Aqualish

The Aqualish were tusked bipeds from the planet Ando whose appearance combined aspects of arachnids and pinniped aquatic mammals. Aqualish had a reputation for being nasty, crude and aggressive, and generally pursued off-world careers as mercenaries, bounty hunters, and pirates. One of the most infamous such Aqualish was the smuggler Ponda Baba.

Biology & Appearance
Aqualish generally have bald heads, fur around their cheeks, and They Appear to have different skin colors from each other. Aqualish also tended to have either two or four eyes, and different kinds of hands. The criminal Ponda Baba had hairy hands with five digits, while some Aqualish who were apart of the Galactic Republic Senate sported hairless hands with three digits. The species spoke Aqualish. Aqualish had red colored blood that did not cauterize.

History
All three Aqualish subspecies spoke mutually intelligible dialects of the same language. Despite this, the unity between the three groups was shaky, with all three subspecies considering themselves the superior breed. One of the largest and most destructive of the resulting conflicts was the Aqualish Civil War. This war was initially started by the Aquala, who blamed the Quara and Ualaq for the declining harvests of fish.

The war did not end until explorers, believed to be from either Corellia or Duro, arrived on Ando. The races of Ando united to destroy the "invaders", and learned the secret of space travel from the exploratory craft that they destroyed. The Aqualish forces set forth, beginning a series of bloody conflicts with a nearby sister world. They continued on a campaign of conquest, sparking the Aqualish-Republic War. After they were defeated—mainly because of the inferior Aqualish weaponry, limited to what they could scavenge from defeated enemies—their armies were carefully dismantled. As Ando joined the Galactic Republic, the violence became a black mark on the species's reputation, and the Republic initiated several attempts to demilitarize the Aqualish, each ending in conflicts like the Battle of Raquish and the Horos Spine Incident.

By 95 BBY, the Aqualish had colonized fifteen Mid Rim worlds that later formed the Andoan Free Colonies. During the Clone Wars, the Andoan Senator Po Nudo seceded from the Republic, aligning much of the Aqualish species and their homeworld with Count Dooku's Confederacy of Independent Systems. However, the Andoan Free Colonies, represented by Senator Gorothin Vagger, remained loyal to the Republic. Another Aqualish who remained loyal to the Republic during the Clone Wars was a Jedi Padawan Windo Nend, who died fighting the CIS.

Under Palpatine's Galactic Empire, the Empire took over Ando and turned it into a police state to control the violent Aqualish. Several Imperial and corporate interests were also permitted to ravage Ando's natural resources. Though the Aqualish resented the Empire, they showed no interest in joining the Rebel Alliance. Still, by 9 ABY, Ando had joined the New Republic. This made the Aqualish homeworld the target of a feint attack by Grand Admiral Thrawn's Bellicose before his assault on Ukio.

During the Yuuzhan Vong invasion in 25 ABY, Ando was offered to be spared by Warmaster Tsavong Lah if they destroyed all droid units and killed any Jedi on the planet. Thus, the Aqualish killed the Jedi Knight Dorsk 82, only to be invaded and crushed regardless.

Aqualish in the Galaxy
A community of Whiphids and Aqualish lived in the planet Gertafuu VI, trading with exotic foodstuff and furs.

There were also a number of Aqualish in Bartyn's Landing, the capital town of Lamaredd, c. 29 BBY.

RPG D6 Stats
Homeworld: Ando Technology Level: Space Attribute Dice: 12D DEXTERITY 2D/4D KNOWLEDGE 1D/3D MECHANICAL 1D+2/3D+2 PERCEPTION 2D/4D STRENGTH 2D/4D+2 TECHNICAL 1D+2/3D Special Abilities: Fins: Aqualish are born with the natural ability to swim. They receive a +2D bonus for all movement attempted in liquids. However, the lack of ﬁngers on their hands decreases their Dexterity, and the Aqualish suffer a -2D penalty when using equipment that has not been specially designed for its ﬁns. Hands: The Quara do not receive the swimming bonus, but they are just as “at home” in the water. They also receive no penalties for Dexterity actions. The Quara are most likely to be encountered off-world. Story Factors: Belligerence: Aqualish tend to be pushy and obnoxious, always looking for the opportunity to bully weaker beings. More intelligent Aqualish turn this belligerence into cunning and become manipulators. Move: 9/12 (walking), 5/7 (swimming, Aquala only) Size: 1.8-2 meters tall