Zath'on

Zath’ons were sentient, amphibious aliens native to the planet Hylnome. They were one of the subspecies of the Zath, a species that was distributed throughout the Zath system.

Biology and appearance
Zath’ons were small compared to many other sentient species, only averaging a height of 1.30 meters and a weight of only 50 kilograms. They had webbed feet, which allowed them to both climb and jump from tree to tree. Zath’ons also had short lifespans, living to about 35 years on average. Their diet consisted of various kinds of insects found on their homeworld of Hylnome.

Society and culture
The Zath’ons were organized into different tribes, which lived on different areas on Hylnome. They lived mostly in the wetland and marshland areas of their planet, due to their amphibious nature. Their culture was warlike, and they were hostile to outsiders, and even sometimes to other tribes of their own species. They did use blasters, making them a threat to any outsiders on the surface of their planet. However, they avoided underground areas, which allowed humans to found settlements under the planet’s surface.

History
As a subspecies of the Zath, the Zath’ons originated on Hylnome, being the only subspecies to remain on the planet. They were the first natives of Hylnome and had been established long before any other sentient species arrived. When the mineral rautium was discovered on the planet, human settlers arrived on the planet and began mining operations. Hostility broke out between the humans and the Zath’ons, and a few battles took place. However, when the humans realized that the Zath’ons refused to go underground, they started to live there, thus putting an end to the fighting.