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Biology

An Unbound warrior demonstrates proper vaurcan medical treatment.

To humans and many other species in the Orion Spur, the Vaurca have a multitude of similarities to earth insects, most closely resembling eusocial species such as ants. The most striking affinity is the exoskeleton, which is composed of a complex polymer chain involving sulfur as a key catalyst with silicon, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen forming a much stronger protective shell than the exoskeletons of a myriad of other creatures. Additionally they have an open circulatory system allowing free flow of blood rather than being constrained in veins, not unlike Earth's arthropods. The exact form a Vaurca takes changes drastically with their caste. Vaurca are polymorphic, with each caste having unique physiological differences, from larger bulwarks able to lift heavy loads, to a multitude of smaller forms designed for more specialized tasks, the exact biology of Vaurca varies dramatically across the species.

Caste Summary

Vaurca have a strictly regimented biological caste system in which they are purpose-built for tasks, resulting in minor to extremely stark differences between members of the species. When translated into basic, the majority of castes are known by "type," with the first letter of the type being the biological base and the first of that design, with further derivatives being marked by the second or depending on prevalence, even third letter. A and B are the two most common castes, which are workers and warriors, respectively. Having been the first of the species born beside the Ta in Vaurca evolutionary history, the overwhelming majority of designs originated from one of these two bases.

Ka, The Workers (Type A)

Type A are the most abundant of the Bioforms in Vaurca populations, being described as the backbone of the species. The most prevalent feature of the Ka is the hardened exoskeleton, tending to be thicker due to the polymer chains being tightly packed. This robust exoskeleton provides protection against harsh radiation, solar and otherwise, and acts as a tough pressure-suit to seal their soft inner core from the outside world. This allows most Type A Vaurcae to have extended, several day-long EVA expeditions, assuming they have phoron in their internal tank. They can be bipedal or quadrupedal, with bird-like talon toes. Their hands consist of two middle fingers with small talons at the end, and two opposable thumbs, a left and a right, on either side of their hand. Type A ranges from 5 feet to 7 feet tall on average, though outliers of both spectrums are not unheard of for the more specialized tasks.

Examples of Type A Vaurca Bioforms

Type AA

AA type workers are smaller, and fill similar roles to that of maintenance drones. They are all exclusively bound, and deal with more trivial repairs to ships, systems and structures utilized by the various Hives.

Type AB

Type AA are similar to AB however they are more suited to transporting heavy loads. Ranging in sizes anywhere from a dog to a bear, they possess small robust legs and a strong flat back, forming a large surface area to bear weight. They see extensive use by the K’lax, in particular across Tret.

Za, The Warriors (Type B)

Type B are the second most prominent Bioform in Vaurca society, taking up the role of heavily augmented warriors. Type B can range in size from 6 feet tall to 8 feet tall, with Za Bound known as warforms, rising to as much as 20 feet tall. They can be bipedal, quadrupeds, hexapods and anything in between. Many have weapons physically attached to their bodies, making them unwieldy or impractical for any situation other than combat. Warriors, unlike other Types of Vaurcae, are not typically passive. This means that they are more suitable for the combat oriented positions that the other castes tend to be poorly suited for. Unlike workers, their exoskeleton is not as well equipped for such extended EVA expeditions, however it can withstand a few hour long excursion. The majority of the Warrior caste Vaurca employed by the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate are Type BA, meaning that they are deprived of most advanced augments and mostly differ from other Types simply in that they are more mentally suited for combat or being involved in the function of something that could be considered a weapon. Type BA warriors are akin to Type AA workers, making up much of the average Za population. As with all Vaurcae, there are slight differences between individuals to cater to the specific environment they’re designed to work in. A logistics officer, combat overseer, or commander may not be suited for engagements but may possess a mind capable of processing data rapidly. Likewise, Vaurca, designed for engagements, would be built for the job. A guard may be observant and attentive, with plenty of patience, and a soldier may be inherently capable of communicating efficiently and quickly.

Examples of Type B Vaurca Bioforms

Type BB

Type BB Za are quadrupeds, built to be agile and quick. They’re primarily made to be scouts or serve in support positions and they excel at quick guerilla tactics. They can possess the same roles as regular warriors, but their speed-built forms aren’t as hardy. They’re commonly attributed to the role of combat medics - providing medical assistance on the field, or removal of the neural socket if the individual cannot be saved. Perhaps due to their use as combat medics, they’re often seen as less sympathetic.

