VUX

The **VUX** hail from the Luyten constellation, and their Sphere of Influence spans several light years. To an Earthling, a VUX resembles a bipedal, one-eyed cross between a hideous green octopus and a banana slug, with a snout like an anteater and a rigid, or possibly nonexistent, neck. As a species native to a low-light Redux World, the VUX's single eye is sensitive to wide-spectrum electromagnetic radiation. Appearance is all-important to them; they are most often seen wearing well-decorated uniforms and sitting at a rather ornate command console, and they do indeed spend a great deal of their time adorning themselves. In addition, the VUX are a bigoted lot, judging entire races off their appearance alone. The VUX mindset is also characterized by a strong sense of duty. Another highlight of this species is their translation technology, possibly the most advanced in our region of space (except maybe for the Ur-Quan with their Talking Pets).

## Biology

The VUX are, in Human eyes, hideous. Like the Melnorme, VUX possess one main eye, but their crown of tentacles may possess some form of simple eye, as they are highly motile and suggest a sort of peripheral vision scheme. If this is true, it would likely compensate for the stiffness of their necks compared to Humans. Their long snout ends with an aperture for an even longer tongue, and the shoulders give rise to long, scaled tentacles.

In the Kessari timeline, it is revealed that VUX have an inbuilt genetic disdain for all genetically complete beings, as they are the result of a Precursor experiment gone array, wherein the race that became the VUX and the Vyro-Ingo was split into two different species, with significant portions of their genetic make-up missing. In the case of the VUX, this manifested in an obsession with external appearances and fashion, as well as a strong psychological revulsion to all other sentient races and a tendency to put up appearances of being morally superior beings that are greatly offended about insults to their appearance. Upon reuniting with the Vyro-Ingo however, this quirk in their psychology has diminished to the point where the VUX don't feel physical nausea when looking at a human being.

## Culture

In VUX culture, concepts of appearance and fashion are of paramount importance. To their eyes a lifeform as bizarre looking as a Human is a new dimension in horrifying ugliness, a monster. Despite all of their clearly bigoted views towards other races, the VUX claim that they are an open-minded, rational species, which shows the narcissistic, high image they have of themselves. Any deviants from this norm are punished; Admiral ZEX, in spite of his importance, was exiled to Alpha Cerenkov due to a secret, taboo fetish for monstrous beasts and Humans (though this exile was euphemistically referred to as "luxurious retirement"). In the Kessari timeline, their bigotry and hatred of other races is due to their nature as a genetically incomplete species. Upon reintroduction to their pseudo-second-halves, the Vyro-Ingo, the VUX become much more hospitable and friendly towards other races, even to the point of not finding Humans repulsive.

## History

Much of VUX history is not known due to the VUX's staunch unwillingness to communicate with other races. However, the events in the recent two wars are common knowledge to many species. Prior to the Great War, the only other race with any knowledge of the VUX were the Yehat. In the Kessari timeline, the VUX were the result of a Precursor experiment, designed to isolate the Precursor's ability to reach new heights of their "Potential" and to see if it occurred in other species. The VUX and the Vyro-Ingo were placed in two different regions of space and due to their genetically incomplete nature, developed an intense hatred and physical nausea at the sight of other complete species. The Precursors had been intending to put the two species back together prior to their next devolvement, but were unable to due to the failure of the Daktaklakpak.

At the beginning of hostilities between the Alliance and the Hierarchy, the VUX and their enormous starship fleet seemingly kept to themselves. The first official contact between the Alliance of Free Stars and the VUX occurred when a Human captain, Jeffry L. Rand, encountered an Intruder squadron in VUX space. Many historians regard the encounter, termed "The Insult", as the single biggest mistake the Humans committed during the war. Captain Rand opened communications with a VUX commander, and when the commander appeared on the viewscreen, Rand made a disparaging remark to one of his officers about the VUX commander's appearance, unaware that the advanced VUX translator devices were already operating and relayed these words to the VUX captain. The VUX were incredibly offended, and cut off communications there and then. It is possible that Rand's comment is also the reason why "VUX" is sometimes treated as an acronym for "Very Ugly Xenoform."

With the Alliance's diplomats scrambling to atone for The Insult and to convince the VUX to join the efforts against the Ur-Quan forces, the Ur-Quan themselves seized upon this confusion and delay and promptly subjugated the VUX. The VUX chose to become Battle Thralls, and their Intruder fleets under the command of Admiral ZEX played an important part in the Hierarchy's eventual victory over the Alliance. Shortly afterwards, the Ur-Quan were pulled into the renewed Doctrinal Conflict against the Kohr-ah, and the VUX were left to their own designs. They seemingly did little other than patiently wait for the return of their masters.

During Star Control II, the VUX are steadfastly uncooperative, despite The Captain's attempts to remain polite and reasonable with them. The VUX are known to cite Rand's insult and their subordination to the Ur-Quan for their reasons why they refuse to listen to The Captain's requests for diplomacy; however, after The Captain persistently attempts to reason with the VUX, one of their commanders eventually snaps out of sheer frustration and admits that the VUX's real reason for hating humanity is that they find the appearance of a Human to be so horrible that they are simply unable to tolerate it and feel the need to regurgitate uncontrollably whenever they set their eye on one.

Despite the VUX as a whole refusing to listen to reason, they do on occasion direct The Captain to speak with Admiral ZEX, who had been exiled from VUX society after the Great War was over, for the reason that ZEX, in his own words, "enjoys" humans. Unlike the other VUX, ZEX is very cooperative with The Captain, if in a somewhat overbearing and uncomfortable manner. ZEX has been keeping a menagerie of various monstrous beasts from around the galaxy that he considers to be beautiful - yet one beast has eluded him and his men, much to his frustration. The Captain strikes a deal with ZEX; if he could recover the VUX Beast, then ZEX would give his cryogenically frozen Shofixti Maidens to The Captain in exchange. The deal is done; however, ZEX attempts to betray The Captain, as it was really The Captain himself that ZEX wants to put in his menagerie of beasts. The VUX Beast manages to break free from its holding cell however and goes on a rampage that eventually results in ZEX's death, allowing The Captain to retrieve the Shofixti Maidens from the menagerie on the planet surface.

In the Kessari timeline, the VUX are the last species to join the League of Sentient Races, putting off joining for as long as they could, until they finally agree to join the mission to the Kessari Quadrant. When there, they undertake measures to sabotage the League from within, partially out of loathing for Humanity and partly due to their allegiance to the Crux. This includes raiding the Mycon, stealing the Ultron from the Utwig and denying all of it to the Captain's face, accusing the Captain of the same bigotry they claimed to have overcome. At last, the VUX leave the League and join the Crux in open warfare against the League. However, with the discovery of the Precursor experiment and the reunification with the Vyro-Ingo, the VUX apologise and request to rejoin the League, having begun a breeding program with the Vyro-Ingo to reunite their species once and for all.