Cyclone Stratos
| Cyclone Stratos | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Uncoloured sketch of a standard Cyclone. | |
| Sociology | |
| First appearance | 40:024 (82 yrs ago) |
| Source | Tarrukar Empire |
| Current INTACT code | TKSC:5 |
| Population | ~ 730,000 |
| Common roles | Emergency services, law enforcement, military, navigation and observation, research. |
| Biology | |
| Generations |
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| Featured traits | Extensive feather coverage, whiskers, aural feathers, digitigrade feet, bipedal and quadrupedal gait. |
The Cyclone Stratos, or just Cyclones, are the oldest extant species of Artes. They are characterised by their six limbs, tails, and peculiar body proportions. While their appearance is similar to organic humans and birds, Cyclones are genetically distant from either of them due to their nature as a synthetic species. They were developed in the Tarrukar Empire many decades ago, seeking a flighted soldier inspired by the Empire's cultural and religious background (despite the supposed secular rule of the government).
Throughout history there have been multiple Cyclone versions, each upgrade coming with improved health and lifespan, quicker growth, better flight performance, and intelligence. The latest version is the Cyclone 2 Stratos, released roughly thirty years ago. In modern days, most of the active population have roles in law enforcement, emergency medicine, firefighters, or belong to the military. While the Tarrukar Empire hasn't been at war for many years, Cyclones still are the preferred option for military patrols and political escorts.
Cyclones have existed within Tarrukar for a long time and a lot of social work has been done by the government in order to assimilate them into society. In current times, public opinion of Cyclones is very favourable within Tarrukar. Modern architecture and city planning is carried out with flighted Stratos in mind, counting with perches, landing pads, and collision resistant materials.
Outside of Tarrukar, Cyclones receive an averse reaction. Unlike other species of Stratos, such as the Zephyr (which are common all over the globe), most of the population outside Tarrukar very rarely see Cyclones. Soldiers sent on abroad missions are usually treated as androids at best, but as unthinking animals most often.
Anatomy and physiology
Compared to the other Stratos species, the Cyclone is first and foremost designed for flight. While modern versions of the Cyclone have outwardly pleasing designs in contrast to their predecessors, their inner works remain complicated and more bird-like in structure.
Barring the wings, one of the greatest visual differences between Cyclones and other Stratos are limb proportions and weight distribution. Cyclones require a huge ribcage to accommodate both wing and arm muscles. Additionally, most of their organs have been redistributed to sit inside the ribcage, so that most of the weight rests in their chest. While this makes flight more achievable, it puts strain on their back during upright standing. To counteract that, Cyclones are structured to be able to move in both a quadrupedal and bipedal stance by having short legs and very long arms. They also have digitigrade feet with opposable thumbs, which are able to grasp objects, climb, or perch on small surfaces. The thumb stays off the ground when walking, often causing a long, sharp talon. Footwear is common and comes in many styles depending on necessity.
Bipedal walk is generally slower and clunkier, due to their centre of gravity being farther from the ground. Quadrupedal walk puts strain in their fingers, though to a lesser degree than bipedal movement puts in their spine. And while it makes them faster and more agile, frequent quadrupedal walking is socially seen as 'childish', since it's the only way Cyclone children can walk before developing stronger leg muscles.
As powerful as their strength is, Cyclones may only take off from high places. Their legs allow them to jump high enough to allow flapping, but bodyweight and air resistance won't allow for flapping quick enough to generate lift. This makes climbing skills very important for Cyclones, and they will actively avoid landing in wide open spaces (e.g. deserts, prairies) as they risk not being able to get airborne again.
Cyclones are designed to be short and athletic, providing a good build for flight. Their height range is 140 - 170 cm (4'7 - 5'7), averaging 163 cm. Their weight ranges 50 - 75kg (110 - 165 lb), it tends to vary depending on wing type and activity level.
Integumentary
Cyclones are covered in skin and feathers, the latter presenting stronger keratin than what can be found in organic birds. They also have filoplumes on their cheeks and eyebrows which serve as whiskers, and strong claws with a bone core. Similarly to birds, Cyclones present beta-keratin.
Feather coverage extends beyond the wings and tail. An average Cyclone will also have feathers on their shoulders, wing muscles, sides of the torso, back of the neck, thighs, buttocks, and the pubic area. Additionally, Cyclones have soft feathers without barbules in their heads and eyebrows, which very closely mimics mammalian hair.
