Marasan

The Marasans are a race of cyborged sapients originating from the planet Marasai in the Marasa Nebula. The Marasans are large marsupials with thick bodies and long, spindly arms. They walk on two short, muscular legs, and have two sensory appendages in addition to two eyes and a mouth on their flat faces. All Marasans wear a thin, metallic implant wrapped around the backs of their heads. The implant was originally developed to help the Marasans navigate through the chaos of the Marasa Nebula, and evolved into a device which controlled certain autonomic and natural functions. They are a slow-moving race, but their implants allow them to think and communicate electronically. This allows them rapid access to information, and provides nearly instantaneous answers. Their interpersonal skills are lacking, however, when they have to deal with other races.

The Marasan race originated on the planet Marasai, and developed the ability to travel through space on their own. Using strange anchorpoints - similar to jump gates, but known only to the cyborged Marasans - within the Marasa Nebula, they were able to travel to 20 colony worlds. This ability was desired by the Empire, which sought a way to shorten the Trellen Trade Route. They forced the Marasans to assist in the movement of Imperial starships through the Nebula by torutring them. The Empire developed a device which could send out immense electromagnetic waves tuned to the Marasan cyborg implants. The resulting pain could be spread out across nearly the entire Nebula, were the Marasans to disobey Imperial orders. The Alliance was powerless to assist: to incite the Marasans to rebellion would bring down the wrath of the Imperial wave device, while the willful stranding of Imperial ships in the Nebula would bring on the power of the Imperial fleet.