Vaurca

Overview
Vaurca, (Vore-Kah, Vaurca in singular term and Vaurcae in multiple)are an arthropodal species that naturally organize themselves into eusocial groups, the Vaurca are one of the oldest surviving civilizations in the known galaxy, with a civilization whose history can be traced back 730,000 years ago. Originating from Sedantis I, their civilizations are separated into three castes, with members of each caste having their biology, psychology and education determined before an individual is even born. Vaurca are mostly asexual, viewing reproduction as a duty to the hive, and as such see it simply as a job one can have because of their caste. That being said, Vaurca often bond with a group that they commonly interact with, forming 'family' units within a hive known as cells.

Vaurca are heavily influenced by smells and produce complex phenomenal responses that reinforce hive and cell groupings naturally. Vaurca government can be understood as a type of collectivism, with each member of a hive working to ensure the continued existence of the hive. This underlying principle is true for every member of a hive, regardless of their caste. In manners that involve entities that exist outside of the hive, corporative arrangements are common-place. Vaurca within the Orion Spur originally came as colonists.These three hives of Vaurca have different situations, each being hosted by a different species with wildly different approaches to the problems had with integrating Vaurca into galactic society, with varying degrees of success for each. Meanwhile, the Lii'dra, a largely unknown and hostile hive has scourged the Spur and its inhabitants since their arrival.

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 station-bound synthetics.
 * Pressure & Cold resistant, allowing them to survive in space with internals.
 * Unaffected by Phoron gas but require it to breathe
 * Have natural insulation.
 * Immune to slipping.
 * Can only healthily consume food consisting of K'ois paste and byproducts.
 * Do not self-heal.
 * Takes 2x the toxin damage.
 * Suffer from additional blood loss
 * Can be permanently rendered blind by flashing them several times in a row.
 * Cloners will not clone their non-organic organs.
 * Vaurca Warriors can bite and are more resistant to burns.
 * Vaurca Workers cannot bite but are more resistant to radiation

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

Playable Factions/Types/Castes
Vaurca can come from the Zo'ra, K'lax, C'thur 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
Bound, or as humans sometimes call them, Drones have a lot in common with station synthetics in personality and playstyle. They are 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 probably speak slowly and have trouble speaking Basic.

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

Bound typically focus on performing their duty.If asked to do something outside of the scope of their duty a bound will always use their duty as a reference to the task at hand.Because they are working under the decree of the hives queen, only with good reason would a unbound Vaurca ask a bound from its respective hive to deviate from their duty. Otherwise, bound are taught and expected to follow station protocols to the best of their ability as it is their duty to do so. Only their hives unbound, and heads of staff can order a bound to deviate from its duties.

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 lived out of their Virtual Reality for some time, or can be similar to drones; fresh from the hive birthing chambers and or from their Lesser Queen's virtual heaven, barely knowing anything. They almost universally hate being outside of VR, as the extended stay within an environment free of strife, hunger and death have sensitized them to the presence of such things in the real world. Despite having the emotional ranges of a human, Unbound do not share humanities capacity for ambition or competitiveness. Likely because of their biology, Vaurca are generally passive and hold more value in a groups opinion rather than their own.

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 accommodate promotion to higher positions - Read the "Avowal of Responsibility" form available in form dispensers for more information.

Speaking like a Vaurca
Unbound Vaurca have augments that allow them to have an easier time speaking the Languages of the Orion Spur. Otherwise, Vaurcae typically expresses 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. Because of this language barrier with other species, Vaurca may speak more deliberately, using overtly descriptive language to convey an emotion or idea to another species.

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".

Choosing a Brood
Choosing which hive, and then which brood your Vaurca belongs to will shape many of the opprotunities and problems that your Vaurca character could face. Each hive has different circumstances, with some involving different species altogether. General Information about each hive can be found on the Vaurca Hives page. Overviews of each brood can also be found here, with additional information available under each broods queen. By default, a hive must be chosen, but if for whatever reason your Vaurca does not hail from the most common broods, then your Vaurca would be a Queenless. Queenless is an catch-all term ascribed to Vaurca of the same hive, but born outside of the broods of any current lesser queen. More information upon the Queenless can be found in their section of the main page.