Feather patterns are very diverse, usually randomly generated out of a trait pool. The designer in charge may select certain parameters that can aid the Stratos in their future role, like dark feathers for a nocturnal soldier. In general, civilian Cyclones tend to have brighter colours, while military Cyclones are far more muted as they often rely on stealth.
Most Cyclones have feather follicles beyond their actual grown feathers. This is because they have adaptive plumage, and the extent of the coverage depends on the current season: shedding feathers during summer, and growing more during winter. However, the density of coverage might vary between Cyclones.
It's important to note that Cyclone sweat is less salty than what is found in humans, and they may only sweat in areas of bare skin.
Feather moults
Main article: Stratos feathering
Wings and tails
Main article: Stratos feathering
Wings are the most characteristic feature of Stratos as a whole. While body type among Cyclones tends to be homogeneously athletic, wing types are extremely diverse. For role and allocation reasons, Cyclones get classified into one or two out of the following wing types: soaring, high speed, coastal and agility. High speed and soaring cyclones are the most common. In proportion to their body size, Cyclones tend to have relatively short wings compared to Whirlwinds.
Respiratory system
The respiratory system of a Cyclone closely resembles a bird's, counting with an unidirectional flow in order to sustain their high energetic needs. Notably, they have rigid, low-volume lungs and the presence of air sacs, which work as a system of bellows and guarantee an uninterrupted oxygen supply. Due to this system, Cyclones lack diaphragms, and constricting their torso (e.g. with belts or flight harnesses) may cause breathing difficulty.
Cyclones have nine air sacs distributed throughout their body:
- A single clavicular air sac.
- A pair of wing-humeral air sacs.
- A pair of anterior thoracic air sacs.
- A pair of posterior thoracic air sacs.
- A pair of abdominal air sacs.
The Cyclone trachea is elongated, allowing for a wide vocal range and particular vocalisations, including hisses, growls, and purring. They do not present a syrinx, but instead use the larynx for vocalisation in order to preserve a more 'human' speech.
The upper airways, in particular the nasal cavity, counts with porous cartilage walls which slows down the flow of air, protecting from particles and decreasing the pressure during flight. Some Cyclones with high-speed builds may include an additional cartilage cone in their nares to further improve air flow.
Circulatory system
The Cyclone circulatory system is very efficient. They have four chambered hearts, much larger and muscular than a mammal of similar size, which allows it to pump more blood per beat. A rough size estimate of the Cyclone heart can be made by placing two fists together.
Even with the higher blood pressure, Cyclone hearts can sustain rhythm changes better than a human. A healthy Cyclone can easily experience an average of 100 bpm at grounded rest, 220 bpm during active flight, and up to 300 bpm during strenous activity.
Though all Stratos share the same blood type, due to the Cyclone immune response they can only receive transfusions within their own species.
Digestive system
Digestion begins in the mouth, where it is chewed for easier processing. Cyclone saliva presents strong enzymes and has a high lipid composition due to the sebaceous glands present in the mouth. While these glands release oil voluntarily, leftover discharge turns the saliva denser and stickier than a human's. Saliva pH is quite elevated, which when coupled with denser enamel, prevents demineralization of teeth and cavities.
Cyclone teeth are constructed for crushing and tearing, in particular of flesh and soft structures. They have three types of teeth: incisors, canines, and molars. They have a total of twenty teeth, a low number compared to a mammal in order to decrease their total body weight. When a Cyclone loses a tooth, it's able to regrow thanks to the presence of a separate dental lamina. This structure remains dormant unless there's trauma to its connected tooth, in which case it will trigger the fall of it and the posterior growth of a new one in the span of a month.
Cyclone tongues are akin to a cat's, having keratin spikes pointing inwards. These structures prove useful in scraping meat off bones, and also aiding in preening. Their taste buds are optimised for enjoyment of high-protein, animal sourced food, and carbohydrates. They lack the receptors necessary for spicy taste.
Cyclones are obligate carnivores, providing them with shorter and lighter digestive tracts, but forcing them on a strict animal-based diet. Due to this dependence, they benefit greatly from eating whole prey, organ meat, animal fats, and even blood. The gastrointestinal tract is similar to big cats and vultures, though lacking structures gizzards or crops. They have a mammalian stomach with potent gastric juices, with low pH and presenting a host of Artibacter and evolved bacteria in the intestine. These, instead of proving dangerous, flourish in this area and aid in the breakdown of hard material. Cyclones can safely eat raw and even rotting meat.
