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Very little is known about this species, as less than two dozen specimens have thus far been definitively recorded. This “species” of sophont, if that is the correct term, appears to be highly variable in morphology and virtually every other characteristic - no two “mature” individuals are as similar in character as you would expect members of the same species to be. However, there are sufficient similar markers in each example, and enough commonalities in the earlier stages of life, that life scientists who have studied more than a single specimen judge them to be, if not the same species, then certainly closely related. Genetically, Non-Differentiated Avimorph Xenoforms (N-DAX) have a triple DNA Helix, arranged in triplets, and a very large genome which appears to be mostly unexpressed.
N-DAX exclusively first appear on starships, with one or possibly multiple points of origin somewhere in or near to the Saggital Bridge and Near Saggitarius Sectors. Most specimens are encountered in their early adolescent stages by the ship’s crew, possibly after weeks or months of the creature's suspected presence (strange sounds in the ductwork, missing food items, brief glimpses of movement behind machinery, etc). When encountered in the open, the creatures seem friendly, if hesitant and skittish, and in most cases are coaxed out into the open over a period of days by the crew with offerings of food, soft fabric items, or other enrichments. Adolescent specimens are frequently treated as pets or mascots by a crew, but as the creature approaches full Adulthood (as understood by researchers), the creature begins to rapidly absorb information, language, cultural practices and even start to physically conform to the majority species on board the ship. Within a short few months, the Xenoform is often treated as a full member of the crew, albeit one who knows little of life outside the ship and typically not requiring (or even really being aware of the concept of) pay. They have absorbed enough knowledge to be a fully functional member of that culture, at least to the extent that it is practiced on board ship, and has either been taught useful skills or learned them by observation.
As scientists can ascertain, the known life cycle of the N-DAX consists of the following stages:
Not yet observed. The presumed life cycle stage that boards a ship and lays the egg that the juvenile creature hatches from. Not only has no such creature been observed, but no trace of genetic material has been found that might correspond to such a creature around laying sites.
Only four unhatched eggs have been discovered, and it is unknown how long each egg had been incubating prior to hatching. Eggs (or shell fragments) are typically found in warm, moist areas of a ship, such as in service tunnels, hydroponics facilities or heating ducts. N-DAX eggs are about 30-50cm in diameter, with a tough, leathery shell that varies in colour from pale bone to burnt umber. They are found securely attached by a hard, chitin-like material to the nearby ship surfaces.
Recently hatched specimens are about 50cm tall, fully mobile and aware from minutes after hatching. Hatchlings appear to have some features reminiscent of birds and reptiles, such as simple nasal slits, a hard beak-like mouth and sharp claws, but there the resemblance ends. They are eyeless, and parts of their bodies are covered in dark proto-feathers, while other areas bear hard leathery rib-like protrusions, writhing outgrowths of cilia, or tubular bones connected by thin sinews. Dissection reveals an internal cavity filled with sacs of various noxious fluids, and a lack of any clear circulatory or digestive system.
All documented hatchlings typically attempt to flee the presence of other beings and get into some hard-to-access area of the ship where they can build their nests, and are aided by their highly mobile joints and strong grasping clawed fingers. Sightings of this life stage are highly variable, either due to the creature’s speed or an actual inconsistency in body plan between specimens - most describe the creature as a “monster”, “horror” or similar terms. The only hatchling specimen that was successfully contained was subjected to bright light in its ships science lab, and was found to sicken and die within hours of capture. Two other perished specimens of about hatchling size have been discovered on ships, when their remains began to decay. As such, it is unknown whether the hatchlings are especially vulnerable, or if there was some required condition that was not met in the captured hatchling specimen. The presence of a hatchling on board a ship manifests to the crew as items going missing, especially food, and glimpses of small movement out in peripheral vision, which is likely to cause morale incidents, paranoia and anxiety. The few direct sightings of a creature in this stage have almost universally led to serious morale incidents and on several occasions the use of high energy ship-wide decontamination protocols. Very little is known about the lifestyle or habits of the creature in this period.
At about 1m in height the creatures enter a juvenile phase, where they are far more likely to be noticed by the ship’s crew. Juveniles have long limbs which are used to traverse the ship, and an inconsistent number of clawed fingers on their “hands”. They may moult frequently at this stage, as feathers and skin castings can be found in various concealed areas around the ship, frequently containing capsules of hard leathery flesh - which may be discarded features that slough off with each skin moult. Juveniles are thought to be deeply curious, and are much more likely to be seen or recorded in silent and hidden observation of the ship’s crew. At this stage some crew members can become aware of the creature, either glimpsed briefly skittering into some dark hideaway or noticing the incidents of missing food around the ship as the creature’s nutrition requirements increase. Some Free Union and fringe Ascendancy crews manage to interact with the creature at this stage, leaving food in known haunts and attempting to communicate with the creature, but the majority of encounters at this stage are negative, with most crews suspecting an infestation of Pinion Insects, Hysperian Giga-Rats or other dangerous fauna. Attempts to lock down ships and trap a creature at this life cycle stage usually fail, or result in the creature’s death.
