Alien Species
Introduction
First contact with alien life took place over eight hundreds years ago, though the detection of FTL signals from distant alien life forms had taken place over a century before that. In modern times, the Expanse has catalogued and met with dozens of alien species. This article covers the most prominent selection of them.
Key
Alien intelligences of course have a huge variety of physical forms, many of which appear intensely strange to human observers. For this reason, outside biology departments, most catalogues of intelligent aliens by the environment they live in and the way their style of thought. Styles of thought are laid out bellow.
Type 1 Aliens: human like thoughts
Aliens with human like thoughts are generally ones who can be communicated with the same way you would talk to another human clade. While type one aliens tend to have similar ambitions to humans, they may have different weighting on different parts of their psyche and may, for example seem extremely brave, cowardly humourless or the like to humans.
Type 2 Aliens: divergent thought
Aliens with divergent patterns of thought have a high but not complete level of commonality with human thought processes. This may include very different instinctive responses to stimulus, or a different but still recognisable mode of consciousness.
It is usually possible to converse with a type 2 being but care should be taken in areas which major divergence takes place.
Type 3 Aliens: completely inhuman thought
At this level, the process of alien thought is extremely divergent from that of a human, often radically changing the alien’s priorities. This level covers intelligent but unconscious aliens, and other unusual varieties.
Despite all the differences, Type 3 aliens are not completely incomprehensible, they usually have an understandable objective, and a way of getting it which, while it might not go about them in a human way, their methods will be at least understandable to a human who has studied the way they behave.
Type 4 Aliens: completely incomprehensible thought
Type 4 aliens are utterly incomprehensible in all but the broadest of senses. What do they want? How do they plan to get it? It’s all but impossible to tell with a Type 4 alien, and they find humans just as difficult to comprehend.
Even communicating with type four aliens is next to impossible, and in most cases whether they are even intelligent as humans understand the term is in dispute.
Aliens by Environment
Aliens dwell in many different environments, many of which rarely bring them into contact with humans. For instance a being that lives only in deep trenches on Venus like planets and moves between worlds using wormhole gates is unlikely to come into contact with humans very often. For this reason, the majority of this page is devoted to those species which humans encounter most often.
Oxygen Breathing Aliens
Cacophony
Type 4
Seen by many as the biggest alien threat to human security, the Cacophony are not a single race but rather a hodgepodge of different species who seem to share a common mode of thought. Analysis suggests they are conscious, in that they create artefacts which serve no identifiable function and does not appear to be technological in nature. In other words, it is believed they create art, which is usually seen as the mark of a conscious mind.
Despite this, the Cacophony is completely alien in terms of thought process. Their society, if they have one is utterly incomprehensible to humans, however they seem to like the same environments and be rapidly expanding their space. Several skirmishes have already taken place between Sakuran and Cacophony forces.
The term Cacophony comes from the mass of different transmissions that erupt from their systems, forming an aura that can be spotted by sensors light years away.
Namari
Type 1
The Namari are a species created by the Cacophony. Apparently, the Cacophony find humans just as incomprehensible as humans find them. For this reason (It is assumed) they created the Namari, an almost human species of replicas, apparently to study, or perhaps as interfaces between themselves and humans.
Whatever the reason, not all Namari remain with the Cacophony, a large group of them left. It is unclear whether they successfully stole a ship or whether the Cacophony released them, perhaps intentionally. Whatever the reason the Namari departed on several appropriated starships and journeyed to a zone of stars close to the Expanse.
Despite their human looks and apparently human thought pattern, the Namari are widely distrusted by large portions of the Expanse, who believe they might be some kind of plant created by the Cacophony for some mysterious purpose. Namari reticence about their time with their creators has not helped this process.
Namari resemble classic model humans or Sidhe, but with coal black skin. Many Namari decorate themselves with silver tattoos which also contain computers.
Asher
Type 3
Named after the scientist who first classified them, Asher are anthropoids resembling trilobites and measuring around two meters long and one and a half meters tall. They are tough, strong beings native to gravity beyond what humans are evolved to find comfortable.
While extremely intelligent, Asher are not conscious. Rather than a conscious mind, their brains are a series of flow charts and pattern recognition systems of great power. This allows an Asher to react at blinding speed while following its automatic routines.
