MYTHICAL OPPONENTS #2: RAKASHKKA ("ALIENS")

Note: This is a GM file. The knowledge known to PCs will be limited, as the Rakashkka are a "myth". The knowledge available should be limited by the GM. An excellent way for information to be pieced together from existing evidence, and maybe the assistance of a survivor (a shell-shocked child or damaged droid). A Heroic Scholar: mythology or Heroic+10 Alien Species roll to remember the most basic of the below information.

Rakashkka Information

Named after a particularly brutal demon from Wookie mythology, these mythical monsters are more commonly called "Aliens" throughout the galaxy, as they seem like nothing ever discovered. Professional exo- biologists officially consider the Rakashkka to be a non-existent, universal myth, used to scare small children, much like the Ch'Doth, for the simple reason that a creature so aggressive would quickly out hunt its prey in a nature environment. The first part of the following report is based on interviews with several hundred psychiatric patients. Some were able to function normally in society with medication and therapy, but all had frequent night terrors, occasional panic attacks and unexplained phobias of insectiod crustaceans, reproduction and warm, dark, humid places.

"...They exist in five forms: pod, egg-carrier, warrior, drone and queen. The pod is a strong, air-tight, leathery rounded off cone. It contains a single egg-carrier, and is set to open when a living organism passes within 2m over the top of the pod. When the pod opens, the egg- carrier searches for the nearest target, and attacks. When successful, it positions itself over the victim's face, forcing a tube down the throat of the victim, for a period of 3-5 days. At the end of this period, the egg-carrier dies and falls off. IV fluids are not needed, as it appears that the carrier provides all needed gases, nutrients and fluids for its victim. How this is possible, given the wide number of metabolic and physiological requirements in the galaxy is unknown, and is obviously the creaion of disturbed minds. It is "known" that removing the carrier from the victim before it is ready usually leads to the death of the host.

"The carrier is always described as a 1.5 meter long creature, having 6 to 8 clawed limbs and a powerful tail. It has no apparent sensory structures, but is sensitive to movement. It, like all described forms, supposedly has concentrated acid for blood.

"The host regains consciousness in a few hours after detachment of the carrier, with headache, hunger and minor cuts along the sides of the head (from the carrier's claws) being the reported symptoms. After an incubation period of 36-40 hours, the host beings convulsing violently and vomiting. The victim's chest begins to bulge outward, with a small, violent creature eventually thrusting threw. If left undisturbed, it begins to feed on the dead host, then exits the area. If disturbed, it panics and runs, but searches out the nearest food source. It immediately begins growing, molting its skin every 2.5 to 3 hours, growing up to 50cm between molts.

"The warrior form is by far the most common form, making up perhaps 98% of the total population. It stands 3 to 3.5 meters tall, with a roughly humanoid body. Its skin is a grey-black, chitinous armour, easily capable of stopping explosive slugs and even blaster bolts. The four arms terminate in powerful, clawed hands capable of digging into landing craft armour. The head is large and domed, with a set of piston-like jaws set behind the outer, fanged jaws. It is fitted with a long, flexible tail, sometimes described as having a stinger.

"The drone is a smaller, unarmoured version of the warrior, who serve the queen and maintain the fields of pods. They will not attack outsiders, and seem to be oblivious of their surroundings. Of the 6279 patients interviewed, only 2 have seen drones.

"The queen also follows the lines of the warrior, but is between 15% and 35% larger.... [T]hree of the patients who saw queens were quite emphatic that they are immobile, being attached to a large "egg sack" and supporting structure. The other, a human female, reported that the queen was able to tear the egg sack off (this subject is currently undergoing extensive therapy, and is not expect to have her pilot's license renewed). All describe it as having a delta-shaped head, and having a loud, piercing scream.

"The reports indicate that the best method for combating the foe is through fire, ... and that it is invisible on thermal imaging systems....

"The violence, shape and weaknesses of these creatures all indicate an ... unresolved conflict and guilt. Many of the patients are also the only survivors of a group of colonists or a ship's crew, but most are not believed to be murderers....

"... All patients were amazingly detailed in their descriptions of the creatures, with an amazingly high rate of similarity (nearly 96.9%) for a group that had previous contact before their disorder appeared.

"Considering that only two cases knew each other before the onset of their disorder, but had not seen each other for several years, that rate in simply incredible. All patients... were vehement in that the creatures were real, and that a military task force must be assembled to destroy the creatures and their homeworld."

(from Nonrelated, Multispecies Hallucinogenic Physiological Disorders, Number 176: The 'Rakashkka' Quixotics, Dr. Zushakkia of Kashyyyk, Republic Institutes for Mental Health Digest; num. 120a vol. 286. RIMH Press, Coruscant.)

The second part of this report is taken from a corresponding article analysing the biological feasibility of the Rakashkka lifeform:

"My good friend and colleague, Dr. Zushakkia, has asked me to analyse the descriptions given to her by the "Rakashkka Quixotics".... "The lifeform described could only come from a disjointed mind without a deep knowledge of biology. The Rakashkka are but one conflicting statement after another. For example, if a creature is supposedly resistant to the heat of a sublight drive or the full starlight in vaccume, then how is it that a flamethrower (which has only a small fraction of the heat) be the most effective form of weapon? The animals drawn are to lightly structured to hold their own weight in normal gravity, much less three or four. And going back to heat, how can a cold blooded creature survive in the shadows of space, where the temperature is but a handful of degrees above absolute zero, then withstand the shock of a solid slug bullet without shattering, much less be able to move.