They have a huge, double-lobed liver, which contributes to their quick metabolism. As a result, Cyclones require very high doses of drugs or poisons in order to receive any effect, even more so if taken orally as most will end up broken down in the gut. While intravenous drugs are more effective, their metabolism will still come into play and the effects get processed out of the body quickly.
The exact caloric needs of a Cyclone varies by role, flight style and age, but on average Cyclones can require 6,000-8,000 calories per day. Since they have a small digestive track, they are encouraged to eat frequently and in small amounts, instead of having too big meals and risk being grounded during digestion.
Cyclones present very high blood sugar while still maintaining low oxidative stress in their cells. This might be due to their metabolism and how quick they are able to use the available sugars, but much as how a lot of avian biology is unexplored, a lot of the Cyclone structure is poorly understood. This leaves them with an average glucose level of 200 mg/dL during fasting. This, coupled with the keratin structure of their feathers, give Cyclones a characteristic sweet and acrid scent.
Stratos in general store fat in different places to a human. Most of the fat gets accumulated over the wing muscles, giving them a much more pronounced chest. It's easy to discern a fatty chest from a muscular one by touch: muscle is rigid, while fat feels more 'squishy'. Other fat storage areas, in order of accumulation, are near the wing pits, neck, stomach and buttocks.
Skeletal system
The skeletal system is the structural frame that supports and provides protection for soft tissues. The skeleton can be divided in two subgroups: the axial skeleton, and the appendicular skeleton. Like in mammals, the axial skeleton is composed of the cranium, vertebral column, ribs, sternum and pelvis. While a Cyclone body is outwardly similar to a human, the axial skeleton has been extensively modified to accomodate six limbs.
The shoulder girdle is composed of the clavicles, coracoid, and scapula. Cyclones present a single pair of shoulder girdles to be shared by both their arms and wings. This means that both limb pairs share scapulae; the shared shoulders cause any movement of the wing to be reflected in the arm and vice versa.
The clavicles are a floating structure, joined together by an interclavicle bone, but otherwise only loosely connected by ligaments to the sternum and the scapulae. The clavicles form part of the socket for the anterior limbs, while also providing a spring structure for the wings which aids for the beating of the wings. The clavicles are a pneumatized structure, while still being dense and rigid.
A key modification also appears in the Cyclone chest, which boasts a large keel from which the wing muscles can attach. The ribs themselves also have backwards-pointing extensions that help attach the ribs to each other and provide a much stable barrier for the organs within the chest.
The chemical structure of the bones is unique among living organisms. They are composed of a calcium and carbon lattice, turning them stronger than the evolved calcium structure, in particular against impact resistance. Cyclone bones, when isolated from the body, are a desaturated ashy colour and may appear to have dark gray veins through them. The carbon used for bones is gathered from either food, though a small quantity is also extracted from the CO2 of cellular respiration.
While Cyclone bones are very resistant against breaking, after sustaining damage they are very slow healing. They can take three times longer to recover compared to an evolved calcium bone. This is in part due to their mixed chemical structure, but also because the bone presents high density: a necessary adaptation for the movements of flight.
Although Cyclones have some pneumatized bones, not all of them are, as they still need the bone marrow for blood production. The largest bones of the body are pneumatized, which means they are filled with air pockets and sustained by internal struts that fortify the bone. This particular structure is a strategy for a stronger skeleton, but they don't make the bones themselves any lighter than a similarly sized mammal's. They also aid the respiratory system with the uptake and circulation of air, which in turn also plays a role in cooling down the body.
Muscular system
Cyclones have very efficient muscles, being highly dense in mitochondria with a higher ATP output and sarcomeres that are more packed together. This allows greater strength without needing a bigger surface area. They do require more energy to sustain though, forcing Cyclones on very high-caloric diets or risk muscle waste.
While both wings and arms share scapulae, they are moved by independent sets of muscles. The wing pectoral is the largest and strongest muscle of the body, lending incredible strength to the wings and protection to the chest organs. The arm pectorals are a thin layer sitting on top. An average Cyclone will have similar arm strength to a relatively athletic human, and it's not unheard of to have humans beat Cyclone arm strength.
Second to the wings, the legs are also powerful limbs in Cyclone bodies, necessary to allow for high jumps, climbing, and maintaining an upright pose.
The skin is dominated by a complicated net of muscles, which allows for adjustment for every feather in the body.
Nervous system
The brain in Cyclones is based in the human brain, with modifications to allow the adaptations required for flight and to allow faster development.
Senses
Cyclones have remarkably acute senses, the most important one being vision. Cyclones have larger eyes than humans, which are protected by two conventional eyelids and a nictitating membrane, a third translucent eyelid.
