Nekera

The Nekera are a near-human species present in the Star Wars universe and RJO Earth.

Description
Nekeras closely resemble humans, only differing in certain physical features. Nekeras have short fur covering their skin, colors ranging from black to red to white, in the same scale as on Felis catus. Nekeras have a long tail and large feline ears, and while they have the same facial structure as humans, some nekeras have nose leather around the nostrils. Their nails, while not retractable, are strong and more curved than humans'.

On average, nekeras are somewhat stronger and more durable than humans. They have heightened senses and especially good night vision.

Nekeras can reproduce with humans, as well as other species that can reproduce with humans; the species of the bearer determines the species of the children: if the bearer is a nekera, the children will be nekeras, and vice versa.

RJO
Nekeras were first introduced to Earth in June 2010 when Warrior Cats appeared on RJO premises. Soon after, some Earth humans spontaneously transformed into nekeras, Amy Prongs being the first one.

In the world of RJO, a distinction is sometimes made between cat-to-nekera, human-to-nekera, and born-as-nekera nekeras, but the divide is artificial and has hardly any bearing on anything. Names sometimes provide the same info: only cat-to-nekera and certain human-to-nekera first generation nekeras have warrior names. Some cat-to-nekera-born nekera also have warrior names, but in that generation nature-themed human names were already taking hold.

Wizarding spells that change the appearance work on nekeras, allowing nekeras to appear in fully human form and humans as nekeras. Nekeras are also counted as humans for Polyjuice Potion purposes, and metamorphmagi can replicate nekeras.

Star Wars
During the Rise of the Empire era, a Republic scientist conducted an experiment combining human and feline DNA. The experiment was successful and a small number of nekeras were born. The scientist's work was eventually discovered and he was stripped of his titles. Some people wanted to euthanize the living nekera, but the Jedi sympathized with the nekera and organized for a colony to be set up on an otherwise uninhabited planet. The scientist was banished on the same planet, and he took all his research with him, leaving Galactic public mostly blind to the whole incident. The colonized planet was classified as uninhabitable to discourage future expeditions.

In 20 BBY, Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano crash-landed on the planet, and while Anakin recovered from injuries sustained in the crash, Ahsoka and the local girl who saved them read the scientist's now centuries old notes to find some way to communicate with the Jedi Temple. After the incident, the nekera species were formally included in the Republic, and their planet was classified as inhabited.

This did not last, and after the Galactic Republic was reordered into the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY, Emperor Palpatine sent a clone division to kill all nekeras on their planet. By 1 BBY, barely any nekera had survived.

Behind the Scenes
The species name is a portmanteau of neko and chimera, and was originally spelled nekoera.

Nekeras first appeared in an early RJO piece, written in early 2011 and set in October 2011, in which Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood characters were imported into the RJO world. The events were later moved to January 2011 to conform with the loose rule of 6 months between imports, and to create a more solid timeline of imports.