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. The most obvious and striking feature of this species is their exoskeleton. It is composed of a complex polymer chain involving sulfur and phoron as a key catalyst with silicon, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen forming a much stronger polymer chain than similar exoskeletons found on earth, thus explaining their increased size, despite having an exoskeleton. More information on Vaurca biology can be found here.

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 queen, naturally entering a state of suspended animation when they are outside of a Queen's ovipositor locking the egg in its initial stage until being received by its surrogate CB. This is compounded with cryogenics to effectively transport vast amount of eggs between the Queen and their surrogate CB's. Every CB within a hive specializes in the creation of many different types of Vaurca. CB 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 CB in a process called imagotis, in this imaginal stage, the CB can hold in its mind the image of its completed offspring, releasing gene expressions to mold the larva into its desired form. 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 work 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.

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, experiencing Virtual Reality for the development of its personality, and training. These six months are the closest thing to childhood that could be approximated to other species. 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 of 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 on average, at the conclusion of which their augmentations are reclaimed by the hive, and their body is generally 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.

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 Vaurca 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, Vaurca adopts a leaning position that uses specialized joints and hinges in their exoskeletal plates to sleep standing upright.

Ka, The 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 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 5ft to 7ft tall on average, though outliers of both spectrums are not unheard of for the more specialized tasks.

Za, The 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 8ft tall, with Za Bound rising to as much as 20ft tall. They can be bipedal, quadrupeds, or hexapods, 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 or are involved in the function of something that could be considered a weapon.

Ta, The Breeders (Type C)
Type C are rare 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 historically served 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. Lately, Breeders have been used as representatives for their respective queens, a departure from their traditional duties of overseeing eggs and maintaining the numbers of the hive cells they oversee.

Cephalon (Type D)
The Cephalon is the strangest of all Vaurcan 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.

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 born with fully developed organs, though Unbound not meant to become Ta or 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 and supposed afterlife.

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 or their own hive cell's interests.

Unbound disconnected from 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 Bound. In this respect, Unbound Vaurca can simply be considered on the same level as any human. Integration in the Orion Spur and other alien communities has some of them living alone or in small groups in their own apartments like any other citizen or family, working to support themselves. Rarely having monetary aid from their Hive.

The Unbound can be any of the types mentioned above except for Type D.

The Bound
Bound Vaurca are chosen even before their egg is laid. Eggs designated to be Bound are put in a warm, moisture-rich environment while Worker Bound oversee their care. The larva that hatches from the eggs is then taken to another specialized, moist environment to be raised and slowly augmented before the Bound are then quickly and efficiently sterilized.

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.

As for different types of the same caste, Unbound Ka or Za of the same 'duty' tend to organize themselves into hive-cells. For example, a worker who works in construction may live, sleep and work with the same people within their hive-cell. A hive-cells size can vary drastically, but ultimately, they tend to organize the labor of Ka and Za into the most efficient means, with each hive cell reporting to a particular Ta, usually their birth mother. Vaurca tend to be closest to those that they work with, and so many Vaurca consider their hive-cell their closest relatives.

Inter-hive Relationships
The Zo'ra and K'lax hives maintain warm relations, while officially the diplomatic tension between the C'thur and K'lax hives is tenuous at best. The Lii'dra hive is universally hated. The Zo'ra percieve themselves the rightful rulers of the K'lax and C'thur, and the K'lax have thus far made no official statement against this. Meanwhile, the C'thur changes their announcements constantly. 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. The same can be said to a lesser degree with the C'thur. Zo'ra Bound will rarely ever service K'lax Vaurcae, and only when instructed to do so by Zo'ra Unbound. Zo'ra, C'thur 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
The Zo'ra tend to be cooperative with humanity out of necessity, but on an individual level, opinions vary between each Unbound. This approach is largely shared in reference to all other aliens, viewing them as potential benefits to their hives. Perhaps in response to, or as a result of this, the Zo'ra hives have begun to reimagine themselves as something aliens can identify with. Supporting cross-species initiatives that further increase cooperation between each species feeds into this idea of ultimately benefiting all species involved. Besides this, the servitude that Bound abides by is a topic of concern for humanity in particular, because Bound are hard-wired to satisfy the needs of other Unbound of their hive firstly, it creates the possibility for conflicts of interest between the humans that use cheap Bound labor, and any Unbound Vaurca of the same hive. However, such situations are unreported if they do occur, and the cheapness and effectiveness of Bound labor tend to surpass potential dangers.