The eyeballs aren't perfectly spherical, but rather slightly ovaloid. This gives a larger visual field, but the angles at which the eyeballs can rotate is more limited than in a human. Vision is tetrachromatic, meaning that Cyclones can see UV light in addition to the human visible spectrum. UV vision helps them recognize bodily fluids easily, which aids in wilderness survival and forensic investigation. Occasionally, Cyclones will also sport feather patterns visible only in the UV spectrum. In order to protect their retinas, Cyclones have adaptative iris pigmentation. At the presence of UV, their eyes darken with a reddish hue. When indoors or at night, the iris turns slightly more vibrant.
The retinas are packed with rods and cones. While they can discern between more colours than a human can, their vision is slightly duller in saturation as there are more rods present. The level of night vision is dependent on whether the Cyclone was designed to be nocturnal. In such cases, vision will be even duller and less sharp, but the greater quantity of rods will provide almost flawless sight in near darkness. All Cyclones have a tapetum lucidum, a layer of reflective minerals in the retina that increase the light available in the eye. This gives Cyclones a characteristic blue-green eyeshine.
Cyclones are also able to visualise the magnetic field of the planet. This is thanks to a protein in their retina that reacts to both the magnetic field and blue pigments. As a result, blue hues will appear more saturated when facing the north, and they will fade away at the south. This is the reason why the standard Cyclone flight suit includes a blue square in the left wrist band, as it will help gauge direction without relying on environment colours.
The biggest shortcoming of Cyclone vision comes in an asymmetrical eye structure, which helps them keep most of the horizon and a big part of the ground in focus simultaneously, but also renders the lower part of their vision near-sighted. Most Cyclones circumvent this by putting reading material relatively high, or a distance away. Cyclones investing in graduated glasses aren't unheard of, but it's not socially accepted.
Cyclones also have a keen sense of smell. Their noses are denser in receptors, having a quantity comparative to dogs though not quite as elevated as a bloodhound. Molecules may accumulate on the cartilage structure of the nasal cavity, allowing Cyclones to detect faint odors. Additionally, they have a vomeronasal organ in the roof of the mouth, which not only sharpens their general sense, but also allows them to detect pheromones. Theoretically this allows Cyclones to gauge the emotions of other people by their smell, but this requires training. Some nocturnal Cyclones present subtle crenellations and high external moisture. Not only does this allow for better reception of molecules, but it aids in detecting wind direction.
Sense of hearing is also designed to be acute. The ear is fairly movable with a pronounced tragus that can also move independently. This structure helps to syphon in the incoming sound, and its movement can aid in pinpointing the source. Most Cyclones have ears covered in a specialized feather pattern, often referred as 'aural feathers'. This primarily helps to protect the ear from the cold and air pressure in flight, but it also serves an important social role.
Unfortunately, most Cyclones suffer from some level of hearing loss due to their frequent exposure to loud environments. Trainers encourage Cyclones to wear protection to deter this trend, but just as glasses, it's not socially accepted for them to wear accessibility tools, though customs have been shifting in current days.
Reaction time
The processing power of Cyclone sight is vastly superior to humans. They can both detect rapid movements, like flickering lights and obstacles in high speed flight, but also very slow objects such as the movement of the constellations. To maximise accuracy, Cyclones will try to keep their heads as stable as possible, which gets reflected by compensation reflexes in flight and land locomotion. The ability of Cyclones to process large amounts of visual information also allows them to read very quickly.
Due to the flicker speed at which Cyclones can see, they may find certain lightbulbs or screens annoying or even unusable, as they are able to detect the flickers that a human would perceive as a still image. In a world with an increasing population of Cyclones, new technologies boast faster flicker speeds to make them more Stratos friendly.
Because of the quick reaction time of Cyclones, their movement comes very quickly and snappy. Most Cyclones consider other Artes species, and humans, to look sluggish and bulky when they move.
Immune system
Cyclones, while presenting a human-like immune response, also count with the Cyclone Immune Response Virus (CIRV). The CIRV is a synthetic virus, introduced to the Cyclone during infancy and which colonises their body throughout the span of a few weeks. The CIRV works in conjunction with the immune system, taking an aggressive approach to infect and eliminate foreign material. This makes Cyclone blood a necrotic agent if introduced in non-Cyclone bodies. In consequence, any blood-feeding parasites cannot thrive, keeping fleas and mosquitoes at bay.
