CSS Xenodemographic Report:
The Sheengrix (Zhuk) Race
The Sheengrix Sentient races are the most mysterious of all the known races in and around the Astrea Sector. Nothing is known of what the Sheengrix say about themselves. Most of what is known about their race and culture comes from their enemies and their victims: Most notably the Scroll of the Arwtani, an ancient and now presumed extinct race of Felids, similar to, but distinct from the Aslani. The text is inscribed on a metal cylinder some thousand to twelve hundred years old and describes a Sheengrix attack on an unknown planet. Much of it is presumed fanciful to vilify the invaders in order to encourage fear and support of the fight against them. It is highly unlikely that they use the blades on the edges of their first forelimbs to severe the heads of their opponents so they may either alternately "suck out their juices" or "implant eggs down the pharynx and trachea into the lungs." This propaganda is presumed to be based on the Sheengrix superficial resemblance to the praying mantis and other entomoids.
What is known about the Sheengrix is amazing. Based on the examination of a single adult corpse they are possibly the only carbon / silicon based life form known to sentient kind. While the combination of the two elements have been common for centuries in biological manufacturing, the occurrence in nature is almost nonexistent. Considering that Carbon and Silicon are usually the two most common elements in a habitable world, its absence in nature as a compound is unusual as well. The Sheengrix are also the only race indigenous to space. While they have been known to visit worlds to forage, they must return to space to breed. Xenobiologist have speculated as to the reason for this necessity. Some insist it is merely cultural while others contend that there is something unique about the space environment: either its radiation or lack of gravity provides some unknown but critical ingredient. This debate is not likely to be solved anytime soon. The Sheengrix are infrequent visitors to human space. Given the general low survival rate when parties encounter them beyond the frontier, it is no wonder that there is a general lack of enthusiasm in pursuing the quest.
The Sheengrix fall into the Upper Tier on the Bera Technology Scale, either as a Cat One or Cat Two society. Nothing is known about their discovery of FTL travel or how they use it - only that they do. To date, their have been no record encounters between Sheengrix and Confederate ships in open space within the Confederacy itself.
"Zhuk"
The single specimen brought back for study was an entomoid his discovers called "Zhuk." That has been the popular slang to this day instead of the usual Sheegrix (so named for the sound they make when feeding). The B-16 Groom Lake ran into the unfortunate, collecting it on their windshield. Although the soft tissues were damaged beyond reconstruction from the cold vacuum of space, the carbon / silicon carapace and integral bone structure survived intact. No tools were collected with it so there is no evidence of what its purpose of function might be.
The good news was that Zhuk was wearing a helmet attached to a breather. The purpose seems to have been to filter out excess oxygen. It is postulated that anything above a 6% oxygen concentration would prove harmful of fatal to a Shwwngrix. The brain was also preserved as well, showing three pairs of lobes instead of the two common among most sophonts. The lobes are most likely devoted to controlling different parts of the Sheengrix anatomy. In addition, two wide-spaced, large almond shaped eyes were also well preserved, demonstrating that Zhuk had stereopsis (3D vision) and could most likely see with better depth perception than humans. In addition there are three much smaller eyes in the center of their foreheads. The eyes were clear, revealing the reflective surfaces on the back of the eyeball. Red pigment was also discovered in the lenses, possibly indicating the ability to change eye color according to light condition. If "Zhuk" is typical of his species, then Sheengrix cannot see red, but can see beyond the human range and into the ultra violet.
Vestigial antennae on the head were found along with external mandibles common to other entomoid or mantoid species. The skull was oval in shaped to make way for the paired lobes of brain tissue. No "ear" opening of any kind was found in the cranial structure leaving xenobiologist to postulate that either the subject was deaf or that the "ears" or tympanum membrane were located elsewhere in the ravaged soft tissue.
Anatomy and Physiology
The Sheengrix are a bi-pedal, six extremity entomoid race with a carbon / silicon carapace over much of their bodies. They have a stooped stance and average around five feet, taller if standing erect. Sexual dimorphism, if it does exist, is unknown, nor do xenobiologist even know how to differentiate between the sexes if they do exist. Weight, as well, is questionable since they are usually encountered in low gravity environments and the only subject found was dessicated by space. Best estimate is that while they are of lighter frame than humans, their natural armor would more than make up for the difference: best estimates 150-185 pounds.
Their body armor is quite impressive, enclosing the body in rock hard oxy-hydrocarbon-silicates. The entire body is protected except for the abdomen. Individual plates follow the musculature of the body and gaps allow for some flexibility. Thickness of the armor ranges from 10 mm along the edges of the plates to 50 mm in the center. The skull was found to be similar in thickness. Along the lower edge of the upper arms is a blade of the same material and apparently artificially sharpened to create a blade protruding from wrist to elbow flaring outward toward the elbow to between 90 and 100 mm
(left blde was larger than the right). The upper arm extends from wrist to tip 285-300 mm and terminates in a spike. On the inside of the upper forearms there are six fingers attached linearly. The mid arms or lower forearms are lighter weight and with less armor. Each wrist terminates in a six fingered hand with the opposable thumb at the apex of the hand with the five fingers toward the inside. Lower legs are ungulate and have a splayed three part "hoof."
