EXILE DIB:CHAPTER 12:ON THE ANATOMY OF IRKEN
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BBBOOONNNUUUSSS CHAPTAH! That's right, I'm using your lack of interest as an opportunity to delay the story for another day. FEEL THE BURN! Also I have no ideas for the next chapter D: .
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SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION
The Irken, as a race, are simultaneously one of the most humanlike and alien of species. On the surface, they are very humanoid looking, but inside their bodies their biochemistry is completely opposite that of a human. This Ruby Industries Informative Pamphlet™ will tell you all you need to know.
SECTION 2: SURFACE FEATURES
It has long been debated wether Irken posses skin, scales, or chitin (but feathers are generally left out). The labs at Ruby Xenobiology have conducted several Irken dissections, and the conclusion is that the Irken posses an internal exoskeleton, made of chitin, and an external integumentary system, made of skin and fat.
SUBSECTION 1: EXOSKELETON
The internal exoskeleton of an Irken is very different from that of an Earth arthropod. The skeleton itself is composed of a hard, but living, chitinous material. The Irken never molt, but their skeletons do soften during growth spurts. Structurally, the skeleton is full of holes to allow blood flow and nerve connections. In the limbs, the skeleton is jointed similarly to a human skeleton, with the two hollow tubes of chitin connected by tabs around the outside. The teeth are long ridges of chitin, with zipperlike tabs for chewing.
SUBSECTION 2: SKIN
The skin of an Irken is quite dissimilar to any other race, at least that Ruby has dissected. The skin is merely a thin, paperlike membrane over a layer of nerves, muscle, and fat. It is composed of substance similar to cellulose, but with a additional network of hydrogen bonds that makes it capable of resisting forces upwards of 50 mPa. However, these bonds are easily disrupted by water and other polar solvents, causing skin delamination, extreme pain, and in most cases, ignition of the cellulose network.
SECTION 3: INTERNAL ORGANS
The Irken race has genetically enhanced itself, and only possesses 4 organs: the heart, the lungs, the brain, and the squeedily-spooch, commonly called the spooch.
SUBSECTION 1: THE HEART & BLOOD
Irken hearts are very similar to human hearts, having a 4-chamber structure. The muscles are much less powerful than a human heart, and Irken usually cannot exert much, or deoxygenation will set in. The blood is a dark green, not due to chloroplasts, as is commonly believed, butdue to the interplay between the copper oxygen-carrier, and the mixture of long-chain hydrocarbons that makes up their blood.
SUBSECTION 2: THE SPOOCH
The squeedily-spooch is the most complex organ yet observed in an organism, extraterrestrial or not. It is composed of a network of tubes, sacks, filters, and membranes that is unique to each individual, making transplants impossible. The spooch fills the roles of the excretory, hepatic, lymphatic, endocrine, digestive, and immune systems. The Irken body can survive without a brain, heart, and lungs, but not without a spooch.
SUBSECTION 3: THE BRAIN
The Irken brain is the most similar of their organs to a human, and is folded almost identically. It is mostly unused, as artificial processors have taken over it's function.
SECTION 4: THE PAK
An Irken PAK is one of the most advanced pieces of technology ever made. Not only does it store an Irken's personality, it also provides for the respiratory and circulatory systems. The PAK also has a built in wrist screen, used to enable a self-destruct and for the life clock, which tells an Irken with no PAK how long they have to live. Not to mention the bevy of tools and attachments stored in the PAK, ranging from extra legs to plasma cannons to spacesuits. All these tools are stored in a hyperspace vortex, commonly called Hammer-space.
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Yup, that was cool. Also, all credit for internal exoskeletons goes to ckret.
SKARRCH OUT! *Ruby Industries Trademarked BOOM*