Delta

**Change history and add information on Dornim III.**

**Delta** are a young race of sentient parasites that take control of Theans through their central nervous system.

## History

Delta parasites coevolved with a non-sentient Thean breed on their homeworld Dornim III. Somewhere in the evolutionary history of this relationship, the Delta developed complex intelligence and enacted tribalistic behavior in their Thean hosts. The Delta existed like this for thousands of years, eeking out a tribal lifestyle indistinguishable from countless other species. This all ended with the coming of a Katucautus science vessel to their primitive homeworld. Seeing the Thean researchers as no different from their cattle-minded hosts, the Delta tribes promptly captured the researchers and attached parasites to them. The story would have ended there if it were not for the research team's Vanon pilot who had been largely ignored in the attack. The pilot escaped the world and fled to a nearby commerce world where she docked the ship to seek help.

But something had snuck aboard. A single pregnant Delta had snuck aboard and laid a clutch of eggs in the ship's cargo bay, where they had hatched and matured over the course of the one year voyage to the commerce planet. By strange and terrible fortune, the engineer who came to refuel the vessel was a Thean, and he met his end in the cargo bay. From that tiny brood, Delta have managed to spread in small, enclaved numbers all throughout the galaxy. Some take up careers as pirates, and others join the Gorax weapon cartels. Recently, the Coreshar have become obsessed with them, and often try to coax Delta communities out of hiding with massive credit bribes and promises of high station if they join the Coreshar.

## Abilities

Strange Biology: Delta only have this ability when not attached to a host.

Lobotomize: A Delta must perform or instruct the performance of a particular surgery on a Thean to prepare for possession. This surgery requires a DC 15 Int check and takes 2 turns. Once the Thean victim is lobotomized, the Delta may latch into their nervous system, permanently destroying their consciousness. Once Latched, the Delta uses the Thean's Str, Dex, Per, HP, and Size stats, but keeps its own Int and Psi. Its Cha stat becomes the Thean's base Cha + its own Cha mod. When its Thean is killed or for 1 action, a Delta may detach from its host's body and perform a move action, returning to its original stats. If performed in melee combat, this does not provoke an opportunity attack. When hit with a crit on a 20, roll mutilation. If the head is mutilated, the Delta is immediately detached.

Disguise: Delta attach to their hosts via the upper spinal cord and are totally visible clinging to the back of the neck unless covered. When uncovered or without a host, Delta count as having Stigma 8 and, at the GM’s discretion, some planetary governments may actively try to deport, capture, or even kill them outright. Unattached Delta cannot wear armor, attach fields, or use ranged weapons, although this is situationally a matter of GM’s discretion.

## Factions

Delta can be found in all factions except the Coreshar, the Katucautus, and LEX, all of which have the desire to look into their biology.

## Biology

Delta are physiologically primitive, with only a simple blood-feeding gut and an auxiliary liver for a digestive system. All their complexity can be found in their nervous system, which is centralized in their head behind a single large pink eye. Half of a Delta's brain is devoted to personal thought and signaling, while the other is normally completely dormant. This second half contains nothing but complex interfacing systems designed to meld with those of a Thean. This linking lobe is attached to a series of massive nerve bundles which jut from the Delta's face, manifesting as an array of pale yellow tentacles. These nerve cords wrap around the host's brain stem, extending into the hub of the brain and totally superseding the thought patterns of the cortex.

## Culture

Delta culture is shockingly rich, and often quite diverse. They all share a belief in a shared mythology that life is a dual relationship between mind and body, and that they were created to be a so-called "naked mind." Other beliefs and cultural ideals vary wildly depending on the Delta.