Leneth Hive

An insectoid race of arthropods native to the desert world of Iscoros, the **Leneth**, formally known as the **Leneth Hive** or simply **The Hive**, are a hivemind with a rigid caste structure. Ruled by a series of fertile Queens, the Leneth release vast armies of winged, wasp-like Leneth and wingless, mantis-like Lenilth warriors to scour worlds of biological matter to create enough biological fuel to power their vast biofleets. The Hive will deploy vast swarms of locust-like Drones in order to harvest enough bio matter to manufacture their fuel. The Leneth rely on pheromones to coordinate their armies, along with a telltale series of clicks and chirps, and a telepathic link to their Brood and Hive Queens. During the Humanity-Hierarchy War, the Leneth were responsible for the Devastation of New America, a critical industrial world for the United Earth Coalition, near the start of the conflict.

## Caste System

The Leneth are a race dominated by a caste system. Each caste fulfills a specific role in the running of the hivemind. The castes recorded are:

* Queen- The most important role in Leneth society, the Queen Caste fulfills the role of the species' main breeder and functions as a linchpin to keep the race together. The Queen is split into three specific subtypes.
	+ Hive Queen- Native to Iscoros, the Hive Queen is the main egg-layer in the hivemind, emitting a powerful telepathic field that affects all its children across the entire galaxy. It is also the only Leneth capable of laying eggs containing new Queens.
	+ Brood Queens- The offspring of a Hive Queen, Brood Queens have two functions: lay tens of thousands of eggs full of the Drone and Warrior castes, and to keep them together via its telepathic field. Unlike its more immobile mother, the Brood Queen is typically located at the heart of vast biofleets to coordinate all actions of its offspring.
	+ War Queen- A subsect of the Brood Queen, the War Queen is deployed to the field as a last-resort, functioning as a nigh-unkillable, telepathic linchpin for all Leneth ground assaults. The only sterile Queen, its function is to lead the swarms of warriors to victory over the enemies of the swarm.
* Warrior- The most recognisable caste of the Leneth, the Warrior Caste functions as the guards, the sentries, and the frontline army of the Hive. There are a multitude of subtypes in the Warrior Caste.
	+ Leneth Warrior- A humanoid wasp-like creature, the Leneth Warrior is clad in flexible, chitinous armour often in drab black or brown colours. Leneth Warriors possess a set of membranous wings which they use to soar into battle with a loud buzzing. Leneth Warriors are equipped with four arms, each culminating with a set of three claws and a curved stinger mounted over the wrist joint which fires a corrosive venom spray.
	+ Lenilth Warrior- A mantis-like organism with a tough beetle-like shell, the ground-bound Lenilth is the immediate cannon fodder variant of the Hive's war machine. Armed with two scythe-like slashing claws capable of slicing through flesh like jelly and rending deep gashes in reinforced steel, the Lenilth relies on its incredible speed, agility and vast numbers to destroy its enemies.
	+ Hive Guard- A brutish organism mixing the very resilience of a Queen with four slashing claws with hollow venom grooves, the Hive Guard is rarely seen in battle, instead being located defending the Brood or War Queen, often in groups of four. When engaged, the Hive Guard aims to crush anything that is foolish enough to intrude into the heart of the Leneth swarm.
	+ Iscoros Firefly- A dragonfly-like biomorph, the Iscoros Firefly fulfills the role of airborne artillery. Firing adhesive, corrosive slime from its scorpion-like tail, the Firefly darts across the skies devastating the battlefield. If the fact it sprays adhesive venom all over the place isn't bad enough, it also has slashing blades on its forelegs for dive bombing enemy infantry.
	+ Sicarimorph- An incredibly rare sight and one that not many luckless victims live to tell of, the Sicarimorph is purpose grown organism with one purpose: assassination. Lithe, agile, silent, and utterly efficient in its designated task, the Assassin Bug-like Sicarimorph is designed for behind the lines operations, gathering intelligence and eliminating any high profile targets with needle-like blades on its arms or injecting corrosive venom with its syringe-like rostrum. It will often work in conjunction with Mimimorphs.
	+ Mimimorph- An incredibly deceptive organism in the Hive, the Mimimorph features shifting, chitinous plates in conjunction with the ability to imitate voices near flawlessly. Able to assume the appearance of individuals by rearranging elements of its casing, the Mimimorph provides a near constant stream of intelligence to its accompanying Sicarimorph via its telepathic link. While mostly unarmed, the Mimimorph makes up for it with its incredible speed and ability to change the colour of its shell.
* Drones- The lowest subtype of the Leneth Hive, the Drone Caste is mostly used to construct hives, move eggs, and tend to the biofuel digestion pools. There have been three recorded subtypes of Drone.
	+ Swarmer Drone- The locust-like Swarmer Drone is a common sight on worlds that the Leneth have established nests and hives on. Getting their name from the vast numbers forming enormous clouds on the horizon, the Swarmer Drone strips the surface of worlds bare of any bit of useful biomass for fuel.
	+ Burrower Drone- The aptly-named Burrower Drone drills its way through the earth boring out tunnels and passageways for the hive's population. Termite-like in nature, the Borrower Drone is mostly blind and relies on echolocation to transport eggs into great hatcheries.
	+ Builder Drone- The ant-like Builder Drone swarms across the surface of a Leneth world, building and repairing portions of the nests and hives with a single-minded fervour.