Vaurca

Overview
Vaurca, (Vore-Kah, Vaurca in singular term and Vaurcae in multiple) are a bipedal insectoid species that originate from the Sedantis I|first moon of Sedantis. They have a complex caste system consisting of the lower slave caste called The Bound and the higher, free-thinking caste of the Unbound. Since factions in known space made first contact with one of their hive-ships on the 21th of December 2456, they have started to spread throughout human space. Although tolerated on Nanotrasen Corporation stations and in Tau Ceti, they are often discriminated against and are unwelcome in most human-owned sectors in the Sol Alliance. Unfortunately even in Tau Ceti they face troubles integrating with society, with many Vaurca of the Zo'ra hive forced to live in refugee camps as the Biesel government struggles to accommodate them all. In the meanwhile, the Lii'dra Hive-Ship continues to strike systems from deep space, and the Vaurca in the K'lax's malfunctioning Hive-ship struggle to find a new home while questioning why they should continue to be servants to the Zo'ra, especially while their former masters live in refugee camps and the rest of them live in systems far, far away, if they still live at all...

To apply to be one of the insect-like Vaurca, apply here

Heads of Staff
Vaurca can't be any Heads of Staff.

Mechanics

 * Global hivemind, accessible via :9 and heard only by other Vaurcae and stationbound synthetics.
 * Pressure & Cold resistant, allowing them to survive in space with internals.
 * Minor brute damage buff. X.5 addition.
 * Unaffected by Phoron gas.
 * Have natural insulation.
 * Immune to slipping.
 * Can only healthily consume food consisting of K'ois paste and byproducts.
 * Require phoron to breathe. They spawn with an internal phoron tank they can refill by consuming plasma reagent.
 * Cannot wear normal shoes or gloves.
 * Cannot wear normal helmets. (Can wear hats.)
 * Cannot wear many spacesuits.
 * Do not self-heal.
 * Takes 2x the toxin damage.
 * Suffer from additional bloodloss.
 * Minorly vulnerable to EMPs.
 * Can be permanently rendered blind by flashing them several times in a row.
 * Cloners will not clone their non-organic organs.


 * Vaurca Warriors are more resistant to fire than their Worker brethren.
 * Vaurca Warriors are faster than their Worker brethren, and can sprint for longer.
 * Vaurca Warriors can bite.


 * Vaurca Workers are more resistant to brute than their Warrior brethren.
 * Vaurca Workers are more resistant to radiation than their Warrior brethren.
 * Vaurca Workers are more resistant to suffocation than their Warrior brethren.
 * Vaurca Workers are slower than their Warrior brethren.
 * Vaurca Workers cannot bite.

Non-mechanic traits:
 * Dislike light.
 * Generally very specialized, often no inter-department knowledge.
 * Face severe discrimination in human space.

Coloration:
 * Vaurcae exoskeletons are typically coloured depending on the type and hive of the Vaurca specimen in question.
 * Zo'ra Hive
 * Unbound of any type: (RGB 51, 0, 0)
 * Bound Warriors: (RGB 71, 0, 21)
 * Bound Workers: (RGB 71, 21, 21)
 * K'lax Hive
 * Unbound of any type: (RGB 51, 51, 0)
 * Bound Warriors: (RGB 51, 71, 21)
 * Bound Workers: (RGB 71, 71, 21)
 * Lii'dra Hive
 * Lii'dra can be any colour, to permit them to masquerade as Vaurcae from other hives.

Playable Factions/Types/Castes
Vaurca can come from the Zo'ra, K'lax, or Lii'dra hives. The Lii'dra are exclusive to antagonists and events, though an antagonist Vaurca can be from another hive, or pretend to be from another hive while being from Lii'dra.

Playable Vaurca can be either Bound or Unbound, and their playstyles are drastically different.

Playing Bound
Drones have a lot in common with station synthetics in personality and playstyle. They are lobotomized members of a slave caste trained to obey orders without question. They have no concept of the self and can only act independently in matters of personal survival, maintenance, or self-defense. The Vaurca drones often probably speak slowly, and have trouble speaking Basic.

Bound are barred from security, medical, and science jobs. They are free to take civilian jobs or engineering jobs. They are also free to be menial lab assistants, or orderlies in the medical department. They do not need to be formally promoted before taking these jobs.

Playing Unbound
Unbound are the human-like part of the Vaurca species and are capable of playing any non-command role in terms of ability. They can either be unique individuals having spent time out of their Virtual Reality for some time, or can be similar to drones; fresh off a hive and from their VR, barely knowing anything. They can hate their bodies or others around them, because they were torn from the VR they call paradise.

Unbound are currently restricted to only civilian-level jobs, including lab assistants, security cadets, medical interns, and engineering apprentices. NanoTrasen has introduced a "Peer Review" system to accomodate promotion to higher positions - Read the "Avowal of Responsibility" form available in form dispensers for more information.

Speaking like a Vaurca
Unbound Vaurca may have augments that can allow them to have an easier time speaking Basic, combined with a potential greater time spent training themselves to speak it naturally. Otherwise, Vaurcae typically express an unfamiliarity with the language, preferring to use basic words and sentence structures over more complex ones, and often may be unaware of the exact meaning of words, or the names of objects, instead describing them.