Not only is the CIRV effective for eliminating viruses and bacteria, they also work to keep under control cancerous growths, making Cyclones effectively immune to most types of cancer. While this doesn't make them resistant to radiation, it does mean that they are able to sustain greater exposure to it than a human can, and so Cyclones are often stationed for cleanup and monitoring of areas that were bombed in the past.
The CIRV was designed to steer clear and be unable to proliferate in the digestive system, keeping the delicate gut bacteria untouched. This means that digestive diseases are the most common ailments in Cyclones.
Aging rate
Cyclones, similarly to birds of prey, present a very fast growing spurt during their infancy that petters out as they reach adulthood.
When extracted from the womb, they are already able to see and hear, but it takes a few days for them to start being able to lift their head, and at a few weeks old they begin to amble about. By a month and a half, they are able to vocalise, interact with their surroundings, and move all of their limbs. It's very important for caretakers to be in a positive mental state when handling three month olds, as this is when their sense of smell develops enough to detect emotions.
At four months, they improve their crawling, engage in allopreening (despite not growing flight feathers yet), and start developing language. They cannot walk yet, not even in fours, but they are curious and will attempt to escape any area they are placed in.
By eight months, they are strong enough to walk on fours, though without ideal coordination yet, so stumbles are common. They also begin growing their first set of flight feathers. It's important to give them wing protection, so any fall doesn't end up in bloody feathers. They also begin growing their teeth, and will explore the world by biting everything.
At a year old they have mastered walking on fours, and are able to communicate in simple sentences. Their flight feathers are fully grown, but they are unable to fly as they lack the strength for it yet. Still, lots of wing exercising takes place: pushing themselves up, flapping around, and testing jumping from high places. The carbon content of their bones is low until they reach five years, meaning that while they are more brittle, the bones heal very quickly.
By two years, they can speak and are full of personality and opinions to share. They cannot walk bipedally or fly yet, but they can glide and it's very common for them to drop over each other from high places or cling to caretakers.
Education begins at three years old. They begin by learning how to write and read, and learning the very basics of flight theory.
Flight age depends on their wing shape. Soaring and coastal Cyclones begin flying on average at five years old, while high speed Cyclones may take until they are seven to be able to fly due to how energetically expensive their flight pattern is. By five years it's when Cyclones also start walking bipedally.
A Cyclone finishes development and attains their adult plumage at 14 years old, but they only join the workforce after training graduation at 15-16.
The average lifespan of Cyclones is currently unknown, but it's estimated to be around 60 years.
Death
The most common cause of death for Cyclones are landing accidents, followed by work incidents unrelated to flight, gastrointestinal disease, terrorism, and cardiovascular issues.
Due to the synthetic nature of Cyclones, they don't degrade in the same way as an organic body would. Insects and scavengers will steer clear of fresh Cyclone carcasses. The CIRV will remain active for a few days after death, keeping the body from rotting until ultimately overrunning it. This leads to a mummified body with ooze interiors, at which point organic nature can finally make use of the carcass and it disappears in a span of days.
If a Cyclone dies and their body is recovered by the government, they are always cremated. This is more environmentally friendly, as nature can make use of the ashes immediately instead of waiting for the CIRV to break down the body first.
Production
The Tarrukar Empire is very secretive of Cyclone production. Much of the technology necessary for their creation is kept confidential. Even their genome was designed to be gargantuan and difficult to study, ridden with junk genes, recursivity, fragments of inactive viruses, and genes with multiple disconnected roles.
When new Cyclones are made, they are designed to be either for military or civilian duty. Their genes are procedurally generated from a pool of traits and parameters that cater to the role, and after they are born they go through intensive training and socialisation. Stratos in general are seldom designed with any extant bird in mind; any resemblance to an organic species comes from coincidence or a commission request.
The only situation in which Cyclone cosmetic design is kept in mind is for nocturnal military Cyclones and government officials. The latter will sport black and red feathers: the national colours of Tarrukar.
Another design consideration is the circadian rhythm of the Cyclone: they can be either diurnal or nocturnal. Due to their rest requirements, this guarantees that there's always an active Cyclone at a station. The ratio of diurnal to nocturnal Cyclones is roughly 1.3:1, close to being half and half with a slight majority for diurnals.
Cyclones are produced in batches, new ones being born every five years. The size of the batch varies, depending on studies based on death trends, growing settlements, and budget. The population of Cyclone 5 has seen exponential growth, and as of the current day there are over 700,000 active Cyclones worldwide.