Nothing is known about their reproductive habits other than they are egg layers and they must lay the eggs in space. For some unknown reason, the space environment plays a critical roll in the development of offspring. The most recent theory among xenobiologists is that the environment in space facilitates the hydrogen / carbon / silicon bond that makes these sophonts so unique and yet seems to occur so rarely in a terrestrial environment.
"Soldiers"
It is assumed from eye-witness reports that there must be soldiers since some Sheengrix carry weapons and others don't. No one knows but the slain if they are biologically different from other classes of Sheengrix or they are just assigned different tasks and training. Based largely on the Scroll of the Arwtani, several things are known: on the battlefield they are naturally armored, quick and deadly accurate. In hand to hand combat they are fearless, attacking enemies many times their size; even spreading their arms wide to attract attention. When they close, they use their upper forearms to slice into prey or puncture them with their pointed forelimb.
"Shepherds"
There are some among the Sheengrix that are designated "Shepherds" (called so by the Scroll of the Arwtani) to watch over the "cows" that are necessary to their existence in space. Again, there is not enough information to know if these are the same race as the soldiers or are genetically differentiated in some way. From illustrations in the SOTA they are equipped with many, mostly unfamiliar tools in their trade. Whenever they are shown in the presence of a cow, they carry something that might be a pressurized tank on their shoulder with a tube leading from a gage on one end. Speculation is that it is a feeding container of some kind to force feed the animal.
"Cows" and Tunnels
Another unique quality of the Sheengrix races is that they lead a symbiotic relationship with another being called a "cow" by the SOTA. It is unknown if the cow is related to its "shepherds" genetically or if it is merely a beast of burden adapted for a specific task. According to illustrations in the SOTA and survivors' reports, cows resembles an immense, legless worm reaching upwards of 15m in length and three meters in diameter. The whole of the Sheengrix existence as a viable society in space is based on these creatures activities. Cows live life in reverse, crawling backward through their entire existence. In one end goes food. From the other end comes a silicate based secretion (much like silicone) that is pliable and impermeable at first. The cow pushes through the secretion causing it to stretch. As more secretions are added, a tunnel is formed that is capable of holding in heat, air and pressure. A herd of cows used together can create a structure for living or breeding other Sheengrix. A cow is never seen in illustrations without an attending Shepherd. It is these tunnels that the other Sheengrix use to travel through and bind other ships and structures into a whole.
Settlements
The Sheengrix tunnels are quite literally the glue that hold their interstellar settlements together. It is hard to describe however, the Sheengrix view of the races around them or the ship's they capture. So far, they don't seem to recognize carbon based life as much more than a nuisance. They do seize disabled ships that stray into their territory, treating them as if they were a portable battery of perhaps a not-yet-ripe fruit. They collect them together using smaller ships to nudge them into position. Once positioned, they set lose their cows and shepherds to create the tunnels or tubes to bind them together. Once the tubes et up and harden, they punch holes through the ship's hulls using lasers. This allows the ships heat, air and pressure into the tunnel to make it habitable. Once a ship is unable to provide heat, air and pressure it is either cut out of the structure and used for scrap or hollowed out for other uses such as breeding chambers.
Ships that are functioning are usually safe and the drain is minimal on their systems. If their systems should break down, particularly the power plant, they are in dire straights. If repairs can't be made, they must flee or steal the needed parts from another occupied or unoccupied ship. The usual reason for ship failure is lack of fuel. Any ship newly added to the collection is likely to be attacked for whatever fuel reserves they may have left. If the former crews and passengers of disabled ships do manage to escape, they become refugees in flight looking desperately for another ship that will take them in or they can in turn take over by force. Those caught in the tunnels by the Sheengrix are seldom heard from again.
For unknown reasons the Sheengrix themselves have been known to play favorites. Sheengrix ships, which come and go as they please, will take fuel from the "Have's" and distribute it among the "Have Nots." No one is certain why. It does seem logical that it is to prolong the life of one ship or ships and shorten the life of another. The motivation for such action is unknown. The sampling of information is too limited to even speculate on an answer.
Zhuk Fauna
Where ever the Zhuk settlements are, there are a variety of fauna (animals) that accompany them as part of their original ecological environment. No one knows why this is so. Some stow-a-ways are to be expected, like rats on a human ship. However some of these "pests" are truly dangerous even to the zhuk themselves. All of these animals have the same unique carbon-silicin based structure as the zhuk. Speculation on their purpose range from 'guard dog' to food source.
Leaper (Frisbee of Death)
The leaper class of animals, also named "Frisbees of Death" by Lieutenant Ling of the Star Seeker bear a resemblance to a large deep dish pit pan. Clinging to walls, trees, branches or ceilings they lurk, waiting for prey to pass by. Once the prey is in the right place, they leap and flip over, landing face side down. With a myriad of tentacles and teeth, they hold on to their pray until it expires. If the prey is large and slow enough, multiple leapers will join in a feeding frenzie. In a unique form of same species cooperation, when one leaper leaves it's spot, an adjacent one will take its place. Another one will take the spot vacated and so on until all the prime positions for leaping are filled. When the leaper finishes feeding, it takes its place again at the back of the line.
Trapper (Death Slinky)
Trapper: Slinky like (ribbed sides) with bear trap on mouth. About 18” across can extend itself explosively three feet. Take elevator down.
Stalker:
Flyer:
Scavenger: Grex.