So, um. How's this look?
Once proud we, once mighty we.
Next Ozomatli come, human-war bring.
Tapalcayo name, home, forget. To stars flee, in Ozomatacalli stolen.
Tapalcayo new home search. Never find. Often Ozomatli fight. Sometimes win. Often lose.
Become Ichtecqui, thieves, pirates. In stars live, in Ozomatacalli, spaceships. Always running, always fighting.
Time changes. Tapalcayo human-language learn. Notalways fight. Ozomatli fight Ozomatli, Tapalcayo profit. Time changes. Soon, Yaoquixoaz. Reclaim Tapalcayo home. First, Ichtecqui be. Human-human-war fights.
Markactl dips his paws in the bowl of Poxahuac, and lifts the oozing delicacy to his maw. This was their one luxury, the one thing the humans could not take. Poxahuac, the one reminder of their homeworld. The Ozomatli considered it disgusting. Even the most twisted xenophile wouldn't touch the stuff. This was the real deal- grown in vats in a Tapacalyo hiveship, not made in a factory by enterprising humans. Needless to say, it was expensive, and having an entire bowl denoted high status.
The human diplomat looked decidely unimpressed by the show of wealth.
"Listen, Mark", he said, patiently,"I understand you cannot control your people's every move. All I'm saying is, we'd appreciate it if you could show some effort to police them- or let human officers abord your ships. I trust you, really, but there are those who think you're doing this on purpose. They think we should just send a warfleet to kill you all, who think you've broken the treaty."
Markactl finished shovelling the last of the Poxahuac into his maw, then closed it and carefully tucked it back under his chin. He cleared his gills, wiped some slime off of them with a hankerchief, and in a tortured accent, replied.
"First tell people police own people. Land I on planet, try everyone to kill me. Say I treaty, say they die alien. Fault not mine some Tapalcayo strike back against Ozomatli scum. Human start human-war, not Tapalcayo, never Tapalcayo. I am not a crooq"
"A what?"
"Crooq. Like president say."
"What? Oh, a crook! Right, yes, of course. I'm sorry. I'll talk to the council. Sorry for bothering you."
"Good day, mister ambassador."
"Right, yes, one last thing, sorry- just checking- you will be aiding on the assault on the rebel stronghold, yes?"
"Money come, fight happen."
"...right, yes. The money will come, I assure you. And you will be there?"
"If not blown up by warfleet"
"Ahaha... yes, of course." Name: Markactl the Ichtecqui.
Age: Probably 30. Ish.
Descript: Markactl (aka Mark) is a diplomat/leader of the Tapalcayo, a race of alien vagabonds- homeless pirates and mercenaries, drifting between worlds on fleets of stolen ships. The Tapalcayo tell of their expulsion from their homeworld by human invaders; the humans tell of the subsequent terror inflicted by an entire race of nomadic aliens looting and pillaging throughout known space, destroying entire colonies before eventually being defeated by human warfleets.
Peace was arranged, but short-lived. The Tapalcayo had no home, and soon returned to piracy. They were again defeated. This cycle has repeated itself several times, each time with the Tapalcayo swearing to mend their ways, and hiding out in such remote regions that actually tracking them down is more hassle than just signing a peace treaty.
The current treaty is several years old, and already showing strains. Tapalcayo pirates have been hitting remote outposts, and Markactl and his colleagues seem disinclined to do anything about it. However, for the most part the race works as mercenaries for unscrupulous human warlords, and tends to avoid the central regions of Voandrath; no judgement has overruled the current treaty, so they are- technically- classified as peaceful aliens.
In reality, Markactl is the king of a Tapalcayo fleet, and well aware of the criminal elements within it. He puts on a front of ignorant alien, but it actually well-studied in human law, language, and history, and uses his knowledge to keep his people within the realm of 'technically legal'. He also tries to 'act human' in human company- he wears a suit (despite Tapalcayo culture having no concept of clothing) and sunglasses (despite Tapalcayo not actually having eyes to be covered by them), tries to adopt human mannerisms, and, as mentioned, puts on an ignorant alien act which tends to put people at ease.
He dreams of one day reclaiming the Tapalcayo homeworld, a dream undaunted by the fact that no one- human or tapalcayo- remembers where it was.
Traits:-A Tapalcayo hiveship and accompanying fleet (one fleet)
-Two battalions of Tapalcayo warriors (two regiments)
-Um, +2 to combat, apparently. Tapalcayo are a relatively humanoid species, in that they have two legs, two arms, and a head- all in roughly the right places. They are comprised of a segmented shell. They breath through vents on the sides of their head. They eat and mate with a maw which they store under their 'chin', as it is made of flabby unprotected flesh. For this reason, they consider eating an erotic processes, and to eat with a Tapalcayo is a great honour.
Their shells are photoreceptive; they 'see' with their entire bodies. They combine this with primarily smell to navigate. They use sound-based comunication, and with some difficulty can render and understand the human language.
Tapalcayo have difficulty understanding the human concept of time.
Tapalcayo are, by their own standards, not excessively violent. By human standards, they are a race of violent psychopaths. Tapalcayan limbs may grow back upon being severed, and as such mutilation is their standard punishment for minor crimes. Tapalcayan pirates have a tendency to sever the limbs of their human victims as well, hence a reputation for extreme violence.