Unaugmented Vaurcae can expect difficulty pronouncing certain sounds due to their stiff mandibles. Many Vaurca have difficulty producing sounds related to the letter "s", and instead substitute with a harsh buzzing in the throat. ("Phoron gas is fine!" becomes "Phoron gaz iz fine!"). Some Vaurca may have difficulty producing soft consonant sounds such as those produced by "f" or "ph", and instead substitute them with a more guttural "vh". ("Phoron gas is fine!" becomes "Vhoron gas is vhine!". Some unfortunate specimen may even be plagued with both impediments at once. (Phoron gas is fine!" becomes "Vhoron gaz iz vhine!"), or even further, more exotic impediments.

Help with naming
The traditional naming system is complex, with first names being made of three parts. The first part is either Ka for workers, Za for soldiers, or Ta for breeders. The second syllable is Viax for Bound, or Akaix for Unbound.

Finally, the last syllable of the name is a masked number, however players are free to choose how this may be represented, with the only restriction being that it should not be longer than a single syllable - at the very most two syllables. For a worker Unbound it might be: "Ka'Akaix'Siith Zo'ra." With 'Siith' being created by the player. The surname is the hive that the Vaurca is a part of, in the example's case "Zo'ra".

Biology
To the average human, the Vaurca seem to have the appearance of terrestrial prawns. However, they act closer to ants or termites. Their biology follows a similar structure to something like a termite; scientifically, this description is largely superficial.

Life Cycle
The cycle of life and death in Vaurca society is at first glance relatively simplistic. Each stage of a Vaurca's development is clearly regimented by either biological developments or the introduction of augmentations.

When a larva is hatched, its purpose is determined by a Type CB. Larvae destined to become Bound are lobotimized and begin augmentation immediately, reaching maturity within six months. Once they fully mature, they are implanted with a neural socket, and begin work immediately. Bound lifespan is theoretically infinite, provided that the Hive keeps its Bound labour force well-maintained. In this modern world however, where the Vaurca tend to be held as refugees, Bound are rarely maintained and thus can expect an operational lifespan of ten years, provided they experience no work-related injuries. Upon the death of a Bound, the augmentations they possessed are removed and repurposed, and the body is typically incinerated.

If a larva is destined to become 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 is filled with information at a steady rate by the hive for another six months. At the conclusion of this one year period, the Unbound is fully matured, 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 the Bound who receive all their augments at birth. Unlike Bound, Unbound are always more flesh than augmentation, and thus they cannot simply be "maintained". An Unbound experiences a lifespan of twenty years, at the conclusion of which their augmentations are reclaimed by the hive, and their body is incinerated. Years spent in VR tend to not subtract from this lifespan, meaning that an Unbound could be several decades old, if it spent most of its time in VR.

If a larva is destined to become Type C, whether it be CA or CB, it is fed special hormones that inspire organic growth that diverges from the typical model. Type CA are lobotomized much like other Bound, however they are not augmented until the end of their growth period. Their sexual organs fully develop, and their carapace hardens in several places, forming ceremonial crests. Wing growths sprout along their back, which will fully develop during periods where the Type CA is fertile. The CA is then augmented to fulfill their role as consort, breeder, and representative of a Breeder. A Type CA will live as long as it remains virile. Once it become sterile due to natural or artificial causes, the Type CA dies and a new one is bred to replace it.

A Type CB will be nurtured for a whole year organically, allowing the royal growth hormones to take maximum effect. Their carapace will harden in several places, becoming generally thicker and growing further ceremonial crests. Wings will sprout along the entirety of its back - unlike the Type CA, CB wings are fully developed for the entirety of their life, however during designated breeding periods the CB will typically be to heavy to generate lift. Throughout their growth period they will be given all the information they need to act as representatives and leaders of the hive. Type CB's will then have neural tubes implanted along the back of their head, allowing them to interface with the neural sockets of any Vaurca assigned under them. A Type CB will typically live for twenty years like most Unbound, excluding years spent in VR. When a Type CB dies it is incinerated along with its augments.

Whenever it becomes necessary, a Type CB larvae can be morphed into a Lesser Queen through the injection of additional royal hormones. A Lesser Queen is biologically different from most organic Vaurca in that it naturally has several limbs and a clearly distinct thorax and abdomen, permitting the creation of several eggs at a time. A Lesser Queen is typically created when another Lesser Queen dies, or the hive needs to undergo massive expansion - to the point where a retinue of governing Type CB is not sufficient. For this reason several Type CB larvae are typically kept in cold storage, should an emergency arise. A Lesser Queen will fulfill many roles in its lifetime, typically overseeing millions of Vaurca at any given time. They are responsible for directing any Type CB under their command, and typically manage entire hive complexes when possible. A Lesser Queen is also expected to relay the whims and orders of a hive's High Queen. A Lesser Queen can also live for a very long time under the proper circumstances - all Lesser Queen's present in human space are the same that embarked from Sedantis I 2,000 years ago. When and if a Lesser Queen does die, however, its body is preserved and stored away for posterity.

Internal Organs
Internally, Type A are very similar to that of an Earth insect. They have an open circulatory system, with their blood covering their digestive system, dual hearts, lungs, and other organs. Their two hearts provide a significant sloshing motion to prevent the blood from stagnating. The Vaurcae's blood is a copper-based hemoglobin, with a high dependency of sulfur, which causes their blood to adopt a yellowish color instead of the red prevalent with other species. It also emanates a very potent stink. This open circulatory system, however, can lead to wounds that pierce the exoskeleton and minor layer of skin to bleed out quickly unless treated.

