Zoat - History: Zoats were an ancient alien species that were most likely enslaved by the Tyranids and incorporated into their ranks or may have been engineered by the Hive Mind to serve a specific function, similar to other bioconstructs like the Genestealers. The Tyranids adapted the Zoat's natural abilities and used them primarily to understand and communicate with various other intelligent species encountered by the Tyranid swarms that were not a part of the Hive Mind.The Zoat were capable of assimilating information about other species' languages and psychology with stunning speed, making rapid and accurate leaps in their comprehension of alien creatures. Due to this innate capability for understanding the subtlest nuances of facial and body language, the Zoat were remarkably charismatic and enigmatic creatures who were able to convey more meaning in a look or gesture than a native of the same culture could manage in a sentence.Although they were a slave species, the Zoat were useful to the Tyranid hive fleets and were often used to subvert members of other alien species to bring them under the control of the Hive Mind, leading them against those who tried to resist the Tyranids. In keeping with this role, the Zoat were bio-engineered to be tremendously strong warriors with thick, horned hides. Driven forward by their four powerful legs, a charging Zoat was like an organic battering ram of hide and muscle, their sheer speed and momentum keeping them moving forward even when mortally wounded. In hand-to-hand combat a Zoat could crush most opponents in solar seconds, proving to other alien species the awesome power of the Tyranids.Although they were slaves to the Hive Mind, Zoats often occupied important positions within the hive fleets, with certain individuals gaining great power over the other bioforms. Rebellion by Zoats from Tyranid control was extremely rare but not unknown, due to the Tyranids' naturally secreting a special "slave-hormone" which suppressed the Zoats' natural sense of independence and kept them docile servants under the Hive Mind's psychic control. This same hormone also suppresses the psychic talent that approximately half of Zoats may develop when they are uncontrolled.However, renegade Zoats did exist throughout the universe, where they had broken away from the hive fleets or had become lost during scouting or exploration missions. Without the inhibiting influence of the Tyranid slave-hormone, many of these independent Zoats were able to develop strong psychic abilities. The range of these independent Zoat communities was incredibly diverse, with small groups isolated from each other on widely scattered planets across the galaxy.Other independent Zoats may find themselves employed as mercenaries, however rare. Aeldari corsairs favour Zoat mercenaries, due to their antipathy to Orks and due to the general Aeldari disdain for Humans. These Zoats, whether abandoned by the Hive Mind or escaped from their Tyranid masters, have little choice but to fight for whoever pays best and complains the least.Once the most common of the Tyranids' many specially-engineered bioconstruct slave species, Zoats were unlike most of the Tyranids' assimilated worker-creatures since they maintained their mental independence of the Hive Mind and were therefore often used by the Tyranids as a type of ambassador. Hence it was Zoats that were the first members of the Tyranid species to make contact with the Imperium of Man.