Type BC

BC variants of Za are typically hexapod Bioforms used in extreme environments, being made to withstand the fiery surface of Sedantis. While not capable of handling a full-blown firestorm, they’re the closest the Hives have to a bioform that could. They are slow, but durable and relentless. Not many BC's have been seen, and it is thought that many of this Type have died out due to lack of maintenance as well as a lack of need.

Za'Kax, Warforms (Type BD+)

Warforms are constructs of war, heavily augmented bound Vaurca, outfitted with in-built weapons, and coming in a variety of heights and forms. These can range from as small as 2 feet to towering behemoths standing at heights of 20 feet. Type BD are the Warforms that the majority of the public in places that know of Vaurca have seen or heard about. They are tall bipedal Vaurcae designed by the Zo'ra Hive, that have been augmented and induced with extremely large amounts of growth hormones to reach heights of 10 to 20 feet. Many possess large scythe-like blades in place of their claws, capable of cutting through various forms of reinforced steel, and they can be equipped with a variety of in-built weaponry, with the most famous and terrifying being a strong napalm-like compound known as Zo'rane flame, expelled through the warform’s mouth. Many other Types of warform exist or have existed in the past but were destroyed in events such as the Great Hive War, where creative Warforms were deployed in the thousands, and its conclusion, in which a return to traditional cultural combat replaced many of the underhanded tactics employed by these Warforms leading to the loss of many of the designs.

Examples of Type BD+ Vaurca Bioforms

Type BDE

Type BDE are among the largest of the Za’Kax warriors and are hexapods made to be durable and load-bearing, with heavy artillery typically installed into their backs. Despite having been designed by Hive Zo'ra during the Great Hive War to act as a siege weapon that could still maneuver through the cramped caverns of Sedantis, they are most often deployed by the K'lax Hive, who are known to arm the Type BDE with everything from jury-rigged Hegemony artillery pieces to accurate long-range cannons that fire not shells but concentrations of deadly acid drawn from internal biological sacs. Type BDE are most often used to complement large military formations but have yet to be mass-produced due to high maintenance costs. Rumors are abound that geneticists under the K'lax and C'thur Hives have begun separately looking into methods to reduce how Phoron hungry the Type BDE is but are yet to turn up results.

Type BDF

A quadrupedal Bioform standing at 9 feet tall and filling in the lines for heavy infantry, Type BDF Warriors have been used by almost all Hives at some point in their history of conflict, dating back generations. They were most recently seen being used by the Lii’dra during their incursion with Elyra. Their quadrupedal form, aided by climbing augmentation in the form of mag-claws, allows them to traverse various terrains quickly, and they are frequently seen carrying anti-armour weapons.

Type BDG

Type BDG are one of the most common military Bioforms and are only about 2 feet long. They are not dissimilar to Type AB workers but adapted for military use. Possessing wings, they are deadly when deployed in swarms and when used are typically employed to scatter defensive lines or attack structures. Their mobility and speed also means they’re excellent at surveillance.

Type BDH

The Type BDH are large winged hexapods which due to very extensive augmentation including the addition of auxiliary thrusters are capable of flight over sustained periods. All three Hives make use of Type BDH warforms, although the exact form varies, as does the equipment. Although they all possess multiple variations the Zo'ra Hive is known for most commonly equipping their BDH warforms with large underbelly weaponry utilizing the Type BDH not unlike close air support for formations whereas the K'lax use a design from Sedantis, installing bladed arms and having the BDH close the distance slicing up targets in a grisly display. The C'thur took a different approach favoring using the BDH as lightly armed transports capable of carrying and dropping other Warforms into the center of conflict zones.

Type BDH

Type BDH are only seen being deployed by the Lii'dra, and from reports by the Vaurca Hives, it appears to the Spur to be a new advancement by the Lii'dra on an older Type of Warform which still sees some usage in the Spur. They were most commonly used in terror tactics and assassination, taking out key personnel and vehicles. They are 15 feet of pure terror, resembling most closely terrestrial centipedes. Type BDH are able to burrow into most natural surfaces and have been seen taking out combat mechs due to their speed and the incredibly acidic venom, which they can spray if need be. To this day, only three of them have been successfully killed, mostly by being bisected, which is the method of cutting the spinal cord to sever the Warforms link to its Hive. According to the Vaurca Hives, it is not immediately clear why severing the Warforms link to the Hive immediately disables it, whereas other Lii'dra maintain a limited level of self-control; theories range from it being a safety mechanism to a necessary biological function.

