Githiaskio

Starport	A	Excellent: Starship Construction, Overhaul, Refined fuel
Size	7	Medium (11,200 km, 0.70g - 0.94g)
Atmosphere	8	Dense
Hydrographics	9	Wet World 90%
Population	9	High (8 billion)
Government	8	Civil Service Bureaucracy
Law	6	Moderate Law (no firearms except shotguns)
Tech Level	D	Average Stellar (holo data)

Primary Star

M2 V

Atmosphere

Dense

Off-world presence

No

Zoetic individuals

Yes

Source

Reference

"Contact: The Githiaskio." Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society 16 12-15.

Canon

Yes

Also see

The Githiaskio are a race of sentient aquatic hunters with a startling resemblance to Terran marine mollusks. The “Squids” are an intelligent and very adaptive species, whose zero-G and underwater agility made them in high demand for industries related to those environments.

Physiology & Environment (Ecology)

The Githiaskio are radially symmetrical, gonochoric (individuals are either male or female), and semi-homoeothermic. They have 1.8 to 2.4 meter long tapering bodies, that are about 45 to 50 centimeters in diameter. They possess six suckered tentacles which are used for manipulation, restraining and feeding. They possess two large compound eyes, but vision is optimized for the aquatic environment, and they are insensitive to reds and yellows. Primary sense is sound, and their hearing is almost as good as a Dolphin's underwater. Githiaskio females bear a single live young. Lifespans are about roughly equivalent to humans.

Locomotion is provided by movement of the tentacles; unlike Terran mollusks, they do not possess the ability to jet water. Also unlike mollusks, they possess an internal skeleton made of strong connective tissue almost equivalent in toughness to vertebrate skeletons. They are poor long distance swimmers, and prefer to swim tentacles forward. They are poor hunters, and their traditional food was either scrounged from local reefs and ocean floors, or was carrion. They can tolerate depths of up to 700 meters under 1G, but are less well adapted greater depths, and nearly all Githiaskio possess a natural phobia of going deeper, similar to the human fear of heights. They are oxygen breathers, but can only respire in water on worlds with a thin atmosphere or better. They can withstand variable salinities, but they are highly sensitive to water tainted by pollution or local atmospheric conditions, and will refuse to enter any body of water so contaminated. A Githiaskio stranded out of water will die of dehydration within five minutes.

History & Background (Dossier)

The Githiaskio are native to Githiaski (Antares 2406) a water world located on the edge of the Lesser Rift. Surprisingly, the First Imperium apparently was ignorant or uninformed of their existence, and they were not stumbled upon until the Long Night. The most peculiar aspect of this species is the surprising similarity of their psychology to humans. Human and Githiaskio mindsets are surprisingly similar, the result, sophontologists think, of parallels in their evolutionary history. They evolved from omnivorous scavenger-gatherers, moving across the ocean in small family groups that strongly resembled hominid family groups on ancient Earth.

The expansion of the Sylean Empire was welcomed, and Githiaski developed an average stellar tech-level by the time of the Imperial Civil War. The world was incorporated into the League of Antares, and strongly supported the multiracial politics of Archduke Brzk. While the world has been out of contact since the Collapse, large off-world populations of Githiaskio exist in coreward and spinward portions of the old Third Imperium, including several in the current boundaries of the Regency of Deneb.

Culture & Society (Ethnology)

The great similarity between Human and Githiaskio mindsets permitted a close relationship between the "Squids" and Imperial culture humans. Relations with other species and races are very human-like as well. The main Squid communities in the Regency are on Taillon (Deneb 1415)and a smaller one on Beaxon (Deneb 0439). They are heavily involved in various industrial and skilled professions on several worlds with water compatible with their needs. Most Githiaskio will be encountered on either such worlds, or in low or zero gravity serving in a number of professions and occupations.

Since the Collapse, Regency Githiaskio have developed a very low opinion of Vargr, with whom their race had poor relationship to begin with. Their attitudes toward Virus closely mirror their Human counterparts as well, and there exists no shortage of Squid volunteers for sign up with the military or RQS. Relations with the Aslan are similarly poor, the result of several confrontations between Fait Accompli lords and several Githiaskio communes in the Thinrim.

Calendar & Timekeeping (Chronology)

Very little is known about how the Githiaskio form a calendar or mark the passing of time although it is assumed that the Githiaskio calendar is based upon the planetary rotation of their homeworld, Githiaski (Antares 2406).

Technology & Trade (Economy)

Githiaski is metal poor, and at any event the race has no native opportunity to develop metal working in the confines of their watery home. Because of their metal poor environment, the aliens advanced to the local equivalent of TL 2, relying heavily on organics and stonework. Among their most spectacular technology included semi-submerged “sailing ships” with streamlined rigging sticking above the water surface, and the hull and living quarters below the surface.

The world of Githiaski developed an average stellar tech-level, TL–11, by the time of the Imperial Civil War (1117 UPP is A789886-C Wa Ri 830 Im).

Military & Intelligence (Force Projection)

The Githiaskio are widely known for their incredible zero-G and underwater agility, making them, perhaps, the finest starship boarding troops in known space. Every Imperial naval battlefleet strives to maintain a cadre of Githiaskio Zero-G boarding troops.

The Githiaskio homeworld maintains a constabulary and is often garrisoned by the Imperial military.

Astrography

This race is primarily located in the following areas:

Antares Sector
- Dartho Subsector

Homeworld

The homeworld of this race is:

Githiaski (Antares 2406)

World Listing: 1105

Significant communities of this race are known to exist within the following systems and worlds:

6 of 6 World articles in Githiaskio

Beaxon • Dyaddiws • Githiaski • Ka (An 2105) • Taillon • Tobibak •

startbacknext(6 listed)

References & Contributors (Sources)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

Loren Wiseman. "Contact: The Githiaskio." Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society 16 (1983): 12-15.
Steve Jackson, Loren Wiseman. Alien Races 4 (Steve Jackson Games, 2001), 61-67.
Peter Gray. Downport CARI 9007
Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science