Despite having done things most humans would have considered impossible without a conscious mind, such as develop technology, Asher are not exactly superior to modern day humans. For one thing, their ability to communicate between one another is more limited than that of a human and, for another, the Asher programming is ultimately predictable, if incredibly complex. Asher
Despite the incredible speed and sensory ability of the Asher, this has allowed human forces to win several skirmishes against them both in space and on the ground, though with grave losses. More dangerous however is that long range telescopes have detected what seems to be a very large empire of Asher many light years to the galactic east of the Expanse. Various Expanse militaries engage in continual contingency planning for the possibility of an invasion from that quarter.
Asher are Type Three, not Type Four aliens due to having comprehensible motivations even if they have an utterly alien thought process.
97-28-15
Type 4
97-28-15, which seems to be their designation for themselves are strange, apparently mechanical beings of high intelligence but incomprehensible motivation. It’s unknown where they came from; perhaps they’re the remnants of some lost, highly advanced civilisation. They certainly do not appear to have evolved in any way that biological processes would allow.
97-28-15 are made up of perfectly square blocks of self organising smart matter. Each block can rearrange its self into a specialist system and components. An individual 97-28-15, if such a thing exists can take any one of hundreds of forms by reconfiguring its component blocks. They appear to possess radiological telepathy and form a hive mind or possibly group intelligence.
97-28-15’s seem primarily concerned with gathering resources and making more of themselves, together with strange, high information density structures of a quiet different design. The precise purpose of these actions, beyond the obvious is completely unknown.
While they seem generally peaceful, encroachment on their settlements has sometimes drawn a particularly harsh response, and there have been several clashes over resources or 97-28-15 ‘dirty’ resource exploitation near human (especially Dark Rose) settlements.
Aphek
Type 2
Aphek are near humanoid creatures with a body plan that somewhat resembles a wolf or a bear. Their jaws however more resemble those of a shark. They possess a technological advanced civilization though their science is not as refined as that of the Expanse. The Aphek do possess several unique advancements however, including powerful reactionless thrusters which they employ in both vehicles and munitions and star rift generators which can instantly link any two points in space. This has allowed them large scale expansion even if their conventional FTL is much more primitive.
While Aphek are conscious, far more if their mind runs on instinct than in a human. This has led to several diplomatic incidents when Aphek reacted violently to human contact. Subsequent investigation has discovered that they are instinctively attack things are not Aphek under a rather broad set of circumstances. Later diplomacy has taken place in a more tightly controlled environment to avoid trouble. It is thought that Aphek consciousness is differently weighted than humans in other ways as well, as they do not appear to suffer stress: getting to their highest objective always feels good, no matter what bad things have to go into it. This makes Aphek extremely determined by human standards. Like humans Aphek now have several subspecies created through genetic engineering.
Despite this, perhaps due to distance between the Aphek worlds and the Expanse, a relatively good relationship has developed between the two species, with Aphek art (which seems extremely strange to human eyes) selling for a high price in the Expanse. There have been a few boarder skirmishes, raids and reprisals by various Aphek groups, but such incidents have never esculated and are officially dismissed.
The Aphek territories boarder the Thousand Queendoms, Kwanseieun and Nova Brazil, though there is an unclaimed zone separating them.
The Nafarg
Type 2
The Nafarg are a strange race, despite their near human sentience they obey a very different cycle of life than humans do. The Nafarg are born non-sentient, the vast majority of them dying that way too. However, when faced with great stress, biochemical triggers in their brain cause a marked increase in intelligence, pushing them into the realm of sentience.
Sentience is permanent but any sentient Nafargs are sterile once they have transformed. This has meant that sentient Nafargs are a constant minority. Surprisingly the Nafarg managed to develop technology at about the same rate as humans, mostly by inducing stress in their non-sentient kin to transform them into sentient beings. Still, a large breeding population must be maintained which has always been a considerable drain on Nafarg resources.
The Nafarg are now entering their space age with an empire of perhaps forty star systems. Due perhaps to the fierce competition for resources and non-sentient herd grounds on their home world, the Nafarg's politics have evolved into an autocratic and conflict driven mould which leads to frequent violent wars between them and strong groups routinely preying on weaker ones.
Finding the far more powerful and massively more advanced Expanse lying close to their boarder has therefore caused the Nafarg super powers enormous concerns, and has actually forced the first set of alliances those super powers have ever really enjoyed. For its part, the Expanse is bemused by these new comer aliens, and largely sort trade relations, though the few times the Nafarg have attacked Expanse ships have given rise to forceful reprisals by the White Flame and other interested parties.