Ta, The Breeders (Type C)

Type C are rare among Vaurca and make up only 2-3% of the entire species. They are the only individuals in Vaurca Hives that are fertile, except for the Queens and Lesser Queens themselves. The males are raised as bound while the females are raised as unbound, with both of them acting to ensure their respective Hive cells possess the resources they need to function, fertilize eggs, act as advisors to Queens, replace a dying Lesser Queen or even become an additional Lesser Queen if the Hive needs more growth. The males are considered CA and the females CB. Since Vaurca Hives began to develop rudimentary democracy generations ago, female Breeders have been used as representatives and diplomats for their respective Queens, a departure from their traditional evolutionary duties. This extension of their role comes about from their keen social intelligence, making them ideal candidates for negotiating with aliens on economic and political matters. They easily grasp the nuances of social context, contracts, and systems that other castes have difficulty navigating.

Examples of Type C Vaurca Bioforms

Type CA

Type CA fill the role of male Ta and closely resemble that of the females save for a few key differences such as their exoskeleton being far more drab in terms of structure, not possessing regal growths and also not possessing wings. They themselves are also bound and are rarely seen outside of the main Hive territory, being created only to continue the Hive's existence. Some CA Ta are seen alongside lesser known CB Ta, such as those that work outside of the Hive. Additionally some larger Queenless populations are given the occasional CA from time to time in exchange for a trade be this lending a labor force, supplies or otherwise contributing towards economic gain. Cephalon (Type D) The Cephalon is the strangest of all Vaurcae beings, if it can still be considered such. They are bombarded from birth by special hormones designed to expand their brains. In this case, however, their bodies are bombarded with special treatments designed to hypercharge their thyroid and pituitary glands. This results in a brain that will continue growing far, far beyond the needs even of the Unbound - it will grow so much that they - the Cephalon's handlers - can cut live samples, spread them across trellises and racks, and treat them with more hormones and chemicals to keep them growing further. After a decade of pruning, racking, and tanning, and some cybernetic wire-work besides, the end result is a new Cephalon - a biomechanical supercomputer that houses a large portion of the Virtual Reality Network, and will live for hundreds of years. Its processing power is somewhere in the tens of zettaflops, if it can even be measured that way. Each Lesser Queen tends to keep several of these, acting as servers from which their Virtual Reality is hosted. Cephalons are not generally considered Bound or Unbound, but inert, motionless equipment. As such they hold no name or designation to any hive at large.

Ra, The Bulwarks (Type E)

The newest caste of the Vaurca, Type E are heavyset industrialists that specialize in jobs involving hard labour, engineering, and maintenance. Average specimens stand at 8-10 feet tall, and require special clothing due to their unique shape. Type E Vaurca are the least prominent population wise in the species, due to the fact they were only recently conceived as a joint operation between the C'thur and the Nralakk Federation. They were unveiled at the first session of the reformed Court of Queens in 2463, before specimens belonging to the other hives began appearing. Bulwarks tend to be strictly defensive in their temperament, meaning they will fight to defend themselves and those in their immediate surroundings, before escaping when presented the chance. They will not chase down threats or run into situations they are not already involved in.

Being larger in size means their internal structure is different from the majority of Vaurca, instead possessing a more reinforced central ‘spine’ of sorts under the carapace on their back and also possessing two hearts. The larger of the two is situated in the lungs, whilst the second is lower, around the pelvic region.

Life Cycle

The lifecycle of a Vaurca is fairly complicated when compared to other species. Each stage of a Vaurca's development is clearly regimented by biological developments or the introduction of augmentations.

Vaurca eggs are laid by a Hives high or lower Queen, and naturally enter a state of suspended animation when they are outside of the ovipositor, locking the egg in its initial stage until it is received by its surrogate Ta. This is compounded with cryogenics to effectively transport a vast amount of eggs between the Queen and their surrogate Ta. Every Ta within a Hive specializes in the creation of many different Types of Vaurcae. Ta themselves are living biological factories, capable of controlling nearly every aspect of their progeny via genetic manipulation, a process that has great cultural importance attached to it.

Before a larva is hatched, its purpose is determined by a Type CB Ta, in a process called Imagotis, where in this imaginal stage, the Ta can hold in its mind the image of its completed offspring, releasing gene expressions to mold the larva into its desired form.

