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"I’m telling you, the damn things came out of nowhere! They swarmed the ship, cut the power and crawled in through the airlocks. Even now, I can still hear the screams of my crew…"
—Anonymous spacer

The Void Devils are a violent spaceborne species that inhabit the darkest corners of Cosmoria, dwelling in asteroid belts and long-abandoned wrecks. Known for their ability to survive in the vacuum of space and tendency to swarm passing spacecraft, the Void Devils are a scourge upon the galaxy. There have been many attempts to hunt them down, but they always come back, thirsting for blood.

Characteristics

Appearance

Void Devils possess a humanoid body, standing at least a head taller than most other humanoid species. Their bodies are covered in a tough exoskeleton, usually colored black or dark grey. Their eyes are sunken back in their heads, appearing as pale white dots in seemingly empty sockets. Their mouths are beaklike structures designed to rip and tear at both living beings and the exterior components of starships. They possess sharp claws and zygodactyl feet, which helps them maintain a tight grip on many different surfaces. On their backs are a large pair of wings, which glow as they propel themselves through space. Experienced spacers often use this glow to track and avoid Devil swarms.

Biology

Void Devils are quite possibly the ultimate survivalists, able to stay out in the cold expanse of space for an undocumented amount of time. They are extremely energy-efficient, able to go for years without eating anything. It is theorized that they get much of their energy from solar radiation, though they won’t pass up an opportunity to feast on something more substantial. In addition to this, their bodies are also quite durable, able to shrug off several shots from small-arms weapons before going down. However, their eyes are a notable weak spot, being far more vulnerable to damage.

In order to propel themselves through space, the Void Devils make use of a clever propulsion system. Their wings, instead of functioning like traditional wings, propel themselves forwards by acting as a sort of biological ion thruster. Deep within their armored bodies is a special organ known as a bio-ionic collider, which works by taking the energy they absorb from solar radiation and extracting electrons from it, turning them into ions. The ions are then shot out through the translucent membranes on their wings. This lets entire swarms of Void Devils launch from their hiding spots at high speeds, quickly closing the distance between them and their prey.

While Void Devils get much of their energy from solar radiation, they must still supplement with meat. They get this meat by boarding passing spacecraft and consuming the crew, fleeing out to space once they are finished. The crew of a cruiser-sized vessel can keep a swarm of Devils fed for about a decade before they have to go hunting again, although they will still attack anything that gets too close to their nest.

Void Devils reproduce asexually, laying an egg once every few months. Once the egg hatches, it will take several months for the newborn Devil to reach maturity. There have been cases where a Devil swarm has been seemingly wiped out, only for a sole survivor to rebuild it within a couple of years.

Behavior

Void Devils live in large groups usually ranging from several dozen to hundreds of individuals, often referred to as swarms. They typically inhabit places such as asteroids or the long-abandoned derelicts of wrecked starships. It’s not an uncommon sight to find old battlefields become infested with Devils. This creates a huge problem for any scavengers that might come to harvest any valuable tech left behind, as there’s always a chance that there’s at least one Devil swarm in every old scrapheap. They can even be found in inhabited parts of space as well, usually in the more lawless areas like criminal hideouts and backwater stations.

Void Devils are highly aggressive creatures, taking any chance they can to seize passing vessels in hopes of a meal. While they can’t travel faster than light, they are still able to travel to other systems by hitching a ride on passing asteroids. This, combined with their highly nomadic nature, means that Devil swarms have a chance of popping up just about anywhere in Cosmoria. While they can be dealt with fairly easily by an organized force, places with a very small or no military or law enforcement presence will have to either resort to hired mercenaries or their own skills if they wish to drive the Devils out.

History

From the Void They Came

The Void Devils are a mystery to biologists everywhere. How could something evolve to be so perfectly suited to life in space? And to be so effective at attacking even armed craft? In truth, the Void Devils are not natural creatures at all. They were created by Sedruan scientists as a bio-weapon to use against the Triumvirate Civilization during the Sedrua-Triumvirate War. The Sedruan navy was constantly losing ground to Triumvirate ships, often being outnumbered and outgunned. As a result, they resorted to sabotage efforts in order to greatly weaken Triumvirate vessels before they struck.

Traditional methods such as sending in agents proved to be effective, but the Triumvirate eventually developed countermeasures, thwarting Sedruan agents as they tried to sabotage their ships. At this point, Sedruan high command was getting desperate. They needed something, anything, that would give them an edge in the war. Fortunately for them, a solution was discovered. It wasn’t some planet-killing superweapon or incurable pathogen, but a small, seemingly insignificant lifeform from the depths of space.

The Perfect Weapon

A Sedruan mining vessel was searching for valuable minerals in an asteroid belt when its scanners picked up traces of metal. However, they found that the metal content appeared to be slowly decreasing. After clearing a path with its mining beams, the ship discovered a colony of small, wormlike creatures feeding on the minerals within an asteroid. A research vessel was soon called in to collect the creatures, bringing them back to be studied and documented. They found that these creatures were perfectly suited to life in the vacuum of space, surviving by drifting from asteroid to asteroid.

