Arthro

The Arthro are an insect-like race that have evolved to have an extremely robust physiology and have developed highly complex methods of communication and data tracking. There is a saying that even after everything else is gone, the Arthro will still survive. Once widespread, the number of Arthro have dwindled dramatically as a result of numerous conflicts with other races, and being nearly hunted to extinction. To survive, the Arthro eventually proposed a peaceful resolution which was accepted by the other races. The Arthro have undertaken a transformative change to help ensure the preservation of their species. They are currently at the beginning of a new migration phase wherein their race is looking for new suitable planets to colonize which will hopefully avoid competing for resources with other races. During this phase, the nests on their current worlds remain dormant, with eggs guarded by soldier Arthros with no drones or queens active, while advanced scout Arthros search for new worlds.

Body type: Insectoid. They have a head, long flexible thorax, small abdomen and 6 legs. Their body is covered by a hard chitinous material and they also have a protective shell that covers the back of their thorax and abdomen. They do not have wings, but they can lift and split their shell down the middle to form small airfoils that allow them to glide for short distances. They have a pair of small antennae on their head. They are capable of walking on 6 legs, 4 legs (with the front two legs raised to manipulate or carry items) or on 2 legs (stance taken when interacting with other races or when interacting with certain items). Their body length is roughly 1.2 meters (4 feet) from head to tail, but when standing up-right on 2 legs, their height is approximately 1.52 meters (5 feet).

Appearance: The coloration of Arthro is generally black or brown. On some worlds the Arthro have evolved to have different coloration to better adapt to their surroundings. Their chitinous outer body is covered by very small hair-like bristles of varying lengths called setae.

Physical abilities: Very high strength, ability to climb vertical surfaces, resistance to heat, radiation and pressure, ability to enter dormancy (diapause)

Growth rate: The Arthro undergo multiple stages. Eggs hatch into larva which eventually form pupae before finally metamorphosing into an adult Arthro. The entire process takes approximately 3 months, though environmental factors can alter this.

Lifespan: Arthro live about 20 years. This can be extended through dormancy.

Intelligence: Once thought to possess little more than animal-level intelligence, later studies found that the Arthro possess a very high intelligence. Through a complex imprinting process, a hive is able to pass on its collective knowledge to larva. Adults are able to communicate large amounts of information through chemical pheromones at short range. The Arthro also possess a unique ability to communicate brief messages via subspace on Zeta-band waves broadcast and received using their antennae. This allows for near instantaneous communication between members of a hive regardless of distance.

Sexual Characteristics: During larva stage, the imprinting process determines whether the Arthro will transform into a worker drone, soldier, scout, advanced scout or queen. The worker drones and scouts are sexless. Soldiers and advanced scouts are always male. Queens are always female. The soldiers and advanced scouts are capable of mating with a queen once and then die shortly afterward. When a new queen emerges in an established hive, she will mate with several soldiers and shortly thereafter she will begin to lay eggs. Arthro eggs are ellipsoid-shaped approximately 30 to 38 cm (12 to 15 inches) long and 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches) in diameter. Once egg-laying begins, the queen can produce several hundred eggs per day.

Advanced scouts serve a special purpose. Each has a special pouch in their abdomen where they carry a single egg destined to be a new queen. Once they find a suitable new home, and have stocked it with enough food, they remove the egg and incubate it until it hatches. The larva is then imprinted to be a queen and enters pupa state. After the queen emerges, they mate and then the advanced scout dies shortly afterward. The new queen then feasts on the food in the hive and begins to lay eggs. After maturing, the newly hatched Arthro will begin serving their designated roles in the new hive.

Dangers: Previously, most races considered Arthro to be unintelligent bugs, and they generally ignored them unless they began to encroach on key territories or began to compete for food resources. Attempts to exterminate them tended to follow soon after. Due to their relatively fast growth rate and the number of eggs a queen can lay each day, the Arthro have the ability to amass huge populations quickly which many races see as a potential threat.

Additional details: Regardless of their role, each Arthro's main goal is ensuring the survival of the hive. They are generally not confrontational, but will fight boldly to protect their hive.