Stariionae

Species 23330714, colloquially known as the Stariionae, are essentially living nanotech starships.  They spend their entire lives in space, but can 'land' on the surface of planets.
They are organized as Tribes.  Traditionally, the males are warriors, while the females are not permitted to fight.  As their numbers dwindle, this tradition is changing, and females are now allowed to fight.  They are armed with powerful beam weapons and missiles.
Their ancient mortal enemy is known only as "the Enemy".  The Stellar Federation has yet to encounter this species.
==First Contact==
Stariionae attitudes towards 'muck-dwellers' range from indifferent to hostile, depending on the individual.  Unfortunately, this led to a disasterous First Contact with the Stellar Federation, due to their tendency to regard the lives of organic beings as trivial and irrelevant, causing a great many deaths and excessive property destruction.
:The following contains spoilers!
===Impact at the Mileva Memorial Hyper-Spatial Observatory===
On 14 July 2333, an alien object, unlike anything the Federation had ever seen before, struck the Deep Space Hyper-Spatial Anomaly Detector, the primary sensing element of the Mileva Memorial Hyper-Spatial Observatory, disabling the facility.
The object was transported in-system to Repair Station Sigma-17, in orbit around Chakona.  There, it 'hatched' into a baby Stariionae, who was eventually named Star Dancer.
===Destruction of Comstock Station===
Soon afterward, an un-named Stariionae Tribe led by Parn moved into the Langston-Banus system to escape the Enemy, unaware that this was Federation territory.  There, they encountered Comstock Station: a mining facility in low orbit around a gas giant planet, responsible for filtering hydrocarbons from the upper atmosphere.
The Stariionae were starving, and saw the station's harvest as ideal food.  They attacked the station, easily disabled its weapons, and ripped it open to take the cargo.  Most of the crew were killed in seconds, either by exposure to the planet's toxic atmosphere and radiation, or exposure to space.
The F.S.S. Cumberland quickly responded to the station's distress call, and arrived just in time to witness the station disintegrate.  The warship engaged the Stariionae, killing one named Roso, but suffered moderate hull damage as the remaining Stariionae escaped with their stolen food.
Out of 126 lifeboats the station had, only 3 were recovered, containing only 11 survivors.  The station's 'black box' was also recovered.  The Cumberland's captain sent a detailed report directly to Starfleet Headquarters.
===Qantas Challenger massacre===
Shortly after the destruction of Comstock Station the bulk cargo transport Qantas Challenger was attacked.
Investigation reveals the vessel's warp core suddenly scrammed and shut down, with disastrous effects.  The cause of the shutdown was a Stariionae using their unique FTL to enter the Qantas Challenger's warp bubble, adding hundreds of tons of mass, which the main energizer could not compensate quickly enough for.  The vessel dropped out of warp instantly, bleeding plasma from its vents.
The Stariionae took half the cargo (as food), and deliberately punctured all crew compartments.  The entire crew was killed.
The derelict vessel was soon found by Echo 219 of the Chakona Security Force, raising more alarms.
===Raid on Silver City===
The Stariionae's next appearance was at Silver City, an asteroid mining colony in the Naga system.  The F.S.S. Valaparaiso had been towed there for emergency repairs to a ruptured plasma conduit.
The mining colony and the Valaparaiso were caught completely off-guard when the Stariionae used their stealth to attack the colony, being attracted to its mineral resources as food.
The Valaparaiso fought back, but was quickly overwhelmed by the ferocity of the assault, and was reduced to a ruined hulk in minutes, and killing nearly the entire crew.  The Stariionae then forcibly took the cargo they wanted from Silver City without challenge.
This raid cemented their boldness, and belief that the 'muck-dwellers' were easy prey for the resources they needed.
===Declaration of war===
At this point, the Stariionae had been responsible for the deaths of 2,497 Federation citizens.
In light of the devastating and apparently unstoppable Stariionae attacks on Federation ships and stations, the Stellar Federation activated the Emergency War Powers Act, and declared "Species 23330714" to be a hostile threat of utmost importance.
Task Force Sceptre, consisting of six warships and one of the largest science vessels in the fleet, was assembled to hunt down the Stariionae, make First Contact if possible, or destroy them if attempts to communicate fail.
The task force patrolled some distance from Chakona, broadcasting a partial recording of Star Dancer's 'voice' into space, hoping to attract the Stariionae so that they could attempt to communicate...
