Naiad

Naiads are semi organic sapient star ships that inhabit empty systems and prey on organic life. Neither the Principality nor Compact have definitive proof of their existence, and Red One is the only being introduced to make diplomatic contact with a Naiad pack.

## Description

### Appearance

Naiads come in multiple forms, as their design is mostly at an individual Naiad's whims. Zenobia's pack and her descendants take on a more traditional form, with larger Naiads up to eight kilometres long. There are also references to "helixes" and "octahedrons." Naiad monarchs live for thousands of years and can grow up to a dozen kilometers or more.

### Biology

Naiad biology is a mystery to every being that is not a Naiad. They are born from female Naiads, and mature over the course of centuries to millennia, however this may depend on the clan the Naiad is born to. They have a need for or choose to use "digestion pools" when dealing with organics, which hints that Naiads are at least somewhat organic.

Naiads have three sexes: Male, female, and neuters. Male Naiads, at least in Zenobia's pack, seem to develop powerful energy weapons meant for both Naiad to Naiad combat and possibly planetary bombardment. Females tend to prefer missiles and drones for combat. Neuters cannot reproduce, and tend to the needs of the other Naiads, acting as resource harvesters and repair stations.

Naiads as a whole prey on organic species. Whether this is entirely for fun or they require organic sustenance is unknown. They mimic organic transmissions - such as distress calls and various signals - or "sing" to lure their prey to them, before destroying their ships and harvesting the resources left in the wreckage.

## History

Naiad history and their origins remain largely unknown. It is possible that Naiads are intergalactic, coming to the Milky Way in a migration eons ago, or are the result of some unknown natural or artificial process. However, there is little evidence to make hypotheses with, as Naiads lack or refuse to share written records of their activities.

What is known is that Naiad history is marked by several mass migrations across the galaxy around every ten thousand years or so, leading to galaxy-wide extinction events. The only record of the last Naiad migration over eight thousand years ago simply reads "There are no stars." Whether this is a literal or metaphorical statement is unknown.

## Culture

Naiads view organic species as "insects" calling them "deadtone" due to their inability to communicate meaningfully with even an young Naiad. When hunting, Naiads are playful and experiment with different "songs" to see how their prey react and better lure them. Younger Naiads are more impulsive than older members of their species. While most Naiads view organic species with indifference at best and malice at worst, at least one Naiad has developed an interest in studying organic races.

Naiads organize themselves in packs, usually less than a dozen males and females in any one territory. Zenobia's pack is matriarchal, with Zenobia making the decisions rather than her mate, however Naiad packs may differ wildly in culture. Territory disputes are not uncommon between Naiad packs, and as the pack grows larger the young Naiads tend to be forced out of their birth territory to prevent internal power struggles.

Each territory contains dozens, if not hundreds of star systems that the Naiads use as hunting grounds, birthing areas, and repair systems.

The Parasite appears to be an ancestral enemy of all Naiads, as Sammuramat reacted with instinctual revulsion at the sight of a Parasite ship.

## Known packs

### Molten Veneer pack

***Poseidon*** - King, similar in form and hue to *Zenobia*, if larger and exchanging *Zenobia*’s enormous launch bays and construction facilities for heavier weapons and armour.

***Zenobia*** - Queen, her hull is elongated diamond well over ten kilometers long, her armoured hull-skin a blending of metallic blues and dark purples, her form swollen with weapons blisters and hangars that were equal parts factory and womb.

***Victoria*** - Queen

***Cixi*** - Queen

***Bathory*** - the female escort, only a few centuries old and scarcely the size of a destroyer and self-styled leader of the small pack

***Arámburu*** - the male escort

***Masako*** - the female escort

***Tamerlane*** - the male escort

*Aramburu, Masako, Tamerlane* and *Bathory* observe/escort *Nemesis* and gather information on the wider galaxy. Each of them have a rounded cone of a primary hull, with three forward-curved wings, giving them an exceptionally sleek form – almost like fighter craft rather than starships hundreds of meters long. Segmented armour plates interlaced with luminescent lines gave them an insectile and almost organic appearance.

### Kaedan Vault pack

***Domitian*** - King, from different pack than his queens, carry two impaler-scythes.

***Sammuramat*** - Queen, younger daughter of *Zenobia,* has a single hangar-womb and two factory-hangars, sacrificing the third for a prow-mounted set of heavy energy weapons, including an impaler-scythe. Battlecruiser sized in 5705 ACF, battleship sized about 6243 ACF. She carries more than two hundred attack craft in her factor-hangars and an arsenal suitable for turning a planet to a mangled ruin.

***Tzu-hsi*** - Queen, older daughter of *Zenobia*, has a single hangar-womb and three factory-hangars.

### Prism Clans

Little is known about the Prism Clans, besides the fact that they live in the "deep core" and have "eschewed their natural forms and taken on the appearance of geometric shapes." Their monarchs are massive octahedrons.

### Helixes

Even less is known about the Helixes, they are apparently cannibalistic and "coil through space." Their bodies are composed of cords and tendrils.

## Trivia

* Naiad names are complex amalgamations of their experiences and identity, and even AIs such as Red One find it difficult to decipher the nature of a Naiad's true name. The name given Cerulean 2*:* <├╚╗║╖╓╪╡╥╝╠╒┤> translates roughly to *dead[not fully]-alive[not fully] / creation-construct-born-life / weapon[smaller] tearing-cleaving-killing / fights-for-at-the-behest-of-a-monarch[Spear].*
* Naiad speech is designated by triangle brackets <like this>.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The Last Angel: Ascension - Entomology
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Last Angel: The Hungry Stars - Chapter 8
3. ↑ The Last Angel: Ascension: Chapter 55 and Epilogue