Skrell of the Jargon Federation have taken to using a work drafting system to assign duties to Vaurca of the C'thur hive. The Federation or an empowered representative would requisition an amount of C'thur for a particular job, which would then be supplied by the hive. These C'thur would complete this assignment and then return to their hive. This entire process is overseen by a legal counsel comprised of both species, providing fair and equitable exchanges for all parties. The largest orders of labor come from the Federation itself and the Nanotrasen corporation.

K'lax tend to maintain terse, but warm relations with the Izweski Hegemony, sharing cultural and sometimes technological advances for the betterment of both species. Beyond this, they maintain little contact with the galaxy at large, save for their begrudging but needed trade relation with the human owned Nanotrasen corporation. Due to their unfavorable circumstances within this deal, the K'lax tend to view humans in a negative light.

Queenless
The Queenless are simply Vaurca that do not fall into the lineage of any current queen or lesser queen but remain from the same hive.For whatever reason, these Vaurca were sourced for the hiveship outside of the lineage of the lesser queens, perhaps for different traits only found within their line or brood. In the case of the four hives, The Queenless is only an issue within the K’lax and Zo’ra hives. Cut off from the high queens, these 'Queenless' Vaurca may believe that the lesser queens currently in command of the hive have gone outside of what the High Queen originally intended for them. Other broods may view them with pity, or see them as restless servants of the hive without a queen to call their own. In general, they are often ignored by the larger hive populations, with many having little to no oversight by the other hive-cells or broods within their own hives. Despite this, the Queenless are still supplied eggs, albeit at a greatly reduced amount than other cells, and given access to their hives VR when available, though, they are the most likely to be denied access, if limited. It's partly because of this that most Queenless Ta tend to hide within the interstice, VR worlds hewn from the vast data streams of the hive. These VR realms are small in comparison to the queens, and vary in their multitudes. Instead of the queens, these communities of Vaurca tend to build themselves around their mother Ta, and try to be as self-sufficient as possible. They may idolize Xakat'kl'atan brought with them when they first left Sedantis. Indeed, it is these two pillars, the Ta and Xakat'kl'atan, that define the Queenless Vaurca populations. No matter which hive, however, the Queenless recognize the authority of only the true high queen or their own nonexistent lesser queens, and to that end, seek above all else to recontact Sedantis.

In reality, the Queenless of Tau Ceti’s Zo’ra and K'lax hive is amongst the poorest, and secretive of the Vaurca upon Tau Ceti. Some may resort to crime, drugs and other less than legal means to maintain any comfortable standard of living they might possess. Typically the mother Ta of a Queenless Vaurca is the highest authority one can go to, but there have been documented cases of multiple Queenless Ta working together, though, for what purpose, none can say. As for the Ta themselves, they are comfortable with ignoring and being ignored by the lesser queens as a whole, recognizing the shadow that they live under, and the roles that they must carve out for themselves and their spawn if they are to survive. Above all else, they believe that the light of their high queen will never truly be lost, that out of the horrible illumination of the unknown, The High Queen will return to right the direction of her wayward daughters, and to align all surviving broods under her will.

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 Bound 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 consists of frivolous activities within their respective VR heaven's ever since it was made widely available. However, due to prolonged separation from VR experienced by the Unbound due to the realities of their situations, many Unbound must find new ways to entertain themselves. The most basic means of accomplishing this is rendering service to their hive, which is considered pleasurable to Vaurca. For Unbound this can take various forms, depending on their duty, or purpose to the hive. In moments of leisure activity outside of VR or work, Unbound enjoy socializing with their fellow Unbound. Despite the fiercely regimented nature of their society, they remain a communal species.

