One of the most aggressive species in the Galaxy, well known as a threat to both the Terran Empire and the Mond'abi Federation, the Ackalians (uh-KALE-ee-uns) rule an empire located antispinward and "north" of the Terran Empire.
The Ackalians are large, powerful carnivores, the top predators in their native environment. Physically an Ackalian looks like an ogreish monster from Human myth, with a burly, humanoid body, two powerful legs ending in clawed' feet, two strong arms (not clawed), a long tail, and a covering of sparse hair. They have particularly disturbing faces, with four all-black eyes set above a mouth full of teeth. Two small limbs flanking the mouth terminate in killing fangs. A noticeable sexual dimorphism exists: female Ackalians average about 10 percent more mass than males (with proportionately greater strength), while males have greater agility. Both genders prefer tight-fitting clothing; males often wear only pants during warm weather.
Ackalians live on meat alone, preferably still warm. They consider cooked food absolutely-unpalatable, but can tolerate slightly rotted flesh. Other species find Ackalian cuisine dull because the Ackalians don't use spices or flavorings (just about any plant products give Ackalians terrible indigestion).
Ackalian females give birth to live offspring, usually one at a time. They do not nurse their young, however, feeding them pre-chewed meat and animal blood instead. Young Ackalians grow up slowly; society does not consider them full adults until they reach nearly 30 standard years. The combination of an all-meat diet and slow matu- ration means Ackalian worlds have low populapopulations by Human standards. In all, the Ackalians number only about 80 billion out of an empire with 300 billion subjects.
The homeworld of the Ackalian species, Ackal is a large planet with a surface gravity 10 percent greater than Earth's. Warmer and drier than Earth, it has large deserts and no icecaps (the deserts appear to have resulted from overgrazing and chemical warfare by the Ackalians). It has a population of 2 billion Ackalians (actually a bit more than it can comfortably support). Ackal depends on food imports from subject worlds.
Thanks to the greater size and strength of the female gender, the Ackalians have always had a matriarchal society. Women hold all positions of importance (including Empress) and dictate how the Empire conducts governmental and social affairs. (Ackalian males living in Ackalian space may take a Social Limitation, Ackalian Male, to reflect this; it's Very Frequently, Minor, and worth 15 points.)
Ackalian culture has long emphasized war, individual achievement, and the submission of the weak to the strong. No matter what the arena - military, political, social, creative - Ackalians constantly struggle with each other for advantage. They consider this fierce competition a good thing: the perpetual infighting improves the species, they say. At their best, Ackalians are fearless, confident, adventurous, clever, and meritocratic. At their worst they are brutal, combative, cruel, reckless, and overbearing.
This constant competitiveness makes it difficult for other species to interact with Ackalians - the Ackalians always try to achieve dominance, even in situations where it's not necessarily appropriate. For example, if a Human merchant has an Ackalian in his starship crew, he must be able to defeat the Ackalian in combat (to keep him in line) and constantly remain on his guard (in case the Ackalian tries a sneak attack to seize command). Most species solve the problem by avoiding Ackalians as much as possible.
Oddly, connoisseurs hold Ackalian art in high regard. It often displays a raw, primitive, stark quality many people find evocative, though it's also capable of surprising sophistication and depth. Many of the Ackalians best known to other species are artists or entertainers.
In Ackalian society, science and engineering are just another arena of competition, and consequently technological progress is often rapid but uneven. Their most successful developments come from individual researchers or small teams; any large research project quickly becomes a welter of backbiting, bureaucratic, empire-building, and credit-stealing. Currently, the Ackalians enjoy an ATRI rating of 11 in most fields.