Krryndaak

The Krryndaak are an ancient precursor civilization believed by the Omnos  to have been one of the first sentient species in the galaxy. Very little is known of them, but the Omnos believe they are the enemy that they sense everywhere, but nowhere at the same time. They are believed to be extinct, the last known sighting being at the end of the Great Ancient War with the destruction of the last hive ship.


 

Physical Form

The Kryyndaak are a highly evolved insectoid species that has genetically engineered itself to an even higher level of evolution. They have developed themselves along highly specialized lines, with each role essentially being a different species.

 

Warriors

Krryndaak warriors stand just over two meters tall, with four legs and four arms and are believed to have been a form of proto-arachnid. All warriors are biologically male and both defend the Hive Queen and mate with her. The number of warriors is limited by the resources available to that specific hive. If the Hive Queen is killed, one of the warriors will enter a cocoon, evolving into a new Hive Queen.

 

Hive Queen

Krryndaak Queens are extremely long lived, typically living for up to a thousand years. They resemble warriors but stand nearly four meters tall and possess wings. Each oversees a hive.

 

Krryndaak Empress

The Empress stands nearly five meters tall and is golden in color. The Empress maintains cohesion among the various hives, and should the Empress be killed, one of the Queens will enter a cocoon and evolve to take her place.

 

Associated Hive Species

It is believed that the consciousness of the Krryndaak Hive extends into a variety of minor nuisance species that exist virtually everywhere. This includes cockroaches, mosquitoes, bedbugs, ticks, and other parasites. As blood is digested by the minor species, the hive mind is able to study the genetics of every species. It is believed that cockroaches serve the same role in these low level collective consciousnesses as the Hive Queens.


 

Krryndaak Hive

The Krryndaak have a collective consciousness similar to that of the Omnos, however that consciousness is more tightly focused. Each hive is essentially a separate consciousness overseen by a Queen, with the whole controlled by the Empress. The death of a Queen or the Empress temporarily disrupts the collective until a replacement emerges. Because the Krryndaak consciousness is at an extremely high vibrational level, with a very limited spectrum, they are unable to contact any other species telepathically. They are able to do so only through direct contact, typically by means of ticks or other parasites that attach themselves to the host allowing a direct physical connection between the victim and the hive mind. Once a connection is established, the Krryndaak can take control of the host, effectively turning them into a drone of the hive.


 

Krryndaak Beliefs

Because the Krryndaak Hive exists at a much higher level than any other they have encountered, they believe themselves to be the only truly sentient species in the galaxy. They see all other species as less evolved animals that merely mimic the signs of sentience. As the oldest species, the Kryyndaak also believe that the entire galaxy belongs to them.

   

Early Expansion

The Krryndaak began expanding into the galaxy before achieving FTL capabilities. They achieved this by placing the well protected eggs of a variety of their collective species into asteroids equipped with maneuvering thrusters, which they would then slingshot towards nearby stars. The asteroids would then direct themselves towards habitable planets, or slingshot to another system. Upon entering the atmosphere, the maneuvering system would be incinerated, and the eggs protected deep in the interior would be well insulated. The heat generated by reentry would trigger the eggs to hatch, seeding the world with Krryndaak connected life.
  If an intelligent species was encountered, they would quickly be enthralled by the hive and put to work developing the world for the Krryndaak, with all the knowledge gained used for the advancement of the hive.


   

Great Ancient War

Due to the slow expansion of the Krryndaak Hive before the discovery of FTL, a number of species would be encountered which would have advanced sufficiently to prevent them from being enthralled by the hive. These species would form the nucleus of resistance to the Krryndaak in the coming centuries. The Krryndaak were able to obtain the knowledge of FTL from one of these species by enthralling one of its engineers. They quickly put this to use in constructing the first hive ships. Under the order imposed by the Empress, the hives would spread out to impose themselves on various worlds directly. This would lead to direct conflict with the other advanced species, who justifiably saw the Krryndaak as predators.
  The Great Ancient War was believed to have spanned the entire galaxy over a period of two hundred years as various species fought against the Krryndaak. The war would culminate in the Krryndaak assault on Yashnar, a world that stood at the center of a coalition of powers that were developing a weapon capable of destroying the Krryndaak. The Empress would personally oversee this assault, bringing the power of multiple hives to bear on the world. Yashnar was able to hold out long enough to complete the development of the weapon, but no longer had the resources or time to build it as their defenses began to collapse. Believing the war to be lost, the Yashnar divided the plans up and sent their few remaining FTL capable ships to hide them in various parts of the galaxy.
  In a last desperate act, the Yashnar threw all their remaining forces into a direct attack on the Empress. They would succeed in destroying the hive ship, resulting in a loss of coordination between the hives. The Hive Queens in orbit would still carry out the last orders of the Empress and destroy Yashnar to prevent the future deployment of the weapon. The death of the Empress caused a loss of coordination among the hives, allowing the surviving species to attack them individually rather than as a single, overwhelming force. The orbital bombardment of Krryndaak itself with nuclear weapons would kill the newly emerging Empress and rendered the world uninhabitable.
  Coalition forces believed they had destroyed all hive ships, but their own civilizations had been so badly decimated that they would never recover. There would be periodic sightings of a hive ship on the periphery of the galaxy, but it seemed more intent on escape and hiding than on redeveloping the Krryndaak as a power.


