Canidan

The Canidans are a species from the planet Canida.

Biology
The Canidans are humanoid canines. Canidans are famous for their sniff test placing emphasis on olfactory communication and expression. While humans hold it skeptical as a theory Canidans hold it as a truth that an organism's emotion are expressed pheromonally, producing scents for the trained nose to identify and interpret.

Background
It was the summer of 2042, Project Cyclops, abandoned for a half a century, was reopened under a sympathetic administration. Updated with new technology, the giant radio telescopes were put back to work, searching the stars for signs of life. This time they found it--a radio transmission from a planet Earth couldn't even see. It was a weak signal, inscrutable at the time, but almost certainly artificial. Computer analysis of the signal revealed a bonus--it was transmitted on a subspace carrier. A normal radio transmission would have taken 36 years to span the distance between the two planets. The subspace signal made the trip in seconds. Communication problems were eventually overcome and technological information was exchanged. The space programs of both planets leaped ahead by decades. Twenty years after that first contact, both planes were building spaceships capable of interstellar travel at close the speed of light. Two ships were launched each bound for the other's planet.

However the result was disastrous. While the human ship was traced uneventfully for 36 year, one week before its scheduled arrival at Canida when all communication ended abruptly. Seven days later amid suspicion and open hostility the Canidan ship landed on Earth. People assumed the worst, believing that the Canidans shot down their ship, with humans tense all over the globe. Planetary war was brewing and the humans seeing that aliens were against them.

Upon the Canidan's arrival on Earth the Vice President had him arrested and vessel confiscated. The Canidans protested the incarceration of their emissary. They denied all knowledge of Earth's vanished ship, but said they were investigating unidentified objects in that sector of space. Filled with paranoia humanity did not believe them distrusting the aliens. Some unstable minds on Earth began to draw on their worst fear on the Canidans, believing that they could send messages via telepathy to outer space. Uncertainty and fear ruled them turning into hatred. Soon the public began to demand the government to eliminate the alien emissary. They got their wish when a pedestrian in the midst of a protest before alien's cell, landed a lucky shot at the Canidan's skull killing him.

The Canidans were outraged by the murder. Diplomatic relations were suspended and both sides studied the situation. Twenty-eight days later, the Canidans transmitted a special report, that two of their scoutships had been destroyed in an encounter with an unidentified spacecraft. The weaponry employed by the alien craft was unknown to them. The Canidans responded with long-range photon missiles. Most were shot down but at least one found it target. Other vessel were sought out, discovered, and consequently destroyed.

One of the vessel, disabled but intact was taken back to Canida for examination. Careful scrutiny of the object convinced both Canida and Earth that it was beyond their technology. A third spacefaring civilization existed...a hostile one. Diplomatic relations were later restored.

In the last hundred years contact with Canida and Earth was maintained. Eight ships have made the interstellar journey. Five from Earth and three from Canida. Subspace communication with the Canidans became routine. By then around a dozen Canidans were on Earth and automatically granted diplomatic status.

Recently a new ship of a currently design crashed in the Pacific Ocean. The US Navy quickly responded to the scene. Apparently the ship was expected by the Earth government however it landed in the wrong sea, as it was supposed to head to the Atlantic. The pilot known as Dalgoda held a sailor hostage until he had word from his lawyer provided by the United Nations. One of the sailors, Lt. Ravencraft offered to be used as a hostage. From Dalgoda he learned that the vessel was an advanced spacecraft that could travel through subspace and easily reach faster speeds in real time. The vessel's technology was intended to be given to Earth, as the Canidans were now in a desperate struggle for survival. A hundred years ago they learned that the unknown spacecraft that they had encountered belonged to a race known as the Nimp. Having learned the Nimp's existence from another species known as the bubbles, the Nimp were soon detected in a small formation of ships. The Canidans engaged them and won the battle by force of numbers but it was only a small part of the Nimp armada.

Dalgoda's mission was to get their experimental ship to Earth to have the humans join the war effort within six months time to save Canida. Earth was at stake as well since it would be thirty-six years in which they Nimp would eventually find their way to their world.

Despite numerous assassination attempts on Dalgado, by the very World Security Council who opted to take the fleet of upgraded ships and leave the Canidans to their fate, he managed to expose the traitorous humans and help build a fleet for the war and take it to Canida. However upon reaching Canida, they found the planet war torn and deserted. From the last surviving Canidan, the Earth fleet learned that the Canidans had been pushed back to their homeworld and desperate discovered a way to send object through space without the use of a ship. Using this knowledge the Canidans sent the last of their people to another planet through subspace. The survivor who remained refused to divulge the location of the new planet out of duty to protect his people but also for revenge on Dalgoda for failing to save their world.

Culture
The Canidans are at a level comparable to humanity, possessing interstellar vessel. They also possessed subspace engines nearly a century before humanity. They are nominally ruled by a organization known as the Revolutionary Government of Canida.

Appearances

 * Dalgoda Issue 001 (1984)
 * Dalgoda Issue 002 (1984)
 * Dalgoda Issue 003 (1985)
 * Dalgoda Issue 004 (1985)
 * Dalgoda Issue 005 (1985)
 * Dalgoda Issue 006 (1985)
 * Dalgoda Issue 007 (1986)
 * Dalgoda Issue 008 (1986)