The Rada Parasite, “Council Worm”
A study by Tanya Tailblazer
The Rada, a faction of sentient parasites that the Yaku brought to the milky way without being aware of it.
Much can be said of the faction under King Khizra or High King Bashi, but my study on the Rada does not involve them as a people, but as a species which in the end comes down to the creature nestling in the brains of their hosts: The Rada Parasite.
(Artist’s rendition of one of the earliest Council Worms)
Known also as the ‘Council Worm’, these parasites are alien creatures that all derive from a massive bioform called ‘The Great Worm’, supposedly a giant worm organism that can travel in space and is larger than a habitable planet.
The current day parasites all derive from the first of their kind, Bashi who is himself a mutation along his species as the original form of the rada were parasites that lived in friendly symbiosis with plant life.
The worms themselves have made several mutations and evolutions since arriving in the Milky Way and are incredibly complex. In this study, I try to bring a greater understanding of the creature to the wider galaxy, unless we wish to repeat history. It is paramount that the parasites are studied and their danger to others minimized.
Overview
As seen in the picture added to this article, the Council Worms are much like their namesake worm like creatures that can vary in shape and size, however when ‘born’ or created in the bodies of other Rada hosts, they are anywhere from 0.5 to 3 cm long and incredibly small.
The worms are capable of growing from anywhere to 10, to 40 centimeters long and are capable of independent thought as soon as they are created, however their intelligence is that of a cunning animal and obey their creators, though can only do simple tasks and ambushes at this stage, they aren’t as intelligent as a fully grown one.
The color variation of these creatures varies however most often they are colored by their hosts a black and dark red coloring.
The creatures have two arm like appendages which each have a scythe like bone blade that allows them to dig and burrow into host bodies, capable of swimming incredibly fast inside tissue without or with harming the host body depending on intent. The worms are not blind and can perceive the world around them as well.
Inside the Council Worms mouths are rows of sharp teeth and a tongue like appendage which has several purposes, however most notably the worm has several hundred of tiny tendrils inside a mouth pocket. All of these tendrils are capable of manipulating and overpowering synapses.
A strange thing, as when mature the rada parasites can still change their appearances to whatever they wish, granted they have enough biomass to do so, however it seems that having six eyes is hard-coded into their genetic makeup, something even they cannot seem to change, and when the need arises to fake being not Rada, they hide the extra eyes, rather than get rid of them.
Additionally, due to their ability to weave dna, they are replicating their cells perfectly each time they are renewed, practically erasing aging from the Rada process, so they are most likely immortal in age, unable to die from disease or age.
Takeover Process
The Council Worm only has one purpose and only one goal, to take over a living creature and assume total control over its mental and physical capabilities. This most vile and effective process has no counter measures once the process begins, it is over if you allow one of these creatures anywhere near your brain.
While there are ways to stop the parasite in its tracks before it reaches, it is often better to not have the creature even enter your body as it can deal substantial damage to you, or kill you.
Once inside the body of its victim, the council worm begins to burrow around the body and cover it in a biological substance that creates an internal environment for the worm which allows its perpetual existence as it feeds the worm infinitely and the worm supplies it back, this weird way of recycling matter is near perfect and thus wastes little to no energy, thus removing food as a need for the parasite and the host body. The Rada do not need to eat, they choose to in the name of evolution to which biomatter is essential.
When this process is over, the worm swims to the victim’s brain and inserts itself upon the brainstem and wrapping its body over the brain itself, it is then when the parasite opens its mouth and attaches its hundreds of feelers into the brain. This way the parasite unlocks 100% of the subjects brain and begins to regulate every part of it, and overpowering the synapses of the victim, suppressing their personality and thoughts and making them into their own.
There are no reported cases of the victim ever waking up again, as the parasites tend to rip out or cause brain death in the original personality, as unscientific as it may seem to be, the victim’s “soul” seems to no longer exist after this process is initiated. Though several scientific pursuits are in search of a cure though personally, this seems unlikely due to the nature of the takeover.
Once in the brain, the parasite uses its feelers to mutate the host’s body into whatever shape and size it wishes, though it is limited in how much biomass the body or nearby surroundings have for it to use. The parasite matures over what I am calling “Memory vision” period as the parasites are now completely in charge of the synapses of the brain, it is able to recall the host’s life in perfect and clear vision, this way the Council Worm learns education, beliefs and morality the same way that the host did, however the Council Worm being a different person has an outsider perspective and may or may not think completely different than the host.
Memory vision depends on the creature taken over and its length varies in how old or how complex the host’s life has been.
As the Memory vision period ends, the parasite sends out a powerful psionic signal that hails its entrance to the Rada Hivemind, a powerful psychic network that the parasites are unable to perceive as children, but being matured and having a biological brain to use as a psionic booster or a powerline, they form this network whenever near other Council Worms, being capable of near instant communication between each other, conversing long conversations in seconds.
The council worm when taking over a subject is capable of healing wounds and correcting diseases as the rada modify and weave DNA, Genes and biological tissue in ways we cannot perceive and do not know the exact how. The environment that the Council Worm weaves essentially changes the biological makeup of the host body, changing them in such a way that it is no longer whatever creature they were, both inside and outside. Thus Rada are capable of healing even genetic diseases and even mental sickness or other highly difficult processes and even grow back lost limbs.
This magnificent and amazing discovery is of course confounded by the fact that the subject loses their own will and may have lost their very personality forever.