Vaurcae lungs are totally organic. However, they cannot naturally process oxygen without there being phoron present in the mix. Pure oxygen is toxic to the Vaurcae, and pure phoron will suffocate them. As such, most Vaurcae in human space are equipped with a filtration bit above the lungs, which injects phoron gas into the oxygen they breathe, allowing for safe respiration.

Vaurcae posses in their head a neural socket that allows interface with the hive network FTL communications. The exact mechanics of a neural socket, and how it processes data and keeps information secure is based off of biological processes in the regional Queen, who possesses instead of a neural socket a neural rod.

Limbs
Vaurca have two large insect-like eyes with two smaller ones underneath, which are hyper-sensitive to most forms of light. While they can function in light-heavy environments perfectly fine, most complain about frequent migraines and tendency to get frustrated after long exposures to light like the sun, or even general station 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. Also acting a sensory and nerve database, when these antennae are lost, they can cause confusion, dizziness, nausea, communications problems, and extreme pain.

Their mouth parts are similar to a prawn's, in that they have two large mandibles, with small feelers and chewing parts that come out of the bottom.

Augments
While virtually all Vaurca look identical in an augmented state, aside from various shifts in colour, virtually all Vaurca are augmented in some manner, the degree to which depending very much on their caste and purpose.

Bound Vaurca 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 never undergo such severe augmentation. The great limitation of such heavy modification is that it eliminates versatility, the entire purpose of the Unbound caste. Their augments will typically be performance enhancing instead of alterations of the form. Most Unbound are today equipped with at least basic communication augments which make them versatile assets to communication with extra-hive entities.

Ultimately, all Vaurca currently employed by NanoTrasen aboard the NSS Exodus or NSS Aurora are of the least augmented tier - either Type AA or Type BA. 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 very few augments to ensure that they can fulfill any task assigned to them by NanoTrasen.

Sleep Cycle
The sleep cycle for bound is a very hard to one to predict. Their natural sleeping cycle seems completely random and is more in line with SSD that plagues other species. They simply go into an inert state and remain unresponsive for a few minutes or hours at a time before suddenly being roused and getting back to work.

The Bound
Bound Vaurca are chosen the moment their eggs are laid. Eggs designated to be Bound are put in a warm, moisture rich enviroment while Worker drones oversee their care. Larva that hatch from the eggs are then taken to another specialized, moist environment to be raised and slowly augmented before the drones are then quickly and efficiently lobotomized and sterilized.

Workers (Type A)
Type A are the most common and can be seen as the 'backbone' of Vaurca societies. Their most prevalent feature is their hardened exoskeleton, varying in colors in accordance to their hive. It is approximately half an inch thick among all Type A Vaurca. This exoskeleton provides protection against harsh radiation, solar and otherwise, and acts as a robust pressure-suit to seal their soft inner core from the outside world. This allows most Type A Vaurca to have extended, several day-long EVA expeditions, assuming they have internals. They are bipedal, 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.

Warriors (Type B)
Type B are the second most prominent of Vaurca society, taking the form of heavily augmented warriors. Type B can range in size from 6ft tall to 20ft tall. They can be bipedal, quadrupeds, or hextopeds, which are called types BA, BB, and BC respectively. They usually have weapons physically attached to their bodies, making them unwieldy or impractical for any situation other than combat.

Warriors, unlike other types of Vaurca, are not typically passive. This means that they tend to be more suitable for combat orientated positions, while worker and breeder types tend to be poorly suited for the disposition these types of occupations demand. Unlike workers, their exoskeleton is not as well equipped for such extended EVA expeditions, however it can withstand a few hours long excursions.

The majority of warrior caste Vaurca employed by NanoTrasen are drone tier 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.

Breeders (Type C)
Type C are the rarest among Vaurca, in that they make up around 2-3% of their 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, and both of them generally serve little practical purpose in a hive except to fertilize eggs or to replace a dying Lesser Queen or to even become an additional Lesser Queen if the hive needs more growth. The males are considered CA and the females CB.

The Unbound
The Unbound make up the upper castes of Vaurca society and form the only sentient and self-aware parts of its greater population. Their eggs and larva are given more graceful care by bound workers and they are spared the lobotomy, though Unbound not meant to become Lesser Queens are still sterilized. They are perfectly capable of making rational, thinking decisions, and are naturally intuitive and curious, much like a human. However Unbound are not raised in a traditional manner. While in its early years VR was meant as an escape from reality, for modern Vaurca in known space it's become every aspect of their lives. Unbound are hooked up to the greater VR network or their own VR chamber. They are raised in their own virtual world while their physical body is tended to by Bound workers. Being removed from their VR paradise requires weeks or even months of transition, but eventually Unbound are capable of functioning completely normally and on the same level as a human.

Although Unbound are sentient and self-aware, they still typically maintain unwavering subserviency to the respective hierarchy of their hive, due to a combination of pheromone excretion and indoctrination methods imposed during the growing process of an Unbound. However when they are not under the direct instruction of a Lesser Queen, they will typically pursue their own interests.

Unbound disconnected from their VR can still connect themselves to the 'internet' of a hive, called the Hive Network, where the Unbound all connect their consciousness. Unbound Vaurca can share their knowledge, memories, and even feelings through the Hive Network. The Bound are barred from most non-utilitarian aspects of the Hive Network, due to biological constraints.

