The Zhorogo are a race thought to originate in sector M-30, and they are notable for their rather unusual organisation. They began as a burrowing race living beneath the surface of their planet, but in time they took the surface as well.
The Zhorogo live in vast communes of several thousand, each headed by a fertile female who bears a great many young: a single litter can yield 20–30. She is assisted by so-called “ladies-in-waiting”, who help raise the young once they are born; by workers, who serve the needs of the brood and of the “court”; and by soldiers, who defend the commune.
This structure was typical of early Zhorogo society, but over time it changed. The Zhorogo still live in communes, yet another class has been added — the closest translation is “clerks”, who do intellectual work.
In the whole commune only the queen is fertile. A few members of the “court” are also capable of the sexual act — usually the heads of the soldiers, the clerks and the workers. It was with this organisation that the Zhorogo went into space.
Typical planetary government is a council of queens. The queens themselves almost never leave their commune, so representatives sit on the council instead — which is why it is usually called the council of representatives.
Zhorogo society prizes markers of status. Because they find it hard to keep a steady body temperature, thermoregulating suits are in great demand. The second marker of status is glasses or ocular implants.
The Zhorogo still suffer from their burrowing past: their eyesight is very poor. Since they came to the surface several thousand years ago things have improved somewhat, but most still have to rely on additional instruments.
The queen is noticeably larger than other Zhorogo and carries a hump on her back that serves to bear her offspring; beside her stands a worker of the commune.
Zhorogo soldiers are armed with an automatic pistol and a machine-gun mount on the back — they served as mobile machine-gun positions. Additional visors are fixed to the head to compensate for the race's poor eyesight.