The Laurus are a branch of humanity that inhabit the planet Gianah.
Biology[]
The Laurus were of Japanese descent but with accentuated cheekbones, more hair than normal around the forehead and along the sideburns, and possessing unblinking yellow eyes. They had olive skin, and bodies containing tight knotted muscles and very little body fat. Laurus also require less sleep than ordinary humans do. Often two to three Earth hours are enough, though some nap during the day, when able.
History[]
The Laurus are descended from colonists that fled Earth from prosecution. The colonists were exiled and granted a world, Gianah, by Earth command, and promised to be left alone.
On Gianah, the Laurus envisioned creating a world where they could be themselves and live on a self-sufficient lifestyle.
After five generations, the Laurus' peaceful existence however ended with the arrival of corrupt businessman Garrick Calsen. The Laurus’ claim to the planet was deleted, under a false report made by Calsen that nullified their claim when they discovered iridium deposits. Usurping their claim, Calsen sent up an illegal drug operation, harvesting the narcotic fruit for his drug empire.
He attempted to exterminate the Laurus with mild success, as it only driven them underground. To hide how he acquired the planet from the authorities, Calsen categorized on the record the Laurus as wild animals that needed to be killed and were rendered extinct by his operations.
While he acquired a lucrative drug empire, Calsen still needed to stamp out the Laurus. His soldiers and even his Space Group Anti-Terrorist units proved ineffective at the task of locating the Laurus’ sanctuary.
He then devised of a way to draw them out, by soliciting Gianah as a safari world using the Zhoo as appealing trophy animals for hunters to hunt. In truth they were to serve as bait, as the Laurus would not be able to distinguish civilians from his mercenaries. The tourists were to be used a cannon fodder and keep the Laurus busy long enough for his forces to arrive and wipe them out. Once that was done, Calsen intended to clean up the incident and erase it from the record to hide his crimes.
Calsen though was resisted by the tourists, among which were members of the Japanese Yakuza who were contacted by the Laurus discretely through the previous hunting safari, with a plea for aid to their distant relations. The Yakuza agreed to intervene in the matter, more on the sense of a business opportunity rather than a sense of justice. They would oust Calsen as the claim holder of the planet, in return they would have an exclusive contract with the Laurus on the procurement of the biological material from Gianah.
Calsen having been defeated was revealed to be an synthoid, that when destroyed another copy of him containing all his latest memories would awaken to take his place. To prevent him from resurrecting, he machine body was crippled, unable to effectively die to release himself from, death, pinned in a dark cave.
Culture[]
The Laurus while holding many cultural roots to their Japanese heritage, have also developed their own unique culture. Similar to Japanese culture, their warrior caste wore armor similar to a samurai's though forged of blown glass an local metal. While others wore black tight fitting clothes like Israeli special forces of the outfit of a ninja. Normal civilian wear was mostly composed of wool-like cloth similar to silk, and constructed tori and Japanese style-homes in their sanctuaries.
The Laurus were highly reserved, not trusting outsiders, and did not give their names to strangers, only offering aliases.
They had a bathing culture, where both genders were not shy about their bodies and had mix-sex baths. They have a nightly ritual where they must bath in the local hot springs, not only for cleansing but to stay warm during the cold nights on the planet.
While superficially appearing as a race of warriors, they are mainly farmers, having created subterranean gardens to cultivate various fruits and plants that sustain their communities. From their research into Gianah's biodiversity, they developed a protein synthesizer that turns feedstock plant-based protein into animal protein.
The name Laurus is not the name of the people, but just a label given to them by the foreign interlopers that have invaded Gianah. In actuality the name is a profession in their culture, which translates as ninja in English.
The Laurus are made up various castes based on their diets. Children have no responsibilities until the age of fifteen, at which point they must choose, and at age twenty, they must commit. By then they are trained and fed accordingly.
Terminology[]
- Musajai: The hunter class, a caste that only eat the meat of warrior animals, a diet different from workers and farmers.
- Riantha: Laurus word for 'guide'.
- Kuwundar: Laurus word for 'ninja'.
Source[]
- Kari: The Hunt by Justin Sloane (2021)