Bound

Larva destined to become Bound are born without parts of their brain, and their organs are undeveloped, preparing them to receive implants as soon as they are hatched. These implants grow with the Bound, and it will have them throughout its entire life unless replaced. Bound Vaurca reach maturity within six months. Upon fully maturing, they are implanted with a neural socket and begin working immediately. A Bound's lifespan is theoretically infinite, provided that the Hive keeps its augments well maintained. In reality, however, Bound are rarely maintained and thus can expect an operational lifespan of around ten years on average, provided they experience no work-related injuries. Upon the death of a Bound, the augmentations they possess are removed and repurposed, and the body is typically incinerated.

Unbound

If a larva is destined to become an Unbound, it is given six months of organic development, which allows for its brain to mature fully. After this six-month period, it is implanted with a neural socket and experiences Virtual Reality for the development of its personality and training. These six months are the closest thing to childhood that a Vaurca has. At the conclusion of this one-year period, the Unbound is fully mature and prepared for whatever purpose it may have been given by the Hive. It will receive several augmentations depending on circumstance throughout its life, unlike Bound, who receive all of their augments at birth. Furthermore, unlike Bound, Unbound are always more flesh than augmentation, so they cannot be "maintained," an Unbound experiencing a lifespan of twenty years on average, at the conclusion of which their neural socket containing their mind is uploaded into VR and their augmentations are reclaimed by the Hive. Their body is generally incinerated. Years spent in VR tend to not subtract from this lifespan, meaning that an Unbound could be extremely old if it spent most of its time in VR.

The Ta, Queens and Consorts of the Vaurca

The Ta are the leaders of the Vaurca, pushing the species through history to various degrees of success and failure. Without the Ta, the Vaurca would die out; being the only Bioform that can reproduce.

Ta are rarely born, only when a leadership position is required or when a previous Ta has died for whatever reason. The Mother Ta will then cease all other egg production and produce one single egg with the required hormone, with the individual being an almost complete genetic clone of the mother. This egg is 7 to 10 inches in diameter, rather than the standard 5 inches, and will grow to nearly 15 inches in diameter. These eggs are treated like a precious metal or gem and are heavily protected by all parties involved. Defending these eggs is one of the only times a Ta will get aggressive. This is the same, be it an Unbound or Bound Ta.

The egg will hatch after 10 days, and the larvae will grow for a year, their carapace hardening in several places and becoming thicker overall as they grow ceremonial crests and wings that will sprout along the entire length of its back; however, the Ta will typically be too heavy for them to generate lift. At the conclusion of this growth, they will enter a pupal stage, where they will pupate for another 5 or so months. The Birth and Second Hatching of an Unbound Ta is seen as a celebration, and depending on how important the new Unbound Ta will be, the bigger the celebration, being one of the few celebrations the Vaurca partake in.

The average Ta who was not given a regular supply of Royal hormones used to live from 200 to 300 years; now, however, since their own medical developments, they are theoretically biologically immortal, with most of the Ta aboard Titan Prime being at least over a thousand years old. When a Ta dies, their personalised and required augments are removed, with the neural socket being stored and the required augments being used by their possible replacement. Personalized augments are destroyed.

If the Unbound Ta is destined to be a lesser Queen, it is given Royal hormones which will change its form over the course of the next few years as it takes on more Royal features. A larger crown forms on the exoskeleton of their head, and they have more prominent shoulders, wings and thorax.

Bound Ta are typically a normal Ta, but given the organ inhibitor hormones during their larval development as all bound are. They are recognisable as having less vibrant carapace coloring, subdued royal crests, and no wings. These are the males of the Hive, with an Unbound Ta tending to always have a bound Ta on hand to help with the odd menial task. They also do not live very long, with the average Bound Ta living only a couple of years. Because of this, they are always made to a certain point to ensure the Hive continues.

Organs

Vaurca organs, whilst having some universal similarities with other sapient species; are very different in how they work and process the required elements for a Vaurca to live. The Vaurca brain itself is not unlike that of any other species with sapience in that it possesses a developed central lobe, but it also has features more similar to those of earth arthropods, such as set outer lobes for ocular, auditory, and other senses. The overwhelming majority of Vaurca have a neural socket installed towards the back of the brain, just before the center spinal nerve allowing access to the Hivenet and Virtual Reality Systems.

The exoskeleton itself is very tough. Depending on the Bioform, it can be more tightly packed, with Ra having a more dense and thicker exoskeleton, Za having a more flexible and mobile exoskeleton, and Ka in between these variations. While this exoskeleton provides the Vaurca with numerous benefits, such as high radiation resistance and strong structural support against a vacuum, it also has drawbacks:

One such drawback is that Vaurca have an open circulatory system; their bodies are essentially tanks of their sulfur-based blood. As a result, Vaurca have a heart that is comparable to that of a larger animal.The heart has two individual chambers, which simply take in blood before expelling it. The two chambers essentially cause flow to the left and right of the body.