"Behaviorly, the creatures are just as much an impossibility. Anything that vicious would have destroyed all game herds centuries ago, and never would have achieved space flight.... In short, they are, not to put to fine a point on it, impossible. Dr. Zushakkia's patients could not have seen this species, as this species could not exist." (from Nonrelated, Multispecies Hallucinogenic Physiological Disorders, Number 176: The 'Rakashkka' Quixotics-Appendix A, Dr. Oreggata of Ithor , Republic Institutes for Mental Health Digest; num. 120a vol. 286. RIMH Press, Coruscant. simultaneously reprinted in The Exo-Biology Quartly under the title What Happens When Crazies Try to Describe a Species.)


Rakashkka Statistics:

Pods
PERC +1  Detect Nearby Host 5D
has Body of 3D+2

Egg-Carriers (Face Huggers)
DEX 3D  Dodge 4D  Running 4D
PERC 2D  Hide 3D  Search 5D  Sneak 4D
STR 3D  Brawling 4D  Climbing/Jumping 4D  Swimming 4D
Special Abilities: Tail: If tail attack is beats the difficulty by +5, it wraps
around the victim's throat, doing 3D damage per round, until victim
is unconscious.
  Ovipositor: As soon as victim is unconscious, egg-carrier places a tube
	down the victim's airway. This tube places an egg in the victim's
	chest (Very Difficult Sensors roll to detect w/ medscanner, Heroic
	Medicine roll to locate w/o medscanner.), provides all needed gases
	and fluids for victim until it falls off.  Does 10D Stun to sedate host.
  Claws: +1D to Climbing, holds onto side of victim's head with 7D STR.
  Terminal Defense Mechanism: When surgically removed from host, does
	14D damage to host.
   Acid Blood:  Does 4D damage, except to other Aliens
   Environmentally Hardened: Immune to all environmental factors,
	including vacuum
   Cold-bodied: Does not appear on thermal imaging systems.
Height: .3m (tall), 1.5m (long)
Move: 15

Juveniles (at birth)
DEX 3D  Dodge 4D  Running 4D
PERC 2D  Hide 3D  Search 5D  Sneak 4D
STR 3D  Climbing/Jumping 4D
Special Abilities: Birth Explosion: Forcing its way out of the host does 20D
	damage to host.
   Teeth: +1 Brawling Damage
   Acid Blood:  Does 5D damage, except to other Aliens
   Environmentally Hardened: Immune to all environmental factors,
	including vacuum
   Cold-bodied: Does not appear on thermal imaging systems.
Height: .3m 
Move: 15

Warriors
DEX 4D
PERC 4D  Hide 5D  Search 6D  Sneak 4D+2
STR 4D  Brawling 5D,  Climbing/Jumping 6D, Swimming 5D
Special Abilities:  Acid Blood:  Does 5D damage, except to other Aliens
Environmentally Hardened: Immune to all environmental factors,
	including vacuum
Cold-bodied: Does not appear on thermal imaging systems.
Armoured Skin: +2D+2 Physical, +2 Energy, does NOT reduce Flame
	damage.
Four Arms: May make two skill rolls per round without penalty.
Claws: +3D Climbing, Brawling damage.
Teeth:  STR+2D damage.
Inner Jaws:  STR+3D damage, may make only one attack per round, not
	in any round where outer teeth are biting.
Tail: STR damage, injects venom when roll exceeds difficulty by 10.
	Venom does 5D Stun.
Height: 3-3.5m
Move: 13

Drones
DEX 2D
PERC +1
STR 2D  Lifting 3D
Special Abilities: Acid Blood:  Does 5D damage, except to other Aliens
Environmentally Hardened: Immune to all environmental factors,
	including vacuum
Cold-bodied: Does not appear on thermal imaging systems
Four Arms: May make two skill rolls per round without penalty.
Height: 2m
Move: 10

Queens
DEX 3D  Brawling 5D, Brawling Parry 6D, Dodge 5D
KNOW 1D+2
MECH 0D+1
PERC 4D  Search 5D
STR 6D  Command: Rakkashka 15D, Brawling 7D
TECH 0D+2
Special Abilities:  Acid Blood:  Does 5D damage, except to other Aliens
Environmentally Hardened: Immune to all environmental factors,
	including vacuum
Cold-bodied: Does not appear on thermal imaging systems.
Armoured Skin: +3D Physical, +1D Energy, +1D Flame.
Four Arms: May make two skill rolls per round without penalty.
Claws: +3D Climbing, Brawling damage
Teeth:  STR+2D damage.
Inner Jaws:  STR+3D damage, may make only one attack per round, not
	in any round where outer teeth are biting.
Tail: STR+1D damage
Egg sack: -2D DEX when attached, does STR-2D damage to queen
	when she rips off.
Hive Mind:  When queen is killed, the members of the hive go berserk,
	attacking closest object to them.  Is also very protective of here
	eggs (think over zealous, ultra-vindictive, cast iron bitch)
Height: 4m
Move: 0 (w/ egg sack), 12 (w/o egg sack)

Additional GM's Info
	Dr. Oreggata made three major errors.  He choose not to
acknowledge that the Rakashkka did NOT have their own spacecraft. He
also neglected the fact that many modern insulative materials can burn
(certain carbon-fiber/ceramic composites), and hydroflourocarbons are 
both highly flammable and highly corrosive.  His other error is this: If this is
how bad ass the predators are, the prey and scavengers must be pretty mean
to. (If you go to the Alien homeworld, keep this in mind!)
	Rakashkka hives often show up on derelict ships and space stations. 
They are immune to vacuum, extreme heat and cold, and are not effected
by nerve gas or poison atmospheres.
	Several species have legends concerning such monsters, but no
archaeological evidence.  The one exception is the Ch'Doth, who consider the 
Rakashkka a major trophy.
	It is possible that not all forms of Rakashkka have been seen, and
thus are not listed here.  Feel free to generate specialized forms.
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