The Unbound take up jobs that require more critical thinking skills or greater abstract thought than simple worker drones. Unbound Vaurca can simply be considered on the same level as any human. Integration in Tau Ceti or other limited human communities has some of them living alone in their own apartments like any other citizen, and work to support themselves, rarely having monetary aid from their Hive.

In a move worrying to human authorities Unbound make periodic trips back to the aging Titan Prime to upload information or experiences gained and learned in Tau Ceti into the Hive Network, and secondary sources have verified that the Vaurca are attempting to transfer their Hive Network into a new facility on New Gibson, in a formerly abandoned biome granted to them to use. After sealing the holes the bound Workers have been constructing complex machinery and computer networks. While the specifics of these machines confound visiting officials sent to verify that none of them can be use to send communications back to Sedantis I, it's nevertheless proven extremely difficult to reverse engineer the technology and the Vaurca have proven unwilling to share blueprints on them.

The Unbound can be any of the types mentioned above.

Language
With the learning of Tau Ceti Basic and other languages, some Vaurca have been forced to simplify their names. Naming is based of a numbering system, determined after birth. This name includes a caste and biological designation, the number they are, and finally what hive they are from.

Vaurcae language structure, to non-Vaurca ears, sounds extremely archaic and cryptic, like simple clicks and grunts more than a language. However, to a creature that knows the language, all types of Vaurcese is extremely complicated and each syllable has many thousands of different connotations it could convey. Combined with subtle antennae movement and pheromone release, it is not hard to say that it is a language that can never be spoken or understood by another species. While each hive has their own small variations of Vaurcese, the language can be universally understood.

It is produced by clicking the mandibles and mouth pieces together, while sending air through the mouthpieces as well as the vocal chords. It is described as sounding like clicks and high pitched squeals. The Vaurca, however, utilize synthetic throat implants that synthesize a very alien-sounding, but intelligible, Tau Ceti Basic or any other language.

Inter-caste Relationships
Relationships between each type and each caste tend to be a universal constant among Vaurcae hives. The Bound are thoroughly exploited by the Unbound whenever an opportunity for such arises. It is typical for an Unbound to delegate any menial labour to the nearest Bound whenever possible. While especially "lazy" Unbound are not prevalent on human stations, all Unbound tend to display this mindset towards the Bound to a degree. When encountering a dangerous situation, the response is similar - the Bound are expected to attempt to make the situation safer for the Unbound in any way possible. Bound are perfectly subservient to the whims of the Unbound, and do not begrudge this exploitation.

Worker Vaurcae tend to be esteemed more highly than Warrior Vaurcae, especially in Unbound circles, and especially in these difficult times when the value of labour to the Vaurca is more important than the value of defense. Unbound Breeder Vaurcae are esteemed very highly, especially those at the top of the hierarchy. Bound Breeder Vaurcae tend to rarely interact with other Vaurcae, except for Bound caretakers.

Inter-hive Relationships
The Zo'ra and K'lax hives maintain warm relations, while the Lii'dra hive is universally hated. The Zo'ra percieve themselves the rightful rulers of the K'lax, and the K'lax have thus far made no official statement against this. The Bound of each hive serve other Vaurcae of their hive firstly, and are completely subservient to the will of their hive's rulership. The K'lax Bound however will also serve Zo'ra Vaurcae should there be no conflict with the desires of K'lax hierarchy. Zo'ra Bound will rarely ever service K'lax Vaurcae, and only when instructed to do so by Zo'ra Unbound. Zo'ra and K'lax Unbound typically do not intermingle except on an individual basis, and remain subservient to the desires of their respective hierarchy.

Inter-species Relationships
Due to most Vaurcae hiveships being present in human-space, most inter-species relationships Vaurcae have are with humanity. Zo'ra and K'lax Vaurcae tend to be co-operative with humanity out of necessity, but on an individual level the opinions vary between each Unbound, depending on what the specific Unbound has experienced. Unbound rarely if ever esteem any human higher than a Vaurcae, due simply to biological constraints. Bound Vaurcae are completely subservient to the whims of their master hive, and it is only because of this that rented Bound workers obey their human owners. The hierarchy of servitude that a Bound abides by is a topic of concern among humanity, because Bound are hard-wired to satisfy the needs of other Unbound Vaurcae of their hive firstly, creating the possibility for complex situations should the interests of a Bound's human owner ever conflict with the interests of an Unbound Vaurcae of the same hive. However, such situations are unreported if they do occur, and the cheapness and effectiveness of Bound labour tends to surpass the potential dangers.

Values
Vaurca values tend to be very simple and singular, compared to the diverse values experienced in human culture. All Vaurcae considered civilized respect the authority each Hive has over its own Vaurcae, for example in times of war the abduction of other Vaurcae is frowned upon, and the killing of another hive's Lesser Queens or ultimate Queen is especially taboo. In concerns of war, Vaurcae society is not martial in any respect. Warriors are a tool and little more to the Vaurcae, and combative prowess is not regarded highly among Unbound Vaurcae. Vaurca society has no concept of dueling or wrestling, or really any competitive sportsmanship. As a result of this, Vaurcae tend to be rather passive. Aggression between Vaurca from the same hive tends to be rare and subdued, while aggression towards outsiders tends to be masked if it exists at all. Vaurca do not typically go around 'picking fights' unless they are extremely offended, or in danger. The Vaurcae concept of loyalty differs from humanity's in that it is not ideological in any respect. Loyalty to one's hive is not considered unique, and is not flaunted, due to the simple fact that all Vaurcae are loyal to their hive - disloyalty is an anomaly. Loyalty is furthermore purely biological, the result of pheromone excretion, augmentation, and indoctrination. As mentioned above, while Vaurca Bound are exploited by their Unbound brethren, they are not typically discriminated against. Their value is apparent to the hive, and except for extreme and rare cases of excess Unbound Vaurca will treat Unbound with the same regard one might treat a hammer - a tool and nothing more, nothing less.

