Alien Fauna

AX.GAT.13.05 - Alien Fauna

About Alien Fauna

Astraeus Terminal sits at the edge of explored space, at the intersection of every route into and out of the Ki Nebula. Cargo comes through. Ships come through. And in cargo and on ships, things arrive that were not on the manifest.

Alien fauna on the Terminal are not void entities; they did not evolve in the nebula. They are creatures from worlds the Survey Corps has visited, from transit stops along the route, from ecological niches entirely unlike anything the station was designed to accommodate. Some arrived deliberately: exotic animals smuggled by collectors, biological samples that escaped containment, creatures brought as food sources that turned out to be more resilient than anticipated. Some arrived by accident: colonial organisms that colonized a cargo pallet and reproduced in a supply locker for three months before anyone noticed, stowaways that survived the transit in a ship's maintenance space.

The Survey Corps' xenobiology division maintains records of creatures confirmed present on the Terminal or in transit through it. Their records are incomplete by definition, the creatures the xenobiologists know about are the ones that have already become a problem.

Bane and containment: Alien fauna have vulnerabilities derived from their home environments. These vulnerabilities are often non-obvious to Terminal personnel who have no direct experience with the creature's origin. Identifying a bane requires either prior knowledge (a character with the relevant expertise), research (accessing Survey Corps xenobiological records), or experimentation (discovering through trial what works). Each entry specifies the bane and notes whether it is immediately obvious or requires discovery.

Psionics and alien biology: Non-sapient alien fauna are partially accessible to Psionics, an Emotional Read registers something, but the emotional architecture is foreign enough that interpretation requires a successful Wit + Psionics roll at Threshold 3 rather than the standard Threshold 2. Intent Scan does not function against non-sapient organisms.

Category Overview: Common Traits

• Alien fauna are biological; standard biological conditions (Hindered, Distracted, Incapacitated) apply
• They do not respond to social approaches, faction authority, or negotiation
• Their behavior is ecological rather than tactical; they are following biological drives (territory, feeding, reproduction) rather than executing a plan
• Most can be driven off rather than destroyed if the party removes the stimulus that triggered aggression

Threat Entries

Cargo Louse

Minion, Biological, External-Origin

A colonial burrowing organism, each individual the size of a fingernail, tan-brown and near-invisible against standard cargo foam, that arrived in a shipping pallet of processed organic materials from a world two transit stops along the route toward the inner systems. The colony reproduces quickly in warm, dark environments with access to organic material. A single breeding pair can establish a viable colony in six weeks. The Span's cargo handlers have found three separate infestations in the past year; all three were contained. The fourth has not been found yet.

Each "unit" in combat represents a swarm of dozens of individuals acting in concert.

Body: 1D Speed: 2D Wit: 1D

Health: 26 Defense: 2

Attacks: - Burrowing Contact: Touch, 1D damage, the swarm attempts to penetrate exposed skin, suit joints, or equipment gaps; on a Critical Success, one item of Standard-tier equipment carried by the target is Damaged (−1D to rolls using that item) as the lice begin consuming its organic components - Infest: Touch, no damage, against targets who are already Hindered or Incapacitated; the swarm establishes a secondary colony on the target; the target takes 1 damage at the start of each Turn until the infestation is removed (medical treatment or thorough decontamination)

Special Abilities: - Colonial Dispersion: Destroying one swarm unit does not eliminate the infestation, the colony continues from any surviving unit. The infestation is ended only by addressing the breeding site (identified with Wit + Notice or Investigate, Threshold 2, as a scene-length search action) or by applying the bane to the entire affected area. - Equipment Attraction: Cargo Lice are attracted to warm electronic equipment; they will move toward powered devices within Close range at the start of each Turn, even during combat. Characters with active electronic equipment are prioritized targets. - Void Suit Penetration: Cargo Lice can penetrate the joint seals of Standard void suits given sufficient time, a suit that is stationary in a Cargo Louse-infested area for one full scene gains a minor breach (Vacuum Exposure, Exposed stage initiates if the suit is worn into vacuum before the breach is sealed).

Bane: Cold, temperatures below 4°C kill Cargo Lice within one scene. The Terminal's refrigerated cargo sections are Cargo Lice-free for this reason. Applying targeted cold (a portable environmental control unit set to minimum, or the cold-storage sections of the Cargo Ring) eliminates active swarms and prevents re-establishment. Not immediately obvious; requires knowledge of the species or a scan identifying thermal sensitivity.

Containment: Quarantine the infested area and apply cold treatment to the entire space. The breeding site must be located and physically removed, lice egg masses survive cold longer than adults. Survey Corps xenobiological records contain the treatment protocol; the Span's cargo handlers have developed a faster field version through experience.

