Measuring 32 feet in length, from nose to tail tip, Ve'Lok (or VeL for short) is a rather large serpent hailing from a world many light-years from Earth. His scales shift from one colour to the next in complex patterns, this is his native language, since his species lacks any vocal structure with which to speak. But for simpler communication this gap is bridged by a technology used by his kind for many centuries.
Having no muscles with which to make facial expressions can make him seem immovable or emotionless, but that is far from the truth. He is not a cold or malicious serpent, but after an uninterrupted rule over the galaxy for many centuries, he could be forgiven for feeling a little entitled to whatever he wishes.
Trivia/TLDR
-He has four eyes, the second pair are further back along his head, in the roots of his hood. These eyes are sensitive to infrared radiation, allowing him to track the body heat of his prey.
-His blood is blue, and his insides are black.
-His scales can change colour, both for camouflage and communication, much like a Chameleon.
-He has two hearts, one in his coils, and a smaller one in his chest.
-His stomach accounts for half his body length, and is connected to his respiratory system, for feeding oxygen into it.
-He is not venomous, despite looking like a Cobra, and thus has no fangs.
The Ok'lite evolved from a prehistoric species that resembled a large lizard, these creatures had an unusual body arrangement due to their stomach and digestive tract being located in their tails, surrounded by extensions from the vertebrae that could be considered 'ribs'. This arrangement allowed these creatures to swallow prey that would normally be considered far too bulky and heavy to be contained in a traditionally located stomach.
While this left several organs vulnerable to attack, each subspecies compensated for this in their own way, by either having tails covered in sharp spikes, heavy overlapping scales, or both. 'Dragging' their prey behind them inside their tail, these creatures could remain relatively mobile, as the bulk of their stomach would not impede the movement of their hind legs.
Over many millions of years, one of the species of these creatures evolved into what is today, the Ok'lite species. Their tails grew longer allowing them to swallow larger amounts of food, to compensate for the added weight, their tails developed specialised scales on their undersides which permitted the tail to assist in forward locomotion. As their tails grew ever longer and stronger, their hind legs began to become smaller and vestigial, until only the distinctive ridge of their hips remained.
Ok'lite Body sizes can vary substantially, body length on average is 36 Feet (11 Meters), while a rare genetic mutation can cause a form of Gigantism, which can increase their body size and mass by as much as 50% above normal. The average weight of an Ok'lite is around 1,100 lbs (500 kg), Females tend to be the smaller and Lighter Gender of the Species.
Ok'lite Scales are capable of changing colours using specialized cells, similar to a Chameleon, this forms the basis for their native method of communication, as their vocal structure is highly primitive when compared to a Humans. The overlapping plates of their underbellies though do not possess the ability to change their colours however, this is likely due to these plates being highly sensitive to vibrations in the ground, allowing them to sense the distance and direction of moving objects.
Creating patterns by changing the colours of their scales requires a lot of brainpower, and while their skull capacity is not as large as humans in relative terms, their brain also extends down the length of their body, where the spinal cord would normally reside.
The eyes of an Ok'lite are perhaps their most alien feature, they have 2 pairs of them in fact, even though it usually won't be immediately obvious. The first pair display W-shaped pupils like that of a Cuttlefish, this allows them to focus on two locations and once, and improves the sharpness of their peripheral vision. The second pair are more primitive and are composite like that of an insect, set into ducts in the skull of the Ok'lite, they are only capable of looking straight forward, but are capable of detecting the heat of their surroundings. Both sets of eyes have eyelids which are permanently closed, similar to a more traditional serpent, the scales of their eyelids are capable of changing colours just like the rest of their body, but they are unique in their ability to become completely transparent. This gives an Ok'lite a pair of 'built in' sunglasses, to help control the amount of light entering their eyes.
Ok'lite have poor hearing when compared to most other species, however they are very adept at sensing vibrations both through their lower jaw and belly scales. All Ok'lite possess the ability to grow the distinctive Cobra-like hood, it's growth is controlled by hormones, thus only strong and dominant individuals will possess the hood. Being territorial in nature, the hood would traditionally help cement an individuals claim over land and/or breeding partners.
Taste and Smell are one in the same for an Ok'lite, their tongues are forked like the Serpents of Earth and have developed to collect chemicals from the air and deliver them to a specialized organ in the floor of the mouth for analyzing.
While not truly Endothermic, Ok'lite have metabolisms higher than that of other Reptiles, but in many occasions are still reliant on their environment to regulate their body temperature. The inner workings of the Ok'lite body are ones of energy efficiency, the Stomach shuts down when not in use, and their digestion itself is so effective and efficient that they do not require an anus.
