Tyu

The Tyu are a sentient species of the Sulethis Republic with an impossibly hard shell.
They originated from an engineering project of the Xadia Ancients. Their extremely hard shell would never have formed due to evolution; they are strong enough to force most militaries in the galaxy cluster to consider them lightly armoured, because regular anti infantry weapons typically just bounce off their extremely hard shell. Nothing on their homeworld short of a volcano has any hope of destroying the shell, making them practically invincible from the outside.
The Tyu homeword is on Taya, the Utuy System.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Furthermore, the tyu are not a humanoid species. They are very short but wide and, similar to Ukztlakats except with much shorter and more tentacles, and the tentacles can be used for manipulation (to a surprisingly precise degree). This has allowed them to develop and use technology before meeting the SR after they had first contact with them about 14 000 years ago, making them a relatively new addition to the intergalactic scene. Due to the extreme toughness of the shells, they have made for useful infantry (and even tank crews), but are very heavy and require equipment manufactured specifically for their anatomy.

Genetics and Reproduction

Tyu reproduce at a rate slightly faster than humans. Although the female is only capable of laying eggs once in her lifetime (this destroys several reproductive organs), she typically lays many. Tyu will typically become fertile after about 20 years of childhood

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

One factor that has been historically quite inconvenient to other races is that tyu are not capable of perceiving light. The atmosphere of their world is relatively thick which blocks almost all visible light from their star from reaching the planet. This would heat up the planet significantly too as sunlight often as trouble escaping, but the planet is located at a large radius from the star, keeping it cold enough for life. However, they have developed an exceptional hearing capability as they rely primarily on sound for perception. They primarily use reverberation to echolocate and are even able ot identify a material be how it sounds. This way, it is possible to construct a camera that gives them a 'sound screen' which replicates the image with varying roughness. They can make a huge range of sounds as their method of speaking.