Beyond this, Unbound can also enjoy socializing with aliens, often finding humor from the ambiguities of language that other species take for granted. New experiences and hobbies are also sought or adopted, especially when VR is unavailable.

The Bound are completely deprived 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 described as tasting chalk-like or like iron to Humans. For Vaurca themselves, because taste is rarely an issue with their cuisine, many traditional Vaurcan dishes often have wildly different textures, the more different it is, the more fancy the meal is considered.

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 that 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.

It is considered heavily Taboo to take a picture of or depict the Queen or Lesser Queen of a hive in non-VR media as it is considered a disgrace to their spiritual beauty. Because of this, they rarely make public appearances to humanity or any species outside of VR.

One of the highest honors a Za or Ka can normally receive in their respective hives is to be bestowed the title of Xakat'kl'atan or Master of Ideal Forms. Usually achieved after death, this title can only be bestowed by a Queen or Lesser Queen. It recognizes the recipient as an authority in their particular field of study, and it is these respective Za and Ka that are approached by those newly born or training, seeking to benefit from their mastery. To become a Xakat'kl'atan while still alive is rare, but when it does occur the Ka or Za in question becomes something akin to a celebrity amongst their hive, or even others. Regardless of what they choose to do, living or dead, they remain staunch advisors of their hives Queens.

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.

The Vaurca possess one of the oldest civilizations within the Orion Spur. Vast stretches of their history sought, like humans, to explain the world around them, as well as themselves. Countless Religions have formed across the ages, but only a few remain in any significant practice today. More information on Vaurca Religion can be found here

Upon death, in one of the few ritualized events in an average Unbound Vaurca lifetime, the deceased Unbound's neural socket,(A device which microscopically replaces the functions of their organic brain over time) is removed and permanently has its data moved onto its respective Lesser Queen's VR before being reused once more in a new Unbound Vaurca.

One important day for Unbound Vaurca would be their Vata'keilvetk translating roughly into basic as, Transubstantiation-day. Typically occurring at or close to half of an Unbound's lifespan. This day is significant in that the Vaurca's neural socket has taken over the functions of their brain, thus cementing their place in the virtual afterlife. Many Unbound celebrate this day and go to great lengths to celebrate the Transubstantiation-day of their peers.

Between all hosted VR constructs, there is an interstice connecting them. The primary purpose of this interstice is to transmit the massive volumes of data between all members of the hive. Entire perceptions can be shared with individuals by their use. With it, a Vaurca could share its entire life's history from its own perspective in no time at all. Within the interstice itself, the physicality of simulations tends to break down, becoming less indicative of reality at all. Will and thought are the only tools needed by Vaurca who dwell here. These tools are used to create structures and worlds not constrained by 3 dimensions, to create what their minds choose to. Yet most tend to merely use the interstice to communicate or travel between each Lesser Queen's VR. Those that do choose to live out their afterlife here are often seen as eccentrics.

By request, and if approved by their hive-cells overseeing Ta, an unbound may forgo incineration upon death for a far older practice of Reclamation. In this practice, the deceased unbounds implants are removed, and their body is specially prepared for consumption by their hive-cell. It is the belief that by consuming the physical remains of the deceased, they may move on into the Aether without worry of what they leave behind. Skrellian historians believe that this practice likely came around between the Era of Agriculture and the Era of Augments, and probably served a purpose for the hives then. Regardless of its history, this practice had fallen out of favor for the more efficient methods, but it has recently found a resurgence within all Vaurca hives. Whether this is to curve a mounting famine that the hive faces, or if it's because of some nostalgic dream of the Sedantis of yore, none can say.

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 are the undisputed masters of biotechnology, 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
More in-depth information on each Vaurca hive can be found in the hive section

There are four 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 (17.1 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 each had claimed to be direct representatives of the Zo'ra High Queen,but ever since the revelation of her death,Ta'Akaix'Vaur'skiyet'sca Zo'ra was made the new High Queen.

The Zo'ra are the most politically developed hive, recently helping in the funding of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, and making active progress to spread their influence.

