The Jedik-ikik or homo-insectus is a species native to 51 Golgotha a world located seven light years from Earth.
Biology[]
Jedik-ikik were humanoids, having two legs, four arms, two egg-like eyes, and mandibles instead of jaws. They breath an atmosphere that is breathable air, but contains plenty of carbon monoxide that would eventually suffocate a human. Jedik-ikik possessed the ability to excrete phenomes which could be used as nonverbal commination to relay orders.
History[]
The Jedik-ikik became the dominant species on their planet after overcoming the threat of the Tititititilikikikiklit after the invention of the Izz, allowing the insectoids to hunt the beasts to extinction.
The pinnacle of Jedik-ikik society was the city-state of Ximortikrim which grew from absorbing lesser tribes through conquest.
The planet of the Jedik-ikik soon became a target of an extraterrestrial race known as the Kroern who sought to colonize 51 Golgotha. The colonization effort was spearheaded by the Kroern using great Kaiju monsters, called Rentok, to traverse space to reach the distant planet. The Rentok Riders fell from the sky, nearly destroying Ximortikrim’s sister city Mirkitromix in less than a day. It seems that the aliens had initially come in peace, but relations turned hostile, resulting in the destruction of Mirkitromix. The fate of the sister city, thus cemented a fierce distrust from those beyond the stars.
Many of the Jedik-ikik cities were destroyed, however one civilization managed to hold on against the invaders. In the initial invasion, the city of Ximortikrim were able to fell three of the Rentok, using their numbers and Izz. After they dragged out the Kroern pilots they interrogated the aliens, learning of their plans of conquest for their world.
Since then the Jedik-ikik of Ximortikrim dedicated all their resources to defeat the Rentok. They built a pyramid and erected the statues that pinpointed the location of the Kroern homeworld to remind generations to always remain focused on the space-traveling invaders.
Among the weapons they developed was the Doomsday Engine and the Fire Path. These two weapons helped the Jedik-ikik defeat the second and third invasions. However they did no dissuade the invaders who continually sent more Rentok to 51 Golgotha. Hence the ground around Ximortikrim are littered with bodies of Rentok, creating mountains of the slain.
A final solution was enacted, through the means of the Sleep Key. If the Rentok could not be destroyed while still in the sky, and should prove more powerful than our network of channels, then the final prevention would be the Sleep Key. It was a parasite created by the species to place any living thing in a deep sleep akin to suspended animation.
The plan was to trap the invading Rentok within the city of Ximortikrim, drawing them within its confining 30 meter tall walls sparing the rest of the planet. Once the Jedik-ikik in the city had retreated the virus would be deployed, and only the aliens would be affected. The Rentok would fall asleep along with the Kroern pilots, which would then be extracted by robots.
However a warring faction released the Sleep Key before the Supreme Conqueror could issue the command to retreat. They saw the Key as an opportunity for genetic purification, that it would put everyone and the Rentok asleep, and then they would cull the weak from their population while they were sleeping. In doing so the parasite affecting everyone in Ximortikrim, causing every Jedik-ikik withing 93 days, placing the entire civilization in suspended animation.
For four thousand years, intelligent life on 51 Golgotha was suspended in time. By the modern era, it was discovered by humans after an unmanned satellite known as the IV-104 or Anchor journeyed to the system. Upon discovering the planet, robots drones were sent down to study the pyramid structures of Ximortikrim. Upon seeing the seemingly dead city and the assumed corpses of the Jedik-ikik, humanity believed that the had stumbled upon a dead alien civilization.
Eager to learn about the alien culture, the humans sent their drones to study all aspects of the city, learning their language, history and culture from old stone manuscripts. However their major breakthrough in Jedik-ikik culture came from one of the derelict Jedik-ikik automatons, which the robots communicated with, gaining a basis for all language concepts of the alien species.
A joint venture between NASA and Titan Space led to an expedition to 51 Golgotha, under the official guise of scientific knowledge. Though the real purpose was really to lay claim to the planet for all its resources, a plan instigated by one of the expedition members to propel his astronaut career in the name of Titan Space, despite illegally breaching many international laws.
The explorers inadvertently awoke the inhabitants of Ximortikrim and the Rentok due to their biological presence. Hence the Jedik-ikik began arising to resume their war against the invaders to their world. Before proceeding with the city's defenses, the Supreme Conqueror ordered all members of the warring faction that were responsible for their slumber to be executed. Three surviving Rentok awakening continued their march towards the inner city, though the Jedik-ikik managed bring their weapons back online, slaying one of the Rentok, forcing the other two to retreat.
As for the humans, the treacherous member of the expedition proceeded with his plans to contact Titan Space that the planet was viable for colonization, blinded by the wealth of diamonds, thulium and lutentium that it possessed. In addition to harvesting the native flora which had groundbreaking pharmaceutical value for new kinds of morphine, and drugs for Alzheimer. The fact that the Jedik-ikik seemingly revived from death was also added as another major reason to exploit the planet.
His companions called out to his greed, as besides being more pressing concerns such as surviving a getting between a conflict between two warring alien species, humanity overall had no right to the planet as it belonged to the Jedik-ikik, not only that its atmosphere was ill-suited for human physiology, making colonizing the world fruitless in the long run.