Physically the Nafarg are have six limbs and walk semi-upright like an ape, with their lower and middle arms used to help walking. They have four eyes, adjusted to be able to see both in the day and at night time, however their hearing is notably inferior to humans.
Buzzers
Type 2-3?
The Buzzers are a fairly minor race found along the fringes of Themescrian/Sumatran boarder. They are also an unfortunately aggressive one. It is unknown how many systems they control but it is assumed to be not very many, as their homeworlds and colonies have yet to be located, despite extensive scouting and signals analysis which should have detected a large alien empire.
Physically buzzers are large spider like creatures which resemble something like a Harvestman or Camel spider with both an internal and external skeleton and large wings that allow them limited flight, and giving them the buzzing sound that provides their name. . They require more oxygen than a baseline human, and usually use oxygen tanks on earth like worlds with lower levels of atmospheric oxygen, they can also store oxygen for long periods, allowing them to operate for limited periods (up to several hours) in vacuum. Buzzer's brain to size ratio is about that of a baseline human, though their nervous system seems to carry signals faster than a humans does, giving them excellent reflexes.
Very little is known about Buzzers culture, and as yet attempts to communicate have been unsuccessful. Buzzer technology is much lower than Expanse (about the level of the NNU, though there are significant differences and the Buzzers energy weapons seem much more advanced) but despite this they seem almost unremittingly hostile. Buzzer light craft (No buzzer ship larger than a frigate has ever been observed) have been raiding around 20 systems along the outer boarders of Sumatra and Themescria, forcing the deployment of military vessels to deal with them.
Shalburo
Type 1
Shalburo were one of the first alien species to be contacted and remain one of the friendliest. They have a similar mode of thought to humanity but with an easy going, fun loving outlook on life. The Shalburo are an old species and a highly technological one, with technology that exceeds that of the Expanse in most areas. They seem content to maintain their sphere of influence and settled colonies however, rather than expand. They maintain a good trading relationship with the Expanse, offering advanced machinery in return for art, raw materials and (to them) exotic culture.
Shalburo are birdlike, descendents of huge birds that inhabited the high pressure low lands of their mountainous, cool home worlds. They are highly intelligent, indeed rather more intelligent than an unmodified human, though they tend to be rather unfocused and prone to dilettantism. Despite this, their very advanced technology has protected the Shalburo Sphere from hostile encroachment for more than a thousand years.
Violet Termites
Type 3
Violet Termites are hive intelligence in the truest sense of the world. They are highly adaptive, mutable social insects who together generate a group mind. Violet Termites are capable of generating massive numbers of specialist forms of themselves in the same way that humans generate technological gadgets. Most of these forms are relatively small and act as a mass, however some of them are human sized or even larger, truly giant variety so of Violet Termites, including warforms the size of tanks have been reported.
As yet, there has not been significant conflict between Violet Termites and humans, with the Termite’s habitation lying on a series of largely desert planets and megastructures somewhere to the galactic West of the Expanse. It is unknown precisely how they move between planets, but several expeditions from both the Black Rose and White Flame are currently studying them for answers.
The Quiet
Type 2?
The Quiet are a recently discovered species, their origins and true motivations are unknown, but their intentions certainly hostile. The Quiet have been seen to be responsible for attacks on several Kwanseieun colonies and widespread atrocities against civilians. They are named due to their complete lack of communication.
Physiologically Quiet look only vaguely humanoid, with posture and movements more in line with those of a praying mantis than a human, dissection and deep genetic scans however have revealed many similarities with human DNA, though subject to intensive genetic engineering. The Quiet seem to be an almost entirely artificial species, with extensive genetic and cybernetic modification, including an outer bioplastic shell which provides natural armour, and cybernetics that lengthen arms and legs for greater speed and reach.
Quiet are extremely strong, fast and tough, as well as being (at least according to brain structure) very smart. Their brains seem to be optimised and structured rather more like an Asher than a human however, which should ultimately make them predictable (though no known studies on predicting their behaviour exist.) So far, all Quiet observed have been male, though entirely sterile.
Fortunately for the Expanse the Quiet seem technologically somewhat backward, their main small arms are a mix of electrothermal and electromagnetic guns, several generations less capable than the hybrid guns used by Expanse militaries. Quiet starships have yet to make an appearance however.