Cargo Lice are a logistics problem before they are a combat problem. The encounter begins when a character discovers the infestation at an inconvenient moment, during a void operation in a suit that has been sitting in the infested bay, or when a critical piece of equipment fails mid-scene because its organic components have been partially consumed. The swarm fight is the consequence of not addressing the infestation before it escalated.

Scorch Lizard

Standard, Biological, External-Origin

A fast-moving reptilian predator from a high-temperature volcanic world surveyed by the Survey Corps three years ago. Two specimens were transported for xenobiological study. One died in transit; the other escaped its containment in the Survey Corps' research section six months ago. It has been living in the station's industrial heating infrastructure, the duct systems in the manufacturing sections of the Cargo Ring, ever since. It is fed, warm, and territorial about its new home.

The Survey Corps knows it is in there. They have not succeeded in recapturing it. They have not informed Oryx Logistics about the full nature of the situation.

Body: 3D Speed: 4D Wit: 2D

Health: 33 Defense: 4

Attacks: - Thermal Strike: Touch, 2D damage, the lizard's bite delivers a thermal discharge from its organ-generated heat system; targets in light armor or no armor take +1D additional damage from the thermal component; void suits and heavy armor negate the thermal bonus - Burst Run: Move action + attack, the lizard moves up to Near range and attacks in a single action; this is not a surprise, it is simply very fast; targets in the lizard's path must make a Speed Save (Threshold 2) or be knocked Prone (Hindered until they stand, Quick Action) - Territorial Display: Near, no damage, the lizard vents heat and makes its full threat display; all targets within Near range must succeed on a Wit Save (Threshold 2) or gain Distracted for one Turn as the sensory input overwhelms their attention; the lizard uses this to reposition

Special Abilities: - Heat Sense: The Scorch Lizard perceives heat signatures rather than light; it cannot be blinded by lighting conditions and detects cloaked or concealed targets with active body heat. Characters using concealment that relies on darkness have no advantage against the Scorch Lizard. - Thermal Regulation: The Scorch Lizard takes half damage from fire, electrical, and heat-based attacks. It takes normal damage from ballistic, physical, and cold-based attacks. - Infrastructure Navigation: The lizard knows the Cargo Ring's duct and heating systems intimately. In its home territory (defined as within the industrial sections of the Cargo Ring), it can disengage from any encounter by retreating into the infrastructure; it disappears into a duct vent and is gone. It will not re-engage in the same scene unless cornered.

Bane: Cold, the lizard's biology is optimized for heat; temperatures below 10°C cause it to slow significantly (Speed reduced to 1D) and below 0°C render it lethargic and unable to flee (cannot use Infrastructure Navigation). Luring it into a cold section of the station is the non-lethal capture strategy the Survey Corps has been attempting unsuccessfully. Not immediately obvious; requires knowledge of the species or observation of its behavior near temperature transitions.

Containment: A refrigerated containment unit (the Survey Corps has one rated for the purpose). Getting the lizard into it is the problem. It does not enter areas where it perceives cold without strong motivation (food stimulus works; the xenobiologist Dr. Ashlen has developed a food lure protocol that has gotten the lizard close twice without completing the containment).

The Scorch Lizard is a creature encounter with a history and a relationship web. The Survey Corps wants it back. Oryx Logistics doesn't know it's loose. The Span's cargo workers in the Cargo Ring have noticed the scorched duct sections and drawn their own conclusions. The encounter is as much about the politics of the situation as the creature itself.

Pale Stalker

Elite, Biological, External-Origin

A predatory organism from STX-97H Zone 3, the outer asteroid belt of the first accessible solar system. Survey Corps xenobiologists classify it as an apex ambush predator adapted to low-light, low-gravity environments: near-translucent skin that provides effective camouflage against pale rock surfaces, a heat-sense array more sensitive than the Scorch Lizard's, and a behavioral profile oriented entirely around patience and the single decisive strike.

Three Pale Stalkers arrived on a Survey Corps vessel that conducted a Zone 3 survey eight months ago. The vessel's crew did not know they were aboard. Two died during transit, the atmospheric pressure differential was fatal to them within a day. One survived by entering a metabolic dormancy state in the ship's lower cargo hold. It has been on the station for eight months. No one has confirmed a direct sighting. They know it is there because of what it has left behind.