Respiration is different to mammals, airflow is unidirectional rather than tidal. Upon inhalation, air enters specialized air sacks, and the stomach via the lungs. Exhalation is done via the stomach, the air leaves the body through a different passage from which it entered. Similar to an avian respiratory system, it allows them to absorb a greater quantity of oxygen, and airflow through the stomach helps to make digestion more rapid and efficient. Chemicals in the exhaled air are filtered by specialised flora living in an Ok'lite's airway, which helps to stop odours from interfering with their delicate sense of smell.
The Blood of an Ok'lite is blue, because it uses Hemocyanin rather than Hemoglobin, Copper rather than Iron. Due to its nature, their blood is very thick, and as such their blood pressure is higher than that of a Human, but this gives them a natural resistance to diseases since they do not possess Blood Cells in the way that a Human does, and is responsible for the Dark Blue colour of their inner flesh.
Ok'lite reproduce using Internal Fertilization by Sexual Intercourse. During this process, the Penis of the Male will erect from between two of his Belly-plates just below where his 'hips' are. It is inserted into the Vagina and cervix of the Female, which is in a similar position to the Male's Genitalia, until the Male ejaculates his semen and sperm into the chamber beyond the Cervix, this chamber is not the Uterus like in the layout of a Human Female, but rather a specialized one for holding the Male's fluids until she is ready to make use of them, or for absorbing them if for some reason she is unable to become pregnant at that stage.
Once a Female is ready, the Sperm will be fed down a tube into the Uterus, further down the Female's body where a single ovum will be fertilized. The Embryo then gestates inside the Female's Uterus for a period of around 14 Months, after this time the fully grown fetus is birthed from the Female's body. On rare occasions the Embryo may divide to eventually grow into two separate individuals, but this happens in less than 1% of cases.
At birth infants are approximately 6 to 9 Feet (1.8 to 2.7 Meters) in length, and weigh from 30 to 50 pounds (13 to 22 Kilograms). Unlike Humans, Ok'lite are almost fully developed at birth, and are capable of a limited amount of independence from their parents, although it is common practice for an infant to sleep its first few winters in the Stomach of one of its parents.
Ok'lite reach maturity in around 25 years, and are fully grown closer to 30, while the average lifespan can be as long as 600 Years (Although fewer than 10% of individuals live to this age.)
Ok'lite are strictly carnivorous, and generally aren't fussy eaters, any creature smaller than half their length and thinner than twice their girth is usually fair game. Prey is usually killed by constriction and then swallowed whole, they have a natural repulsion to eating prey they have not killed themselves, so scavenging is reserved for desperate times. To conserve energy while they are not eating for long periods, their digestive system shuts down until it is required again, upon ingestion of a meal, it can take up to 24 hours before digestion begins again, and can last up to a week before digestion is complete, during this time Ok'lite will often enter a dormant state. This produces an eating routine where Ok'lite will usually hunt for a large and filling meal, which can last them months at a time, rather than eating often in smaller amounts.
Ok'lite Language revolves primarily around visual communication, their ability to change the colour of their scales at will provides them with the foundations for this complex language. The invention of Open Language is credited as the beginnings of Ok'lite Civilization. Proto-Ok'lite only used this system of communication to relay very basic social signals, such as emotions or desires, or to camouflage themselves to their surrounding environment. Since then, an elaborate system of patterns and colour combinations has developed into a fully fledged language.
In early Ok'lite culture, the structure and content of sentences was constructed using these coloured patterns, while tone and emotion was conveyed using body pheromones. In more recent times, simplified versions of this fundamental language have developed to suit the needs of society. Difficulties came with the invention of radio, Colour and Smell could not be transmitted easily in this manner, so another type of language emerged using vibrations. Ok'lite gradually learned this new language until it became the mainstay in their modern society, vibrations would be sensed by the scales on their undersides, and then replied to using an instrument held in one hand, where each finger would control a pitch or tone of vibration. The length of time between presses of each finger, combined with the combination in which they were pressed, would create different patterns of vibration which would be transmitted to another device worn on another Ok'lite's belly, and delivered as Vibrations.
The invention of neural interfaces however has outdated most of these languages, their native language of Colours and Patterns still exists and is in common use, but for long distance communication Ok'lite simply exchange thoughts and ideas. This technology also allows them to speak with other species that use verbal communication, translating their thoughts directly into the desired sounds, and then translating sounds into meaning, allowing seamless communication.
