Haktu

The **Haktu** are a diverse collection of of coordinated and intelligent species of insectoids originating from the vibrant jungle-planet Marash Ke'ral. Biologically adaptive and able to reproduce in alarming numbers, the Haktu have been considered one of the greatest threats to galactic peace in Aeos ever since their discovery. They have always existed as numerous "hives" warring against one another for food and resources until learning interstellar travel, where they united to dominate and spread across the stars.

Created and ushered into the galaxy of Aeos by the Daevora Prince, Zebul, the Haktu revere him as the "Architect", the ultimate creator and destroyer of civilizations.

## Species

### Subspecies

* **Mikrast** - Resembling anthropomorphic moths, Mikrast Haktu are the result of DNA additions to the moth-like Lephala species from humanoid races such as humans, Vaan, and more. The Mikrast are prized as the social elite of the Haktu, often holding positions as leaders and representatives of the hives. The Mikrast have large, moth-like wings capable of shedding scales in the form of a cloud of powder. These wings can vary in color and typically have intricate designs on them, a callback from the Lephala's natural warning against predators. They have hair on their heads and a tuft of fur forming a collar around their chest. They lack a nose, using their antennae to smell, and have a set of human-shaped insect eyes with a human mouth capable of speaking Galactic.
* **Shahir** - Similar to real world tarantula hawks, Shahir are steely blue-black in color with vibrant orange wings and a long, tube-like tail ending in a syringe-like needle where the flexible stinger itself can protrude from. Ill-tempered and territorial, the Shahir are generally militant and known for their extremely violent tendencies, with some hives even committing acts of cannibalism on one another. Their neurotoxin produced from their stings is reportedly insidious in its composition, rendering adult humans paralyzed for several hours with a single sting and shutting down bodily functions permanently with several.
* **Ikot** - Resembling wasps and ants, Ikot are typically called "drones" and are used as everything from general labor forces to grunt soldiers and security forces. They are the bottom of the social castes and are controlled by the commanding ones through powerful pheromones. Covered in a chitinous exoskeleton of varying colors, Ikots are bred to be physically adept enough to complete the tasks they are assigned. They are grown in vast egg fields and are raised to maturity in less than five weeks.

## Culture

### Architecture

Much of Haktu architecture is simplistic in design - with dome-shaped buildings for central hives and cone-shaped ones for production facilities. Each of these is made of the same Ogukra wax used for ship building, along with flexible polithoid webbing for doors. The infrastructure resembles that of many wasp and ant nests - layers of honeycomb-shaped tunnels and small rooms for thousands of drones to live in. Deep, intricate tunnels are dug into the upper crust of Marash Ke'ral divided into sections upon sections, mining the rich resources of their world and providing living space for the bountiful peoples.

### Crafting and Creations

#### Weapons

Most Haktu weaponry is made out of bronze-like Tiridium alloy, made from Tirite metals mined from nearby asteroid fields in their territory. These metals make for great conductors of their photon technology, used in everything from defensive cannons to blaster tech.

The Haktu do not develop close-range weapons to be wielded, but rather develop some of their combat-model species to be born with natural weaponry that can be produced from their body, such as the arm blades of Kor'zeela or the claws of Dag'orosa. Most Haktu drones lack the strength in their limbs to wield heavy melee weapons with any effectiveness, so this is made up for in the sharpness of their digits and their high-end blaster tech.

* **C'ssik rifle** - Large in size but light of weight, the C'ssik heavy blaster rifle is a destructive repeating rifle used by infantry drones of all sects in the Haktu. Known for its ability to reduce worn shield units to nothing in only a few shots, it is prized by black market gunrunners for its value to bounty hunters, mercenaries, and more.

#### Armor

Much of the Haktu's armor is in the form of natural chitin on their bodies, though some can be supplemented with additional breastplates made of hardened Ogruka wax. Many Haktu, like the sturdy Ochidu, have shell-like chitins that can repel significant kinetic and blaster damage.

#### Cruisers

Haktu Cruisers vary from most in that they are generally segmented parts of ships joined together, capable of detaching or opening numerous holes that serve as hangars for strike units. Typically made of combined elements of metal joined together by vaccuum sealed wax secreted from Ogukra, Haktu vessels are made to fit the Hive lifestyle all Haktu live by. Small Starships are packed into specially-made storage bays within the Cruisers and can be deployed quickly in swarms.

* **Tagma-class Cruiser** - Exceedingly large and terrifying to behold, *Tagma*-class Cruisers (known as *Tagmata* when plural), are two *Prosoma*-class Destroyers and a *Opisthosoma*-class Carrier joined together to form a large, cocoon-like vessel. Armed with several hundred *Aculeus* cannons capable of burning through most Core ship's shields in a matter of seconds to minutes ranging on shield strength, the *Tagma*-class is feared less for its firepower and more for its abundance of storage space for fighter units, capable of unleashing anywhere from 5,000-10,000 *Swarm*-class Hunters. It is currently unknown how many *Tagma*-class Cruisers are capable of being made through the Joining procedure, though it is known the Haktu's armada is only a fourth of its former strength before their war with the Krand.

* **Prosoma-class Destroyer** - Large in size for a Destroyer class, the *Prosoma* is lined with *Aculeus* cannons and Seismic Wave missiles. These missiles - defended publicly as being used to clear asteroid fields - are capable of crushing steel and ripping apart defenseless cruisers. These ships were referred to as the "Bane of the Felisian Fleet", winning such battles during the Great War as the "Assault of Ontross", the "Relkar Blitz", and the "Siege of Vistar". However, due to their large size and Ogukra wax-hull, they were considered a glass cannon capable of dealing out immense destruction but were incapable of sustaining much defense.

## Notable Haktu

* Ozia'la'Voria
* Rel'gar'Karst
* Kor'zeela