Kokseen

The Kokseen were an extinct species native to the Milky Way Galaxy.

Biology
The Kokseen were a sentient race of three-segmented, six-legged arthropods with acute hearing in the ultrasonic range and were known to be efficient omnivores. The Kokseen's vision sight was composed of five compound eyes that were able to see in the yellow to blue range of the spectrum.

Background
The Kokseen were an ancient species that originated from world with a K-3 orange star around six million years ago. About five million, six hundred and sixty thousand years ago they established the Retread Trading Station. The station was situated about 20,000 thousand light years away from their home system and would eventually be home to many forerunner sentient species using it as a trading hub and central location for galactic politics.

The Kokseen having lit the flame of the 47th Florescence with their curiosity established tachyonic communications and their Station as a Trading nexus for their part spiral arm. Then, two million years after their coming into the galaxy, the Kokseen moved their planet to a black hole after millennia wandering the stars. It was believed by their contemporaries of the 47th Florescence that they sought the eternal dream—immortality for themselves, a way to beat death an achieve immortality. Using planetary stasis fields that were unequaled before or since, the Kokseen held their Home together as it touched the event horizon and disappeared from the universe.

Legacy
The Kokseen despite vanishing from the galaxy for four million years are still remembered and hailed as the forerunners of civilization in their region of the Orion Spiral. In the 47th Florescence, the Kokseen are look upon with a reverse status as many sentient species regard them as an enlightened precursor race responsible for the foundations of current galactic commerce and politics. Much knowledge though only came through second hand knowledge from other precursors civilizations such as the 46th Florescence from the Glakh Conglomerate. The last to have witnessed the Kokseen were the Melanons who do it as their duty to keep the memory of the Kokseen alive. Relics of the Kokseen are highly coveted not just because of their technological value but also cultural value to the 47th Florescence.

There is continued speculation by other races on the fate of the Kokseen after they crossed the event horizon of the black hole. Some say that the Kokseen entered into another parallel world of new life, others that they now circle endlessly, frozen in time and others like the Melanons who believe that the Kokseen will return.

Culture
Kokseen installation were noted to be basically chambers connected by tubeways which was a cultural link to when the species were organized in pack social groups in their semi-subterranean native environment.

Source

 * Retread Shop by T. Jackson King (1988)