During the years the Council Worms have existed in the milky way, we have observed different rates as to how fast it takes over a creature.
Conversion Rates (As of right now)
General Animal Organism: Near Instantaneous - 3 minutes
Most biological creatures and beasts of the galaxy have never stood a chance to the Rada menace and the mental powers of the Council worms. Their brains and bodies are simply not intelligent enough to stand a chance against the mind control. Though maybe because of this, the initial rada made from animals are usually little more than beasts themselves, though far more dangerous than anything they were before and are capable of learning.
Humans: Near Instantaneous - 3 minutes
Once it took the Rada much longer, however after prolonged warfare and the over flowing amount of adaptable biomaterial of the human race, they have completely mapped out the genetic charter of humans and have no difficulty taking them over.
Humans looking to stop their people being infected should try to stop the process by technology, flash freezing the body at once it has entered the body may aid, though once the freezing process stops, the parasite will renew itself and resume its process.
Yaku: Near instantaneous - 30 seconds
The Yaku were an empire, their numbers heralded in the hundreds of billions as they came to this galaxy and kept growing during their initial stay, most of these hundreds of billions became the first Rada, almost all during the same time. This means that the Rada know more about the Yaku than the Yaku knew about themselves and due to that, a Yaku may explode into a Rada at near skin contact.
Any Yaku going anywhere near a Council Worm spells death to our species.
Skaronians: Near Instantaneous - 3 minutes
Strangely enough, while different the Yaku and Skaronians have -somewhat- similar DNA structure. This means that for the Rada it is easy to take them over, having to battle or fake out their nanobots, which tends to success and fail, but the parasites do not have such losses as they do with Sirasion nanobots.
A strange thing to note, is that all Council Worms that take over a Skaronian tend to discard their beaks in favor of maws. This is odd in that in most other cases, Rada do not always remove the mouths of the races they take over, even if they may change them they usually leave the initial structuring alone.
Necrophytes: One in every 3 (10 min on success)
The reason why the Council Worms have light difficulties taking over Necrophyte organisms seem to not be technological but rather a biological one. As all Necrophyte creatures already have a parasite inside of them. Unknown to most people in the galaxy, these bat like aliens are in fact creatures who have lived in symbiosis with fungus like parasites for a long long time.
The surprising reaction of the Necro-parasites is to begin a very hostile defensive turf war with the rada parasite as it enters a victim, taunting the rada parasite to fight it out and they almost always do, ignoring even orders of their Rada parent to avoid confrontation and usually the two kill each other in most violent ways imaginable, this horrible process of nature vs nature tends to sadly kill the Necrophyte responsible regardless which side wins, or if neither do.
However the parasites have evolved and mutated over the long years of fighting this and thus it has become easier than say, the Sirasions nanobots.
Sirasions: One in every 5. ( 10 min on success)
The reason why the Rada seem to have any problem at all with converting Sirasions is because of their nanobytes take hostile actions on the hostile parasites and shred and kill the creature before it reaches the brain, though the Sirasions that ARE converted are usually extremely hostile and dangerous due to the sheer pain and survival they had to experience in doing so. However this does not mean that everyone in the galaxy getting nanobytes will solve the Rada problem.
In general only the nanobytes that seem to be able to stop the modern day Council Worm are the Sirasion nanobots in particular, and this high technology is closely held by the Sirasions. With the rate that the Council Worms adapt, we don’t know how long these will keep working, either. Hopefully they will keep them at bay.
A sirasion that has had their nanobots removed, only lasts 5 minutes to convert.
Other inhabitants of the milky way: 3 - 20 minutes
Our galaxy is home to many other beings than these mentions, and the danger that the Council Worm gives them is no lesser than it does all these factions. However the cases of the Parasite attacking them is lesser, and studies onto other species and their conversion rates are on going. What seems to be essential is the complexity of genetic makeup and those with more complexion end up being 15+ and those who the parasites are comfortable and familiar with tend to be anywhere from 3-5.
Adaptation & Mutations:
All Council Worms have the intricate ability of evolving on the fly, what would take most creatures many thousands or hundreds of years of evolution, the council worms are capable of meeting in minutes.
Once exposed to tough conditions such as extreme heat or cold, when going against tough winds or crushed by heavy gravity, when exposed to poison, toxins, disease and other such methods, the Rada adapt to these conditions and make their bodies immune. The speed at which they adapt seem individual and it is uncertain what the general speed is, however when facing these conditions the Rada form a cocoon that takes in the condition and then morphs the body to suit the new environment. Of course, if this condition is too severe it will crush the pod and kill the Rada, however as the Rada can acquire the upgrades themselves elsewhere, this isn’t a high problem.
Another form of Rada mutation is the acquiring of traits. If a Rada bioform directly consumes a being or a certain number of certain being, they are capable of adapting their physical or other traits. For an example, if a Rada bioform consumes enough of a creature with wings, then this rada may also develop them, or grow spikes, or breath fire, or create spores of acid. Some turn invisible, there does not seem to be an end to this way of mutation, long as the biotic marker of the creatures enters the Rada, it can replicate.
They are also capable of transporting these traits and adaptive methods through the hivemind which they can load up much like memory cartridges and assume the new powers.
The Council worm is also capable of consuming and adapting mineral qualities and floral/plant ones through a complex method of absorbing the consumed material and integrating it into their biology in the body’s new environment. In theory this same process could technically be done with anything, which is worrying if the Rada find a way to do this with technology itself.
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