Ungeat
A species specialising in agriculture and mining technologies, the Ungeat are a spacefaring, peaceful culture that first achieved warp flight in 2275. First contact with the Federation was achieved in 2280, and a century later, the Ungeat officially became a Federation protectorate. Following the subjugation of the system by Dominion forces during The Lost Fleet invasion (and the subsequent liberation by the crew of the USS Hathaway, negotiations are underway for the Ungeat to join the Federation as members finally.
History
Little is known about the Ungeat species prior to first contact with Starfleet in the late 2280's by the crew of the USS Solaria during her five-year mission of exploration. It is believed they first achieved warp flight just a decade before this chance encounter. Relations with outsiders were tense for a long time, and it took a number of decades before the Ungeat trusted Starfleet enough to formally enter into a protectorate agreement following the devastation caused by the Dominion War in the early 2370's. The protectorate agreement was signed at the newly established Federation Embassy on the Ungeat homeworld of Un'giri in 2380, almost a century after first contact.
The Ungeat have remained largely self-sufficient in the years since, opting to refrain from accepting new technologies in a bid to continue along their own path of development for as long as was feasible. This proved to be their undoing, however, when the system was brutally subjugated during the invasion of the Lost Fleet in 2401. Originally thought lost in the Bajoran Wormhole, the Fleet emerged a quarter of a century later many lightyears beyond the borders of the Deneb sector. The subjugation was swift, with all planets in the system falling under Dominion control within days of their invasion. Antiquated defences and poorly armed vessels proved no match for the superior Dominion vessels, or the aging Starfleet ships in the area.
Thankfully, the system did not remain a Dominion priority during the short, but deadly, conflict. Such was their complacency that they removed most of their sentry vessels, which allowed the USS Hathaway to stage the successful liberation of the system alongside allied Cardassian forces. Casualties were high across all worlds in the system, and the Federation Embassy on the homeworld was completely destroyed, but this loss (and the successful liberation by Starfleet forces) finally convinced the Ungeat government to fervently pursue closer relations with the Federation. Their Ambassador was set to present the Ungeat proposal for joining the Federation by the end of 2401.
Society
Technology
Physiology
The Ungeat are a very distinctive species, with several features that make them stand out from other humanoid species often seen across the Federation.
On the surface, the Ungeat are known for their distinctive brown or grey skin, which is completely hairless and is quite thin. Due to this, the internal bone structure of an Ungeat is quite visible, especially on the cranium where there are pronounced eye-sockets that stick out either side of the Ungeat skull and the lack of any nasal bones at the base of the nasal ridge that runs to the forehead. Beneath the eyesockets, there are two bulbous eyes (usually green or yellow in colour) that, interestingly, have no eyelids. Instead, when an Ungeat sleeps, the pupils of their eyes retract to a mere pinprick in size. When an Ungeat becomes emotional, suffers from dry eyes or needs to clean their eyes of debris, they are able to secrete a saline-like liquid to keep their eyes lubricated. While their nose does not have any bones, and therefore does not protrude from the surface of their face, they do have three nostrils through which they breathe. Lastly, at the back of the cranium, an Ungeat will have between two and four 'horns' protruding a short distance. It is unknown what purpose these horns have.
Much of the Ungeat physiology shares similarities with other humanoid species, with two exceptions. First, the Ungeat digestive system never fully developed, meaning they find it incredibly hard to eat solid food (especially given the lack of teeth in their mouth), so they live predominantly on a liquid diet. The digestive system isn't the only part of Ungeat anatomy to be underdeveloped. Their vocal cords are so underdeveloped that their only way of communicating in a pain free way is through the use of a voice synthesiser attached to their chest.
Ungeat males typically live for between 80 and 100 Earth years, while females typically live an additional 10 to 15 years. Ungeat are classed as children until 10, adolescents until 30, adults until 80 and after that, they are considered honored elders.
Ungeat in Play
- The Ungeat are currently a protectorate of the Federation on the very edge of Federation space in the Deneb Sector.
- Their petition to join the Federation is to be submitted by the end of 2401. Until that point, relations are similar to what we saw in DS9 between Bajor and the Federation.
- Construction of a Starfleet outpost in the system is underway, using half-complete sections and components originally slated for a facility in the Leonis system.