Body: 3D Speed: 4D Wit: 3D

Health: 35 Defense: 4

Attacks: - Precision Strike: Touch, 3D damage, the Stalker attacks only when it has established a concealed position; if the target does not know the Stalker is present, this attack is made with Advantage (4+ counts as a success) and deals +1D additional damage on a hit - Thermal Blind: Touch, no damage, the Stalker places a secreted compound on the target that masks their heat signature for one scene; the target cannot be tracked by heat-based sensing (including the Scorch Lizard's Heat Sense); the Stalker uses this to disrupt group coordination when multiple targets are present - Withdraw: Move action, the Stalker disengages immediately and vanishes into concealment; finding it requires a Wit + Notice roll at Threshold 4 while it is in motion; at Threshold 3 if the searcher has a scanner; at Threshold 2 for Void Attunement practitioners (the Stalker's biology registers faintly in Void Attunement perception at Close range)

Special Abilities: - Active Camouflage: The Pale Stalker's skin adapts to its immediate background in near-real time. Spotting a stationary Stalker requires a Wit + Notice roll at Threshold 4; a moving Stalker is Threshold 3. Scanners operating without EM Surge conditions reduce the Threshold by 1. The camouflage is defeated by direct bright lighting covering the Stalker's full body, if the party has established full illumination in the area, the Threshold drops to 2. - Ambush Biology: The Pale Stalker does not fight in the open if it can avoid it. When it is detected and the element of surprise is lost, it withdraws rather than continuing. It will re-establish a concealed position and attempt the encounter again. A confrontation with a Pale Stalker is not a single scene; it is a persistent situation until the creature is driven off or contained. - Void Attunement Perception: Void Attunement Hazard Read applications at Threshold 3 or higher register the Pale Stalker's presence in an area even when it is stationary and camouflaged. This does not reveal its exact position but indicates it is present within Near range and provides a general direction. This is the most reliable detection method currently known.

Bane: Bright full-spectrum light, the Stalker's skin adaptation is optimized for low-light environments; sudden exposure to full-spectrum lighting causes its camouflage to cycle chaotically and renders it visible to the naked eye without any roll. It will immediately flee full-spectrum exposure. Station emergency lighting (standard in the Terminal's corridor systems) can be triggered as a scene-wide effect by accessing the local environmental control panel (Speed + Engineering, Threshold 2). Not immediately obvious as a bane; requires either knowledge of the species' origin environment or observational evidence (the two locations where it has been seen fleeing were both near an activated emergency light).

Containment: A specimen of this quality would be the most significant xenobiological acquisition in the Survey Corps' history. The live containment protocol requires: establishing full-spectrum lighting across the target area, using Void Attunement perception to locate the cornered creature, and applying a metabolic suppressor compound (the Survey Corps xenobiology team has synthesized one based on Zone 3 atmospheric chemistry; Dr. Ashlen has a field-deployable version). The process takes one full scene and requires one character with Void Attunement and one with the Advanced Medical Kit applying the compound. If either step fails, the Stalker recovers from the metabolic suppressor and escapes.

The Pale Stalker encounter is a sustained investigation rather than a combat scene. The party knows something is in the station because of evidence, missing personnel reported as transfers, equipment found damaged in ways that don't match any recorded malfunction, one confirmed heat-sensor anomaly in the lower Cargo Ring. The creature itself appears only when it chooses to, or when the party has assembled enough information to force the confrontation. It is patient. It has been here for eight months.

Thresher

Champion, Biological, External-Origin

A large colonial predator from a world in the outer reaches of the Survey Corps' operational range, a planet catalogued but not formally surveyed, whose xenobiological profile exists only as orbital sensor data and the partial records of an expedition that did not return in full. The Thresher arrived on the Terminal in pieces, a biological sample that the surviving expedition member brought back without fully understanding what they had. The sample reconstituted. The sample grew.

It has been in the lower Spire's sealed maintenance section, the section the Corrupted AI Fragment (AX.GAT.13.03) also occupies, for approximately four months. Neither the Terminal's sensors nor the Corrupted AI Fragment's distributed awareness have identified what it is. They have identified that something is there.

Body: 5D Speed: 3D Wit: 2D

Health: 65 Defense: 3

Attacks: - Sweep: Close, 4D damage, a wide strike covering a Close-range arc; targets all characters within Close range simultaneously; targets reduced to 0 HP by a Sweep are thrown Near in a direction of the GM's choice - Tendril Seize: Near, 2D damage, the Thresher extends a tendril that grapples a target at Near range; the target is pulled to Touch range and is Restrained (cannot move; all physical actions at Disadvantage; Body Save Threshold 4 to break free as a Primary Action) - Colonial Burst: Near, 3D damage, the Thresher releases colonial organism fragments in a burst; all targets in Near range take damage and must succeed on a Body Save (Threshold 3) or become Infested, gaining 1 damage per Turn at Turn start until the Infestation is treated (Advanced Medical Kit, Threshold 2, Primary Action)

