Volucrid
The innumerable swarms of the Volucrid Host are vast, migratory flocks that ply uninhabited space in an unending search for fertile worlds ripe for infestation.​ The Volucrid are alien organisms composed of a variety of specialized subspecies; similar in appearance to large insects, they pose an existential threat to other species as rapidly spreading galactic pests that, while not malicious; must be eradicated on sight before they construct colonies on inhabited planets. Compared to terrestrial insects, most Volucrid organisms are extremely large (most over a meter in length, with some ranging to several meters), but their symbiont species and extended ecology also includes smaller organisms that consume and convert existing local material to feed their parasitic ecosystem.
Ecology & Swarm Morphologies​​
The most broad definition of "Volucrid" encompasses an entire parasitic ecosystem; while most of the larger fauna within this system are true members of the Volucrid family which share a common genetic makeup, they carry with them species of flora and microbiomes totally unique to Volucrid hives. In conjunction with Volucrid species, this ecosystem overwrites and strangles any existent flora and fauna; entirely replacing the local ecology with its own. This can be propagated through the function of Volucrid organisms that break down local flora, bulldoze ecologically inconvenient natural structures, and actively hunt or otherwise eliminate local fauna.
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When this ecological transformation is complete, it creates vast badlands of blue-grey grasses and vines. These work in concert to extract useful nutrients from the soil, and can burrow kilometers beneath the surface in order to propagate themselves. Where nutrients are rich, these grasses develop into bamboo-like stalks several meters tall that sprout brightly colored fruit and are actively farmed by Volucrid, typically of the Epulex genus. Such badlands are dotted by Volucrid hive structures; usually either composed of or encompassing megafauna of the Aedifex genus.
While thousands of specialized Volucrid organisms have been identified, from microbes to massive megafauna; the majority of them fall into five distinct genera, all of which derive from a single underlying genetic structure. Identification of individual species has been confounded by the family's unique idiosyncracy of hybridization - with many distinct organisms having been evolved to splice their bodies in or onto another throughout their life cycles.​​
Epulex Genus
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Epulex organisms are primarily docile and specialize in the upkeep of Volucrid hives. This often means cultivating the several species of fruiting grasses that the Host seed around their hive structures, recycling biomass and other useful materials, and caring for new gestating organisms. Possessed of a myriad bodyplans, these make up the largest proportion of Volucrid megafauna, and pose relatively little threat to outsiders; often using vocalizations and pheromonal emissions to call for more aggressive Volgox species to intercede when threatened.
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Epulex vermis​ Also referred to as "Grubs" these diminutive, worm-like organisms act as biomatter reprocessors; quickly breaking down and devouring almost any biologically useful material and regurgitating it to special repositories found on many larger Epulex or Aedifex species.
​Epulex plenus​ Also referred to as "Incubators" these lumbering hexapods are fleshy repositories for the emissions of Epulex vermis; converting raw biomass into useable fuel for other Volucrid organisms. Equipped with feeding nipples and protective limbs, Incubators are evolved to transport and protect swarms of the tiny verminous worms, that they deposit to strip an area bare when enough useable biomass is in the vicinity.
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Epulex arater/Epulex apporto​ Also referred to as "Harvesters" these hybrid organisms are exceedingly tall; often able to stretch the fleshy trunk of the arater hybrid to the height of several meters tall, to better reach and inspect the fruiting bodies of Volucrid flora with an array of highly sensitive eyes and chemosensory organs. When they detect a ripened yield, their collection of delicate limbs harvest the energy-dense flora for further use by the swarm.
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Epulex fructus​ Also referred to as "Porters" these diminutive organisms are an integral part of the host's farming operations, working in concert with Harvester hybrids to care for their forests of fruiting grasses. Evolved with a concave bodyplan, these small organisms have developed specifically to carry the ripened yield of their trees back to the hive structures that most need sustenance.
Volgox Genus​
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Volgox species encompass many species of beetle-like worker organisms that compose the majority of the Volucrid labor force. These organisms tend to be uncannily strong and capable of projecting a variety of caustic biochemicals to assist in the breakdown of minerals for reconstitution into Volucrid hive structures; from which they are protected by shells reinforced by naturally-evolved nanofiber composites. Highly territorial, Volgox organisms will rarely hesitate to attack unfamiliar lifeforms encroaching on their hives, and can prove exceedingly dangerous due to their sheer numbers and ubiquity.
