Physical Description

Sirian are bipedal forward hinge kneed mammals of markedly canine ancestry.  Their bodies are covered with course hair that thins only around their snouts, groin areas, and does not grow on the palms of their hands and pads of their feet.  Fur coloration varies by region but and typically ranges from white to dark brown, tan is the most common color now.  Sirian females are distinguished from the males by having slightly smaller frames, a set of six small breasts on their torso.  

Sirians are typically described by Terrans as looking like bulldogs that have learned to walk upright, and this description holds true.  The Sirian head has two eyes on the front of the face below a thick, wrinkled brow ridge.  A wide, short snout with a dark nose extends a short distance ahead of the eyes.  The snout features a wide mouth with two U shaped rows of teeth, one mounted on the jaw and the other to the roof of the mouth.  Short, floppy ears grow from the top of head.

Sirians have digits on their feet and hands.  The digits on Sirtan feet are short with limited grasping ability, and in length are roughly equal to the length of their feet.  The hand digits however are approximately half to the same length as their palms and are comprised of four primary fingers and a single opposable thumb mounted to the side of the hand at the base of the palm.

Genitals on the males are external, while females house their reproductive organs internally.  Sirian  females typically have six fertile cycles a year and flush unfertilized eggs within two weeks of ovarian release.

History 

While the Sirians do not qualify as an Elder Race, they are one of the older developed races.  The Sirian do not speak much of their original homeworld though some records do indicate that it was rendered uninhabitable due to pollution and warfare.  The Sirians set out into space where they established an interstellar empire and eventually established a new capital world in the Sirius system on the second planet of that binary system known as Bolldu. From Bolldu, the Sirians continued to expand, conquering several primitive races to use as slave labor.
During one of their many expediations the Sirans discovered the world of Earth where they kidnapped the local Neanderthal as a slave race, leaving the Cro-Magnon to develop and evolve.  The Sirians would continue to visit Earth over the centuries, typically via one of their slave races, the Nommos, before they all but wiped them out after numerous betrayals.

As the Sirians had yet to develop hyperspace travel, and their slipstream drives were primitive, journeys to and from their central worlds could take years if not decades, especially in the larger slave ships, which were converted colony ships.

Over the intervening millenia, the Sirian Empire continued to expand throughout the Consign Spur of the Milky Way and brought their slowly evolving slave races with them.  As the Neanderthal evolved they grew smarter and while not fully educated in how their master’s technology worked, were taught how to operate and do minor repairs.  The Sirian Empire however was plagued by internal conflicts and conflicts with more advanced races they came into contact with.  However, without hyperspace travel these conflicts were largely regarded as cold wars.  The Thal however began to conspire with one another against their masters, all of which culminated in Confed Annura 586 (Earth Year: 2165) when the Thal’s final plans came to fruition. 
The final Sirian civil war resulted in the devestation of the majority of their colony worlds with bio-weapons that decimated their population.  The Thal then rose up and took control of the devastated empire and began to seek out their original homeworld, unfortunately they were limited to slipstream speeds as the Sirians scuttled their hyperspace shield and navigation equipment during the fall.

Following the fall of their Empire, the Sirians found themselves as the new slave race to the Thal.  With their numbers forced to be limited the Sirians have never been able to rise back up against their former slaves, however, their ancient dealings with the Pharad have helped to garner them higher ranking slave positions throughout Federation space.

Culture

Sirian culture has always been self-serving, with individuals, and clans, always competing for greater status and position.  This led to their numerous civil wars and their eventual downfall.  Even as a slave race, it is not uncommon to find Sirians jockeying for favor amongst their masters and lording any higher position over their fellows.

Major Religions/Philosophies

The Sirians once had a pantheistic religion that was indirectly influenced by their contact with elder races.  After the fall of their empire however their religions were all but wiped out.

““Mine over yours.” 
“The top of the hill may be lonely, but I’m still better then you.”

Population

50 million as of last GF Census

Notables

It is rare to find Sirians in large numbers, and because Sirians are not allowed to gather in large groups they rarely are able to even meet those from other clans.  This has resulted in frequent inbreeding and the “Degeneration” of the race.  This is an intentional act by the Thal in order to keep their former masters in check.

Psionicism:  While history speaks of many psionics in the Sirian’s past, few, if any, have been noted since the fall.

Sub-Species

No proper subspecies exist.  Though some Sirians keep rumors alive that “undegenerated” members of their race may still exist on lost colonies, or on their long-lost homeworld.