Hakeome

A (mostly) gentle, peaceful race sharing their space with a brutish, warlike neighbor. One that was more interested in technological advancement than anything else. It should be noted however that Hakeome is now used as a  broad term for several separate insectoid species, all of which have been enslaved by the Cruxians. They inhabited the more mountainous, jungle regions to the south, all quite well adapted to live there. The sentient ones include a working class, a soldier class, and two, far more intelligent classes, as well as various other large versions. Naturally, the soldiers were conscripted into the Cruxian military, highly valued as shock troops. The worker class, not knowing any better, was conscripted into slave labor, and the two intelligent species were made to develop technologies and medical practices. For a long while, this didn't go very well. But, with the Cruxian's affinity for death left the Hakeome little choice, and they simply went along with their passions to invent, with the lesser intelligent types generally not knowing any better. In the thousands of years since enslavement, the Hakeome have since grown into their roles, the relationship between 'slave' and 'owner' all but disappearing except in title, the different species now quite willing and happy to work alongside their captors. Call it a species wide case of Stockholm Syndrom if you must, but the Hakeome have realized that with the Cruxians as a solid barrier, and sword arm, the Hakeome can subtly sway them into what they want. This generally only includes settlements upon mountainous, humid environments and facilities in which to let them further their goals, however. For every half-assed weapon of war they create for the Cruxians, they've invented wondrous marvels of non-violent engineering to place into, namely, Cruxian capital ships. Most of them ingeniously designed so that they remain hidden or somehow interconnected with the battle systems in some innocuous way. While most Hakeome enjoy their place in life, some feel the isolation. While they are allowed to live on their own without Cruxian involvement; some even going their whole lives without firsthand involvement with their captors, the life is undoubtedly caged. They are stuck in their cities of their own design, working for a master that has them in a cushy, loose grip. But a grip it is none the less. They are unable to leave to other cities without express consent from whichever Cruxian figures own them, most typically higher up political figures.

Physiology

There are 5 main species of Hakeome. They are all known as Hakeome, but within one another they are known as Ixo, Toxo, Jixa and Vyxa. Starting from the smallest, the Ixo, are a barely sentient form of large insect (large by general insect standards anyway.) Fairly antlike, though vary significantly in color. They are bred for hard labor, and in the case of house Ixo, simple subservient tasks such as cleaning and delivery. They amount to little more than work animals. The Toxo, while significantly more intelligent than Ixo, still aren't too terribly bright, though they make up for this with some natural weapons as well as a rather robust physique. Typically as tall as 8 feet, with an ogre-like strength and rough, ch, their sedentary, scientific lifestyles slowly removing the need for them. Besides the glaring differences, including the 3+ feet of height, they more or less resemble traditional insects on Earth. Citinous armor covering most of its body, as well as the ability to spray an organic acid that will melt flesh, though does very little against metals besides etch at the sheen. They are sometimes equated to as Titans on the battlefield, especially as they are typically paired with squads of short, Cruxian infantry. The final two species, the Jixa and Vyxa, are mostly similar barring two differences. The Jixa tend to be a reddish coloration, with four legs and two arms, while the Vyxa are two legged, four armed, and a greenish tint. Otherwise, they look more or less the same, with insectoid legs, and gangly arms with three-pronged 'hands' on each. Both are able to fly as well, though not for an extended period of time longer than a minute or two The Jixa predominantly work in science and engineering, while the Vyxa predominantly work in medical and artistic endeavors, though you can see both species in any field. This setup has been true since prior to Cruxian enslavement, and even now the Cruxian Ministry of Engineers is all bathed in green, while the Cruxian Ministry of Medicine is predominantly red in color, the color association running so deep that even Cruxians refuse to use green or red lights of those familiar tints in any walk of life not associated with either aforementioned Ministry.