The lungs act more as one, forming a ring around the heart, the main source of blood flow, and are aided by two implanted cybernetic and bioengineered organs, such as the Phoron reservoir, which stores phoron otherwise ingested by an individual Vaurca. This phoron is then pumped into the breathing apparatus, a bioengineered set of thin, delicate tubes that help diffuse the phoron into the lungs, allowing the latter to catalyze the respiration for the Vaurca. The reservoir can also store oxygen if required, in which case the breathing apparatus takes over in place of the lungs when a Vaurca is within a vacuum.

When on Sedantis, these engineered organs were not required due to the prevalence of phoron and oxygen in the Vaurca homeworld's atmosphere. However, with phoron not being present in other atmospheres, these organs are now essential for Vaurca to live. A gas the atmosphere of Sedantis did not possess in high quantities compared to others is nitrogen, and while it is present in the bodies of Vaurca, the gas itself is toxic to the Vaurca, hence the use of the filter that is placed at the front of the Vaurca's trachea, just above the start of the Esophagus.

Limbs

The exact limbs of Vaurca vary heavily depending on caste. They typically have two large insect-like eyes which are hyper-sensitive to most forms of light and may have two smaller ones underneath. While they can function in light-heavy environments perfectly fine, many complain about frequent migraines and tend to get frustrated after long exposures to light like the sun, or even general ship lighting. This hyper-sensitivity, however, leads to greatly increased eyesight in dark areas. Their eyes are completely black in terms of colouration, with no variation between the castes. They also have large, insect-like antennae that protrude from their head. These antennae are used for greater perception of their surroundings and to communicate with each other through subtle movements, or rubbing them together with another. Acting as olfactory sensory and nerve database loosing these antennae can cause confusion, dizziness, nausea, communications problems, and extreme pain.

Their mouthparts have two large mandibles which are very strong in warriors.

A Vaurca Worker and Warrior may possess vestigial arms below their main limbs, genetic remnants that serve little purpose except to hold the occasional item. Some Vaurcae may remove them for practicality while others are decorating them for fashion purposes. The latter is quickly becoming a fad for Vaurcae who regularly interact with aliens.

Augments

While virtually all Vaurcae look identical in an augmented state, aside from various shifts in colour, virtually all Vaurcae are augmented in some manner, the degree to which depending very much on their caste and purpose. Bound Vaurcae typically undergo the most augmentation. Much of their organic mass will at some point be replaced with machinery, so they can fulfill one specific task to the best of their ability. Worker Bound will at the completion of their development look more like construction machines than Vaurca, with variable amounts of limbs and a plethora of tools at their disposal. Warrior Bound will assume a variety of forms, varying from simple infantry with weapon and targeting augments to assault vehicles. The more complex the caste name of a Bound, the less recognizable it is as a standard Vaurca. Unbound however will rarely undergo such severe augmentation. The great limitation of such heavy modification is that it eliminates versatility, the entire purpose of the Unbound caste. Many of their augments are performance enhancing instead of alterations of the form. The majority of Unbound are today equipped with at least basic communication augments which make them versatile assets to communicate with extra-hive entities. Ultimately, all Vaurcae currently employed by the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate aboard the SCCV Horizon are of the least augmented tier - either Type AA, Type BA or Type E. Their carapace is almost totally unmodified. Bound and Unbound alike will have a neural socket and oxygen filtration system, and may utilize full-limb prosthetics. Bound may have several augments designed to increase work efficiency or general survival, while Unbound will typically have only a few augments to ensure that they can fulfill any task assigned to them by the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate.

Sleep Cycle

The Bound follow a predictable sleep pattern. Specialized augmentations control chemical precursors that induce sleepfulness within Bound that causes them to sleep. While predictable, the times that a Bound sleeps typically depend on its duty within the hive, with the most physically demanding jobs having the longest periods of sleep. Unbound Vaurcae spends 98 hours active on average before experiencing drowsiness. Some Unbound may change this sleep cycle depending on their work or needs, similar in scope to change their habits in ways similar to humans. To sleep, a Vaurca adopts a leaning position that uses specialized joints and hinges in their exoskeletal plates to sleep standing upright.