Jotan

The Jotans are an spacefaring alien race hailing from the world Jota from Heat by R. Lee Smith.

Biology
The Jotans are humanoids nearly indistinguishable from human save that they are more stronger, able to easily lift a full grown human male and kill one with ease. Their sense of smell is more heighten able to distinguish between genders at a whiff. Internally the Jotans possess alien anatomy to humans, with both biologies incompatible. While Jotan biology is unable to reproduce with humans, they are still able to engage in sexual recreation.

There is not much sexual dimorphism in the species, females lack mammary glands, though they are slimmer than their counterparts. Jotans are unable to tolerate temperatures of extreme heat, when under such conditions it forces them to undergo Heat, a stage of their lives which compels them to mate.

History
The Jotans became a spacefaring culture around five hundred years ago through their Far Reach Program, created a Gate allowing them to cross interstellar distances. One Gate they created led to Earth where they encountered their first alien species: humanity. At the time humanity was a violent race that were deemed unsuitable for first contact. The Earth Gate was forgotten in time, however it continued to be used by another race called the So'Quaal. The S'Quual capitalized the world, abducting hundreds of thousands of humans for slaves. Eventually the slave trading encroached unto the territory of the Jotans. Many unsavory elements of the Jotans began to follow their example and began exploiting humans for slavery, drug production, etc.

Only in recent times, has the central government of the Jotans began deploying the Jotan Security Fleet to enforce the ban on Earth. Despite the ban, thousands of humans still remain enslaved in So-Quaal space and by their own people. To detract the slave trade, it was agreed to destroy the Earth Gate to prevent more humans from being enslaved.

Culture
The Jotans are a spacefaring culture with a central government. They are a technologically advanced culture manged to put an end to global warming using a global climate control system. All aspects of their culture are subject to unity to their government that also maintains a strict breeding season schedule. This authoritarian attitude may have forced many Jotans to involve themselves in illicit slave trading, criminal activities and drug trading.

The Jotans can be quite a self-absorbed race as seemingly protectors of their sector of space. Despite many of their criminal elements exploiting humans they have failed to make any major work in rectifying the problem. Many Jotans find themselves unable to reconcile the fact that humans are sentient beings, only seeing them as a slightly intelligent animals. In fact when faced with direct evidence of humanity's technological achievements a common Jotan would think that their technological innovations are a result of human collaborators trading their own kind for advanced technology from alien visitors.

Slavery
Jotans or at least the criminal elements of Jotan society practice slavery, many humans taken captive from their homes on Earth have been subjected to cruel and horrible fates. Many are turned into sex slaves, livestock, breeders, etc. all to entertain their new masters. One of the primary uses the Jotan have discovered from human exploitation is Vahst, a recreational drug made from human brain fluids. The Jotan council only recently began taking responsibility for their kind's action, driving hard at human slave trafficking and breeding facilities. Unable to return them home, the Jotans set up preserves for humans to live on. However these preserves are much worse as the medical knowledge on human physiology is not well understood by the Jotans, and thus may humans die every day from the lack of proper medical care.

Terminology

 * thal/thalan: A word for favored slave.
 * ichuta'a: Another word for slave though of lesser status than thal.
 * chok: A word indicating sexual intercourse or ruin.
 * shu'ra: A word for excrement.

Source

 * Heat by R. Lee Smith (2009)