Bound Vaurcae do not have any complex values or morals beyond serving the interests of their hive.

Lii'dra tend to follow a perversion of typical Vaurca ethical codes, if they obey an ethical code at all.

Entertainment
Unbound entertainment almost exclusively consists of frivolous activities within the enigmatic VR 'Paradise' ever since it was made widely available. However, due to recent prolonged separation from VR experienced by many Unbound, many Unbound must now find new ways to entertain themselves. The most basic means of accomplishing this is rendering service to their master-hive, which is considered pleasurable by most Vaurcae. For Unbound this can take various forms, depending on their mission. For Vaurcae instructed to assist humanity with labour-projects, the accomplishment of these projects is satisfactory. For Vaurca instructed to learn as much as they can, likewise. Essentially, the basic unit of Vaurcae entertainment is work. In moments of leisure, however, Unbound enjoy socializing with their fellow Unbound. Despite the fiercely regimented nature of Vaurcae society, they remain a communal species, and there are very few Vaurcae introverts.

The Bound are completely derived of pleasure and have no desire to entertain themselves.

Fashion & Cuisine
Throughout Vaurca history, fashion has remained nearly non-existent. Lacking any kind of genitalia they have nothing to be embarrassed about. Often going nude or with small garments covering their mouth. However, some Vaurca prefer to wear thin blindfold-like cloth over their eyes to prevent the 'extreme light' from giving them headaches or discomfort, and human fashion has exploded into a major fad for Unbound Vaurca.

Vaurca that venture EVA, despite their natural tolerance to high/low/vacuum pressure environments, are usually seen wearing soft-suits that allow them prolonged times in space for construction, operations, and other EVA activities.

Vaurca cuisine is viewed upon as extremely bland and tasteless to the other species. Generally consisting completely of their genetically engineered fungus that they grow en masse, it is grinded down into a paste, boiled, or eaten raw. It is describes as tasting chalk-like or like iron to Humans, and if eaten too much, some humans can get nauseated.

The fungus, K'ois ('The Substance'), is a translucent, bulbous mushroom that thrives in any environment it is placed in, apart from overly wet. While it appears this fungus is genetically bred to be so adaptable, it is also presumed it was naturally abundant over the Vaurcae home planet. It glows a sickly yellow, and this gives the entire plant a yellow hue.

The Arts
Art is a strange subject when it comes to the Vaurca. While not possessing any form of written art - that we currently know of - their art comes in a virtual sense. This art-style goes hand in hand with the Vaurcae caste system. They view their Virtual Reality as a paradise, and can simulate anything and everything. Due to this Virtual Reality, they have never had the need, since uploading themselves to it, to draw, write, or anything else.

This Virtual Reality also acts as an information data hub, so as long as the Hive-Network remains active, all unbound Vaurcae knowledge can still be accessible without the need for written or typed documentation.

Beyond Virtual Reality, and perhaps as a result of it, Vaurcae tend to express themselves through sensory language and with elaborate imagery and oration. This oral tradition is typically lost upon humans due to Vaurca ineptness with human languages.

According to Vaurca sources and records they've allowed human researchers to, art took a more important role in their pre-VR history, mostly in the form of grand works of masonry and architecture in subterranean projects.

Religion
The Bound Vaurca have no concept of religion, faith, or a belief in the afterlife. They are focused entirely on fulfilling orders given to them with no capability of abstract thinking.

Unbound Vaurca often view their Virtual Reality as paradise. While their physical body (or at least the brain) needs to remain functioning in order for them to live in the VR they can still experience paradise while inside it.

Alongside this, Vaurca have a universal adoration and mystical reverence for the Queen of their respective hives. Ranked higher than the Lesser Queens who's duty is to keep the populations of Hive-Ships stable, the highest Queen of the Hive functions as a living deity with a cult of personality around them. Beginning with Vaurca in their early history viewing their queens as bringers and keepers of blossoming life in their otherwise dead world, thousands of years of separation from this High Queen has allowed the Vaurca of the Hive-Ships to elevate her to the status of bringing life to the entire galaxy. To many Unbound Vaurca their queen is the Goddess of Life, and the Lesser Queens are direct extensions of her power of bringing life, making them important religious and political figures.

