The Iruk is a race of aquatic-based mammals with a small empire near the centre of the Milky Way. Their home planet is Tromus.
Appearance
The Iruk love swimming - They have evolved with a large paddle on the end of their tail, gills covered by a thin membrane on their cheeks, thick and watertight fur, and eyes protected by a transparent web of skin instead of eyelids.
Iruk have four eyes - Two large main eyes, and a pair of smaller secondary eyes which are better for focusing and pinpointing objects.
Iruk have a pair of antennae on top of their head which are used to detect vibrations, and an excellent sense of smell which can be closely matched to that of an Earth Labrador.
Iruk are bipedal - Like humans, they walk on two legs and stand up straight. They also have paws with opposable thumbs.
It's easy to tell a male from a female - The males are white, while the females are black.
The traditional Iruk uniform is plated metal armor covering nearly all of the torso. Sometimes jewelry is worn.
Philosophy
Religious
The Iruk religion is mostly science and military based. They're fine living alongside most other religions, provided they don't get in their way.
The Iruk believe in "survival of the fittest". They show no mercy to weak races, and they believe in having a strong and powerful empire.
Military
The entire Iruk Empire is built on pure military force. Iruk have a formidable army ready to challenge anyone.
In the past, the Iruk lived alongside other sentient races. War broke out and the Iruk wiped out all competition. They are generally kind, but if challenged they are merciless.
Trading
The Iruk aren't that big on trading. A handful of their kind have taken up the merchant business, but to the Iruk trading is only useful for buying better weapons.
Science
Iruk scientists are experts at designing new spaceships and weapons. They mainly work on robotics and engineering. Biology, chemistry and astronomy aren't much use to them.
Magic
The Iruk have not yet discovered Magic.
Empire
The Iruk currently own about 20 star systems. Each star system is run by a commander, and all commanders are run by a General. When the General dies one of the commanders will be elected to take the dead General's place.
The Plague
At the height of the Iruk empire, a cargo ship was seized by Iruk insurgents while docking in Tromus. The raiders unknowingly opened an onboard vault carrying Black Valscar, a powerful cleaning agent. Allegedly not reading the warning signs and mistaking the substance for crude oil, the insurgents attempted to refuel their vehicle, which completely dissolved it. This resulted in a complete closure of Tromus Port 265 for several years as guards unsuccessfully attempted to contain the black valscar. The outbreak, dubbed The Plague, caused several civilian casualties. To this day Black Valscar still exists on Tromus, although outbreaks are largely under control and contained to the sewer systems of Tromus.