The biggest mystery of the Quiet is their origin; however disturbing evidence such as old navigational records and the apparent presence of human DNA and other features suggest that the Quiet maybe related to the ancient human civilisation that the Expanse’s founders left so long ago. This possibility is becoming a more and more common topic of discussion in Expanse digital forums and is being investigated by both the Dark Rose and White Flame, as well as national governments.
Ocean Dwellers
Brazilian Man of War
Type 4
Brazilian Man of Wars are found in the deep oceans of many worlds, but appear to have evolved on the vast ocean expanses of mega-structures such as the ring world found to the galactic south east of the Expanse. They are massive collections of creatures bound together into a single, multi part entity.
Whether a Brazilian Man of War can truly be called intelligent is still a matter of dispute, but they have demonstrated long term planning, adaptive responses and the sudden manifestation of biological systems that serve functions analogous to technology. It also appears the Brazilian Man of Wars are able to move between planets by unknown means.
Unfortunately, many of the encounters with Brazilian Men of War have turned hostile, leading to the loss of several submarines and even surface vessels. Attempts to eliminate them from shipping routes and the areas around sea colonies are ongoing.
Mackinder’s Starfish
Type 3
Mackinder’s Starfish look quiet like an earth starfish, except much larger, standing around five feet across, and with a distinct, froglike head and flexible, three fingered hands with opposable thumbs.
Preferring shallow water along the continental shelf (or worlds with large scale shallow sees) Mackinder’s starfish are amphibious, capable of existing for long periods above and bellow the water. This has led them into large scale competition with humanity on worlds where both have settled.
The thought processes of a Mackinder’s Starfish appear to resemble those of an Asher, an unconscious but never the less highly effective mode of thought. They are also physically very strong, capable of launching biological javelins that can knock down a helicopter gunship. Most worrying however is that Mackinder’s Starfish possess a level of precognition, able to anticipate plans and future events with a high (though not complete) degree of accuracy.
Military tactics in dealing with Starfish tend to concentrate on first destroying the specialist precognitive creatures before moving on to fight the rest, though this is a dangerous undertaking as a precognitive’s senses are best tuned to dangers to its self.
Sea Devils
Type 2?
A recently discovered alien race that seems to be present on many worlds, Sea Devils are at first glance somewhat humanoid looking, but in reality structured more like sea lions or otters. They have four limbs, each with opposable thumbs and webbing.
The Sea Devils live in vast black cities on the ocean floor, though they can survive for a while in air. These cities were, until recently in hibernation, according to the Sea Devils, they slept in order to survive some great disaster in their empires heyday, some 10,000 years ago.
Despite their name, Sea Devils have demonstrated no hostile intent thus far, though certain territorial disputes will need to be resolved, and the precise nature of the Sea Devils agenda remains mysterious. Some concerns have been raised in white flame circles as to the resemblance between the Sea Devils and certain Cacophony species, but no link has yet been proven.
Hydrogen Breathers
Type 3 and 4
A group of species rather than an individual one, Hydrogen Breathers refers to the sentient life forms that exist within gas giants. Due to the extensive hydrogen mining operations that take place around Gas Giants, several groups of them have been contacted by humans. They have numerous different body shapes depending on the area of the gas giant environment they live in, and many of the sentient ones are highly technologically advanced.
Gas Giant Dweller ships are generally given right of innocent passage through Expanse space as a matter of course, and most Gas giant dwellers extend the same courtesy, though a few skirmishes have resulted when one side or another stumbles into something they shouldn’t, usually a sensitive military installation.
Communication difficulties abound between humans and Hydrogen Breathers, and travellers are warned to be extremely cautious when attempting contact or wandering around in a gas giant that is known to be inhabited.
Burrowers
Type 3 and 4
Another group of species which humans rarely come into contact with, Burrowers live deep in planetary crusts or in the upper layers of the mantle. These life forms have a huge number of strange forms, but only come into contact with humans on very rare occasions.
Few Burrower species have space ships as humans understand them but several seem to be able to move between worlds through their own means, or at least to have spread between them in the past.
There are rumours that at least one Burrower species has a deep and abiding hostility for the Sea Devils, with some unconfirmed reports of clashes taking place between them. The precise reasons for the animosity between the two species, if it even exists, are unknown.