Technology
Vaurcae technology on a whole is very advanced, owing to their venerable age. While inhospitable life on Sedantis I and fierce hive rivalries tended to inhibit technological development severely, over the past 60,000 years it has developed to a level believed to be superior to that of humanity, especially in a few specific areas. However most of this technology was left behind on Sedantis I, and most technology utilized by Vaurcae in known space tends to be deteriorated. The most prevalent and advanced Vaurca technologies are of course their readily accessible Virtual Reality systems. Beyond this, they possessed robust industrial technology, allowing them to conduct extreme feats of construction and excavation in a relatively short amount of time - this is visible in how rapidly they developed their Ark-ships. Most of the time spent in creating the Ark-ships was consumed by research into the specifics of long term space-travel. The actual construction of the vessels was relatively simple once the specifics were ironed out. Vaurcae biotechnology is also rather advanced, with almost all Vaurcae possessing basic biomechanically systems and augments. Some Vaurcae, especially warriors, possess very exotic augmentations that are currently unmatched by human technology in that field. Small arms weaponry is another field which Vaurcae have developed extensively, owing to their intrinsic desire to make conflict a simple and quick affair. Heavier ordinance is rare due to the cramped fields of battle which Vaurcae armies engaged in, typically in hastily excavated tunnels, and similarly Vaurca technology tends to be short-range and relatively simplistic in operation. Vaurcae research into artificial intelligence is virtually nonexistent, due to their expansive Bound labourforce rendering themselves without the need for AI slaves.

As stated above, Vaurca technology available in known space tends to be lesser to the reported technology enjoyed by Vaurca on Sedantis I. Most of it has deteriorated due to 2,000 years of neglect, and there are currently no means available to Vaurca to produce equipment of similar calibre. As such, most advanced Vaurca technology is defended fiercely by the respective hive hierarchies, and any technology fielded tends to be the most decrepit and least valuable of its kind. While Vaurca technology is comparable perhaps even to Skrellian technology in theory, in practice Vaurca are still limited by their dwindling supply.

Major Hives
There are three major Vaurca factions present in human space, and it is presumed that these hives were the most capable of producing Ark-Ships. It is currently unknown how many hives there were on Sedantis I at the time of the Great Evacuation.

Zo'ra
Zo'ra - "Unstoppable."

Zo'ra, the largest and most powerful hive, and also the first one discovered by Humanity following their Hive-ship 'Titan Prime.' Information gained through contact with Vaurca present in Tau Ceti has lead to unconfirmed projections putting their population in Vaurca space at 77 billion (6.2 million in known space). Zo'ra believe themselves to be the Alpha of the Vaurca and the face of their species. They make up the majority of the Vaurca present in Tau Ceti and human space.

Zo'ra have cold relations with other hives. In Tau Ceti, this has lead to confrontations between them and other hives arriving in the system.

They are ruled by 5 Lesser Queens who organized a ruling caste shortly after contact with humanity, due to the necessity of someone representing the Vaurca in the Hiveship. They all claim to be direct representatives of the Zo'ra High Queen, and periodically claim to have received direct communication from Her to give legitimacy to their own authority.

K'lax
K'lax - "The Deceivers."

K'lax, the second most powerful hive and second faction discovered by humanity after an additional Hive-ship Kloxa'xia appeared in the Jargon Federation system Glorashi. The K'lax hive is a client state to the Zo'Ra, but since contact with the Vaurca homeworld has been lost, both factions in known space are completely cut off. This has lead to a sort of fuel for independence, with many K'lax outright rejecting the claims of leadership the Zo'ra in known space have over them. Based on secondary accounts it is believed that they have 33 billion individuals in Vaurca space. (4.3 million in known space.)

Similar to the Zo'ra, the K'lax Hiveship is represented by three Lesser Queens who claim divine and direct connection to the High Queen of K'lax. This claim is disputed by the Z'ora, who claim to be the only rightful rulers of the K'lax.

Lii'dra
Lii'dra - "The Scourge."

Hive Lii'dra, although small with aprojected population of 22 billion (4 million in known space), match Zo'ra military might with cunning and tact in Vaurca space. Based on information gathered from Vaurcae in human space the Lii'dra and Zo'Ra were engaged in a devastating war that seems to have followed the Zo'ra to known space. The Vaurcae present are currently unwilling to divulge the reasons for this war, but it's become apparent that reconciliation between the two hives may be completely impossible. The Lii'dra were encountered after their own Hive-ship Klo'xzai arrived in the Sol Alliance system of Lalande. Original contact became open hostility almost immediately as the Hive-ship's automated defenses opened fire on investigating Alliance patrol ships, sparking a brief skirmish that claimed the lives of 12 Alliance servicemen. Since then the Klo'xzai moved into deep space, and similar to Vox and Unathi raiders the Lii'dra in known space operate as feared raiders.

The rulers of the Lii'dra are suspected to be Lesser Queens similar to other Hiveships, but this has yet to be verified.

Early Nomadism
The earliest records of Vaurca civilization gained from limited access to Zo'ra records range from some time starting between 500,000 and 550,000 years ago. Due to the hostile climate of their homeworld caused by the thin ozone allowing radiation to blast the planet daily, many Vaurca were forced to live nomadic lives inside the vast underground cave networks to gain access to edible fungus.

Almost all conflict originated around control of food. Warfare was a matter of survival after a hive exhausted its food supply. Warrior castes became the most dominant caste within Vaurca society and nearly all hives were in constant conflict with one another. Due to the innate deadliness of Vaurca mandibles and claws warfare was fought in melee. Prisoners of war tended to be decapitated by the mandibles of the victor while the surviving hive was enslaved. The mindset appears to be an unwillingness to spare extremely limited resources with enemy warriors.

The Agricultural Revolution
Approximately 60,000 years ago agricultural methods that allowed hives to cultivate fungus had proliferated throughout the planet. No longer a resource that could be easily exhausted, many hives found an abundance of food to be a boon. The population exploded as the hives continued to operate as they always had. Unfortunately fertile territory (in the context of cave fungus) was uncommon and conflict still broke out between hives.