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Volgox erepus​ Also referred to as "Crawlers" these small organisms are all-purpose workers, fulfilling a multitude of mundane roles within Volucrid hive complexes. With a set of powerful forelimbs, Crawlers are capable of digging and moving large objects, as well as being levied for defense of their hives.
Volgox haresco​ A rarer sight within Volgox swarms, Volgox haresco (also referred to as "Fireflies") are nonetheless vital for direction and communication within their clusters. Using a combination of photoreactive chemicals and pheremone trails, Fireflies can direct the action of their less-intelligent erepus cousins; often at the behest of leader organisms such as Volgox ductor.
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Volgox venaticus​ Not often found within Volgox worker swarms, Volgox venaticus (also referred to as "Razorbacks") are dedicated hunter-killer organisms. Projecting dozens of razor-sharp crystalline spines, these hunters can eject them with a peristaltic muscle spasm; launching diamond-hard projectiles at a velocity to pierce through many armor materials. Possessed of an advanced sensory system capable of tracking prey across large distances (especially those marked by emissions from Volgox haresco or otherwise infected with Volucrid micro-organisms), Razorbacks require a high energy cost to gestate and only spawned when necessary. Compounded with the natural danger they pose to nearby organisms due to their array of spines these creatures are understandably only found on the periphery of hive complexes.
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Volgox gaesum​ Hexapod biochemical factories, these large organisms are referred to as "Spitters" due to their massive, baleen-like mouthparts capable of projecting a variety of caustic chemical compounds. Manufactured within their body cavities, these mixtures are crucial for the process of Volucrid terraformation and hive construction; destroying or dissolving harmful or dangerous terrain, extra-orally digesting large quanitites of biomass for easier recovery by Epulex vermis, and even seeding the growth of new fruiting bodies and other Volucrid biological structures.
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Volgox ductor​ A large hybrid organisms also referred to as "Howlers" these hexapods direct the activity of Volgox swarms in their immediate vicinity. Possessed of a keener animal intelligence than their often dim-witted suboordinates, Howlers coordinate their action with a mixture of loud calls and pheromonal emissions.
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Formidox Genus​
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Formidox are rare among Volucrid swarms, and often only spawned when colonies are threatened by invasive organisms. These large creatures are lethally dangerous and possess an intelligence far surpassing that of more basal Volucrid genera. It is theorized that other such genera may exist within the Volucrid genome and are only expressed when their populations are subject to particular stressors.
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Aedifex Genus​
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Aedifex are some of the strangest organisms within the Volucrid species; massive biological structures that share common genetic traits with the smaller motile genera, who will surround them with mound-like constructs built from local materials by Volgox workers. These enormous, sessile creatures fulfill a variety of roles among the ecosystem; from atmospheric transformation, gestation of new workers and even power generation.
Aedifex supra​ The most impressive Aedifex species are Aedifex supra - stalk-like organic elevators, that root themselves into a planet's crust and extend beyond their stratosphere; using peristaltic movement to ferry resources and nutrients from ground level into orbit. These organic starports will then slowly gestate Siderallix species for further stellar colonization. Growth of Aedifex supra are typically the last stage in Volucrid terraformation of a new planetary body, and signify the host's total control of that territory.
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Aedifex malleator​ The genetic variety of Volucrid organisms is no coincidence, and much of their diversity can be attributed to Aedifex malleator. These bizarre structures induce genetic variance through the sequestration of radioactive or heavy elements; using specialized cell clusters to subject strands of genetic code to intense mutagenesis. How the organism discerns destroyed code from beneficial base substitutions, and how the organism distributes this information to the other members of its hive cluster is entirely unknown, but their presence and hyper-specialized role raise difficult existential questions about the exact nature of the host's evolution.
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Aedifex ruptor​ Huge, root-like collections of energy collectors, Aedifex ruptor dig kilometers deep through a planet's crust to siphon geothermal energy, which is transferred surface-side to other Aedifex species. Of all Volucrid species; Aedifex ruptor is the single most destructive - as their root systems will continue to grow denser and wider as long as energy and useful compounds continues to be plentiful. This process often cracks the planetary crust in its vicinity, and centuries of overharvesting and continued growth can lead to the disruption of local plate tectonics, and in some cases even render their parent planet uninhabitable.