As the scientists kept learning more about these creatures, they found that they were completely invisible to all forms of bioscanning due to the unique properties of their exoskeleton. When the Sedruan military learned of this, an idea soon formed. Instead of sending in their own agents to sabotage the Triumvirate’s ships, why not use the creatures? Of course, the worms would have to undergo extensive genetic manipulation, but it was an effort that they were willing to undertake. Besides, the promise of an army of undetectable ship killers was just too good to pass up.

The Sedruan military then began work on a secret project, dubbed Project Shade, to engineer these once-pitiful worms into bloodthirsty, pack-hunting monsters. They were subjected to a series of experiments that involved them being combined with the DNA of hundreds of different species. It took years, but at last, the perfect combination was discovered. The proper mixture of violence, intelligence, and survivability had been achieved. The Void Devils were born.

The Spaceborne Scourge

Once the creation of the Void Devils was completed, the Sedruan military immediately began their test runs, training the creatures to attack Triumvirate vessels while leaving friendly ships alone. Their first real use on the battlefield was when a trio of Triumvirate ships attacked a seemingly defenseless supply convoy. However, this convoy was a trap, the ships being A.I.-piloted and filled to the brim with nothing but Void Devils. Once the Triumvirate ships drew close enough, the convoy released its cargo, the Devils swarming out and rushing towards the enemy ships.

The Triumvirate had no idea how to react to this new phenomenon, but by the time the swarm drew close enough, it was already too late. The Devils burrowed deep into their vessels, destroying vital components and massacring the crews. By the time they were done, the only living things that remained aboard those ships were Void Devils, feasting on the remains of the thousands they had slaughtered.

The Sedruan military was greatly pleased at this performance, increasing the deployment of Void Devils across many different battlefields. They earned a fierce reputation amongst both Triumvirate and Sedruan forces. However, they were beginning to notice changes amongst the Devils being deployed. They began to grow more restless, ignoring the orders of their commanders and in some cases even attacking them. They started attacking Sedruan ships even after battles had concluded, forcing many captains to destroy the swarms entirely.

The most astonishing change they noticed was when a Devil swarm went rogue after a battle and fled into the ring of a nearby planet. The ship sent to retrieve the swarm found not only the Devils, but hundreds of eggs. Their furious cocktail of DNA had mutated, giving them the ability to asexually reproduce.

To the Void They Returned

To the Sedruan commanders, it had become clear that their little experiment had gotten out of hand. Devil swarms were popping up in seemingly random locations, attacking innocent people and Sedruan forces. To stop them, they deployed numerous black ops ships armed with special equipment designed to lure in the swarms and destroy them in one fell swoop. These ships were sent all across Sedruan territory and even into Triumvirate space, tracking and taking out swarms with ruthless efficiency. However, Sedrua was suffering an attack on all fronts by the Triumvirate Civilization, forcing them to recall all ships for the war effort. With nothing else they could do, they simply covered up their actions and locked away all files relating to Project Shade.

Eventually, Sedrua would be defeated in the war, but the Devils lived on, scattered across space in whatever nook they could sneak themselves into. Even hundreds of thousands of years later, ships still go missing as a result of Devil attacks. They’re often the subject of many a spacer’s story, how they barely managed to survive an attack from a swarm. They’re even used by parents as a warning to their children that if they do not behave, the Devils will take them in the night. But above all else, they’re a reminder to Sedrua of their failed glory, of their desperation to come out on top that they created living nightmares in the vain hopes of gaining an edge.

