Stellicons

Considered by many ship's captains to be a dangerous nusiance, Stellicons are a robust, hardy species, thought to originate from the world of Somkiypu Five, a terran world with no other notable features. Regardless of their origins, stellicons are now found across Known Space, on ships of all factions, despite many attempts to eradicate them.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Stellicons are a small organism, with a round body barely 1 to 2 centimetres across, with three short limbs of about a centimetre in length that emerge from equal points, making the whole creature a rough tetrahedron. Each of the limbs ends in a collection of fine, hairlike fronds. They have no obvious orifaces for breathing, eating, or defecating. They are a pale greenish brown, with a tough, leathery skin, and are covered in small bumps and wrinkles.

Stellicon forms by Xah

Their most unusual features are their ability to withstand hard vacuum for prolonged periods of time, and how they link into gesalt forms when their numbers are sufficient. To survive hard vacuum, stellicons secrete a hard substance around themselves, forming a protective shell, under which they can survive almost indefinitely so long as there is enough energy to survive on. When in a favourable environment, and stellicon numbers are large enough, they can link up, connecting using the hair-like fronds at the end of each limb. This connected form is far more intelligent than its components, with tests showing that it displays problem solving abilities on par with corvids, dolphins, and great apes. Scientists postulate that this form exists to allow stellicons to solve complex issues and 'manage' its spread better.

Genetics and Reproduction

The method of reproduction for stellicons, and one of the aspects that makes them exceedingly difficult to eradicate, is simple asexual cloning. When resources are plentiful, stellicons will simply divide down the middle, forming two where there once was one. With an ample supply of energy, a single stellicon can replicate itself once every two to three hours, growing back into its normal size quickly.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Federation of Xah Technical caste members have classified stellicons as a 'potentivore'; a being that subsists on nothing but energy. In their home environment, stellivores would attach themselves to the giant flying electric eels that were bountiful in that ecosystem, but these days, they can get most of their sustenance from the waste energy of electrical conduits, especially those that carry the large amounts of power from space ship fusion drives.
It is a rare ship indeed that doesn't have an infestation of stellicons, and it's an ongoing job for most ship crews to ensure that they do not start to grow in such numbers that they cause issues with other ship's systems.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

With no obvious external sensory organs, stellicons appear to have a crude form of electrolocation, detecting nearby sources of energy. They respond to other external stimuli, retreating from extreme heat, and intense physical contact, but do not react to either sound or movement. They can tolerate extreme cold, but move to warmer surfaces if possible.

Conservation Status

Not threatened

Geographic Distribution

• Known Space