===Battle of Task Force Sceptre===
On 10 October 2333, the majority of the fleet was destroyed by the Stariionae in the Battle of Task Force Sceptre.
:F.S.S. Lijang and F.S.S. Mactan were crippled and suffered heavy casualties.
:F.S.S. Biscay and F.S.S. Hawke were completely destroyed; all hands lost.
:F.S.S. Isaac Asimov was disabled, then torn to ribbons and her entire crew executed.
:F.S.S. Cumberland was the only vessel to escape intact, though she took heavy internal damage.
Five Stariionae were killed in the battle: Hesai, Kronn, Shenna, and Kagan, and one unnamed individual killed by the Asimov's weapons.
Word of the crushing defeat did not reach Chakona until 3 November 2333...
===Battle of Chakona===
:For more information, see Battle of Chakona.
Chakona's warning was short-lived, as the Stariionae arrived in the Chakastra system less than 24 hours later.
The Mileva Memorial Hyper-Spatial Observatory was first to detect the approaching aliens, just moments before it was completely destroyed.  
Less than 15 minutes later, the Stariionae arrived in orbit around Chakona, and a furious battle erupted.  All 10 of the Chakona Security Force's defense fighters in Echo squadron were destroyed in moments, along with all 20 members of their crews.  Multiple other starships were destroyed, and Chakona Gateway Station was heavily damaged.
The Stariionae broke through the defenses and tore most of Repair Station Sigma-17 apart, trying to rescue Star Dancer (who the Stariionae named "Brina").  Star refused to go with them, forcing Parn to reconsider that 'muck-dwellers' might be capable of love, and had cared well for Star.  Krita insisted that she be left behind with Star, while Parn took the rest of the Tribe to an unknown region of space.
===Aftermath===
Debris from the battle rained down like a meteor shower across Chakona for days.  Chakona Gateway Station had lost all its thrusters, so its orbit had to be boosted with emergency thruster packs, before it struck the surface like an asteroid.  Between the earlier raids, the Battle of Task Force Sceptre, and the Battle of Chakona, over 4,000 lives had been lost... many bodies would never be recovered or identified.
Krita (known to the Federation as "Auntie"), who was pregnant with twins (courtesy of Parn), remained with Star Dancer and provided an enormous sum of information to educate the young Stariionae, since she knew she was too old to survive the birth of her children.  Indeed, she perished giving birth to twins.
Star Home space station was built about six months later, to house Star Dancer and her two baby half-siblings, Strelka and Zarya.  They continue to teach the Federation what Krita taught them about Stariionae culture, and have been adopted as Federation citizens.
The remains of Parn's Tribe have not been seen or heard from since they left Chakona.  Many throughout Starfleet fear the Stariionae may return one day, and bring a guerrilla war the Federation cannot win...
==Known Stariionae==
A nomadic tribe of 19 Stariionae entered Federation space in 2333, plus the lone "Star Baby" born at Repair Station Sigma-17.  Six were killed in battles with Federation forces, and one stayed behind with Star Baby (who grew up and was named Star Dancer); this one died giving birth to twins.  The remainder of the tribe left Federation space and have not been heard from since — their location and fate remains unknown.
Males:
*Delis
*Garan
*Hesai — killed in the Battle of Task Force Sceptre
*Kagan — killed in the Battle of Task Force Sceptre
*Kronn — killed in the Battle of Task Force Sceptre
*Narbeh
*Noa — Krita's mate; died long ago
*Parn — Starlord of the tribe that passed through Federation space in 2333
*Roso — killed by the F.S.S. Cumberland, responding to the attack on Comstock Station
*Sarlen — a child
*Shev
*Sia
*Torgai
*Zarya — Federation citizen, currently living at Star Home space station
Females:
*Azaria
*Gava
*Janis
*Khalia
*Krita / Auntie — died giving birth to Strelka and Zarya
*Shenna — killed in the Battle of Task Force Sceptre
*Star Dancer / Brina — Federation citizen, currently living at Star Home space station
*Strelka — Federation citizen, currently living at Star Home space station
*Toki
*Vala — Star Dancer's mother, and mate of Parn; died from mortal wounds inflicted by the Enemy
==External Links==
* An Introduction to Stariionae
* Star Dancer story
* Star Dancer: Reunions story
Category:Star Dancer
Category:Aliens