Maro Varrus La'Raan

Sorry. Not done with aliens!
What ... you thought I was going to be *not* draw one while all the Mass Effect 3 stuff was going on? Riiight.

I wanted to do this picture mostly to try to draw this race face-forward. Harder than it looks, because they have an even more interesting profile. Also to show a little more of them without the armor. Hence the arms and hands uncovered. Just a fun exercise for myself.

This is Maro Varrus La'Raan of the A'Cheis. (Maro is his title, not his first name.) He was elected recently after the death of the last Maro.

Here he's in his sleeping attire with a cup of tea. I am particularly proud of that mug and stirring spoon. The mug is that shape because the A'Cheis have no lips.

A'Cheis, Maro Varrus La'Raan, all other characters, story and art (C) *NuisanceBearEull

*** Optional Character Interview Section ***

From “The New Maro”, Galactic Explorer Magazine.
By Peter Kosomov, Imperial City Office

I’d never met an A’Cheis before. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve seen them in the distance. Mostly tourists from their home planet Kendacha. My initial impressions of those I had seen but to whom I’d never spoken were of a tall and colorful people who carry themselves with the poise of dancers. They seemed rational, calm and (if the media was to be believed) obsessed with order, fairness and the intangible limit called The Line.
My experience was limited to sight and rumor. As such I was woefully unprepared to meet the new Maro –their word for Emperor. Perhaps that was the point of this assignment. I’m not sure. I went into that room expecting to start some sort of interstellar incident.
When I first saw the Maro, he wasn’t sitting in an imposing chair. He was looking out the window at the city below. I decided to start the interview with the first question that came to mind.

What do you make of all that?
I see much that is different, but more that is the same. Your sun doesn’t wash out color the way ours does.
[makes a chuckling sound deep in his throat]
We’re not as colorful in the Serril System as we are in other places. It’s probably why we’re fond of colors. They have to be bright or saturated to be seen properly at home. But to answer your question, I am impressed. What the A'Cheis have done is impressive and this is no less-so. I am also thinking of how remarkable it is that I am standing in a seat of human power and I do not feel like an enemy.
The A’Cheis have known humans for a long time. But we knew only the DICs. And, as I have come to learn: DICs and ASSes are very different variations on the human theme. Your Emperor has made an honorable guest of me, as I would make of him were he a guest of my Empire. It was not what we expected.
There is a saying in almost every language and culture: Seek out the enemies of your enemies and you will find friends among them. We sought the enemies of the DICs and the Shemenari, and we have found you. What I see out this window is the capital city of precious allies.
[he moves to the chairs provided and sits in the taller one]

By now the entire Empire knows you are Maro Varrus Ru’Laan. Word travels quickly here, as I’m sure it does in your Empire. Is there anything you want us to know about you before you were Maro?
The simple rundown of public information is this:
I am:
Son of the recently deceased Maro Marius La’Raan.
Brother of recording artist and prized sharpshooter Rulias La’Raan.
Husband of indigenist and 12th Legion frame-gunner Juna La’Raan.
Former Maro’s Regent.
Admiral of the 6th Fleet.
Particle Dynamics Transport Engineer.
Graduate of Tessique Military Academy, Nashaz University, Kendacha FS 12 Bridging School, Kendacha S 12 Primary School, Lenothis Little Sports Program and Happy Halls Starter School.

That paints a very interesting picture. A little Varrus La’Raan at Happy Halls Starter School. How old were you?
I was between the ages of 4 and 6. We all had to start somewhere. It was a good place. I have many fond memories. I was the king of the climbing dome, you know!

Quite the accomplishment. Foreshadowing?
Hardly. My father hadn’t been elected Maro yet. That was the next year.

Elected?
Yes. A Maro is elected. The citizens of the A’Cheis Empire vote as soon as they hear of the Maro’s death. The idea is that the people are not without a leader for very long. I had acted as Regent to my ailing father, but that didn’t mean I was going to be elected. That happens very rarely.

Are you surprised?
Not really. I’ve tried to live by the examples of the great Maros before me and be a good, contributing A’Cheis all my life. I’ve been raised within the Imperial Education System. I am a product of our empire and now I am honored to lead it.

Is being a Maro different than being an Emperor?
Both are supreme rulers. Both hold the position for life. I think the only difference is that a Maro is elected. I’m not sure how or if succession works for the ASSes or if it’s even an issue given the lifespan of your Emperor, may his life continue to be long.

Brag on your Empire for a second.
[makes that sound again, I am now sure it’s laughter]
The A’Cheis have a larger empire. When you look at the galaxy map from above, it can be hard to see. Ours is … taller than it is wide.
[he pulls up a holographic image from the wrist unit he’s wearing and turns the overhead image of the galaxy on its side. From this angle, it is easy to see the size of the empire highlighted. It is actually larger.]
Our military is larger as well, and we have more solid-state and heavy-metal resources. But most importantly, our ruler has much nicer horns. The truth is, though I am impressed by the ASS Empire, I will always have a greater love, pride and interest in my own. I’d be a poor Maro if I didn’t.

Why did you come to visit our empire?
I came to learn more about a people who could be potential friends and allies.

Has it gone well?
Though it meant that I had to be away from home when my father died, I am extremely pleased. A formal alliance is being refined and reviewed as we speak. We’re also working on a soldier exchange program that should be very helpful to all of us. I am very impressed by your Emperor and your empire.

Tell me something people may not know about you.
At this point, that could be anything. I am still relatively unknown.
I am in no way, musical. My brother got all of that talent. I enjoy playing a good game of Bolach. I hear it’s similar to human lacrosse. I’m better at close-quarter melee combat that at using a gun, but I do have a sharp eye for fleet and airship combat, which is the skill I have used the most in my military career. When I was little I wanted to be a farmer … so there’s one dream out the window. I modeled military armor and uniforms for a while. And my favorite color is orange, which was why I first noticed Juna.

What are the most common race-related questions you are asked, and how do you answer them?
1. Do you get your horns caught in things? No. We have them from the moment we are born and we naturally learn to navigate our lives with them. Coincidentally, we wonder the same of your little fifth fingers.
2. What are those little flaps on your neck? Are they gills? I suppose that’s one way to describe them. They don’t work in the water, though. We breathe other components found in the normal mix of the air humans breathe and we do it through the twelve openings on the neck.
3. Do your tails wag?

You have tails?
We do. They are quite short and are a remnant of our genetic past. And they do not wag. They can’t.

Last question. Can you explain the concept of The Line?
[takes a deep breath]
The Line is a symbol of knowing one’s place and one’s path, it’s about separating and connecting things, it’s about defining what is safe and what is not … it’s very hard to explain something I have always just understood. The Line is not a deity. We have no gods and we do not believe in magical beings we cannot see. The Line is something we can see there on the floor or drawn in light out in space. It’s as much a mental peculiarity as anything else. But it has kept us … *ahem* in line forever. No historian can pinpoint when The Line became a focus for us, nor can we definitively track why. There is a lot of speculation about where it came from and why, but I am not sure it matters. It may make us look a little strange to other races who don’t understand, but that’s not our problem.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Yes. We A’Cheis are proud of all we’ve accomplished. It’s no less remarkable than what humanity has achieved. We should rejoice in this good fortune because in this we mirror one another. Confusion to the DICs!