Name: Mantesyds - Phasma peregrinus Description: Glowing, phase-matter creatures with a ray-like, fan body and long tail appendages. Their glow results from plasma bound to their form, its continued energy providing them their continued survival. A brand-line organ exists as a "spine", branching out along the fan, between which their phase matter coalesces. (Image Credit: 2007 hoevelkamp) Behavior: They passively float about the stars, seeking out areas of radiation or otherwise high concentrations of energy they can feed off for periods off time before flying away, never content with staying in one place for very long. Rarely, it has been observed that Mantesyds will take advantage of naturally forming tunnels to Hyperspace, using Hyperlanes to travel remarkable amounts of space that even their species could not normally traverse. How they are aware of such anomalies, or know how to take advantage of them, is entirely unknown at this time. Mantesyds operate in loose "pods". These groups will travel together, seemingly communicating with some odd form of vibrations that they can transmit in electromagnetic radiation and, when in an area that sound can transmit through a medium, vibrations. These transmissions, when heard, or are translated into sound, sound quite similar to an eerie, almost siren-like song. Mantesyds are passive towards each other, having no reason to compete or attack another member of their species given the massive size of space and the amount of food present for them. Tamability: Untamable, but their desire to feed will cause them to tail ships, particularly those which have recently exited FTL. Where is it found?: They can be found throughout the galaxy, but it seems as though their species originated in the northeastern quadrant of the Galaxy, within the Fringe. Colonists found them a rather interesting curiosity, capturing them and leading to their spread throughout the galaxy. Anywhere that has a high concentration of radiating energies, you're likely to find them. Rarity: Fairly uncommon, though they travel in packs of about 20. Diet/Method of gaining nutrients and energy: Mantesyds feed by absorbing radiated energy. They can take in most any form of it, including electromagnetic radiation, and particle radiation. Their desire to constantly seek out new forms of energy to feed on has led to groups of Mantesyds to follow ships which use Erchius or other fuels which leave an exhaust that contains radiating materials. Additionally, post FTL, Mantesyds will feed off the bursts of Cherenkov radiation that result from it, clustering around the nose of the ship in droves as they try to eat up as much of this as they can. Another common occurrence for Mantesyds is their appearance in the high orbit of the poles of planets with strong magnetic fields, where cosmic radiation coalesces in the form of Aurora Borealis, magnetospheric plasma. Such sightings have contributed to the religious legends of many a young species, as their phantasmal appearance can be taken as that of a spirit, or even a god. Products?: Their "spine" contains precious materials in it, including trace amounts of prisilite. Phase matter can be collected from their body, this phase matter also containing trace amounts of prisilite, among other materials, including impure solarium. Reproduction: Asexual. Over time, Mantesyds can coalesce the adolescent form of another of their kin within their body, built from materials that they gather from drifting through clouds of material in space. These Mantesyds are released from the parent once their proto-brand reaches a critical mass. When born, a Mantesyd has a semi-liquid brand, soft, and malleable. As they grow, their brand reinforces itself, taking on materials which harden it and prevent it from being softened by the heat of the plasma in their phase matter, a strong magnetic field forming around them, preventing the loss of material from their body. Size: An adult Mantesyd can reach a "wingspan" of about 3 meters, and a length of 6 meters from head to tail. The largest Mantesyd ever discovered was around 7 meters in wingspan, and a mighty 14 meters from head to tail. Weight: Around 150lbs for an adult Mantesyd. Most weight is taken up by their brand. Lifespan: Mantesyds, from observations on the brands of dead subjects, can live for up to 4200 years. Abilities: -Can metabolize massive amounts of radiation without worry -Emit ionizing radiation passively, making them dangerous to directly interact with -Can travel through the vacuum of space at speeds up to 12,000m/s when traveling between systems (26,843mph; 70% of the current speed of Voyager 2) -Live for extremely long amounts of time Flaws: -If their brand sustains too much damage to be repaired over time from material collection, a Mantesyd will die as it fractures and falls apart, their energy shunting out around them, leaving a small amount of broken brand material and a cloud of phase matter and various gasses and cool plasma, once hot-burning plasma. -They have no direct means of attacking anything, rather preferring to run from something which would wish to harm them -Accelerating to their maximum speed takes a long time, and expends a lot of energy, though when travelling at this speed, they expend little energy. Deceleration takes a similar amount of energy and time. -When in an environment that isn't a vacuum or near vacuum, such as space or the highest zones of an atmosphere, Mantesyds are restricted in movement, and in a high enough gravity, they are pulled down, unable to keep the weight of their brand supported. They do best in the upper atmospheres of gas giants, if they have to be on a planet.