Behaviour
Cyclones are naturally gregarious, especially within their own species. They benefit greatly from working, rooming, and spending time in groups. A combination of their hardwired instincts and their upbringing in close groups, they are very free about physical touch and enjoy allopreening with friends and acquaintances. Cyclones are rarely housed alone; almost always they are assigned collective rooms and even communal beds. Due to constantly living in close quarters, Cyclones don't hold a lot of taboo around nakedness.
Communication is very dependent on body language, feather movement, and scent. The main emotions that Cyclones can notice from scent are fear, happiness, sadness, anger and arousal (though it does require training to accurately identify which scent is which).
During the design process, Cyclones are produced with either a diurnal or nocturnal biorhythm. This marks a difference in circadian rhythm, whisker length, plumage and senses.
Cyclones must take plenty of rest to perform at top condition. Considering how energetically expensive their body processes are, they require on average 10 hours of sleep every day. This doesn't have to be all at once, as they are well adapted to polyphasic sleep, and can attain sufficient rest with naps through the day. The average sleep schedule of a diurnal Cyclone is seven hours of sleep during the night, and two-and-a-half-hour naps during the day.
The main difference in military versus civilian design of Cyclones comes from their brain structure. Civilian Cyclones are more emotive, empathetic towards humans, and independent. Military Cyclones are less likely to act from their own volition, they work closer in teamwork, and have less empathy outside their own species. This has caused stereotypes to develop about the different designs of Cyclones, with the military being ruthless and cold, and civilians being more docile and extroverted.
Much like cats, Cyclones are naturally drawn to high places, and they will perch on top of chairs or even above closets or shelves if no seats are available.
The usage of sign language is widespread among Cyclones, even without any hearing difficulties. This is due to how extensively it gets used during flight and long distances.
Education
Basic training for Cyclones depends on whether they are of military or civilian design. While curriculum and activities are similar until six years of age, classes are kept separate in order to maintain a more stable flock. Stratos education institutions are all managed by the government, and while in the past cohorts were separated by species, in recent years there have been mixed-species flocks of Cyclones and Whirlwinds.
The following table shows a non comprehensive list of courses in the Stratos curriculum.
| Shared education | |
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| Civilian courses | Military courses |
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Education reinforces the collectivist culture of Tarrukar, dictating that a Cyclone's purpose is to serve the nation with discipline and honour. The satisfaction of fulfilling their roles and protecting the citizens are the most important compensation for their work. The gift of flight comes with the responsibility of giving back to their society, and there's no greatest joy than having a predisposed duty to fulfill.
On average, education takes twelve years to complete: 5 years of shared training, 4 years of civilian or military training, and 3 years of specialised Tutelage. Cyclones usually graduate by 15-16 years old.
At the five year mark, Cyclones (and Whirlwinds) must pass their FLEDGE evaluation before they can continue training, as military and civilian training involves free-flight outside institutions. The FLEDGE involves a series of theoretical and practical tests in safe flight technique, as well as teamwork exercises.
It's not rare for Cyclones to change roles during their lifetime. However, if they are to study after their initial graduation, they are expected to take on specialised training while still fulfilling a job. Most of the time, role changes are within their expected design. Only in exceptional situations may a civilian Cyclone take on a military role, and vice versa.
Ranking
See also: Artes Social Integration System (ASIS)
Necklace Keepers are the standard for Cyclones. They are connected to the body through a neck port that is installed into since infancy. This allows the device to stay in place regardless of movement and gravity. It's powered by detachable batteries. The battery life can last through two weeks at full features, or up to two years with only low energy features enabled.
Trivia
- Cyclones were named as such due to the presence of cyclogenesis in the ocean south of Tarrukar, which has historically led to cyclones in the lowlands. Early Cyclone propaganda claimed their skill in being able to fly even through such conditions. Currently, this is known to be false, and there has been a low number of recorded Cyclone fatalities from attempts at flying inside active cyclone storms.
- Cyclones can't taste spicy food. In general, the flavours of human food tends to be too intense for them, so there's been a growing market of food products for Cyclones. These are high in protein, relatively bland, and easy to grab as snacks.
- Unfortunately, making Cyclone-grade spice has been banned in Tarrukar.
- Cyclones have high body temperature (39°C), blood sugar and blood pressure, they must not be checked with human standards.
- Cyclones have the bad reputation of being elitist, impulsive, and bad at teamwork with other species, though this is far from the norm.
- While Artes and human bonds are seen as odd in general, Cyclone and human relationships are a particular type of taboo due to anatomical and social differences.
- Unfortunately, making Cyclone-grade spice has been banned in Tarrukar.