The Ravens

The Chitiri, known by their nickname the Ravens, are a species of semi-aquatic birds with a powerful space-faring empire. They are believed to originate from a planet orbiting the K type Stay Ki Ceti (in the constellation Cetus), about 297 light years from Earth. The Ravens are best suited to cold climates and are roughly equivalent to humans as far as technology.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Ravens roughly resemble birds; they have a short beak, six eyes, feathers covering their body, two arms, and two wings that fold with the arms when not in use. Their bodies are streamlined for swimming through water, and some of their feathers have streaks designed to glow on command. One of their most unusual traits is the lights on their forehead, which can be flashed to create patterns that the ravens use to communicate.
The Ravens can hold their breaths for hours at a time, and they are used to significantly lower air pressures than humans. It is believed they can be exposed to a vacuum for significant periods of time without ill effects. They are very resilient to radiation.

Ecology and Habitats

So far, much about their habitat is unknown. It appears they are best suited to cold, aquatic environments, suggesting they likely live in the oceans of an ice world very similar to the solar system's Europa. Since they still need to breathe, they likely live near the surface of these oceans. Their planet likely has a thin atmosphere and high radiation levels.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Not much is certain about their overall social structure, but the limited amount of available observation indicates that their social structure is very hierarchical and regimented, with individuals organized into a ranked caste system. That isn't surprising given that most human encounters with the Ravens involve military forces. An outside observer would probably conclude the same thing about humans if they could only study the USSF or Marines.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

The Ravens inhabit at least 5 known Solar systems, with at least a couple dozen more estimated, near the periperies of human civilization. Most of their heavily populated worlds are far from the range of human vessels, making them difficult to attack.

Average Intelligence

Raven intelligence is at least roughly equivalent to humans.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The Ravens have excellent eyesight, but their hearing and sense of smell both suffer.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

The Ravens are known to be divided between about fifteen different countries. They are currently split along pro-human, anti-human, and neutral factions. Only about a third of these countries are directly at war with humans.

Average Technological Level

Though much is unclear about their technology, it is undisputed the the Ravens are at least a few decades ahead of humanity. They have advanced power generation capabilities that allow them to use smaller warp rings for their Warp Drive and they have mastered the use of Directed Energy Weapons with yields in the megatons. Human DEWs lagged too far behind kinetic weaponry to be useful in space combat. They have even mastered shielding technology for their capital ships and infantry units that human science says should be impossible. Were they able to apply all of their technological prowess to engineering proper warships, humanity would be vastly outmatched.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

It is unclear what the Ravens think of humanity, but the fact that they are waging a massive offensive war on them gives clues. Prevailing theory suggests that the Ravens fear that other intelligent species are an extinction-level threat.

A Swift, their primary Exo-Atmospheric combat Fighter.
Above: An image of a Raven base as taken by a United States Army Ranger

Average Height

3.4 Ft

Average Weight

32 pounds

Average Physique

Generally, Ravens are much weaker physically than humans. They require mechanical assistance just to survive in 1 G of gravity, and their bodies cannot take very much damage. Most of the time they operate advanced power armor to stand toe-to-toe with human infantry in combat.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Ravens are covered in feathers structures that usually come in shades of blue, teal, or indigo. They often have black markings near their face and on top of their forehead. Some have large white areas on their underside.