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

K'lax, the second most powerful hive and second faction discovered by humanity after an additional Hive-ship Klo’zxera 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. (24.3 million in known space.) After arriving within Skrell space, the Klo’zxera or the Fortoken as it is called by the Unathi, quickly moved into Izweski Hegemon space. Following a tense first contact situation, the K'lax became the newest vassal of the Izweski Hegemony and settled Tret, the second planet of Uueoa-Esa system. They maintain a subtly warm, if terse relations with the Hegemon as a whole, and have committed to its terraforming agenda, being instrumental in the implementation of such a monumental undertaking.

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

The K'lax are the most technologically developed hive, and are leading the way in reconstructing the species' superior technology.

C'thur
C'thur - "The Weavers"

The third hive that the species of the Orion Spur have been able to communicate with, the C'thur and their arrival has been a closely guarded secret of the Jargon Federation for the last few years. The revelation of their survival has re-ignited diplomatic disputes between the K'lax and Zo'ra, with outright hostility met by some K'lax towards the C'thur.Historically a minor hive, the C'thur were instrumental in developing inter-hive diplomacy upon Sedantis, often acting as neutral third parties to delegate issues. Indeed for much of their history, the C'thur wove complex political alliances to protect themselves as well as acting as a sort of information broker for many of the larger hives. Prior to their exodus from Sedantis, they maintained relations with both the K'lax and Zo'ra but were often seen as calculative manipulators amongst both.

The C'thur arrived within Glorashi, a system within skrell space only two weeks after the Klaxian hiveship, the Klo’zxera left the area. It is now known that C'thur hiveship, the Kloxa'xia was originally A Klaxian hive ship meant to rendezvous with the Klo’zxera within Glorashi, but left soon after detecting incoming Jargon Federation vessels. The C'thur continue to report that they secured the hiveship in diplomatic negotiations with the K'lax upon Sedantis, but the validity of this claim is yet to be proven. The C'thur have quickly integrated into Skrellian colonies within Glorashi and are predominately accepted in skrellian socioeconomic systems.Unlike all other hives, the C'thur are led by their original hive queen, who, with a council of three other Lesser Queens leads the hive in this new age.

The C'thur are the most economically developed hive, having stakes in Einstein Engines.

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

For hive Lii'dra, their populations are unknown, though it is assumed that their numbers within the Orion spur remain below 12 million. Despite this, they 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.

History Overview
More in-depth information on the history of the Vaurca can be found on their history section.

Vaurca civilization traces its roots to at least 730,000 years ago. They developed on Sedantis, a violent and barren moon where life struggled to survive. Vaurca lived underground in diverse and productive hives.

Vaurca successfully cultivated k'ois 160,000 years ago, growing it en masse and causing explosive growth.

Cybernetic augments entered Vaurca society over 15,000 years ago. The hives augmented each caste of their hive extensively, leading to the modern caste systems. Around this time Vaurca also discovered and perfected early Virtual Reality, allowing them to withdraw from their harsh daily lives into a virtual paradise.

2,000 years ago Vaurca came to realize that their world would soon come to an end from the ozone layer being completely stripped away. The Vaurca showcased their astonishing skills in adaptation and engineering by constructing the venerable Hiveships that carried entire Hives off-world in the Great Evacuation.

The Vaurca first encountered our known species in 2456 CE. Their arrival has become a source of tension and growing problems as the refugees continue to arrive in their huge ships by the millions. Each major galactic government has struggled to respond to these refugees adequately.

Hives
For most hives, cohabitation with the other species they have encountered has led to large changes to their way of life. Already suffering a shortage of resources, their advanced weaponry has lead to a lot of fear regarding their potency and supposed ease of mass production. While it is unknown how rumours circulated that the vaurca had large-scale means of producing weapons, and the materials to do so, no one can deny the military domination a war-ready hive would impose. From tachyon-based weaponry, gauss cannons, condensed thermal energy and the infamous warforms, most believe it to be a miracle that the vaurca have yet to attack and seize control of the galaxy.

