Xerik-7

This article has a separate continuity. This article is in the Richard Hatch Novelizations separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.

Xerik-7 is the homeworld of the Chitain, the only sentient race native to the Xerik system. The planet features an arid desert environment with shifting sands and a green-hued sky. During the conflict with the Colonial Fleet, the planet becomes a critical location when Apollo's diplomatic mission uncovers a massive Cylon installation hidden beneath the planet's surface.

Geography and Environment

Xerik-7 is characterized by endless desert sands that stretch across the planetary surface. The planet features a green-hued sky that provides dim sunlight, creating an alien atmosphere distinct from human-settled worlds. Desert winds whip across the surface, kicking up sand and creating arid heat in contrast to the humidity found on planets like Poseidon.

The planet's surface is dominated by the Chitain civilization's distinctive architecture, with cities featuring strangely angled spires that gleam darkly, reflective as black glass, stabbing, ridged, and twisted toward the sky. The cities rise dramatically from the endless sands, creating a disturbingly beautiful vista.

External landing fields are located near Chitain cities, where visiting vessels can touch down on the desert surface. The planet appears to have evolved from a sand-dwelling ecosystem, and the Chitain themselves show clear evolutionary adaptation to desert environments.

Chitain Civilization

The Chitain are a warlike race of savage warriors with naturally armored bodies and poisonous bone-tipped tails. They stand well over two metrons tall, with torsos plated in natural armor like thick shells colored a gray-green so deep it is nearly black. Each Chitain possesses four appendages: upper arms ending in three sharp, slender talon-like digits, and lower thick, enormous pincers.

Below their torsos, the Chitain are serpentine, standing upright despite having fundamentally snake-like lower bodies that end in upraised tails equipped with needle-sharp spines like scorpion stingers. They glide across the sand with a hideous whisper, a rasp of thick scales moving with lightning speed.

Culture and Society

The Chitain are an extremely intelligent and advanced species, though inherently warlike. They do not wear clothing of any kind, and their society uses subtle forms of differentiation rather than the accoutrements of rank common in human cultures. Chitain individuals vary in the shade and striation of their armored torsos, and they practice ritual scarring that appears symbolic of status or achievement. Some Chitain display scarring that seems almost artistic, added for aesthetic purposes, suggesting an appreciation for beauty reflected in their architecture.

The Chitain are scavengers by nature—nothing is wasted. Ships are taken as salvage, and captives are either eaten or enslaved depending upon the palatability of their race. They use humanoid slaves for labor, including genetically mutated descendants of the original Poseidon colonists.

The Chitain view their actions of taking dying populations from poisoned worlds as "saving" them, though they maintain these populations as permanent slaves. When enslaved populations produce offspring that are too damaged or die, the Chitain seek new slave populations to replace them.

Architecture

Chitain cities showcase remarkable architectural achievement. Their structures feature strangely angled spires that gleam like black glass, rising from the desert sands in configurations that are both alien and beautiful. The buildings are described as disturbingly beautiful, with forms that twist and stab toward the green-hued sky.

The Chitain also construct immaculate quarters within their cities, equipped with advanced climate control technology capable of maintaining perfect temperatures despite narrow openings in high ceilings for starlight and fresh air. These chambers typically feature beds of sand, reflecting the species' desert origins.

Underground Cylon Installation

Beneath Xerik-7's shifting sands lies a massive underground facility constructed in collaboration between the Cylons and Chitain. The installation is accessed through a hidden entrance from a Chitain citadel, with stairs, architecture, and hexagonal floor tiling displaying signature Cylon design elements.

The underground corridors feature controlled environments with cool, still air in stark contrast to the arid heat of the citadel above—environments made for the comfort and smooth functioning of machines rather than desert-dwelling Chitain. The corridors extend considerable distances, probably beyond the outer perimeter of the Chitain citadel above.

The main chamber is carved from living rock strata beneath Xerik-7's shifting sands, with parts appearing natural as if architects started with an existing cavern then expanded and extended its boundaries. As an engineering accomplishment, this installation surpasses anything seen on Poseidon or the Chitain homeworld's surface.

The giant cavern is nearly large enough to swallow Galactica whole. It houses a jumble of fuel processing and foundry equipment, with the original cave roof replaced by huge saligium shutters set in massive tracks serving as retracting doors. Other doors, smaller but still heavily armored, stud the walls. The facility functions as both a launch facility and holding area, with impounded vessels stored in corners of the immense installation.

The Cylon installation had been present on Xerik-7 for a considerable time, possibly six yahren or more, working with the Chitain and supplying them with technology and firepower. The Cylons maintained a low profile while conducting operations in the area, primarily their collaboration with the Chitain.

History

Sky Diplomatic Relations

The Sky established diplomatic relations with the Chitain, building an embassy on the third moon of Xerik-12 to facilitate peaceful interaction. For a time, the relationship was mutually beneficial, with the Chitain sharing aspects of their technology and culture with the Sky.

However, the Chitain betrayed this trust by launching an unprovoked attack on the Sky embassy, completely destroying it and killing approximately one hundred Sky stationed there. This act of duplicity transformed the Sky-Chitain relationship into open warfare and led to the Sky's later military intervention against Chitain forces.

Human Diplomatic Mission

When the Colonial Fleet arrived in the Xerik system, Apollo led a diplomatic mission to Xerik-7 representing the human colony of Poseidon. The mission landed at an external landing field near a Chitain city, where they were met by thousands of Chitain warriors who quickly surrounded their vessel, Starlight.

Apollo identified the Chitain leader through observation of ritual scarring patterns, bowing his head respectfully despite the warrior standing more than a foot taller than him. The diplomatic party was provided quarters within the Chitain city, ostensibly for protection, though four Chitain guards were posted outside their chamber—clearly also serving as sentries to prevent escape.

During their stay, the Chitain demonstrated technological sophistication by retrieving supplies from the humans' battle cruiser with remarkable speed, raising concerns about how they could access the secured vessel. Apollo experienced a psychic chill in the "soulless place" despite perfect climate control, finding the Chitain impossible to read telepathically.

The diplomatic mission revealed the Chitain's true intentions when Apollo's team discovered that the aliens did not want to destroy humanity but rather to enslave them, seeking new slaves to replace the genetically damaged descendants of Poseidon's original colonists.

Discovery of Cylon Presence

Starbuck and Boomer discovered the massive Cylon installation beneath the planet's surface, uncovering the Cylon-Chitain alliance. The discovery explained why Cain had encountered only a single Cylon scout in six yahren—the Cylons had maintained a low profile while establishing their hidden base and collaborating with the Chitain.

Apollo reported the discovery to Athena and Cain: "We've discovered a Cylon base on Xerik-7! They're working with the Chitain, supplying them with technology, firepower." The revelation came with warnings of Chitain reinforcements and at least one Chitain dreadnought headed toward Poseidon.

Post-Conflict

Following the major battle in the Xerik system, the Chitain civilization began rebuilding itself above the planet's surface, fanning the flames of hatred against humanity. Three Cylon base stars stood motionless in space above Xerik-7, maintaining the Cylon presence in the system.

The largest base star housed the Cylon cogitator Lucifer and the Imperious Leader, who maintained contact with a dark entity identified as Count Iblis—a pool of blackness that swirled like a maelstrom in the Imperious Leader's chamber.