Marsi

The marsi are an uplift species derived from Virginia opossums, engineered by the Columbian Federation during the Second Interstellar Period.

Biology

Uplifted from Terran possums, the average marsi stands between three and four feet tall. Their skulls were enlarged to accomodate an intelligent brain, giving them higher foreheads, and their paws were reconfigured into hands. By the time of their creation, biotech had advanced to the point where the marsi uplift project was considered fairly routine and had few deleterious side effects among members of the new species, by far the worst problem was persistent public outcry over their treatment.

Psychology

Their engineers designed the marsi for agreeableness, cooperation, and reduced propensity for violence, desiring a loyal workforce which was easy to command. This has made them quite peaceful once freed; like the Helians they have never been recorded fighting a war with each other.

Marsi were psychologically engineered to feel a sense of security, comfort, and safety in small spaces, part of their design as spacecraft crews and workers.

Civilization and Culture

History

Created by the AmFed as a workforce, particularly for orbital construction and spaceship crews, the marsi were in a servile state for their early existence, kept as a client species denied full civil rights under a rotating variety of legal exuses and fictions. They fared little better during the Interstellar Dark Ages, many becoming slaves to Spartan tyrants, though a few free marsi settlements were established in various places.

Marsi can be found on virtually every American-descended world, including some which became lost, such as Eisenhower.

Scientific Name

Didelphis virginiana sapiens

Lifespan

~80 years

Average Height

~3-4 feet