However, all hives (barring the unknown machinations of the Lii'dra) do not have the potential to do this. Weaponry was a lower priority on the list of supplies brought on hiveships, as though while large, there needed to be space for broods as well as materials. Figures such as Ta'Akaix'Zoleth'akeh Zo'ra were insistent on bringing a plethora of weaponry, to ensure their survival among the unknown threat of the stars. Their pleas, however, only resulted in minor increases to ship defenses. During their long journey, the majority of resources they had brought were used for maintenance of the ship, and by the time they arrived in the Orion Spur, their lack of materials, and subsequently, repairs, have resulted in the pitiful states the three known hiveships are in. Their food supply was limited in terms of places to grow aboard the hiveships, and as a result, a high majority of warforms and the larger bound workers were culled, due to being unable to sustain many of the cryogenic storage pods used to contain them.

Politically, all but the Zo'ra have yet to make any substantial political hold in the system. The C'thur and K'lax are being used primarily as either labor or military by their allies, with the K'lax as vassals/tributaries to the Hegemony, and the C'thur reliant on the Federation for the survival of their High Queen. However, especially with the recent investment into the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, the Zo'ra have begun their ascension into the political web that connects the inhabitants of the Orion Spur, despite being locked into debt with Tau Ceti. Though some may attribute this to certain queens over others, the Zo'ra hive as a whole is benefiting from their increased power. Sharing native weaponry designs to improve old Foreign Legion firearms is an example of the carrot on a stick game the Zo'ra seem to be playing. Over a long time, the trust earned between the hive and the other species promises the shared knowledge of their advanced technology, which would increase prosperity for all.

Technologically, all but the K'lax have failed to make much progress in terms of adapting to their lack of advanced materials. In recent years, batches of new-generation thermal drills developed by the K'lax and manufactured with common materials were shipped and often cheaply sold across the Orion Spur, with mining facilities seeing huge increases in yields as a result. This was inspired by the hive's collaboration with the unathi on Moghes, their agreement to help terraform the planet. Requiring terraforming technology to efficiently carry out this task, the K'lax have been attempting to re-create the machines of old using newer parts and materials. The Zo'ra hive's most notable technological advancement was the hybridisation of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion's current weaponry and their own personal designs. These resulting weapons are currently employed by the Foreign Legion, and while not the most high quality or effective weaponry, many agree that it is a certain improvement compared to their last.

Economically, all but the C'thur have struggled to make any real money, reliant on collective money pools brought in by employed bound and unbound. Being harboured by the generous Jargon Federation has opened up a large amount of opportunities. Queens often hold a share of the total funds of a hive, an example being Ta'Akaix'Athvur'zekt'azi Zo'ra recently investing the majority of her saved personal funds into the reformation of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion. The C'thur have bought a significant portion of Einstein Engines, opening a connection to the Eridani Corporate Federation, and many job opportunities. These factors have resulted in the C'thur being the most economically progressed out of all hives.

Individuals
For many unbound, adapting to their new lives has been a tough ordeal, but one that is short suffered. Once settled, most hive cells are capable of sharing a single bedroom apartment due to their tolerance of confined spaces and their tendency for practicality over personality. Personal possessions are not uncommon, however, but usually serve some sort of purpose. An unbound may purchase a refrigerator, but instead of preserving food, it may instead use it for the construction of an experimental device.

Workers mostly shifted from serving the hive to employment well, with only a few incredibly specialised unbound finding difficulty. While confusion was apparent at the complicated process of the simple act of going to work, once clarified, many vaurca brought their specialised knowledge and pragmatism into like-minded fields, typically able to share their intricate knowledge with great practical success. On a social level, however, many unbound are prone to varying levels of discrimination. Such acts can be extremely discreet, such as being made to do a less desirable task. On the other hand, some overtly voice their dislike - often showing their ignorance of how vaurca operate and live. The recent incidents involving tajara gangs reacting violently to the Lii'dra invasion, going as far as to murder, have demonstrated a more obvious dislike.

Warriors, however, did not have such an easy transition - while there were some who could transition as well as most workers, many of the unbound purely bred for combat struggled to find applicable work. Some of these soldiers slowly managed to trickle into work as private security, bodyguards, and alike, while some found trivial work doing menial or laborious tasks. K'lax warriors mostly serve in the Hegemony. Recently, many Zo'ra Za, and a few of other hives, finally found a place doing what they do best in the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion.