you must cut corners. So what that testing new weapons on your own people is horrible? Your enemy will cut you all down if you don't do it. Sacrifice of few millions for the life of entire population becomes an acceptable loss. Our history has taught me that well... And sometimes I wish it hadn't..."


Hakons are the second member species of the Tribunal.

Hakons originate from the desert world of Drefarra - a resource rich planet with extremely hostile environment (though surprisingly, relatively cold one) and incredibly deadly fauna. It was lost to the Plague during the initial wave of infection.

They are short (around the same size as Nhilars) bird-like humanoids with largely mammalian physiology. They are warm blooded.
They are not very colourful in terms of looks, they have greyish-brown skin with darker spots on their bodies. Beaks are usually somewhat lighter. Hair are almost always dark brown or black. Eyes can be in various shades of brown, grey, green or blue.
Hakons are not especially strong or agile and lack any special physical abilities, except rather good eyesight.
They have very weird body proportions, with relatively small bodies, massive forearms and strong legs. However, the most unique feature of Hakons is massive head carrying disproportionately large brain.


They express quite visible sexual dimorphism, with females being slightly shorter than males and having many more spots on their bodies. Males on the other hand, tend to have dark stripes on their beaks.
Females give birth, like normal mammals. They usually have no more than one child at a time. Their reproduction rate is relatively low.
Hakons are a heavily genetically modified species - some of their most successful modifications resulted in nearly complete toxin and disease immunity, increased regeneration rate (which also resulted in nearly infinite theoretical lifespan), and increased resistances to heat and cold. Some of the side effects however, lead to loss of most of the body hair, and change of the skin colours - the historical data indicates that ancestors to modern Hakons were covered in colourful fur and had more... normal body proportions.

Despite rather mundane exterior, Hakons are extraordinary species in terms of their mental capabilities. They are universally gifted with incredible intelligence and creativity.
Other species of the Tribunal often call them mad geniuses of the faction (or insane parrots with shotguns - that works as well). Despite their intelligence, Hakons are rather stubborn, reckless and impatient but also incredibly curious and enthusiastic about every new concept. This leads to quite interesting results. Most of the Hakon technologies, while often ingenious, also tend to be unreliable or downright dangerous. It is so, because Hakons tend to invent new technologies at such an incredible rate that they have neither time, nor will to perfect them. And if one technology requires another, it may sometimes lead to a chain of very dangerous inventions.

Hakon history is the one of conflict. Different tribes, and later countries waged nearly constant wars over millennia. The longest war they ever waged between one another lasted for 500 years and resulted in complete loss of five planets that were turned into nuclear wastelands - and it was NOT the most destructive war they ever waged. 
Hakons were hit by the Great Plague soon after the Elavi - in fact, fleeing Elavi were the ones who brought it. Initially, Hakons ignored the threat and when they realised how dangerous it was, they quickly decided to use scorched earth tactics - burning down 10 of their colonies with people still on them. Later in war, Hakons formed the bulk of the force that resisted the Plague.

Hakons form both the science and military wings of the Tribunal now. Even though they do not form a single nation, but rather a loose union of single colonies - each small nation is different. They provide the core technologies that are later improved upon by other species (usually simply to make them safe and comfortable to use) but are also the biggest military power of all the Tribunal species.
Despite their frail physique, Hakons excel in battle, but they usually do not fight directly. An average Hakon army has only few hundred soldiers - usually a staff of a commanding officer, all clad in heavy powered suits. The real fighting force are legions of cheap, yet effective combat bots that can even be produced directly on the field thanks to mobile factories and resource extractors. More traditional infantry and mechanized units are used almost exclusively by bounty hunters, police and more basic security forces.


Despite their warlike nature, Hakons tend to value family connections quite heavily. They are usually monogamous and while they have difficulties in expressing their emotions in any subtle way, they tend to compensate with gifts. For example, a personal shield generator is a popular gift for a loved one - it is meant to show the desire to keep said person safe (usually from their own inventions, but I digress).