Huraen

The Huraen (also known as the Huraenti) were an insectoid species who were members of the Lalairu. They were tall and slender, compound-eyed, many-limbed, mostly blue or green in color, with their chitin-covered bodies inlaid or figured with complicated patterns in malleable metals or textured plastics. They looked like a praying mantis with a slightly, mournful, understanding look, and more legs than even a praying mantis would need.

Their homeworld had been destroyed by some natural calamity centuries before the 24th century. But since all the Huraen had been traveling as one of the Lalairu peoples since well before that time, none of them particularly cared. By virtue of that ancient association, and because of some unspecified sacrifice the Huraen made for the other Lalairu species, the Laihe, the head of the whole race, was usually a Huraen.

They were skilled artisans and craftsmen, engineers of extraordinary talent, and had a reputation for being able to understand anything mechanical within seconds. In terms of personality, they tended to be affable, subtle, and fond of the interpersonal arts: chief among them, language. They were very talkative and liked it that way. That was alright in their language, which was structured and straight forward.

A Huraen Laihe warned the Enterprise crew of strange activity in the area they were in, but since her dialogue had elements of Lalairsa, the Lalairu language, the crew did not completely understand what she was saying. 


 * While the novel says that the Huraen were usually the Laihe, other sources had members of other races as the Laihe.