Vannai

> The Vannai didn't kill civilians with WMDs because that wouldn't evoke the same emotions as burning people alive in the streets. They wanted you to get mad. They wanted you to fight back.
>
> RROD353, Unlikely Heroes

## The Enemy

Commonly referred to as "The Ayys", "Ayyliens" or "Ayy lmaos", the Vannai were the true masterminds behind the 2014 Invasion of Earth. With the Vannai themselves preferring to avoid direct contact and instead observe the war from space, and the fact that no Vannai was ever captured alive, the only details on the Vannai known for sure lies in their biology. Initial data on the Vannai obtained from the Engineer going by the alias RROD353 during Operation Unlikely Heroes was sourced from Command staff who were later revealed to be traitors, leaving much of the testimony given subject to doubt and reevaluation. The data lode recovered by River Tam and transferred to Tommy Wilder during Operation Fastball remains encrypted thus far, but presumably contains a complete and accurate encyclopedia on the aliens.

## Biology and Appearance

> Honestly, aliens shouldn't be a surprise to you.
>
> RROD353, Unlikely Heroes

Only one Vannai was ever seen in person, but examinations of the genetic material recovered from its corpse show it as a typical example of its species. The Vannai were somewhat taller than the average human, with long limbs ending in hands with three hooked fingers and one thumb. Their skin was a translucent pinkish-white, with blotchy, bruise-like purple patches beneath the surface, and had a soft, rubbery texture. Vannai eyes were oval in shape, and appeared to be solid orange in color. The pupils of the eyes were very small and vertical in shape, which, combined with the wide-angled orientation on the head, gave the Vannai excellent spatial awareness, but also poor night vision.

Overall body shape was ectomorphic, with sloped shoulders and long necks, supporting a large head. The ears were very large and sensitive, growing vertically and curling outwards at the ends, giving the appearance of horns when viewed directly from the front. Lacking nostrils, scent identification was done via a trio of stalks growing from the forehead. Vannai lacked teeth and had wide mouths, indicating they fed by swallowing prey whole.

Vannai blood is shown to be purple when oxygenated - a result of being based around the protein haemerythrin (as opposed to red hemoglobin found in humans). Haemerythrin blood is a protein commonly found on Earth in marine invertebrates. Obvious evidence of genetic tampering shows that Vannai blood has been altered to facilitate a heavily-optimized form of photosynthesis that produces both oxygen and nutrients from light sufficient enough for a Vannai organism to survive without need for sustenance or breath with suitably low levels of activity. The specimen recovered from the mothership had replaced its natural blood with an altogether artificial substance identified as AO-BASE, the properties of which are still being determined, but appears to be nanite-based and is known to allow for long-distance, non-vocal communication.

Visually, the Vannai share a number of biological traits with the Axolotl, a species of lake-dwelling amphibians, inlcuding a remarkably potent regeneration ability that allowed them to replace lost limbs and even less vital areas of the brain that had been lost or damaged, a feature that very likely formed the basis of Hydra nanites. The lack of melanin found in the skin, combined with the presence of haemerythrin, suggest that the Vannai evolved in water-filled, subterranean caverns. The poor low-light vision is unexplained by this theory, but it is possible that these caverns were well-lit by natural means. While such well-developed aural sensory organs would be useless underwater, the large ears might have been used for echolocation to navigate dry cave-areas and compensate for poor low-light vision.

The Vannai's lack of offensive or defensive biological features indicate a heavy and early reliance on tools for survival once forced to compete with rival species, supported by their disproportionately large brains and, as a result, very high individual intelligence. As food sources tend to be scarce in cave environments, proto-Vannai were likely fiercely individualist, opportunistic hunters.

### Hybridization

Despite coming from a completely different planetary background and belonging to a different animal kingdom at that, the science of the Vannai has allowed for the hybridization of Human and Vannai DNA. Biological features "carried over" to humanity through this forced hybridization are readily apparent in the larger, pointed ears and slightly larger, angled eyes of the "Elves," along with other, less obvious differences such as decreased skin pigmentation. Like many hybrid species found in nature, these individuals are genetically incapable of reproduction.

## Culture and History

> They've been around much shorter than we have, but they're smarter.
>
> RROD353, Unlikely Heroes

While much can be gleaned from the genetics of the Vannai on their biology, what little is known about Vannai culture and history comes entirely from the cipher provided by River Tam. However, the record is imperfect, owing to the Vannai's lack of 'society' and concern for historical records.

Unlike humans, who evolved early into clan and tribal groups, gradually increasing in complexity to society and civilization, Vannai never reached such a stage in their species' development, remaining isolationist well into developing sapience. The Vannai never developed familial concepts, seeking reproduction only for instinctual fulfillment and remaining alone for most of their lifespan otherwise. As a result, whereas humans developed civilization from efforts to ensure the needs to the many were addressed, the Vannai civilization was born only out of shared curiosity to understand the world around them.

According to Tam, before the invasion of Earth, the Vannai had no concept of war and lived in a society without violence. This is half true, as the Vannai never engaged in full-scale war the same way humans did. Prone to rational thought, the direct violence among the Vannai was rare, and was rarer still to ever escalate beyond an interpersonal. Cooperation was encouraged due to the logical benefits, but true breakthroughs were jealously guarded, and secrets tended to be spread through observation and emulation. As a result, the Vannai became masters at adapting technology and progresses quickly without cultural or superstitious barriers to block the way of their advancement. However, wanton experimentation would soon leave their homeworld unable to support them any longer, forcing the Vannai to become a space-faring species.

At some point, the Vannai became aware of humanity's existence. For reasons unknown, the Vannai chose humanity as the subject of a grand experiment to learn about the nature of war conducted on a planetary scale. It is widely believed that the Vannai intended to use what they learned from humanity to conquer other civilizations, but the exact reason for their aggression is not known.

Unwilling to take to the field of battle themselves, the Vannai instead settled on a plan to instigate a species-wide war for forcing a portion of the human population under their will. Outfitting these dominated human subjects with their own weapons and technology, these human slaves would eventually become known as the Vannai Puppets.
Being much more technologically advanced than Humanity and foreseeing that the overwhelming technological advantage their Puppets would have would provide combat data of negligible use, an opposition force that would use the suits to fight on the side of humanity was allowed to exist. This opposition force would become the Armor Corps and later its various spin-off groups.

Though the Vannai doubtlessly learned much about human warfare over the years, the consistent success of the Armor Corps against their puppet forces eventually saw the Vannai forced off of Earth and back into space with the conclusion of Operation Unity. With the successful completion of Operation Mothership resulting in the destruction of the mothership in orbit around Earth, the Vannai are assumed to have been completely wiped out as of 2017.

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