Before a conflict could emerge among the human expedition, they were distracted by one of the Rentok collapsing after being injured from its attack on Ximortikrim. Curious and needing a distraction from their own problems, the humans investigated the creature, discovering the dying Kroern pilot who explained its purpose. Upon hearing that they had come to 51 Golgotha with conflicting agendas of either exploring/colonizing, the Kroern, seeing them as kindred spirits gifted their leader its authorization to ride and command his Rentok before succumbing to it wounds.
Shortly after the humans were captured by a Jedik-ikik military force, who saw that they were aliens and brought them to the Supreme Conqueror. The leader of Ximortikrim had a cordial conversation with the humans, wanting to know about their species and purpose. While the Supreme Conqueror understood that the humans were newly arrived and neutral in their conflict with the Rentok, it slowly understood that humanity was just another invader, as they had designs to colonize his world like the Kroern. Furthermore he saw that they were touched by the nanotechnology of the Kroern and hence a threat to his people. To remove that threat, the alien leader made the logical decision to destroy the Anchor in orbit to prevent humans from bringing more of their kind. And summarily ordered their execution.
To further highlight how untrustworthy they were, the humans attempted to bribe for their lives by offer the Doomsday Book which they stole, as it contained many weapons plans of the Jedik-ikik. They were saved ironically by the attack of the last remaining Rentok. In the confusion they humans escaped the Jedik-ikik, and using their authority over the alien behemoths decided to leave the planet in favor of reaching the other nearby human expeditions in the area of local space.
Culture[]
There are six civilization sites on 51 Golgotha, but they are all thousands of kilometers away from each other.
Due to this humans assumed that the Jedik-ikik did not constantly engage in war any more than the American colonies were warring with Polynesian tribes.
Jedik-ikik architecture was mostly made of black granite as in the case in Ximortikrim. The species built their structures in the form of pyramids, like the Egyptians, but were slim and conical with one entrance at the bottom and two exits at the top. Studies by human archaeologists determined that these openings were wind tunnels to reduce heat and humidity. At the top of the pyramids were four statues that were most likely monuments to specific people. Buildings in Ximortikrim were all tall, with many second, third and even fifth floor patios, similar in design to the French Quarter in New Orleans with stonework balconies.
The Jedik-ikik consider themselves a scientific people, and while not having mastered spaceflight, they know much about biology and medicine. For millennia the species was a highly advanced culture, developing advanced study of astronomy, creating an astronomical clock, energy based weaponry and also intelligent automatons.
The imagery of the spiral was of cultural significance to the Jedik-ikik as it meant everything in their lives, deaths, and rebirths. This would indicate that the species has a concept of life after death. Holding a belief that eternity that was a continuous cycle.
Due to the never-ending invasions by the Kroern, it led to xenophobic sentiment in Ximortikrim, becoming more militant, conscripting young to its armies, and executing those that refused to fight or showed cowardice on the battlefield.
Politics[]
In the city-state of Ximortikrim, society was led by the Supreme Conqueror, a military role, that was ordained by the Science Council. It is given to a Jedik-ikik who possesses a clean genetic code that is superior to the rest of the species. So long as that individual exemplifies the best of the species, the Supreme Conqueror will guide their people in scientific exploits, war, and breed a new generation of Jedik-ikik.
Language[]
Jedik-ikik culture is said to be strongly connected to the dichotomies. Their hieroglyphics can be read that expresses the opposite of something by saying the first thing and then saying it backwards.
Example: "Mrititrickiliki Nafem Nafem Mrititrickiliki" was literally translated as The Book of the Giver of Life to the World, but when said backwards, it is shortened to "The Doomsday Book".
In Jedik-ikik language, the use of the word "ikik" at the end was assumed by humans to be part of naming nomenclature. However that turned to be incorrect. Names to Jedik-ikik are important, thus to have the word "ikik" at the end holds the significance of having significance, Those without it were deemed worthless.
Terminology[]
- Doomsday Book: A tome that contains curses and warnings of the Rentok.
- Doomsday Engine: A massive dome laser cannon in Ximortikrim used to shoot down the Rentok from the air and the ground.
- Fire Path: A network of aqueducts in Ximortikrim that could channel both magma and water.
- Iktit: Ximortikrim’s garrison.
- Kittrik-ikik: A famous Jedik-ikik inventor who created the Sleep Key.
- Krit: Jedik-ikik word for "arise".
- Mrititrickiliki Nafem Nafem Mrititrickiliki: The Doomsday Book
- New Death: A Jedik-ikik concep of transition from death to rebirth.
- Nik kil te Rentok?: Is that Rentok?
- Pointer: A Jedik-ikik iconography found in many statues in Ximortikrim and named by human scientists. He was depicted raising one hand towards the sky as a warning, which was the exact location of the Kroern star system.
- Sqautter: A Jedik-ikik iconography found in many statues in Ximortikrim and named by human scientists. He was depicted stooped and staring at the ground.
- Trik Kree-kikiki: The Supreme Conqueror
- Trik Killree: The Conquered
- Trik likniklee: Take heed and be ready
- Tok: Jedik-ikik word for "doom".
- Ximortikrim: Known as the City of Rebirth or Resurrection City. One of the cities of the Jedik-ikik and the bastion of the species against the Kroern invasion, responsible for the development of many weapons. Surrounded by 30 meter tall walls.
- Zree: Jedik-ikik word for "disruptive".
Source[]
- Kaijunaut by Doug Goodman