   

The Long Sleep

The sole surviving Krryndaak Queen realized that there was no possibility of survival in a hostile galaxy while they were being actively hunted. Emerging from her cocoon as the new Empress, the Krryndaak would take their sole remaining ship to the outskirts of the galaxy and allow the hive consciousness to become dormant. When supplies were needed, the hive ship would jump to a low technology world, activating the hive consciousness locally to enthrall the population while the Krryndaak resupplied. They would then leave and release the population from their control with only a vague memory of their visit.
  A number of Queens would be raised within the hive ship with the intention of reasserting control of the galaxy later, after all memory of the Krryndaak had faded. Additional hive ships would be constructed and left dormant in various parts of the galaxy, awaiting the day when the Krryndaak returned.


   

Natural Enemies

Only the Omnos exist as a natural enemy to the Krryndaak that also have the ability to resist them. Due to the nature of the Omnos collective consciousness gradually absorbing that of any beings they encounter, the Omnos have eliminated the Krryndaak parasites on their worlds. Without any means by which to directly connect to the Omnos collective, it remains completely beyond their control. In addition, because of the much wider spectrum of consciousness the Omnos can detect, they are aware of the nascent Krryndaak consciousness, even if they are unable to pinpoint its origin.
  The Krryndaak fear that if the Omnos were to encounter an active hive connection, they would be able to overwhelm it and, due to their diminished numbers, the Krryndaak would be unable to resist being absorbed into the Omnos collective. Because of this, the Krryndaak would go out of their way to avoid the Omnos. However, it is possible that should the Empress reestablish the full hive connection, she could then use the concentrated force of all those enthralled to the hive to overwhelm the Omnos, forcing the Omnos to join the hive instead. Krryndaak misunderstanding of the Omnos Individuals and the nature of the Omnos collective as being analogous to their own hive makes them believe this is possible.


   

Allies

The Enmalex ship fleeing the destruction of their home world would encounter the Krryndaak hive ship during their escape from the galaxy. The Krryndaak, hearing only the distorted view of events from the Enmalex crew, would provide them with supplies sufficient to cross over to the Magellanic Clouds. This would make the Krryndaak even more wary of the Omnos as they observed later events.
  During their first return to the galaxy, the Enmalex would make a determined effort to locate the Krryndaak as potential allies. For their part, the Krryndaak observed the Enmalex operation as little more than the instinctive fear of an undomesticated animal and avoided contact.
  By the time of the third operation, the Krryndaak had realized the threat the Omnos presented, and did establish contact. They would provide the Great Mother with advanced genetic information, allowing her to extend her lifespan even more than she already had. It was the Krryndaak intention to eventually domesticate the Enmalex and use them as an assault force against the Omnos, thereby allowing their return to power over the galaxy. The already paranoid and suspicious Great Mother would not allow herself to be taken in by Krryndaak promises of power in exchange for her service, so the alliance ultimately came to nothing.
  The Krryndaak would come to see the Enmalex operations as running counter to their own goals. By eliminating technology and allowing civilizations to collapse, every operation reduced the population dramatically. This kept the Krryndaak from enthralling enough people to be able to overwhelm the Omnos. They would remain in contact with the Enmalex in spite of this, providing the Great Mother with information about ongoing galactic events as they learned of them from the minds of the populations during supply stops.
  Following the ascension of the Omnos, the Krryndaak would consistently remind the Great Mother that there was no sign of the Omnos, and that they, like the Krryndaak, must be in hiding somewhere. This had the desired effect of postponing Enmalex operations in the galaxy for a considerable time.


   

Enmalex War

During the First Enmalex War, the Krryndaak would persistently remind the Enmalex that there was no trace of the Omnos ever having been there, and question how the Enmalex were even able to take the Omnos sector without encountering them. The Great Mother would accuse the Krryndaak of knowing where the Omnos were, potentially even being allied with them. Following this the Krryndaak would break off all contact with the Enmalex, moving their hive ship even further from the galactic rim.


   

Technology

In spite of their age as a civilization, the Krryndaak have not had the resources to develop their technology in millennia. The Empress has also come to believe that maintaining a lower state of advancement aids in their concealment, as a less advanced ship is more easily ignored. Should the possibility present itself for direct action, there is no need for the Krryndaak to possess such technology themselves, since they can simply enthrall any power to the hive and use their ships.