Other avenues of change proliferated through the Vaurca hives, as well as an explosion of art. For understandable reasons living in caves constantly grew tiresome for many unbound Vaurca and they began to experiment with ways to spruce up the place. With an abundance of food Vaurca were able to spare manpower to begin ambitious feats of masonry and architecture. According to secondary sources the Vaurca Homeworld eventually developed elaborate and massive feats of subterranean engineering, with aqueducts, sewage, and entire cities being carved out of the rock. The walls and floors of the cave were smoothed out and covered in engravings, creating a form of art that wouldn't be blasted away by radiation. Thousands of years of trial and error with countless incidents of cave-ins in the early years have allowed the Vaurca to become masters of masonry and architecture.

Along with traditional warfare, queens of many hives had begun an arms race of architecture to show up one another. Massive engineering projects would be undertaken for the glory of the queen of the hive, such as a huge subterranean temple, the rerouting of an entire underground river, or a subterranean road being carved out to connect dozens of spread out subterranean cities all being commissioned. Queens at the time had also begun to develop a cult of personality around themselves, with the queens that managed to succeed becoming the most powerful and influential on the planet. Information on this is difficult to gather due to obvious bias or mixing of legends and facts within Vaurca records. However xenoarchaeologists are in agreement that Vaurca queens managed to retain a vital position in Vaurca society by inflating their status as mothers to a spiritual level. As the only ones in Vaurca society that could give birth to new generations, they had become mystical gardens of life and fertility in an otherwise dead and barren world.

The Era of Augments
The development of Vaurca continued down paths similar to the development of other space-faring species. The major split from the norm occurred around 2,000BCE Galactic Standard Time. The Vaurca had managed to achieve a technological level similar to Earth in the late 20th century. However the Zo'ra, who had emerged during this time, had a breakthrough in augmentation technology. Zo'ra began augmenting its drones with simple cybernetic enhancements. Worker drones would have their limbs replaced with more sturdy prosthetics, and later advancements in genetics had even more Vaurca hives beginning to experiment with altering workers with genetic and cybernetic enhancements.

This technological advancement continued until the Vaurca achieved a version of technological singularity with the technology in 50 CE. The technology had become minaturized and advanced enough that Vaurca hives could cybernetically engineer any aspect of a Vaurca drone. By this time Vaurca drones had become Bound, creating the early forms of the Vaurca we see today. While Vaurca records make no mention of it, human and Skrell xenoarchaeologists theorize that Vaurca drones had incidents of rebellion or insurrection against the mass augmentation and prosthetics, which explains why today bound are all lobotomized, mindless drones.

By 100 CE the working caste of bound drones could work 24/7 stopping only to eat. Soldiers were augmented with all sorts of experiment weapons and abilities. However the augments and genetic alterations forced those altered into very specific castes. A worker raised and given augments for battle wasn't an effective mason or diplomat. While previously Vaurca society was stratified, the 'worker' Vaurca of old at least had a chance to enter into different fields. The modern Vaurca society saw a caste system where Vaurca were literally defined from birth and built into that role. This also created the modern definitions of bound and unbound: bound vaurca are members of the worker caste, literally bound to their role and station. The unbound are Vaurca above the working caste that would be allowed to seek their own destiny in society, forming a form of noble caste.

Eventually the Unbound, supported by a limitless supply of slave labor, began to form a more and more secluded society seperate from the working caste. Unbound scientists and artists eventually unlocked the technology behind virtual reality, and specialized it to create entire virtual worlds for themselves. Unbound with access to VR would lock themselves away for hours or even days at a time, sometimes leaving VR for only a few minutes at a time to let their bound workers feed them without having to even having to leave their seat.

Eventually the technology expanded to the point that Vaurca developed their 'Paradise' we see today.

The Great Evacuation
The proliferation of VR and bound labor created a lull in conflict on Sedantis I. Farming techniques had become advanced enough that the populations could be reasonably fed, and all other desires were being filled in virtual worlds. By all accounts it would have been completely possible that the Vaurca never left their homeworld due to the development of VR. However a combination of push factors forced the great Vaurca hives to embark on extensive plans to expand into space.

The extremely thin ozone layer of Sedantis I had begun to be measured since the start of their modern era in the early CE era. By 150 CE the Vaurca's version of a scientific body between hives had conclusive evidence to show that the ozone would be completely stripped off the planet within another 200 years. While the planet had been bombarded with radiation, life had still managed to etch out a living, but when the ozone layer was completely gone all life on the planet would be killed by the excessive amounts of radiation, rendering it a barren, lifeless rock.

Hives took different approaches to the impending apocalypse. Many hives felt they could simply increase the depths of their subterranean cities to avoid the increase of radiation, and that the subterranean eco-systems would continue to thrive beneath the surface, while other hives began to try to look past the taboo of the deadly sky and consider expanding their hives into space.

Hives devoted massive amounts of bound labor to both projects. For the next 50 years some Vaurca hives constructed the massive hive-ships we see today. In another display of the sheer ingenuity of Vaurca engineering and architecture they had managed, after very heavy losses in early failures, to create and utilize an orbital industry to work on the hive-ships. These ships are also called ark-ships, and were used to transport thousands of Vaurca to other star systems. While fusion power was available to Vaurca at the time they did not yet possess warp or bluespace capabilities, meaning travel to other systems was extremely slow.

