A New Traveller Race

Uplifted Monkey (Cercops)

I've always liked the concept of the Niven & Pournelle's "watchmakers" so I've adapted and broadened the concept for MTU. I've used the Blue Monkey as a base for my new race. IMTU they were research subjects on a remote planet before The Fall (a space-based Dark Ages) who thrived in those times in the absence of humans.

Average Specimen: ~15 kg (~30 lbs), 90 cm (~36") 

Cercops have a prehensile tail about the same length as the body and opposable thumbs. A cercop's hands and feet are equally dexterous and they will often remove their footwear for intricate tasks. Cercops are extremely adaptable and adept at improvising and customizing equipment.

Diet: omnivorous when needed but primarily frugivores supplemented with seeds, flowers, and insects.

Social: gregarious and inquisitive, cercops can be found in a variety of Traveller settings. They are most often encountered in technical or engineering capacities. They rarely serve as scouts, most eschew being alone (though exceptions exist).

Unique: cercops have developed a needler that attaches to the tail. It is carried in a small back holster, the tail slips into it and the needler can be in play in a split-second. Short of a combat situation, this is typically their preferred weapon.