Hoku (vulgar neutral, nonfaction specific)
Azapaxako Hoku (The Hoku Expanse, by themselves)
Last updated: June 26th 2026
COLLECTIVE SUMMARY
The Hoku Expanse flag, the lotus and their seven member worlds
The Hoku Expanse is an ultramarine governmental entity responsible for resource administration and development of the hoku interstellar diaspora. It was assembled after the Somoga Event sometime between 190 and 140 BdF.
First contact with the Dominion in 2548 AdF.
Joined the Dominion in 2553 AdF, as an aligned neutral power.
Origin
The binary star system Paza (86, 36, 75), ~120ly from Argost.
The Hoku homeworld is an oceanic tropical superterran with one small moon, with a circumbinary orbit around the system's suns. Outsiders and foreign Hoku alike call the planet 'Hokushoku', but the natives call it Auot'zae. The geography and atmosphere is pretty Earth-like and hyperoxic due to higher atmospheric pressure - its greatest feature however is the autumnal-colored vegetation, often golden, due an alternative pigment to green chlorophyl.
The Hoku naturally have a strong preference for Earth-like oceanic worlds with a warm climate, but their forced early diaspora has pushed them towards many worlds on the edge of their species adaptability threshold.
Description
Being 5'0" to 7'6" tall bipeds with marsupial-bird-reptile traces, they weigh 60 to 120kg, known to be viviparous with joeys as their young. Possess long conical faces, two pairs of eyes with a smaller and larger pair positioned further on front and back, respectively on the sides of the head, with rectangular-ish vertical pupils. Have three pairs of long ear-like appendages used for emotional communication and hearing on the back quarter of the head. Mostly covered by a fur-like plumage in various earthy colors plus white, black and red. Their hands have two thumbs on the same side of the hand, making them excellent grabbers and complex manipulators.
Hallmark trait of Hoku is their vibrant sexual dimorphism - with males exhibiting redder skin, vibrant often brazen or golden neck plumage and varied bright feather patterns - and females exhibiting lighter skin with muted feather colors ranging from browns to bluish grays, with some sparingly orange, blue or green plumage.
Besides their exotic upper body, their main feature are their running short-shinned digitigrade legs with zygodactyl feet (bird legs and feet), which has earned them the chelok species-tag, “Avipodan”. Their customs and small point teeth point to a mostly insectivorous but omnivorous diet.
The hoku can be found across a spectrum of two sub-species, the base emotional hoku (Avipoda sapiens cer), and the calculating ingenious Kahikoopafi (Avipoda sapiens sidus), the latter which was engineered for early space colonization, now the majority of its surviving population. Cybernetic augmentation is common place but deemed largely optional and cultural.
Hoku languages like Hukat, Sidessian and Entselari are common for Pankal humans to adopt as a second language due their vicinity and long trade history.
Spacetravel
Hoku technology across space can be found at various states of development despite efforts to modernize its fleet and arsenal. Interstellar vessels range from lightsails, ionic and proton rockets, up to the latest proprietary Pionic A-M/AM drivers. The hoku are one of the oldest client species to Chelok tech since around 15,780 CE (2400 years!). Typical travel speed between γ~1.025 and γ~6.5 depending on available proprietary transports.
Relations
Officially neutral to foreign powers. Non-territorial, politico-social clan-based society, curious. Fragmented, can be volatile/reckless or calculating/apathetic/psychopathic as individuals, variable degree of xenophobia.
Fleet size numbering the hundreds of thousands.
Population currently estimated at least 50 to 60 billion across the Dominion, could be a lot closer to ~80bi as of 18,000 CE due census imprecision.
No other civilizational goals than reorganizing, power for hire.
Faction-dependent loyalties, historically unanimously friendly towards Chelok and negative towards the Arrene.
OTHER LINKS
The Hoku Expanse (domain)
The Paza System (homesystem)
Hokushoku (homeworld)
Hukat Mythos (worldbuilding)
The Fall of Hokushoku (short story)
History Overview (worldbuilding)
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