Special Abilities: - Colonial Regeneration: The Thresher regenerates 3 HP at the start of each of its Turns. This regeneration is suppressed for one Turn if the Thresher takes damage from its Bane source in that Turn. - Scale Presence: The Thresher is large enough that its presence in a confined space changes the terrain. All movement through Close range of the Thresher requires a Speed Save (Threshold 2) to avoid being incidentally struck (1D damage on failure from contact with its structure). Characters who are Restrained by Tendril Seize are in direct contact with its body and take this damage automatically each Turn without a save. - Psionics Anomaly: The Thresher's colonial structure makes Psionics contact deeply disorienting for the practitioner, the colonial intelligence registers as many minds occupying the same body, none of them organized in a way human-baseline psionic sense can process. Psionics applications against the Thresher require a Wit Save (Threshold 3) after the application; on failure, the practitioner gains the Distracted condition for one scene from the sensory overload. Successful applications still function as rolled. - Void Attunement Null: Void Attunement does not register the Thresher meaningfully, its biology is not void-derived and has no EM signature that the tradition reads. This is one of the few threats that Void Attunement practitioners have no perceptual advantage against.

Bane: Desiccation, the Thresher's colonial biology requires sustained moisture. In a dry environment (humidity below 20%, achievable by redirecting the Spire's environmental controls), the regeneration rate drops to 1 HP per Turn and Colonial Burst deals 1D damage rather than 3D. Full desiccation treatment over one full scene suppresses Colonial Regeneration entirely and renders the creature lethargic (Speed reduced to 1D). Requires knowledge of the species' home environment, the surviving expedition member's partial records contain this information, but accessing those records requires finding the expedition member and convincing them to share what they brought back.

Containment: Theoretically possible, a fully sealed, humidity-controlled enclosure would keep the Thresher manageable. The Survey Corps has never seen a live specimen; their xenobiological priority would immediately shift to live containment over destruction. The practical problem is that the lower Spire section it currently occupies is also the home of the Corrupted AI Fragment, which has its own agenda regarding the Thresher's presence and may or may not be working to keep the creature contained or active, depending on what its original directives actually say.

The Thresher is the encounter that requires the party to have done the research before they arrive. Going in without knowing the bane, without the environmental control access, and without a plan for the colonial burst infestation turns a Champion-tier encounter into a TPK candidate in a confined space. The plot structure surrounding the Thresher, the surviving expedition member, the AI fragment, the four months of unreported presence, is as much the encounter as the creature itself.

Variant Rules

Escaped Containment: Any alien fauna entry can be run as an escaped containment scenario, the creature was being held in Survey Corps research facilities, was known to the faction structure, and its escape is a crisis the party is called in to resolve rather than an unknown they are discovering. In this variant, the party begins with more intelligence about the creature's capabilities and bane, and the clock is external: the creature has been loose for X hours and will reach populated sections in Y hours if not contained.

Ecological Introduction: When multiple alien fauna are present on the Terminal simultaneously, they may interact with each other in ways that create compounding problems. A Scorch Lizard and a Cargo Louse infestation in the same section: the lizard feeds on the lice colony, which reduces the infestation but makes the lizard harder to lure into cold sections. A Pale Stalker and a Thresher in overlapping territory: the Stalker has been avoiding the Thresher, and the path of that avoidance has led it closer to populated sections than it would otherwise be. The GM should treat alien fauna as ecological actors, not isolated encounters.

Plot Hooks

The Manifest Discrepancy, A cargo shipment from a Span-operated freighter has a sealed pallet that is not on the manifest. The pallet is warm. It is moving slightly. The Span cargo handler who signed for the shipment has disappeared, not reported missing, just not at their post. The party discovers the pallet in the Cargo Ring's automated sorting section, currently three sorting cycles away from being routed to a populated section. They have fifteen minutes.

Survey Corps Deniability, The Survey Corps' xenobiology division has been running an unauthorized containment operation in their research section, holding a live alien specimen for study without informing Oryx Logistics or the Vigilants, both of whom have jurisdiction requirements they cannot easily meet. The specimen is now loose inside the research section. Dr. Ashlen has contacted the party directly rather than triggering an official response because an official response means disclosure and disclosure means the unauthorized program gets shut down. She needs this resolved quietly.

The Expedition's Last Member, A Survey Corps expedition returned six months ago with one survivor out of a crew of five. The survivor was medically cleared and returned to duty. They have not spoken about what happened on the surface. Something they brought back has been in the lower Spire for four months. The Corrupted AI Fragment has been attempting to communicate with it. The party finds out about all three of these facts in the same evening, from three different sources who each know only one piece.

Ecological Cascade, The Pale Stalker has been preying on the Cargo Louse colonies in the Cargo Ring's lower sections, keeping the infestation at a manageable level, it turns out. A Span maintenance team that did not know about the Stalker successfully applied cold treatment to the lower sections to deal with a Cargo Louse outbreak. The treatment worked on the lice. The Stalker, driven out of its feeding ground and its thermal comfort zone simultaneously, has moved upward into the Habitation Ring. The first report of something in the walls of Orange Sector's residential warrens came in this morning.