By the adolescent stage, the creature is usually 1.2m or so in height, and typically more normalised in shape, with a mostly humanoid body plan. They are supported on clawed hands and feet, and share common major features with the dominant species on board the ship, allowing for a more sympathetic reception when they reveal themselves. Their bodies are covered in feathers and some areas of leathery, ribbed flesh. This is typically the life stage at which the creature presents itself to the ship’s crew or allows itself to be seen without immediately fleeing. The creatures mirror the behaviour of crew they encounter, and although non-verbal at this stage, make an attempt to be non-threatening, even if they are threatened themselves. If accepted by the rest of the crew, the creature will happily live with them and become much more open, although they will still respond fearfully to beings that they are not familiar with.
Towards the end of the adolescent stage, usually after living closely with the crew, the specimen will show significant increases in intellectual capacity, as well as profound changes in their body. They will swing wildly between periods of hunger, day-long rests, and attempts to interact closely with the crew who spend most time with them. Their bodies will lose or gain mass, feathers will molt (often with accompanying flesh gobbets) and be replaced, and the creatures’ form will adjust to appear more like the dominant species of their ship’s crew.
Adult N-Dax appear very similar to the majority of the crew on the rest of their ship, albeit a more feathered version of them. N-DAX specimens who survive to the adult stage are typically integrated to some degree in the ship’s activities, having picked up useful skills and filling needed roles on board, and rarely requiring any more than food and a place to sleep. Typically adult N-DAX are found on smaller ships, rather than larger vessels with more regimented command hierarchies - the degree to which they are integrated is itself a curious sociological phenomenon, and researchers have questioned whether there are additional mechanisms such as pheromones or psionics at play above and beyond strictly natural bonding methods.
As of the beginning of 3824PT, no known N-DAX specimen over 3 years of age has been catalogued, so further life cycle stages may exist after the ones described. Research into these rare creatures is ongoing.
The character of an individual N-DAX generally reflects the overall attitude of the rest of their crew, as they will have absorbed much of their formative life experience from them. Typically their behaviour, desires, prejudices and habits will have been copied wholesale from those in their crew or group, and they are likely to pick up additional mannerisms from those they develop a strong bond with. Due to the overall youth of all known members of the species, it is not yet known if this tendency will even out and cease as each individual N-DAX ages into a more rigid understanding of their own selfhood, or whether mirroring is a life-long inherent trait.
N-DAX specimens, while appearing as full-grown adults of their mimicked species, lack the full life experience of starfarers of similar apparent age. Their life is typically incredibly cloistered, being a few short years almost exclusively aboard the same starship, and while they have rapidly absorbed considerable information about their home ship, they lack a wider experience of the greater Sphere, or the details of life outside of the ship environment. This frequently comes across as a certain child-like approach to new things and people, and combined with the sensory overload they tend to experience in other environments, N-DAX specimens seem naive and sheltered.
N-DAX specimens vary widely in appearance, as they adapt to resemble the predominant species in their juvenile or adolescent environment. There are some common external elements, and N-DAX specimens all display similar internal biology. The primary difference from the mimicked species is that the N-DAX will always have feathered protrusions coming from various parts of their bodies - most commonly in the scalp mixed in with the hair, the temples and chin, and lines of longer feathers down the back of the forearm and back of the calf on each leg.
Internally, scans of adult N-Dax reveal that although their outer surface and shape conforms to the majority of beings on board their vessel, their internals are very different - if consistent with other specimens of their own species. Indeed it is through the commonality in internal structure that researchers have determined that the N-DAX are a species rather than a series of widely spread anomalous life forms. Their skeletal structure consists of hollow bony tubes wrapped in a hard, leather-like layer and supported by chitin-like flesh supports. The majority of their tissue is a mixture of undifferentiated cells and muscle fibres, all serving as a framework for the various fluid-filled bladders and interconnecting tubes that form a single interconnected system for respiration, digestion and homeostasis control. These undifferentiated/muscle cell masses can rapidly shift to repair any damage. A distributed network of neural and sensory tissue also spreads throughout the body, connecting to various sensory nodes near the outer skin, which protrude through as visual analogues of the mimicked species’ sensory organs. This highly distributed network lacks a central brain structure, which gives them a slight disadvantage in the speed with which they can process complex theoretical inputs - however, it does allow the N-DAX to react very quickly to sensory input, and grants them excellent coordination. The large amount of undifferentiated cell mass around their neural tissue also serves to bleed off harmful neural shock attacks, reducing their overall impact. However, their heightened senses are typically tuned to the more controlled environment of shipboard life, and they find more open environments to be overwhelming. When outside the comfort of their native starship, many N-DAX will require some technological intervention to prevent them being overwhelmed.
Recently, older N-DAX specimens have begun to exhibit additional features that diverge from their mimicked species’ traits. Whether this is indicative of further life cycle stages or some other phenomena is as yet unknown.
Species Keywords: Avian, Xenobiological
Default Faction: Any Faction
Roleplaying Note: It is important to note that Non-Differentiated Avimorph Xenoform characters may become involved in future plot and storylines related to their unknown and mysterious alien biology. If you play a character of this species you may at some point in the future undergo additional character changes imposed by the Game Team, which may eventually lead to your character no longer being viable as a Player Character. If this is the case it is likely to occur over the course of several events, and will be the subject of a dramatic storyline.