The 'Ok'lite Nation' is referred to as an 'Empire', due to its leaders being elected on a hereditary basis. The Ruling Family, also called the 'Royal Family', exercise complete authority over all aspects of government and society. The heads of state is referred to as the 'Emperor' and 'Empress', while other members of the Royal Family are either Princes or Princesses. This autocratic form of government emerged as the victor in perhaps the bloodiest war in Ok'lite history many centuries ago, where rival political systems challenged one another on the basis that only one could succeed.
Despite having total power over society, Ok'lite leaders do not seek to control every aspect of their subject's lives, instead there is a great degree of freedom for Ok'lite to enjoy. The power held by the head of state is purely for minimizing bureaucracy, as Ok'lite have little patience for such things when immediate action is required.
Synthetic workers operate almost every aspect of Ok'lite society, controlled by a central artificial intelligence, which is in turn controlled by the heads of state. Many Ok'lite maintain professions purely for traditional purposes, such as the Imperial Guards that protect the Royal Family, but in reality the Ok'lite do not 'need' to do anything to have the requirements for a comfortable life to be provided to them free of charge.
For other species that live under Ok'lite 'Protection' though, the reality is quite different. Other races are considered second-class citizens, and while they are not abused in this position, they wield no political power in the greater Empire. Slavery is still very much a part of Ok'lite Culture, even though Synthetics have replaced Slaves in all areas of Labour. While Ok'lite themselves may be free from Slavery, other species are not, and it is common for members of other species to be owned by an Ok'lite Master/Mistress.
Ok'lite warfare is brutal by nature, as attempts at making it more 'humane' through the use of treaties have always ended in failure. To this end, chemical and biological warfare was always considered a key component of the Military Arsenal, although the latter was used on a much smaller scale due to the persistence associated with its effects.
Before the application of fully automatic manufacturing, there was very minimal use of smart munitions such as guided missiles, due to the Ok'lite themselves lacking the endurance and speed to produce such weapons in a timely manner. Thus more development was seen in areas such as ballistic computers to augment traditional weapons systems such as cannons and unguided rockets.
The Ok'lite home world is one of inconsistent and difficult terrain, such as sprawling sand dunes and dense swamps. Combined with the high gravity, this meant that aircraft were much more limited in their functionality, and generally were only employed as low altitude attack craft. Military vehicles usually took the form of hovercrafts, since they were the only reliable method of traveling from one type of terrain to the next.
The size and weight of an Ok'lite's body made it difficult to move large formations of them quickly, so military doctrines were usually centered around heavily armed and armoured infantry, while the faster hovercrafts and aircraft would flank and harass the enemy. This also meant that Ok'lite Infantry were not fast enough to retreat from battle in most situations, so any engagement was generally a fight to the death for either side. This unforgiving doctrine culminated in the Great War which led to the deaths of many millions of Ok'lite, and which also installed the ruling Autocracy.
Nuclear Weapons were considered feasible during this period, but were generally nothing more than prototypes and theories due to the first nuclear reactors being based on Thorium rather than Uranium. These reactors produced very little bi-products that could be used in the construction of Nuclear weapons, and the idea of building specialized Uranium Reactors purely for this purpose was considered to be too costly.
Since those times the Ok'lite way of war has changed dramatically, Synthetics now wage their wars for them, along with warriors from other species that are 'donated' to the Ok'lite Military in exchange for protection of their home worlds. Some Ok'lite still serve in the Military, but their numbers are dwarfed by those of the Synthetic and alien warriors.
Religion and Spirituality in Ok'lite History was diverse, but was generally viewed as less important than 'real problems', thus conflicts in Ok'lite society were seldom caused by Spiritual Beliefs.
Most Proto-Religions had disappeared by the start of the modern age, merging into the Belief System which dominates Ok'lite Society to this day. The dominant Ok'lite Religion is less a single faith, and more a religious category, based on a common philosophical point of view, rather than a rigid set of beliefs.
The most important concept in Ok'lite Spirituality is 'Respect';
;Respect of One's Self.
;Respect of Other Beings, Alive and Dead, Greater and Lesser.
;Respect of Environment, habitable or not.
These key concepts create a Philosophy that seeks to live in Harmony with the Universe, Existence before and after life is not generally considered important to an Ok'lite, nor is the worship of deities.
Ok'lite believe that all living beings are capable of emotion and feeling, and that this in effect makes all living beings equal, they do not make the distinction known as 'sapience'.
As a predatory species, Ok'lite must kill and consume other creatures in order to survive, this is accepted as a necessary practice that cannot be avoided, but harming other creatures in excess of one's needs is considered taboo. This generally leads Ok'lite to hunt larger prey that will sustain them for longer, rather than taking many smaller ones, as with all potential prey, the only hurdle with hunting 'sapient' prey, is the contemplation of the potential consequences of doing so.