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Siderallix Genus​
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Siderallix are space-bourne Volucrid species that act as biological starships, using primitive organic spatial-differential drives to propel themselves to new star systems. These include smaller scout spores that crashland on untouched planetary bodies for survey, as well as city-sized migratory colossi who house multiple Aedifex genera within their own bodies to spawn new organisms during their long interstellar journeys.
Lifecycle & Terraformation​
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Volucrid migratory fleets are composed of Siderallix species, spawned by enormous Aedifex supra above their birth-worlds. These living ships lumber across the empty void, dispatching scout organisms to the worlds in their path. Should suitable conditions for colonization be met, these survey parties will relay their findings to their parent ships via their unique ansibular ganglia, and the fleet will arrive to make violent planetfall, disgorging billions of Volucrid organisms upon their new home. The shattered remains of these migratory vessels act as the raw materials to transplant the Volucrid's alien ecosystem onto the virgin world.​
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The Volucrid species is almost unparalleled in its adaptability to new atmospheres and environmental conditions; resistant to radiation and caustic atmospheres, and capable of functioning within a broad spectrum of gravitational profiles. This makes their criteria for a habitable planet much broader than many other species; and their natural process of terraformation adapts most of these environments into similar ecosystems. Naturally, Volucrid will tend to avoid currently inhabited worlds; at least those populated by technologically advanced species who are capable of combatting the expansion of Volucrid hive complexes. Such conflict represents an unnecessary energy expenditure; and scout organisms being killed by local fauna will typically prevent further infestation by the full force of the migratory fleet.
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Volucrid settler organisms construct colonies and strip-mine worlds in a laborious process that includes the cultivation of their own flora, displacing and eradicating any local lifeforms. They plant brightly colored fruiting plants that act as food sources, and gestate enormous biological structures similar in appearance to their smaller organisms that act as incubators, hatcheries, mineral processors and even space elevators. Eventually these colonies grow to cover the entire surface of inhabited planets, where they are gradually strip-mined to gestate new organisms.
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In the case of the most ancient birth-worlds; Volucrid over-consumption can lead to the death of the entire planet. Constant strip-mining by Volgox swarms and overharvesting from Aedifex species can destroy the planet's crust, while constant collection of geothermal energies can destabilize the action of planet cores; leading to massive tectonic stresses and disruption of the magnetosphere. This will often render their home planet an uninhabitable wasteland of irradiated rock wreaked by earthquakes, and in the worst cases destroy the crust entirely... although not after the generation of thousands of new migratory fleets.​
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Intelligence & Communication​
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While their organization and social structures are unbelievably complex, no evidence has ever been found of Volucrid organisms possessing any form of higher intelligence; with their actions are almost entirely based on instinctual responses to environmental stimuli. While some 'leader' organisms may appear to possess a particular animal cunning, these are simply possessed of more acute situational awareness and the causal roots behind their actions remain elusive to the creatures' simple minds.
Despite this cognitive simplicity it is theorized that the Volucrid genome once possessed the capacity for sentience; which was simply selected against by evolutionary pressures. Whether this capability could be restored in some specific as-yet-unseen Volucrid bioform remains an unknown, but disturbing, possibility.
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Proximal Communications​
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Within their immediate vicinity, Volucrid organisms communicate information via a dizzying variety of conventional means - including body language and posture, pheromonal emissions, and vibration such as noise or ground disturbance. The fact that varied methods of communication that are suited to each specific variety of environments that Volucrid are found able to operate in speaks to a dizzying level of adaptation in the family's capacity to communicate.​
Distal Communications​
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While its exact nature is unknown; the central nervous system of all Volucrid familial organisms contain a near-identical organ termed the ansibular ganglion. This tiny bundle of nervous tissue contains a nested pocket of exotic matter. It is theorized that this small organ is what allows the Volucrid Host to communicate the status of their colonies over interstellar distances; acting similar to a distributed communications network capable of passing simple impulses between distant individuals. This action is vital for the connection between migratory fleets and their scout organisms, as well as colonies within a system close enough to support one another when attacked.
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While the exact mechanism behind this apparent connection is unknown; it is also been experimentally observed to be a kind of identifier between Volucrid individiuals. Subjects that have had their ansibular ganglion removed or interfered with were often brutally attacked by their colony-mates, and surveys of an organism's active nervous system showed that an active ansibular ganglion was capable of overriding an individual's normal function with new instruction; but the purpose of these adaptations remain a mystery.