This reality meant that hive-ships had to be capable of supporting a population in deep space for hundreds or even thousands of years. They became battleships, colony ships, mobile incubators, carriers, refineries, and production facilities all in their own. They spread through space similar to the Vox, as nomadic wanderers occasionally settling on habitable worlds, but the pace of it was was incredibly slow due to the lack of bluespace technology.

Despite being years or even hundreds of years apart bound drones were still unquestionably loyal to their original queen, and followed directives given by her during their travels to the letter and without compromise. Lesser queens were brought on the hive-ships to help keep the population stable, and others left on habitable planets with a group of Unbound and Bound to settle on the few habitable planets they passed along the way, but the original High Queens of the hives on Sedantis remain legendary religious figures, with the lesser queens taking on a ceremonial role as mothers. Unbound present in the hive-ships were almost entirely connected to VR, which allowed them to function in their worlds, which may have been the only reason they managed to function as a society in deep space for so long.

The ultimate fate of Sedantis I is unknown to Vaurca encountered in human space in 2458, as contact is still impossible.

Contact with Humanity
None of the civilized species of the galaxy had any idea that the Vaurcae existed until an eventful day in November, 2456, when the drive plume and heat signature of a massive ship burning its engine in order to slow down for an approach was detected near the Romanovich cloud in Tau Ceti. While the galaxy was taken aback by this information, the Republic of Biesel acted immediately. A small scout vessel was dispatched to the ship, which was revealed to be a 30 kilometer (18.23 mile) vessel, mostly engine and radiator. Dubbed 'Titan Prime' by the media, Tau Ceti and news places over the known galaxy were bubbling with excitement as the object approached its apparent destination: Biesel.

After a few weeks, the object passed the Romanovich cloud and dispatched over twenty drones to key locations in Tau Ceti. Some of these locations included the NMSS Odin, the NSS Von Braun, NSS Arcadia, NSS Aurora, NSS Exodus, and NMV Retaliation, and one to each planet. Although all drones dispatched to the location turned back immediately, one did not. The one that was headed for the NSS Aurora stayed, and in fact, contacted the station through use of the station's own intercommunication system; displaying a single, unintelligible message. After a period of three hours, the crew were dispatched to the probe and entered, finding a hollow vessel. In the middle was a single alien computer, and in a corner of a room were Vaurca eggs, presumably for use in early colonization.

Research crew of the NSS Aurora, including Dr. Phoebe Essel and team were able to interact with the computer, painstakingly finding ways to translate the cryptic language it was attempting to speak in, and after usage of a pAI, were able to teach the machine Tau Ceti Basic. After some conversation, the computer detached itself and was brought aboard the NSS Aurora for first contact. It had been sent in order to document the indigenous species of the solar system. The computer tapped into the bluespace connection of the Artificial Intelligence of the station, uploaded core data files onto its hardware, and then departed, causing a minor panic on the station as the security forced feared an intelligence leak.

First radio contact was established with Tau Ceti President Joseph Dorn and Titan Prime, which was filled with Zo'ra. It was learned that the vessel was sent approximately 2 thousand years ago and had only now entered human space to find habitable planets to colonize. It was also learned that Titan Prime housed six million Vuarca on it, a staggering number.

Titan Prime eventually reached Biesel, settling into a stable orbit around the planet. Observation showed that the ship was worse for wear after traveling for 2,000 years, launched from Sedantis in 400 CE. Many of its systems were failing or had already failed. The life support was barely working and the hull had lost most of its integrity. After heavy negotiation with the Tau Ceti government it was agreed that in exchange for being allowed to settle on Biesel the Vaurca would agree to 'pay rent' in the form of providing Nanotrasen and the Tau Ceti government with a quota of their bound and unbound for Nanotrasen's workforce. Due to the complexity (and pointlessness) of paying bound Vaurca they would instead earn 'credit' towards their continued stay on Biesel to pay back the cost of housing them.

Settling in Tau Ceti
Ferries, re-purposed cargo ships, and civilian shuttles evacuated 2 million inhabitants of Titan Prime, ferrying them mostly to New Gibson and Biesel, respectively. Evacuations are still undergoing, and most Vaurca live in refugee camps or state-provided housing in special sections of the two planets. The Interstellar Aid Corps has performed most of the work evacuating and housing Vaurca, and they are critical of the government's treatment of them.

Today, roughly 2.5 million Bound and Unbound Vaurca live in refugee camps or slums in New Gibson, and 4 million live in similar areas on Biesel. After NanoTrasen's forced eviction of the majority of Vaurca living on the Titan Prime in June of 2458, the slums of Biesel experienced an influx of almost half a million additional Vaurca. Officials are extremely worried about the cost of continued evacuation of Titan Prime, and integration of Vaurca into the system is confounded by the growing hostility towards them, inflamed by the recent discovery of even further Vaurca hive-ships entering known space. Many fear that the Vaurca are attempting a cultural invasion and will grow to become more powerful than the human governments housing them.

This fear has lead to Tau Ceti and the Sol Alliance working to actively suppress attempts by Vaurca to construct FTL capable communications or ships to contact their homeworld and potentially spread the information to more Vaurca hives in their home systems. While the Zo'ra of Titan Prime managed to leak secrets of these technologies from the Aurora, they remain unable to build FTL communication that's capable of interacting with the STL communications presumed to still be in use in Vaurca home systems. As well, many Vaurca are unsure of the ultimate fate of their homeworld, as their two thousand year travel has had them pass the time predicted to have brought the ultimate death of Sedantis...