Dromi

The Dromi are a sapient race of amphibians.

Biology
The Dromi are upright-walking green-skinned amphibians. They are hermaphrodites, so an individual can serve as either a male or a female during reproduction. One Dromi can lay roe-like eggs, while another can fertilize them. A typical Dromi is capable of producing hundreds, if not thousands, of offspring over its lifetime. On the other hand, most never reach their reproductive maturity stage.

The Dromi begin their life as Hallaha larvae. They are not truly sapient at that stage of life, and many die before they ever make it to the next stage.

Dromi continue to grow as they age and can weigh as much as 150-200 kilograms at the end of their life. Their natural lifespan is 45-50 years, although higher-caste Dromi are given the privilege of receiving Lo'ona Aeo life extension treatments. However, at some point, their bodies grow too large to sustain themselves and eventually shut down.

The Dromi are genetically-conditioned to obey their elders without question. Since they have long ago exterminated any predators on their homeworld, they lack an instinctive fear of dangerous animals.

Most Dromi do nothing to limit their reproduction. As such, they constantly seek new planets to settle for their ever-growing population. In the 23rd century, the Human estimates put the Dromi population at 350-400 billion, more than all the other known races put together, and that number is expected to grow exponentially. The Dromi that voluntarily chose to live in enclaves on Lo'ona Aeo planets do limit their reproduction and maintain a small population size.

Dromi brains are ill-equipped for multi-tasking. They feel compelled to take a thought to its logical conclusion before switching to a new one. They are also slow to react, even in combat.

Culture and society
The Dromi are a clan-based society. Each clan has a specialization. There are ruling clans, warrior clans, research clans, etc. Each clan is ruled by a Patriarch (or Zong-er-Zong, Elder-over-Elders), who is also the oldest member of the clan.

Dromi clans are strictly hierarchical, with the hierarchy based on how many generations a Dromi is removed from the Patriarch, who is seen as the clan's progenitor. The youngest larval Dromi are called Hallaha, which means "brainless" in the Dromi language. Indeed, the Hallaha are not truly sentient. The Sinn-Ko (Named Ones) are regular workers and soldiers. Once they reach twelve or fourteen years, a spot develops on their bodies that signifies reproductive maturity, which also marks their transition into the Zong-Tii caste, meaning Elders-with-Spot. The next caste are the Zong-ap-Sidura (Elders-under-Big). Three to five individuals of that caste are chosen to be elevated to the Sidura-Zong (Big-Elders) caste after receiving life extension treatments, while the rest eventually die off at around the age of fifty. Since the Dromi continue growing throughout their lives, the Sidura-Zong and the Patriarch are too large to be able to move on their own and instead ride antigrav chairs.

The length of a Dromi's name indicates their caste and grows whenever they are elevated to the next caste.

Language
The sounds of the Dromi language cannot be reproduced using Human vocal cords. Instead, some Dromi learn the Lo'ona Aeo Trade Language, which many Human Defenders speak as well. The Trade Language was specifically designed to allow for almost any sentient race to communicate with another.

Technology
Dromi technology is lagging behind that of Humans and many other galactic races. Their main advantages are their vast numbers and lack of fear. Much of their tech comes from the Lo'ona Aeo during the two millennia the Dromi were their Defenders. Their combat spacecraft typically come in two varieties, which Humans call "fighters" and "dreadnoughts" (the pragmatic and unimaginative Dromi simply call them "small" and "big"). The dreadnoughts are actually about the size of a Human frigate and are significantly smaller and less powerful than a Human cruiser. Even a Human frigate should be able to handle two or three Dromi dreadnoughts without too much trouble.

Notable members

 * Patta: A Zong-Tii who was sent by his mentor Tihava to secretly work on sabotaging the Dromi was effort in order to ensure Human victory. Tihava's argument is that Humans are the only galactic race that will not exterminate the Dromi after beating them, only forcing some much-needed social change (such as limiting the Dromi unrestricted birth rate, which drives their expansion).
 * Tihava: A Zong-ap-Sidura who serves as a mentor to a number of Zong-Tii and specializes in intelligence-gathering. Unbeknownst to the others, Tihava is actually an agent of the shapeshifting Metamorph race, seeking to put an end to the threat of the Dromi unlimited expansion without destroying the species. Tihava has on occasion worked with his counterpart among the Humans.
 * Rikkaraniji: The Patriarch of one of the Splinter Clans that were sent to take the remote Human colonies. Rikkaraniji's clan occupied the cold and arid T'har.

History
Not much is known about Dromi history.

Around 1st century CE, the Lo'ona Aeo began to recruit Dromi mercenaries as their Defenders, after terminating their contract with the Haptors. The so-called "Splinter Clans" were sent to protect Lo'ona Aeo space in exchange for the Lo'ona Aeo providing the Dromi with some of their technology. The Haptors, angry at losing such a lucrative contract, began to clash with the Dromi. This constant state of warfare between the two empires continued for the next two millennia.

In 2099, the Lo'ona Aeo terminated the Dromi contract and began to recruit Humans as their Defenders. Disgraced, the Splinter Clans refused to give up the patrol ships and the space fortresses. When the time expired, the AIs of the ships and the stations shut of the life support, killing the Dromi aboard. Only one fortress (nicknamed the "Rathole" by the Human Defenders) remained in Dromi hands (after they have somehow managed to shut down the AI), from where the Splinter Clans continued to raid Lo'ona Aeo space and trade caravans in hope of convincing the Lo'ona Aeo that Humans were terrible Defenders. A number of Dromi petitioned the Lo'ona Aeo to be allowed to stay on their planets and live in small enclaves, provided they remain peaceful. These Dromi have learned to coexist with the Human Defenders living on the same planets.

In 2266, after a devastating Dromi attack on a trade caravan, resulting in many Defenders dying, the Defenders organized a counterstrike that managed to take the Rathole from the Dromi, significantly reducing the threat of the Splinter Clans to Lo'ona Aeo space.

In 2306, the clashes between the Earth Federation and the Dromi finally flare into a full-blown war that would last for almost a century and a half.

In 2308, the Splinter Clans were sent by the ruling clans to capture and hold three Human colonies in the remote Beta and Gamma Malleus systems at the very edge of the Orion Arm. The Dromi held the systems for two years, wiping out the first Human attempt at freeing the colonies. The second, much larger attempt was successful.

Several decades later, a Human battlegroup managed to sneak into the Dromi home system using the ancient Daskin portal network thought to be inactive. The warships proceeded to lay waste to two inhabited planets in the system and wipe out any orbital infrastructure. However, before the Humans had a chance to turn the Dromi homeworld of Fytarla-Ata to slag with their antimatter weapons, the Dromi received a signal that suggested that the Humans would hesitate to attack the planet if their orbital spawning stations were to be brought closer to the surface. They proceeded to use their Hallaha larvae as shields, and the Human fleet left Fytarla-Ata untouched, departing the system the same way they entered. As a result, the decapitating strike that could have put an end to the war failed.

The war with the Earth Federation finally ended in 2452 with Humans emerging victorious. The war cost millions, if not billions, of lives.