Xerxians:

Attribute Dice: 16D

Dexterity: 3D/5D
Knowledge: 1D/3D
Mechanical: 2D/4D
Perception: 2D/5D
Strength: 4D/6D
Technical: 2D/5D

Special Abilities:
Hyperdense Flesh: +1D versus Physical and Energy attacks
Swashbucklers: +2D to Melee Combat and Parry: Vibro Rapier
Teeth and Claws: Teeth add +2D to brawl damage and Claws add +1D to brawl damage

Story Factors:
Swashbucklers: Xerxians have a swashbuckling attitude and mentality that leads to a generally carefree and boisterous lifestyle. They have an ingrained disregard for all authority figures and can rarely be counted on to do something simply because someone tells them to. However, by challenging a Xerxian or calling his abilities into question one may easily manipulate a Xerxian into seemingly insane acts of derring-do. Also, all Xerxians must place at least 1 skill die into the Melee Combat: Vibro Rapier and Melee Parry: Vibro Rapier specializations.
Anarchists: Xerxian society is based entirely upon dares and challenges. They are completely incapable of taking "government" seriously. They consider law enforcement officers a challenge to their ability to avoid or defeat them.
Techno-Junkies: All Xerxians must place at least 2 skill dice into some sort of Technical skill to represent childhood training
Xerxian Blade Dancing: This is a specialization of Melee Combat and Melee Parry that may be used with any one or two handed sword. When fighting in this style a warrior may replace his weapon's damage code with his Melee Combat skill code for purposes of damage. He may also let fly with a flurry of parrying blows before or during combat which (if successful) not only deflects the oncoming attack but adds a bonus to a subsequent Intimidation roll (made that round without multiple action penalties) equal to the amount by which the Melee Parry skill roll was made. This may be attempted only once per combat encounter and if the Melee Parry roll is failed no attempt to Intimidate that particular enemy or group of enemies will work for the rest of the encounter.

Move: 14/18

Size: 1.85-2.2 meters

Capsule:
Xerxes Minor is home to one of the galaxies oddest cultures. A massive world, nearly the size of a small gas giant, it is also held within the tremendous gravitic grasp of a Blue Giant star. Xerxes Minor is unique in the galaxy for having developed not only life, but a sentient and highly advanced species under the crushing pressure of 5 standard gravities. This has resulted in a biosphere composed of incredibly tough, incredibly dense, and incredibly strong lifeforms. The Xerxians themselves are slightly tall, immensely broad. and heavily muscled felinoids who are much stronger than even their over-muscled forms would lead one to believe. While their 1.9 meter height average isn't terribly unusual in the galaxy their  1 meter average shoulder to shoulder width is. From a distance they seem to be cat-like dwarves, but up close they are revealed as the tiger-like behemoths that they are. Descended from a species of jungle cats that developed pack-based hunting tactics early in their existence, the Xerxians developed better and better methods of tracking and killing the massive prey beasts of  their homeworld until they found themselves a primitive tool-using race. From that early time they have had an insatiable curiousity about how things work. As they grew more
sophisticated and civilized they relapsed into a more individualistic lifestyle that their ancestral jungle cat predecessors lived before they became pack-hunters. A modern Xerxian retains his love of gadgeteering but is a firm individualist. Xerxian culture is based on honor and ability. No Xerxian will follow orders just because someone says so, his ability to carry out the task must be challenged and his honor must be called into question if he hesitates. This leads to a rather violent society, but serious injuries in
honor-duels are very rare. A proper honor-duel is conducted with either a Vibro Rapier or teeth and claws. No other weapons are ever accepted in an honor-duel. While one might think that such a system is unworkable it actually works rather well. Once one Xerxian has established himself as the "Pack Leader" then most Xerxians who work with or under him assume he is competent
and follow his orders with little complaint since doing otherwise would be both foolish and counterproductive. Only when the leader has proven himself to be incompetent will he face mass rebellion. Only the most foolish leader refuses to step down in the face of such a situation as he will face honor-duel after honor-duel until he is deposed. Such a system might lead to murderous jealousy and vengeful thoughts in most other races but it is accepted as the way things are done in Xerxian society without a second thought. All Xerxians are taught from childhood how to wield a Vibro Rapier both usefully and artistically. A Xerxian Master Blade Dancer is one of the most deadly melee combatants in the galaxy. Even Jedi are astonished at the skill and grace with which a Master Blade Dancer wields his weapon. There is no gender-bias within Xerxian society so a "Xerxian Blade Dance Master" has equal chances of being a male or a female. This extends to all facets of Xerxian society and is accepted as the norm in all ways. While the Verpine and the Sluissi are each more technically adept, neither race approaches technology quite like the Xerxians. Technical excellence is considered a matter of racial pride and as such is pursued to some extent by all members of the race. The Xerxians look at technology as a riddle to be solved. Understanding that any given piece of technology can be improved in some way, shape, or form, Xerxians find it a challenge to their abilities and honor to make those improvements. Thus all Xerxian products are either very advanced or obsolete by Xerxian standards, usually both. By agreement with the Empire (and later the New Republic) the premier offworld distributor of Xerxian products, Xerxes Industries, has consented to submit all of their exports to Imperial (or New Republican) approval. This is to prevent hyper-advanced Xerxian goods from getting into civilian hands. During the time of the Empire the Emperor toyed with the idea of subjugating and enslaving the Xerxians in order to benefit from their technological abilities but decided against it upon the advice of then-Vice Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn had studied the Xerxian culture and concluded that the Xerxians would see an invasion as both a challenge and a blow to their honor and would react with weaponry that the Empire simply could not deal with. It was instead decided to set up the approval system with the Xerxians which was carefully phrased as a "Treaty to protect an unprepared galaxy from the superior and unprecedentedly advanced nature of Xerxian
technology". This agreement not only tweaked the racial pride of the Xerxians but kept dangerously powerful equipment out of the hands of civilians. Surprising enough there is virtually no smuggling of Xerxian goods offworld due to the fact that to circumvent an honorably signed contract would dishonor the entire Xerxian race. The Xerxians remained neutral during the conflict between the Empire and the Rebellion until the death of Palpatine at which time they considered the treaty null and void. The New Republic soon renewed the treaty as well as welcomed Xerxes Minor into the New Republic. When Grand Admiral Thrawn returned from the Unknown Reaches the Xerxians once again became neutral for the duration of the conflict due to the fact that it was Thrawn who proposed the treaty on behalf of the Emperor and acted as the signatory for the Empire.