Zaxxoid Hive

The Zaxxoid Hive is a faction located in the easternmost reaches of the Beta Quadrant, bordering the Gazarian Dominion and Starkonian Empire. Though it doesn't possess an administrative capital in the traditional sense, its de-facto leading world is Screkan, which is theorized to be the homeworld of the Zaxxoid species.

True to its name, its governmental structure is that of an insectoid hivemind where a Zaxxoid Queen is responsible for commanding swarms of drones, as well as laying eggs to expand the population of its colony. There can also be multiple queens per colony, however, the eldest queen is instinctively the one in charge, and will thus command the others. Drones can come in multiple forms, however, the most common are Zaxxoid Workers, who are responsible for resource-gathering and colony maintenance, Zaxxoid Energizers, who are capable of producing massive amounts of bioelectricity for various applications, and Zaxxoid Soldiers, who eliminate threats and perform acts of conquest on the collective hive's behalf.

All Zaxxoid colonies and swarms are highly territorial and absolutely ruthless in eliminating intruders. Anything that moves near the hive's territory and is not of their kinship is immediately terminated, then used as either food, biomatter, or construction materials.

Origins & Contextualization:

Hostile factions being deliberately secretive is not uncommon in the Milky Way, but even with civilizations known for their insularity like the Holy Union of Sarnakus and Vascor United Systems, there's usually at least some limited intel to be gathered on their individual histories and cultures. The Zaxxoids, however, are entirely unique in the sense that literally no one - not even their direct neighbors - knows anything about how they came into existence, much less gained access to FTL technology.

This is partially because they don't keep written records and never vocally converse with any individuals outside of the hive, but this lack of dialogue also runs deep enough to the point where even other insectoid species - such as the Cobaltians and Ketr - have trouble communicating with them at a telepathic level, suggesting that despite bearing some form of sentience, the Zaxxoids as a whole may be more driven by instinct as opposed to intellect. Their telepathic conversations with citizens of the Democratic Cobaltian Empire are perhaps the most well-documented examples of this, with the following questions and answers being the most notable case studies:

- When a Cobaltian scientist asked a captured Zaxxoid soldier about its thoughts on other sentient organisms, the response was one word: "PREY."

- When a Cobaltian soldier in the field asked a wounded Zaxxoid worker about the hive's motives, the response was simply "CONSUME" with no further context.

Technology:

Knowledge related to the Zaxxoid process of starship construction and space travel is decently well-documented, as they are a classic example of a species capable of producing its own biotechnology. Workers will construct large, airtight "ships" made of a thick natural resin, which can include anywhere from dozens to hundreds of energy "turrets" that energizer drones can then fire using the bioelectricity their bodies are capable of generating while aiming the "barrels" towards external targets by telepathically linking to the "vehicle." The naturally created jump drives also work in much the same way, though they require anywhere from hundreds to thousands of energizer drones working simultaneously to activate.

Soldier drones are also capable of generating bioelectricity in the same way energizers are, albeit to a much lesser extent - often just enough to power their embedded energy weapons found at the ends of their forward appendages.

29th Century Status:

The Zaxxoid Hive is currently dormant for the most part, as small-scale forays into Gazarian and Starkonian territory rarely end well for their swarms. However, roughly every 30 years or so, a large "megaswarm" will appear - seemingly after having amassed in the deep, untouchable regions of their space - and wreak havoc across the southern beta quadrant, resulting in countless civilian casualties. Additionally, as of 2817 CE, the megaswarm is actually expected to occur within the next 2-3 years, which is a terrifying prospect for everyone at risk.

Furthermore, the damage a megaswarm event inflicts is bad enough to the point where factions that are normally geopolitical enemies will work together to mitigate the extent of the cyclical disaster. In fact, one of the few diplomatic agreements that the Starkonian Empire, Gazarian Dominion, Cobaltians, and G.A.F. unilaterally maintain between all four of them is a joint arms accord designed to defend their territories from the Zaxxoid threat, which remains in effect even after the Southern Galactic War.

Main Story Importance:

The Zaxxoid Hive does not appear in the first season of Project: Avalon's main story. However, it is briefly mentioned as an existing entity, and will most certainly appear later as a major antagonistic force. It is only a matter of time >:)