While some species assert dominance through the sheer size of their navies or the might of their armies, the Gh’endeshi view the Pan-Galactic balance of power as a grand economic game—one they fully intend to win. A semi-amphibious species, the Gh’endeshi are relatively diminutive, averaging 5’ 2” (1.57 meters) in height, with softer, rounded builds, they lack the raw physicality of more martial species such as the Arik or Rulfians. Instead, they wield immense economic power, trade manipulation, and financial acumen to establish superiority and neutralize external threats through alternative and often indirect means. The Gh’endeshi talent for forward thinking, careful but quick planning, and business is a skill that seldom few can match

Among the major universal powers, the Gh’endeshi Trade Federation (GTF) has embedded itself in more external affairs than any other star-nation by a considerable margin. Through financial control over goods, contracts and agreements for services, resources, and trade, the GTF has effectively vassalized two of its nearest neighbors, as economic proxies and a buffer against potential threats. It is an open secret that Gh’endeshi meddling, though to what extend remains unknown, is responsible for the Mēkhang Dominion’s continued existence, despite widespread stagnation and considerable corruption. While the collapse of the Mēkhang Dominion seems an inevitable eventuality, it’s considered a “useful investment” to the GTF as its mere existence maintains outdated conditions of the Pan-Galactic Peace Articles, keeping the Arik at bay in ways they would otherwise not be able to without the use of considerable military effort.

Their aggressive trade tactics have led to embargoes by the United Cultural Acceptance Species Commonwealth (UCASC), barring most Gh’endeshi goods from circulation within the Commonwealth’s territories. One of the most notable banned exports is Gh’endeshi Spice—widely regarded as the single most desirable and flavorful seasoning in the known universe, coveted by all but a few species. This spice alone, and its effects to all manner of foodstuffs is a major part of the Gh’endeshi economy, though not an irreplaceable source of income. Despite this, any and all data on it, as well as the growth and seeds of it, are a closely guarded secret.

This mastery of rule-bending and economic entanglement is the defining characteristic of Gh’endeshi interactions. They study the legal, economic, and cultural frameworks of their clients and competitors, identifying ways to twist and exploit these systems to their advantage as a way to express a philosophical and personal concept known as Dar. This concept is core of the Gh’endeshi sense of self and success—a term that encompasses one’s business charisma, financial cunning, and the ability to secure the most advantageous deals possible through tangible results. Wealth is not simply a means to an end but a fundamental force of existence. The act of spending, investing, and circulating money is akin to the movement of blood in a living body. To hoard wealth, or worse, to have nowhere to spend it, is considered a fate worse than death.

This philosophy is reflected in the sheer number of services, markets, and entrepreneurial ventures present in Gh’endeshi society. Any service that can be monetized will be monetized. A common first business, or “side hustle,” for young Gh’endeshi is “Line Squatting”—securing high-priority positions in communication lines and selling them to clients unwilling to endure artificially inflated wait times.
Gh’endeshi thinking is deeply rooted in measurable value and tangible outcomes, often (but not always) eschewing metaphysical or traditional intangible philosophical pursuits in favor of practical benefit. This mindset extends into their rigid cultural customs, particularly in dining and social etiquette.

The Gh’endeshi are possessed of an extreme sense of pride, dignity, and self confidence in regards to themselves, and anyone else they deem as a true person by way of similar ideals and values, and as such, despite an extreme fluidity to adapt to different markets and systems to acquire success and wealth, the Gh’endeshi maintain a culture of strict domestic traditions and culture. One such custom, which is now regarded to Gh’endeshi in part as having medical implications, is in dining etiquette, in particular the separation of eating and drinking!

Drinking during a meal is considered “drowning the palate” and insults both the chef, the integrity of the meal, and one’s self. If a dish requires liquid to be palatable, it is deemed a failure of preparation. Meals are designed to maintain natural moisture balance, incorporating juicy fruits, berries, and vegetables rather than relying on beverages. To this end, Soup is widely regarded as an unpleasant, haphazard anomaly eaten by people who have lost respect for themselves to such a degree that they’ve lost the standards for the dignity of a proper meal. It exists outside of normal meal structure, neither a food nor a drink, and is often relegated to a niche culinary novelty. If soup is served, it must be thin enough to qualify as a beverage and is consumed separately during designated drinking times, and/or void of large particulates. Eating is traditionally a group experience and more often the social activity, while the separate drinking culture is slowly becoming more social in modern times.

Plates are traditionally sanded wooden platters or gold-plated ceramics, reflecting the Gh’endeshi preference for gold furnishings, or the redness of their fresh lumbers. Despite their rigid adherence to table setting customs, the idea of self dignity, and etiquette, the Gh’endeshi primarily eat with their fingers or skewers. Their hands, despite their otherwise soft amphibious physiology, are toughened and resistant to heat from constant handling of grilled foods over many generations. Despite a simmering racism which results in frequent verbal slights between Northern and Southern Gh'endeshi, on these matters, they are in absolute agreement despite cultural deviations.