Notable Individuals

TBA

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Cosmoria}}{{Infobox Species|image1=Void Devil.png|caption-image1=A Void Devil|article_creator=LordApollyon|scope=Cosmoria|setting=Cosmoria|author=LordApollyon|scientific_name=TBA|exonyms=*Void demons
-{{SiteNotice}}{{![[Category: Sapient Species]]_Infobox|intelligence:=Non-sapient|homeworld:=Unknown|form:=Bipedal humanoid|average_lifespan:=Unknown|average_height/length:=2.3 meters (7 feet, 7 inches)|average_weight:=87 kilograms (191.8 pounds)|native_environment:=*Asteroids
+*Asteroid crawlers|domain=Eukaryota|kingdom=Animalia|phylum=TBA|class=TBA|order=TBA|family=TBA|genus=TBA|genetic_info_storage=DNA|senses=Sight
-*Derelict starships|diet:=Carnivorous|reproduction:=Asexual|method_of_movement:=Walking, running, flight|method_of_sight:=External eyes|method_of_hearing:=External ears|number_of_limbs:=6|number_of_eyes:=2|number_of_ears:=2|number_of_digits:=*4 on each hand
+Sound
-*4 on each foot|possible_body_colorations:=*Black
+Touch
+Taste|method_of_movement=*Walking
+*Climbing
+*Flight|method_of_sight=External eyes|method_of_hearing=Internal ears|method_of_communication=Wing flashes|method_of_environment_manipulation=Arms|respiration=Unknown|digestion=Internal digestive system|diet=Carnivorous/Photovorous|reproduction=Asexual reproduction|sexes=N/A|sexual_dynamism=N/A|average_height=2.3 meters (7 feet, 7 inches)|average_mass=87 kilograms (191.8 pounds)|average_length=0.24 meters (9.4 inches)|average_width=(Shoulder-to-shoulder)
+*0.58 meters (1 foot, 11 inches)
+(Wingspan)
+*2.55 meters (8 feet, 4 inches)|body_plan=Bipedal winged amanoid|number_of_limbs=6|number_of_eyes=2|number_of_ears=2|number_of_digits=*4 on each hand
+*4 on each foot|body_cover=Scales|possible_body_colorations=*Black
 *Grey
-*Dark grey|possible_eye_colorations:=*White
+*Dark grey|possible_eye_colorations=*White
+*Pale grey|maximum_speed=327 kilometers per hour (203.2 miles per hour)|most_prominent_cognitive_functions=Instinct to attack vulnerable parts of starships|common_behavioral_traits=*Aggressive
-*Pale gray|common_behaviroal_traits:=*Aggressive
+*Nomadic|predominant_social_structure=Eusocial|genders=N/A|common_languages=None|age_of_maturity=8-9 months|average_lifespan=Unknown, believed to be around 200 years|total_population=Unknown, believed to be around 800,000|homeworld=None|inhabited_worlds=None|inhabited_regions=Known to inhabit any part of space they end up in|native_environment=*Asteroid fields
-*Nomadic
+*Old battlefields
-*|dominant_social_structure:=Eusocial|notable_members:=TBA|image1=Void Devil.png}}
-<blockquote>"''I’m telling you, the damn things came out of nowhere! They swarmed the ship, cut the power and crawled in through the airlocks. Even now, I can still hear the screams of my crew…''"</blockquote><blockquote>— Anonymous spacer</blockquote>
+*Derelict starships|predators=None|prey=Anything that they can catch|origin_type=Created artificially|creators=Sedrua|date_of_origin=Unknown|historical_highest_population=Unknown, believed to be around 20,000,000|historical_lowest_population=Unknown, believed to be around 3000|caption1=A Void Devil}}{{quote|"''I’m telling you, the damn things came out of nowhere! They swarmed the ship, cut the power and crawled in through the airlocks. Even now, I can still hear the screams of my crew…''"|Anonymous spacer}}
 The '''Void Devils''' are a violent spaceborne species that inhabit the darkest corners of [[Cosmoria]], dwelling in asteroid belts and long-abandoned wrecks. Known for their ability to survive in the vacuum of space and tendency to swarm passing spacecraft, the Void Devils are a scourge upon the galaxy. There have been many attempts to hunt them down, but they always come back, thirsting for blood.
@@ Line 20: / Line 28: @@
 In order to propel themselves through space, the Void Devils make use of a clever propulsion system. Their wings, instead of functioning like traditional wings, propel themselves forwards by acting as a sort of biological ion thruster. Deep within their armored bodies is a special organ known as a '''bio-ionic collider''', which works by taking the energy they absorb from solar radiation and extracting electrons from it, turning them into ions. The ions are then shot out through the translucent membranes on their wings. This lets entire swarms of Void Devils launch from their hiding spots at high speeds, quickly closing the distance between them and their prey.
-While Void Devils get much of their energy from solar radiation, they must still supplement with meat. They get this meat by boarding passing spacecraft and consuming the crew, fleeing out to space once they are finished. A [[Cruisers|cruiser]]-sized vessel can keep a swarm of Devils fed for about a decade before they have to go hunting again, although they will still attack anything that gets too close to their nest.
+While Void Devils get much of their energy from solar radiation, they must still supplement with meat. They get this meat by boarding passing spacecraft and consuming the crew, fleeing out to space once they are finished. The crew of a [[Cruisers (Cosmoria)|cruiser]]-sized vessel can keep a swarm of Devils fed for about a decade before they have to go hunting again, although they will still attack anything that gets too close to their nest.
 Void Devils reproduce asexually, laying an egg once every few months. Once the egg hatches, it will take several months for the newborn Devil to reach maturity. There have been cases where a Devil swarm has been seemingly wiped out, only for a sole survivor to rebuild it within a couple of years.
@@ Line 59: / Line 67: @@
 ==Notable Individuals==
 TBA
-[[Category:IronArkLord's Articles]]
+[[Category:Author: LordApollyon]]
-[[Category:[[Category: Sapient Species]]]]
+[[Category:Cosmoria - Species]]
-[[Category:Non-sapient [[Category: Sapient Species]]]][[Category: Sapient [[Category: Sapient Species]]]][[Category: Active Development]]
+[[Category:Cosmoria - Non-sapient Species]]
+[[Category:Cosmoria - what the fuck are these things]]